Mystery artist Mrs Smith makes her mark on Plymouth

An unusual artwork surprised passers by when it sprang up in the city centre on Wednesday morning at the Sundial – all the work of the elusive artist, Mrs Smith.
The concrete blocks surrounding the sundial fountain in Armada Way were transformed overnight into a colourful artwork by the clever addition of upholstered and wildly embellished flip covers.
It appears that Mrs Smith is a textile graffiti artist who is known for her surprise interventions in the urban landscape. Strictly incognito, she has created a variety of textile based works in public spaces across the UK and has now favoured Plymouth with her crafty attentions.
Hannah Jones of The Gallery at Plymouth College of Art knows the artist by repute and comments: “We had invited Mrs Smith to take part in our Material Actions exhibition at the end of the summer. But she seems to have taken matters into her own hands and decided to exhibit where she prefers – on the streets. I would imagine that Plymouth inspired her because of the great opportunities our urban landscape offered her combined with our thriving arts scene which is emerging onto the national stage. I don’t know how long it will stay, but all work is removable and leaves no trace.”
Mrs Smith uses textile graffiti to refresh interest in the over-familiar, over-looked sights that surround us, and to generally cheer up those dreary corners that exist in all towns. She uses textiles because that is her area of expertise – she is a formidable knitter and stitcher – but they become effective and challenging in their external, urban context because of their comforting domestic associations. Unlike some graffiti which can be viewed negatively, Mrs Smith encourages people to view their surroundings in a new and positive light. This is partly because of the comforting domestic associations of textiles and the fact that her interventions do not harm the original in any way.
Hannah Jones continues: “I have never actually met her but I like the way her work engages the public and creates debate about art and our environment, along with a dash of humour.’
Mrs Smith states on her website: "I started to notice things in the street that looked a little forlorn and in definite need of a bit of a boost.
"So I set to and got myself making nice woolly hats for rusted old railings and jolly outfits for statues that were unloved or just looked a bit chilly.
"This led on to cushions in bus shelters, curtains in kiosks and all sorts of other lovely things to help brighten up everyone's day."

For more information visit http://www.mrssmithishere.com/