Banksy again!!

A little bit out of date from when I originally came across it - 24th Oct, but following todays Banksy news I thought I'd post it
Banksy works to be painted over

Several Banksy artworks are going on sale this week in LondonGraffiti art by the acclaimed artist Banksy on streets in Tower Hamlets is to be painted over.
Stencilled artwork from the guerrilla artist can be seen on walls across London, but Tower Hamlets is the first council to treat them as vandalism.
The plan comes as 11 pieces of the artist's work go on sale on Wednesday.
Banksy, from Bristol, made his name with public art and subversive stunts. His works now sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The actress Angelina Jolie reportedly bought one of his works for more than £200,000.
Eleven of Banksy's stencilled artworks go on sale on Wednesday at Bonham's auction house in Knightsbridge.
We need to be clear here, graffiti is a crime
Tower Hamlets councillor Abdal Ullah
A piece, commissioned by rock band Blur for their 2003 album Think Tank, recently sold in London for £300,000, Gareth Williams of Bonhams said.
A spokeswoman for Tower Hamlets Council said it had not thought of selling the potentially valuable artwork to help raise money for council services, but did not rule out such action being considered in the future.
A statement said: "Tower Hamlets Council takes the cleanliness of the borough very seriously and is committed to removing all graffiti as soon as possible.
"Whilst some graffiti is considered to be art, we know that many of our residents think graffiti in areas where they live, such as local housing estates, is an eyesore."
Tower Hamlets councillor Abdal Ullah said: "We need to be clear here, graffiti is a crime.
"It spoils the environment, makes our neighbourhoods feel less safe, and costs thousands of pounds each year to clean - money that could instead be paying for valuable local services."
It is not yet known how many of the artist's works would be affected.
The future of a Banksy piece painted on a wall in Bristol recently went to public vote, with 97% of people saying it should be kept.

Banksy caught on my kitchen TV!

Funny, as I was writing the previous post on Banksy, it came up on the news - had camera to hand; batteries running low (see rule 6!) and using sky plus pause button on television in kitchen managed to get some images of the Banksy work. Bloke in one picture is a news reporter.
Several of the public were asked about the latest 'graffiti work'
Lady 1: I think he's done one round the corner on the side of a local shop, I think it looks great
Man 2: Saw it last night on way home from work - looks like a worker from the council. Had to get a photo of it this morning
Man 3: I think that it brightens up the neighbourhood and if it winds up tower Hamlets council cant be bad.

Personally I like the idea of the double yellow line going off the road and ending as a giant flower. I don't think that it demonstrates some of the quality stencils he has previously done.

Banksy caught on camera

Artist Banksy 'captured in photo'

The passer-by believes she may have captured an image of the elusive Banksy
His work sells for thousands of pounds and he is feted by the Hollywood elite, yet the identity of guerrilla artist Banksy remains shrouded in mystery.
Now a photograph has emerged which some people claim could show the reclusive artist at work on a London street.
The photograph, taken by a passer-by in Bethnal Green, shows a man at work with an assistant, scaffolding and a truck.
Banksy made his name with stencils and subversive art in public spaces but fiercely guards his true identity.
The photographer, who wishes to remain anonymous, is familiar with Banksy's work and took the shot as she was passing the artist at work.
The mural depicts double yellow lines veering off a road and up the side of a building, creating an outline of a flower. A stencil of a painter sits beside it.
But like some of his stencils that appear periodically around his home city, authenticating the image as "Banksy" could prove difficult.

The completed mural shows a painter and a flower
While his anonymity has captured public imagination in the artist and his work, it leaves him open to copycats.
A recent auction of 10 pieces of original Banksy art sold for more than £500,000 in Bonhams, London.
He has also become a favourite with Hollywood stars, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie buying his work at a recent exhibition in Los Angeles.
A possible new piece of his work appeared in his home city of Bristol earlier in the month opposite the Children's Hospital.
It shows an armed police officer with a child about to burst a paper bag behind him. Hospital workers said they liked the piece.
But in Tower Hamlets a decision has been made to treat all of Banksy's stencilled artwork as graffiti to be painted over.
A spokesman for Tower Hamlets Council said: "In this case, Banksy has sought permission from the owners of the privately-owned building for his latest work.
"We do however need to look at the issue of the yellow lines as we have a legal obligation to reinstate the bit of the double yellow lines which has been painted out.
"As ever, priority is given to the removal of offensive graffiti."