In the 2nd Abingdon Scout Group hut, there are bird murals painted on the walls by Jim Humphreys, a scout leader for many years. I saw Jim in town today and he mentioned the murals being shown on the internet by the Sunningwell School of Art, where he also paints. He gave me permission to borrow them for the Abingdon Blog.

Jim is a keen ornithologist and has done several birds including a Kingfisher

and an Osprey.

Jim is also one the Abingdon Guild of Town Criers, and part of the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers (normally as a fool) and a performer in the mummers’ plays.

The work of artist and children’s story maker, David Melling, are currently showing at Abingdon Museum as part of the exhibition Drawing Stories; Fairy Tales & Wildlife.

The exhibition includes a display case loaded with David’s books.

There are also some drawing called Lockdown Wood. They are intricate bulbous and spiny tree-like structures with bird houses. David created them during the empty days of lockdown.

The largest part of the exhibition shows small coloured pencil bird drawings and larger charcoal and pencil bird and animal drawings. David Mellings lives in Abingdon and is often to be seen drawing and signing books in Abingdon’s book shops.

The exhibition can be seen at Abingdon Museum: Tuesday – Sunday , 10 am – 4 pm , until 26th September 2021.

There were original paintings in the garden room at St Ethelwolds,

and sculptures, prints and cards in the garden.

From 16th-19th July, Caroline Ritson, Marion Owen and Bruce Bignold are exhibiting their work.

Bruce has some fun watercolours of buildings in Abingdon.

Caroline has a passion for seascapes.

Marion paints landscapes in a variety of styles.

The garden was a pleasant place to be on such a lovely morning.

The flowers looked spectacular in the sun.

Carol says ‘a wooden structure / sculpture has appeared on the roundabout at the junction of Caldecott Road and Drayton Road – any information on who designed it and why it is there?‘

I have no information. But I have started looking at the evidence.

The Oxford Wood Recycling workshop and warehouse is off that roundabout. They have a large number of crates in their carpark waiting to have the nails removed. I did suspect them at first. I wondered if this was a way to advertise their presence. But then I thought they would have made a pyramid of pallet wood.

I did wonder if it could be the work of the famous Abingdon artist, River Banksy,  who carves animals out of wood at Abingdon Lock. But this is too abstract and too far from the River Thames.

This structure look like the wigwams to be found in woodland areas. This wigwam of branches is well made, it looks good from all sides and has some colourful flags made from net bags to attract attention. As we are nearing the end of the academic year it could be the final project of somebody doing an arts course.