Three Monmouth artists are combining their talent to turn the town’s dreary empty windows into an explosion of colour.

Helen Wragg and Laura Eden joined forces with signwriter Gill Nicholas to put life back into the high street by painting the shopfronts with inspiration from a subtle hint of their history.

They began a pilot project on the Malthouse with permission of friend Stephen Gill who runs a restaurant and business from there and had so much success that they turned the former Santander premises into a scene of Monmouth’s landmarks and have now moved on to what was Phil Munday’s fruit and veg shop at 10 Church Street after speaking to him.

This time they went full on with a tribute to the premises that once was the focal point of Church Street with its colourful fruit display and its even more colourful shopkeeper, Phil, who has now retired.

With support from entrepreneurs Steve Gill, Gay Rogers, Stephanie Harris, artist Jill Nicholas, Sherren McCabe-Finlayson and David Evans at the Chamber of Commerce, ‘Living Windows’ is the first project of Empty Space CIC (Community Interest Company) set up to provide a benefit to the community they serve with simply one target: an idea to invigorate, excite and bring change to the town.

The Beacon caught up with Helen at their latest venture where she said they are overwhelmed by the number of people who stop to recount their personal experiences of shopping at Phil’s.

Many stopped to say how wonderful it was to see this happening where we were there talking to them.

Using a special glass paint that is temporary, they find somewhere that has ‘dead windows’ and bring them back to life, and perhaps focus attention on an area that needs support.

“It can be simply for two or three weeks, or for longer, or even for a working shop that wants just a corner of their window display brightened up,” Helen added..

The first of a series of workshops will be held from Monday 12 – Friday 16 August at Monmouth Library 9.30am - noon. A painting and illustration of wild swimmer Angela Jones is to face one of their windows with an opportunity to hear Angela in discussion on Saturday 21 September from 11-12 noon in the library.