Artists Penny Bearman
and her daughter Lucy Somers in Dover

by Graham Tutthill

A mother and daughter who have already transformed some of
Deal’s boarded-up buildings with their artwork are on a similar
mission in Dover.

Penny Bearman and Lucy Somers are currently working on the
hoardings around the Castle Amusements building in Townwall
Street.

They have previously painted scenes connected with the Royal
Marines on buildings at The Strand in Walmer, opposite the
bandstand where the Royal Marines play each year, and they have
brightened up the former Regent Bingo Hall while it waits to
re-open its doors as a cinema again

Now they have chosen scenes from ships for their first project
in Dover.

"I was upset every time I walked through Deal and saw empty
shops and nasty brown hoardings," said Penny. "I felt visitors
would turn on their heels and never come back."

So she obtained funding and painted scenes at various sites
around the town.

"I was then driving through Dover and saw all the vacant sites
boarded up and I thought I could do the same here," said Penny.

There were delays in contacting the owners of the various sites,
but she was eventually given the go-ahead and started work
immediately.

She has been supported by Dover Mayor Cllr Sue Jones, provided
with funding by Dover Town Council and Dieter Jaenicke from Viking
Recruitment, and some of the paint has been supplied by Deal
Interiors.

"Mr Jaenicke was able to provide some photos of people working
on board ships, including the engine room and some very confined
spaces," said Penny.

"I had wanted to paint working people, with a sea setting, so
these seemed very appropriate.

"The pictures are designed to be viewed by people in passing
vehicles and show them that Dover is a vibrant and cultural
place."

Once her Townwall Street project is complete, Penny and Lucy
would like to work on other sites in the town, including the nearby
former Britannia public house, the closed multi-storey car park and
the building previously used by MFI and Lidl which has been empty
for years.

And their big ambition is to produce a huge canvas of the Bronze
Age boat which could hang over the unsightly end of a building in
Bench Street (above) above the site where the boat was found in
1992.