A new mural was unveiled at Victoria Community Garden in Dundee last weekend by city artist Diane Selbie.
Diane, 27, who also created the popular Keiller Centre’s marmalade mural, has brightened up the community garden with a bright new artwork featuring sunshine, flowers – and worms!
The slogan, “No rain, no flowers” was more than appropriate for the unveiling event, which drew a crowd of around 70 people even in the damp and cold winter winter.
Volunteers young and old turned out for the lunchtime event, which featured a talk on food waste and garden tour from head gardener Gisela Espada, and a stall by community artist (and fellow mural-maker) Pamie Bennett, the woman behind the Wellgate artwork.
Last year, the garden was featured by STV on a segment about the mental health benefits of community gardens for people of all backgrounds and ages.
And for mural artist Diane, the diversity of the volunteers – as well as the beauty of the garden itself – was a huge source of inspiration for the finished piece, ‘Diamages’, which was commissioned by Dundee’s Arts and Communities Association.
“Pamie asked me to get involved because I do all my floral-themed paintings, so she thought it would be quite a good match,” explains Diane.
“I got ideas from all the kids and the people that work in the garden, and that’s what helped me come up with the mural idea.
“It was just nice talking to the people who are so busy and working so hard in the garden. The response on Saturday was amazing!
“Plenty of people were interested in hearing what was going on – the tunnel was full!”
Ahead of the Eden Project making a new home in Dundee in 2025, their community network developer Martin Quigley visited Victoria Garden to talk about how the environmental project will integrate with the efforts already established in the city.
“I was impressed with what he was saying,” added artist and community activist Pamie.
“Sometimes these big projects just seem to land in Dundee, but it seemed like the Eden Project were making an effort to reach out to the groups already here.
“They certainly talked the right talk!”
Victoria Community Garden, on Blackness Road, Dundee, is open to the public from 10am-3pm each Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
As well as her permanent murals at the garden and on New Inn Lane, Diane has “taken over” city centre tapas bar Gallery 48 with an explosive new exhibition, which will run until December 14.
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