Before meeting a friend this afternoon I took the opportunity to see some of the street art in the Northern Quarter in Manchester.   Last year some prominent artists painted gable ends as part of the Cities of Hope 2016  highlighting social issues.   This bird is the brightest that I saw and was painted by Mateus Ballon.
Realising that people who live and work in the concrete jungles lost their contact and connection with nature, Brazilian street artist Mateus Bailon decided to bring it into the cities. His vibrant and colorful murals featuring birds, plants, and fishes, have been popping up around Brazil and beyond for the past several years. ………..   In today’s busy world in which life became so fast, so busy, and so pressured, Bailon’s outstanding murals remind us that we should slow down, stop rushing, and enjoy life and all the beauties it brings.


The extra  'Disability' depicts a men resting in seeming exhaustion on a bar. By the German artist Case.
Partnering with ‘Back on Track’, a Manchester charity that enables disadvantaged adults to make lasting, positive changes in their lives. The man in the painting is called ‘A’ a man who the project helps. Case worked with the charity “Back on track” and painted a hyper-realistic portrait of one of the people they support in making positive changes in their lives


The second extra shows 'Conflict'    The piece from Spanish duo Pichi & Avo depicts Hercules fighting the centaur Nessus against the backdrop of graffiti type scrawlings.  It can be found on the back of a building towards the top end of Port Street in a car park close the junction with Great Ancoats Street.  The work is striking due to its mix of classical and modern art


On the opposite side of the building to Conflicts is this painting by Jay Sharples of back and yellow stripes which made my eyes go strange.