With the world in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown, it is nice to see something that makes you smile.
Which is why the colourful work of a Carlisle couple is such a welcome addition to the city.
Ino Romero and his wife Rita have spent this week painting an eye-catching mural across the back alley wall behind their Hawick Street home.
Hawick Street, which lies off Wigton Road, is one of a number of terraced streets that lie close to Dixon’s Chimney.
But now Hawick Street stands out, thanks to Ino and Rita’s colourful artwork.
The retired couple have been working on the mural, which stretches across a portion of the back alley, since last Saturday.
Ino said they were looking for a way to make the back alley feel a bit more inviting, and decided the best way to do so was to make the best use of their considerable artistic skills to recreate an eye-catching mural of Carlisle Castle.
“My wife and I like painting, and it just came to us that the back lane felt a bit deserted,” Ino said.
“We thought that we could make it a bit nicer, a bit more colourful by creating a mural.”
Ino said the couple still had some work left to do.
“We haven’t finished yet, we’ve got a little bit left to finish off,” he said.
Rita and Ino are happy with how their mural has turned out.
“It’s something that little bit different, it stands out,” Ino said.
“It’s a bit brighter than just bricks.”
It is also being warmly received among their neighbours, with a few already having told Ino and Rita that they appreciate their work.
The couple only paint for fun, rather than for profit.
“Painting is just a hobby for us,” said Ino, who has lived on Hawick Street since 1993.
Emblazoned under the couple’s recreation of Carlisle Castle is the simple message: “Art is also on the streets, not only in the museums.”
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