All the colourful street art on the walls around Cheltenham Spa have stories to tell.  Last year the river of colour captured my imagination and my photography.  Returning on a Sunday in July 2024, I was looking forward to photographing a new set of murals.  Last year I missed out on visiting the town centre East car park painting area.  I also went to the Aggs pavilion and did not visit any of the underpasses. Looking at this year’s audio guide, I planned my walk from the Northeast car park to the HQ at the Two Pigs pub and from there to the East car park.  On the way home I planned a stop over at the underpass near CHCQ.  That was the plan.

Opening picture is Storm Queen by @mishfit_art

North Place Car Park

My daughter and grandson came along for the ride.  We parked by the North Place car park and I took a few pictures of the artists.  There were a couple of mural artists that I recognised from my Digbeth and Shoreditch travels. Noah started a trend of posing in front of those murals he liked such as the cyclist.  We then grabbed a bite to eat at Mowgli’s before exploring the Festival. The Brewery Quarter is one of the sponsors of the Festival so pleased I did my bit by eating there.  

On our walk to the Two Pigs pub, we encountered several murals.  Having a camera out and about on the day of the Festival looks normal and helps with the street photography.  

The Two Pigs Pub

The pub was quiet on the Sunday lunchtime with a few artists out painting in the back yard.  When photographing the work, I always aim to get the painter’s permission for a picture.  I know that street art is public work but I still believe it is polite that you get the artist’s blessing for the picture. As you see, I enjoy recording how they interact with their artwork.  Knowing the person behind the work gives the bigger picture and tells the story about the mural.  There were many ‘faves’ in this area and my pictures show the range and variety of work.  I did like the train ticket murals and the happy faces at the pop up shop in the pub.

East car park

Next stop East car park.  Once we were signed in by the cheerful volunteers, we were directed up to the top floors where several murals were reaching completion.  I stopped to talk to @apparan and @stockartwork. Both were adding the final touches to their work and were happy to be photographed. They also gave me the background about their artwork.  @apparan was passionate about her work. “Uprising” highlights how women rise above the struggles they face in life.   There were many murals at this venue and the interaction of colour, mural and car park was good for composing pictures.  I am sorry I missed @sould_art as she was very kind advertising my blog last year.  The camaraderie and friendly atmosphere that permeates the two days of the Cheltenham Paint Festival is what attracts me to visit. 

• Some artists to be named in above pictures

Sherbourne place car park

Exiting the car park I realised that we were near to some of the new art that was being done at Sherbourne place car park which was just next door.  There was an epic and expansive mural by @Dale_Grimshaw.  Furthermore, there was a wonderful fun message below the beautiful mural.  Girl painters need a dinosaur was done by @chinagirltile. Having granddaughters who love painting, these words are spot on and do resonate.  There was also work on display by another artist who was coming to the end of his painting.  We had a good chat but he looked tired after all his work in the sun.

On the way back there was a previous mural by Curtis Hylton to see and then there was another look at the artwork in North street car park.  I took out my Yashika film camera and took a few pictures.  The film will be developed in a week’s time so I am interested how the pictures turn out. We walked back to the car and drove to the underpass which was on the A40 not far from the GCHQ building.  

Arle Court Underpass

The underpass was alive with artists painting on the downward slopes and then into the underpass.  You get drawn to certain pieces of art and I met @pad303 who was painting an Evel Knievel mural under one of the arches. The model bike with action figure placed on a box next to his spray cans was a super touch to the proceedings.  There were many other artists at work and I took many pictures underneath and around the Arle Court area. There was so much variation and colour in the artwork.  I may well miss out on several names of artists around here but I will try my best.  

What caught my eye at Arle court was the leading lines and intersections as the colourful images interact with the concrete and steel.  So much texture and colours.  The light and shadows in the underpass provided different ideas for picture composition. I used the available light to line up silhouettes of the people against the entrance.  All murals blended in well with their surroundings.  I could have spent a long time here but I knew that the trip back home up to Solihull was a pressing matter as we wanted to leave early to avoid the motorway jams.

Memories of the Day

The Cheltenham Paint Fest is a day out with a difference.  There is the chance to go shopping and enjoy the Regency architecture of the town.  The paint festival is an added bonus to your visit and one not to be missed.  I must thank Dice67.co.uk and his team for all the excellent work and the ever so helpful volunteers.  The quality of the artwork is high and a privilege to view the artistic output of so many talented people.  Great memories to hold onto whilst we wait for next year’s festival.

Thanks to Andy Dice Davies who is the lead of the organising committee for putting the Cheltenham Paint Festival together. All the volunteers were helpful and eager to direct you to the different areas. Thank you to all the artists who were happy to have their picture taken and chat to me. I was the guy with the Cowboy hat and silver camera. Sorry I could not see every mural but if you want a good idea of what was going on please follow Max Johnson (@moxsblag) where she documents many of the artists and their work. She is a good photographer too. All pictures were taken with my Fujifilm x100vi which excelled in the low light situations of the East Car Park and Arle Court Underpass. I have tried to name all artists wherever possible and will update my account as soon as I learn the names of the artists. I recommend Inspiring City website which has an extensive write up with pictures of the Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024.

If you enjoyed this then be sure to sign up to the Cheltenham Paint Festival site. Also you may wish to read my account of last year’s festival.