Tag: Cheltenham Paint Festival

2536. Cheltenham 2019 (15)

This is an incredible piece by Fabio Petani, an Italian muralist who rarely paints at festivals because he makes his living from commissions and can rarely afford give up the time to paint ‘for fun’. So this is a rare treat and a bit of a coup for organisers of the Cheltenham Paint Fesitval.

Fabio Petani, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Fabio Petani, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

His work is symbolic of connecting people with nature, which is something of a strong societal theme these days and his sketch-like illustration, on a grand scale, brings nature to the urban setting. I think the stark and perfect yellow ring reminds us of human endeavour and how we have divorced ourselves from nature. This is a thoughtful and beautifully painted piece.

Fabio Petani, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Fabio Petani, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

I managed to snatch a few words with the artist on the Friday and on the Sunday I just happened to be there as he finished the piece and moved the scissor lift out of the way. I believe I was the first to photograph the completed work.

2535. Cheltenham 2018 (7)

Three wonderful and elaborate tags from three amigos, painted I think at the 2018 Cheltenham Paint Festival and still all looking in pretty good nick. From left to right the artists are Decay, Nol and The Agent.

Decay, Nol and the Agent, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
Decay, Nol and the Agent, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019

Decay has been including ‘Chuck’ as a central character in most of his work for longer than I have known him. A former citizen of Cheltenham, he now lives in Bristol, but seems to paint pretty regularly in both places. Nol is a Dutch artist who will be familiar to anyone who has visited Upfest in recent years, his regular visits to Bristol are always more thasn welcome. The Agent is Bristol through and through and has encouraged his son to become one of the most inventive street artists in the city. His Minion pieces appear less regularly than they used to, but cometh a festival, cometh the man. A charming little triptych.

2515. Cheltenham 2019 (14)

I have not seen much of Korp’s work but everything I have seen from this artist I very much like. His highly distinctive style is instantly recognisable and quite unlike anything else out there. I don’t know what he calls his characters, but they usually look a bit like worms to me, although this one painted at this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival s a little different.

Korp, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Korp, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

The piece is painted on a backdrop of hand paste ups with the words ‘The Hand Mischief’ written on them. Over the top of this paper wall Korp has painted a demonic looking character with ears and red eyes I wouldn’t normally associate with his pieces. Is this simply what it is, or is it a piece full of symbolism and meaning? I am not sure, but it is a classy piece either way.

2514. Cheltenham 2019 (13)

This is an absolutely terrific piece from a Bristol fave, Hazard, and she has really stuck to the brief by painting a piece that links to literature and in this case the Maya Angelou autobiography ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’. I have not read this book, but clearly it is a favourite of the artist, and she has created a beautiful atmosphere of reading with this long wall mural.

Hazard, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Hazard, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

What I like about this piece is that it has a real sense of calm about it, from the soft decorative bookends to the gentle light touching the reader’s face, a reader who it utterly absorbed by what she is reading. The piece is in stark contrast to its surroundings but cleverly draws you in so that all you can see is the reader.

Hazard, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Hazard, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

I was fortunate enough to meet Hazard for the first time when she was setting up to paint the wall, and I was pleased to discover that she knew about Natural Adventures and had read some of my posts about her work.

I always feel a little embarrassed about striking up a conversation with street artists, because what I do is a little bit niche and consuming and I am prone to being a little bit star-struck on a first meeting. This is an utterly irrational position, because in my experience street and graffiti artists are some of the most down-to-earth and decent people that I know.

I love this Hazard piece.

2513. Cheltenham 2019 (12)

So you get nothing from an artist forever and then two posts in the space of three days, and so it is with this character piece by Flava136. I don’t really know why I haven’t seen much of his work before, but I seem to be finding plenty of it now.

Flava136, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Flava136, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

This is one of a couple of pieces by Flava136 at the Cheltenham Paint Festival, but this one lasted rather longer than his other one in the Honeybourne Line tunnel which was wrecked, along with several others the night it was completed. Every time I see his work I am reminded of Stitch from the film Lilo and Stitch, I’m sorry I can’t help it…my bad.

2512. Cheltenham 2018 (6)

I have been aware of Mr Wigz for a long time, ever since I saw a collaboration he painted with SPZero76 in Gloucester Road back in 2016, but I have seen little of his work since. Finding this enormous piece in Cheltenham, which was painted for the 2018 Paint Festival, was both a surprise and pleasure.

Mr Wigz, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
Mr Wigz, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019

I was fortunate enough to spot him at this year’s festival and chatted with him for a little while as he was finishing off his piece (to follow). This fantasy piece though is quite magnificent and uses the wall to great effect creating a window into another world, or reflection of our own (in better times). There is a depth to the piece and plenty to look at and think about. There is something about the subject matter that reminds me a little of the work of Xenz. It is a fine piece indeed and how lucky we are that the Cheltenham Paint Festival organisers are trying to keep the walls from previous festivals intact.

2501. Cheltenham 2018 (5)

On my first day in Cheltenham I walked from Cheltenham Spa station along the Honeybourne Line towards the centre of town and after dropping down from the disused railway the first major piece I saw was this sensational eye from My Dog Dighs painted for the 1028 Cheltenham Paint Festival (I think).

My Dog Sighs, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
My Dog Sighs, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019

Good grief, this is a great piece in its overall impact, situated on a rather banal utilitarian building, bringing joy to all who see it. The child-like background of scribbles and doodles plays host to an enormous and dramatic eye.

My Dog Sighs, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
My Dog Sighs, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019

This and all his other recent pieces speak of an artist at the absolute top of his game and whose signature eyes, large or small, each bear their own characteristics. The patterning on the iris is always so well observed and the scenes tell great stories, often of the local environment or people. World class piece.

2500. Cheltenham 2019 (11)

One of the comforting things about the Cheltenham Paint Festival is that it is only a short distance away from Bristol and that I am familiar with a great many of the artists that make the short journey. One such artist is Lokey, whose 3D anamorphic lettering is out of the top drawer.

Lokey, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Lokey, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

This piece has the appearance of being unfinished, but it is signed and I have not seen any photograhs of it in a more advanced state. It is a clever effect which keeps the mind wondering what might the bottom half look like and your brain trying to fill in the gaps. I ought to add that the little cat to the right of the piece was painted by his young daughter and will is worthy of its own post (to come).

2499. Cheltenham 2019 (10)

Miss Wah might be familiar to readers of Natural Adventures because she has made an occasional appearance with her Upfest pieces. This striking Kawaii style figure is beautifully painted with yellow and black bands that we might normally associate with bees and wasps and indeed Miss Wah has given this character wings.

Miss Wah, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Miss Wah, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

Miss Wah’s simple and oh-so-easy-on-the-eye pieces are always a welcome addition to any festival and tend to be real crowd-pleasers. This fine piece in Cheltenham this year is no exception.

2498. Cheltenham 2019 (9)

Well here’s a familiar sight for Bristolians, the wonderful, weird, quirky world of Guts. There is a lot of fun that goes on in Guts’ pieces, but the fun is juxtaposed with a slightly sinister or gruesome scene. I am not too sure of the story here, but there is a man with a smoking shot gun and a fox missing its tail… Oh my, literally as I am writing this the penny has dropped. This is the Roald Dahl story, ‘The Fantastic Mr Fox’ and Guts has stuck to the literature theme brief perfectly.

Guts, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Guts, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

That moment of clarity has just elevated this piece because I can now completely ‘get’ the evil characters, so brilliantly portrayed and the unfortunate fox who loses his tail. A perfect illustration and one that I’m sure Roald himself would have approved of.