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Chewing gum art by Ben Wilson
Artist Ben Wilson has made his name by applying artistic designs to the most unlikely of canvases: squashed blobs of chewing gum on the pavement
For the last nine years Ben has tirelessly produced thousands of miniature paintings on litter including plastic bottles, cans and other street detritus. He has created more than 8,000 works of art this way - each one photographed and catalogued for his archive
Ben can spend as long as ten hours hunched over a discarded piece of gum, painting his eye-catching pictures on the sticky surface
More than 10,000 examples of his work, which are usually no bigger than an inch in height and width, are plastered on pavements all over the UK and parts of Europe
He started doing it as a way of brightening up his neighbourhood in Muswell Hill, north London, but has since created his 'pavement art' throughout the UK and abroad
As well as producing his own compositions he also takes commissions from members of the public. He keeps a book where he has backlogged requests for paintings, births, deaths and marriages are some of the personal commemorations
Initially, his work got him unwanted attention from the authorities, but because he is not defacing private property but merely painting rubbish, he was found to be breaking no law
He was actually arrested in 2009 by the City of London Police on suspicion of criminal damage, however the case was dropped after dozens of people wrote letters of support
Artist Ben Wilson has made his name by applying artistic designs to the most unlikely of canvases: squashed blobs of chewing gum on the pavement
For the last nine years Ben has tirelessly produced thousands of miniature paintings on litter including plastic bottles, cans and other street detritus. He has created more than 8,000 works of art this way - each one photographed and catalogued for his archive
Ben can spend as long as ten hours hunched over a discarded piece of gum, painting his eye-catching pictures on the sticky surface
More than 10,000 examples of his work, which are usually no bigger than an inch in height and width, are plastered on pavements all over the UK and parts of Europe
He started doing it as a way of brightening up his neighbourhood in Muswell Hill, north London, but has since created his 'pavement art' throughout the UK and abroad
As well as producing his own compositions he also takes commissions from members of the public. He keeps a book where he has backlogged requests for paintings, births, deaths and marriages are some of the personal commemorations
Initially, his work got him unwanted attention from the authorities, but because he is not defacing private property but merely painting rubbish, he was found to be breaking no law
He was actually arrested in 2009 by the City of London Police on suspicion of criminal damage, however the case was dropped after dozens of people wrote letters of support