I chanced upon these oversized chewing-gums in the window of this abandoned newsagent a couple of years ago and sat down in the gutter to paint a picture of them.
The old man who lived there (who I now know to be called Mr Robinson) poked his head out of the door and I waved at him, but we didn't speak to each other. I met many passers-by and chatted to schoolchildren on their way home who came up to see what I was doing.
He has since died and the chewing gums disappeared, perhaps stolen by looters.
This weekend, however, the shop is going to be open for the first time in years and there's an exhibition on by Des Hughes.
I'm going to show a print of my painting there, in the back room where they are also showing some local photographer's work.
More about the show here
