6365. Cheltenham 2023 (5)

Krimsone, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Town Centre East car park, Cheltenham, July 2024
Krimsone, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Town Centre East car park, Cheltenham, July 2024

Here are three more wonderful pieces from the Cheltenham Paint Festival this year, and I have to say that Andy Davies, the Director and organiser of the event, has excelled in gathering a blend of international, national and local artists together to show off their talent. I believe that 2024 is the best one yet. This first enormous piece, on the side of the Town Centre East car park, is by Krimsone, an artist I have only once before come across at Upfest 2017. This is a top class portrait piece worked to fit the tall wall perfectly, with a vase delicately balanced on the woman’s head taking up the top half of the wall. Incredible stuff.

#DFTE, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Honeybourne Line tunnel, Cheltenham, July 2024
#DFTE, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Honeybourne Line tunnel, Cheltenham, July 2024

As reliable as ever, Bristol artist #DFTE manages to raise a smile with his appropriately coloured writing exclaiming “Totally Bananas”. Fabulous drips.

Fark, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham, July 2024
Fark, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham, July 2024

Finally in this mini selection, Fark, who is a regular at street art festivals, presents one of his superb birds with precision and tidiness. Great work.

1354. Upfest 2017 (140)

The boards erected in South Street Park played host to some of the very best work at Upfest 2017, and this piece by Krimsone and Scott Nagy was right up there with the very best. This amazing collaboration shows street art storytelling at its very best.

Krimsone and Scott Nagy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Krimsone and Scott Nagy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The magical story unfolding here is of a young child in bed, and a bedroom that is transforming into a dream-like fantasy world, and his bed is in fact a little boat. The whole image has the look of an illustration from a children’s book.

Krimsone and Scott Nagy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Krimsone and Scott Nagy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Both artists are from Australia, and if it weren’t for Upfest, how on earth would I ever get to see their amazing work? Such is the draw of the festival that artists from all over the world make the journey to Bedminster. I sometimes wonder if Bristolians know how lucky they are.

This is such a skillfully painted piece, such a shame that it was only temporary.