I was pleased to be accepted to paint at this years Upfest, Europe's biggest live art and muralism festival in 2017. Since its first year in 2008, the festival has played host to a massive selection of international big-name artists, and it's popularity has only continued to grow!Although this year I was unsuccessful, I have attended not only UPFEST but also other live painting events previously and have always found them to be a unique experience which always makes me feel more interconnected with my audience than ever before. (See me painting at UPFEST, left)
Live painting events are a great opportunity to create some outdoor artwork without any of the risks associated with illegal art installation. As well as this they are a massive technical challenge, as creating any indepth artwork under pressure and out in the environmental conditions is always a bit of a luck based achievement. However they have a heightened atmosphere and vibe not found at many other art events.
As well as this, live painting is a great technical skills excersize which encourages you to paint quicker and with greater accuracy, as well as work efficiently and tidily. With members of the public wandering all around, there is no room to leave paints lying about and exposed which forces you to be extremely efficient with workspace and mess. (See right, myself painting at 'The Big Doodle', Norwich, 2015)
It also has a unique feeling of a performance piece, which requires thorough planning and preperation to allow the artist to 'bring their all' on the day and really own the space. They are always something I have enjoyed particularly because you always go away feeling really personally recconnected with the media and right there on the front lines of your practice. (See left, myself painting at Art In My Mouth 3, Moosey Art, Norwich)
No comments:
Post a Comment