Eight Artists and Stories to be Revealed
Discover the next round of Street Stories installations this spring in Wolverhampton, with eight fantastic local artists getting involved.
Our initial callout has ended, so thank you to all the amazing artists who approached us with unique pieces and stories. Unfortunately, we only have space for eight stories for this first Wolverhampton trail. We have chosen a range of different art styles and themes to create a unique display throughout the city. Each has then be developed with our augmented reality technology and animations, building the stories into interactive experiences.
Amanda Keeton
Amanda’s Street Stories submissions are paintings based around animals in human settings. Seeing a range of animals anthropomorphised makes for fun and surreal imagery.
Her work has won the Felix Award. This is awarded to artists whose work brings benefits to health and wellbeing, which is one of Amanda’s passions.
“A lot of people who saw the painting said that it made them smile, which I found extremely rewarding – creating art is something that brings me great joy and if the final artwork also makes other people happy then I feel that as an artist, you have achieved your ultimate goal!”
Amanda is donating a portion of her print sales to The Brain Tumour Society and Young Minds, two charities close to home and heart. Her husband received support after a brain tumour diagnosis, and she has seen how recent years have affected people’s mental health out in the community. Her aim is to form a lasting partnership with both charities, so that her work can continually support theirs.
Angel Bottley
Angel’s works explore natural scenes, such as a koi pond, seascapes, forests, the night sky, and the stars beyond.
She often uses UV paint in her works, making them two-in-one pictures. They look realistic under regular lighting and then take on a surreal quality under a blacklight.
Angel is represented by Hammond Galleries.
Belinda Maria Longsden
Belinda Maria Longsden’s works are a mix of collage and painting. She likes to create optical illusions which may appear to move (even before we rework them with augmented reality) due to the colours and composition used.
Belinda is inspired by everyday images and objects which surround us, from newspapers on the street to galaxies in the sky. She aims to bring the viewer’s attention to the beauty in everyday things by changing the way we see them.
“The way the artwork is realised is unimportant to me as long as the method I employ portrays the idea.”
After graduating in 2008, Belinda ran a small studio and gallery for five years. She has been part of many art projects in Wolverhampton. She’s now part of the Maker’s Dozen Studios and helps to run the gallery there.
View Maria’s work at belindamarialongsden.com
Chris Long and David A Lindon
Chris Long has spent 15 years honing his geometric optical illusions that can make shapes appear to be moving or three dimensional. He now combines techniques to create even more in-depth illusions. His work intends to draw the viewer in as they figure out what is going on in the piece.
Chris’s work is closely connected with his diagnosis on the autistic spectrum and has been a great source of therapy for the stress and anxiety that can cause. His inspirations include Bridget Riley, M.C.Escher, and Victor Vasareley.
His pixelated paintings include portraits of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Vincent Van Gogh, as well as reimaginings of the latter’s works and other masterpieces.
Chris has now partnered with artist David A Lindon. David specialises in recreating artworks and scenes in extreme miniature. They’ve collaborated to make a tiny version of Chris’s pixelated Rembrandt, so small it can fit on the surface of the hat worn by its main subject in the original.
Chris is represented by Hammon Galleries.
Keri Hunt
Keri Hunt finds humour and inspiration in the ordinary details of life.
She has seen Wolverhampton transform again and again in her lifetime. In the 1980s, Heathtown was nicknamed “Firetown” because of the area’s high crime rates and firearms.
Living in a concrete jungle can take its toll. After a period of depression in 2017, Keri began venturing out with her camera.
“I took pictures of my surroundings, forcing myself out. I started noticing little things that made me smile amongst the rubble. The contrast between nature and industry, the locked-up building site with vivid graffiti surrounding the perimeter and the abandoned trolley stolen from Asda.”
Three years after taking these pictures, the whole world became isolated, making these images even more poignant.
“My work posits that the area isn’t defined by what it is but instead by what it isn’t. Whether looking at the big picture or zooming in on an odd detail, I capture a unique vision of the West Midlands today.”
Steve Edwards / Graffoflarge
Steve is a prominent Wolverhampton artist and street artist, using paint pens and aerosols to create his own unique line art style. His work can already be seen in Wolverhampton, having been commissioned by Wolverhampton BID in 2022 to design a mural of the world for the newly refurbished train station.
Graffoflarge is the fusion of camouflage and graffiti. Steve Edwards originally started as a pattern master, eventually transitioning to a street artist. A chance commission of a tiger by the Dulux ‘Let’s Paint’ project led to a change in direction and influence. He has continued to paint creatures and portraits in his own style ever since.
Steve has done workshops with notable Wolverhampton institutions including City of Sanctuary; The Good Shepherd; Lotus Sanctuary; primary, secondary, and Special Educational Needs schools; as well as with substance recovery, refugee, and migrant organisations.
He has also worked for various councils and authorities too, including British Waterways, Dudley Zoo, Banks’s brewery, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Creative Black Country, and City of Culture among others.
You can view more of Steve’s work and find out about workshops at graffoflarge.com
The Colour Palette Company / Stacey Barnfield
The Colour Palette Company was founded by Birmingham-based graphic designer and writer Stacey Barnfield. Stacey’s Birmingham colour palette exploded on social media in January 2021, and a new enterprise was born.
Stacey believes great design and typography should be fun, accessible, and celebratory, values which can be seen across his team’s colour palettes.
The Colour Palette Company represents a location through colour swatches which are chock full of local references and in jokes about the place.
Using design to highlight the special qualities of a town is so up our street, we had to recruit them for this round of stories.
View their work at thecolourpalettecompany.com
Eve Whitfield
Eve Whitfield is a digital illustrator and recent graduate from the University of Wolverhampton. She achieved a first and won an award for outstanding professional development in visual practice.
Eve’s specialty is semi-realistic portrait illustrations. She loves to capture people and their stories in her work, so she was an ideal candidate for Street Stories. Although she has specialised in digital work, she is branching out into murals and street art, completing murals inspired by Adventure Time and Bob Ross.
View Eve’s work at evewhitfield014.wixsite.com/devign-illustrations
We love these fantastic artists’ and how their work transforms the streets of Wolverhampton. Check back, or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates. If you’re an artist and would like to join our waiting list for creatives in your city, get in touch.
