Founded in 2022 by Artsite Ltd, Swindon Paint Fest is back again and about to turn the town into a creativity hub of all kinds ranging from large scale murals, live painting, art market, exhibitions, workshops, dance and music! – Swindon Paint Fest
I participated in the 2023 Swindon Paint Fest, celebrating local, national, and international talent for street art. I was humbled to be chosen as one of the artists to paint in Old Town, Swindon, an area known for its strong community and ties to the arts.
I wanted to paint something in my style, and I felt as though for my first mural and my first painting of such scale, alongside the tight deadline of two days, a portrait would be too complicated and I would get tied up with the detail. Instead I chose something that would resonate with the public more – two hands, coming together as though they are friends, lovers, or family. With the design I chose, the viewer can choose their own story. The colours of the purple and the green are also very neutral, showing that there is no us and them, no good and bad, just two people coming together.
The experience of painting outside was fantastic. We were incredibly lucky with the weather as previous paint festivals had to be cancelled or the artists were rained on for the majority of the time – we, on the other hand, were hiding away from the sun for much of the weekend. On the Sunday of the festival, the Old Town Food Festival was round the corner which bought lots of people down the street to watch us paint. It was great to hear the comments about the artwork as we were producing it, as well as the guess work of what each piece was going to be.
Through my experience of the Swindon Paint Fest, I would enjoy some larger-scale looser artwork that still resembles my style of painting. If I had the opportunity, I would invest the time into a larger scale bold portrait, so much like my current portraits, the works can stare people down as they walk by.
