Cheltenham's 'big walls' covered in virtual street art

The Cheltenham Paint Festival, which takes place in September, is having to run a "reduced festival" this year

Artists from across the country have been "busy filling the walls" of Cheltenham with virtual street art.

The Cheltenham Paint Festival, which takes place in September, is having to run a "reduced festival" this year due to funding cuts following the pandemic.

Unable to fund artworks on the town's "big walls", the festival has invited its artists to cover them virtually.

Festival director Andrew Davies, said: "We would love them to be real but who knows maybe some will be."

This year's festival will only include smaller walls, car parks and the bridges and tunnels on the Honeybourne line in the town

Festival director Andrew Davies, said due to funding cuts following the pandemic it is unable to fund artworks on the town's "big walls"

Photographs of Cheltenham's big wall spaces were sent to the festival's street artists, for them to fill

The festival, which takes place in the first week of September, involves 130 national and international street artists giving a "paint makeover" to 25 locations around Cheltenham.

But this year, the downscaled event will only include the town's smaller walls, car parks and some railway tunnels and bridges.

With no "big walls" included, Mr Davies decided to hand over his "extensive collection" of photographs of Cheltenham's big wall spaces for artists to fill.

Mr Davies said the virtual paint festival, was a "bit of fun"

"Some of the artists haven't painted a big wall before and I thought it would give them the chance to see their work on them," Mr Davies said

The "reduced" Cheltenham Paint Festival 2020 is due to run from 4 to 7 September

"It's a bit of fun. I have lots of pictures of walls because I'm dealing with the council and owners to see if they can be used," Mr Davies said.

"And some of the artists haven't painted a big wall before and I thought it would give them the chance to see their work on them."

He added, that some of the walls pictured were "unavailable to paint on" as permission had not been granted and their inclusion in the virtual paint festival was "not an invitation to do so".

Cheltenham Paint Festival 2020 is due to run from 4 to 7 September.

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