Waterford Walls 2019

I was out of town during the Waterford Walls festival this August, and only recently took some photographs, probably covering only a half of the walls. Here is a link to the previous Waterford Walls blog posts if you need it for a reference. Please visit the artists websites. All the links in this blog open on separate pages and your reading won’t be interrupted.

Yasja’s Northern lights-inspired work wasn’t included in the festival map, but I knew it was a recent work. I would have noticed if it has been there before. Yasja is a brilliant artist from Amsterdam and I choose her work for my opening picture.

I walk wall to wall, and it takes me about two hours to see all these wonderful murals.

Niamh Curry  grew up in Clonmel, Ireland. She is a self-taught artist, and her works are recognizable for their bright colors and painting technique. Niamh got to paint in Georges Court, right next to the Waterford Walls headquarters. I love her foxes.

Kevin Bohan, a professional artist and illustrator from Dublin, is a regular guest of the festival. I am a huge fan of his work. Kevin takes part in community projects and generously shares his talent. Here is his Instagram link.

Next to Kevin’s wall there is a Curtis Hylton’s work Ned The Dog. As their website states, Ned is the head of security for Waterford Walls.

I walk uphill to the place where the Birdo’s wall used to be. I am surprised to see Joe Castlin’s work repainted, but I love the fishies by Michael Beerens, an artist from France.

On the other side of the hill I admire a mural by Taquen, a young artist from Madrid.

To learn what the work by Garreth Joyce is about, click on this link .

I walk uphill again (Waterford is not a flat city), to take a picture of another two foxes, this time by Nina Valkhoff, an illustrator and muralist from the Netherlands. Here is a link to Nina’s website. 

I guess it was not easy to paint between all these doors and windows. I think about foxes whose habitats have been taken away by humans…

I walk to the social housing area. The streets and the buildings look dull and monotonous, but I have a map in my hand and know a secret: Waterford Walls festival has reached this colourless place and made a difference. This work by Shane Sutton, an artist in residence with the European Space Agency, might be monochrome, but it added so much color to the street! The artist also incorporated a transformer box into his work. It is transmitting old Disney classic now.

Dan Leo has gifted another beautiful animal to the city.

This is Curtis Hylton’s wall from 2018, but I never used the picture before. Please have a closer look at the fish. It is not a fish at all. What a heartbreaking image.

I wonder what this sad woman represents. The wall by Russ, France.

Another French artist, Kogaone. Here is another link.

A very impressive wall by Sper, an artist from Belgium.

A young artist, graphic designer and illustrator KREEMOS from Russia created this industrially looking puzzle. You will find that it says “Lost in a dream”. Two things caught my eye – a lapwing, one of my favorite birds, and a creative use of the colour palette masking the garbage bins.

Three female artists shared their works in Stephens street. Caoilfhionn Hanton is a self taught local artist who has been with Waterford Walls since the inception. I love the positive energy of her paintings.

Another female artist – FRIZ from the Northern Ireland.

Novice, a street artist from Dublin. She is not a novice in the street art anymore. The meaning of the name is – never stop learning.

Rounding up my walk I found a puffin.

This is a work by Mehsos, an artist from Belgium.

Patrick street in the puffin’s eye – I know that he is watching me as I walk down the street.

The real life sparrows are watching me too.

Thank you for visiting Waterford.  Here is a link to the excellent website by Resa McConaghy, a costume designer and author from Toronto who knows and shares street art  – https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/ Please visit and follow.

Have a wonderful week!

129 comments

  2. I love your street art posts, Inese. I linger on each image and get lost in the unique style, colors, movement, and feelings the artist evokes.The colossal size of many of these is astonishing. Thanks for the meander. 🙂

  4. I cannot choose which one I love the most, Inese. They are all amazing in their own way — works of art that turn blank walls into talking walls. I’m guessing the murals are permanent, so I’m also hoping that Waterford never runs out of walls to paint! Thank you for sharing these beauties with us:-) x

    1. Thank you so much, Sarah! Some of the works are permanent, some will be repainted next year. It is why I try to take as many pictures as possible.

      1. I know you’ve done the walls before but I don’t know where to start re these ones. hard to believe they are paintings on walls in some ways instead of a museum or gallery. Also you ended with a photograph of sparrows and a menshie of Resa xxxxx

        1. Thank you for all the comments! You might want to browse the links – some of the artists are also very talented illustrators 🙂

      2. Inese I left you a comment which I think WP chewed as they seem to chew most of my comments and likes these days, so I hope you get this. It said roughly that I know you’ve done the walls before but these walls could and should be in art galleries and museums, so should your pics. AND I especially liked the sparrows at the end xx

        1. Oh my goodness, Shehanne, 25 comments in Spam folder, this has never happened before in 6 years! Thank you for telling me! From you and another two bloggers. One of them posted a link, and I think it was the trigger… Akismet doesn’t like them links… Now I am rushing to read the comments! xx

    1. Yes, the longer I looked the more I loved what I saw 🙂 This wall has been repainted every year since 2015. The fishies will probably go next year too 😦

    1. Thank you for stopping by! Our dull cement walls have been getting an annual makeover since 2015. There is quite a collection to enjoy.

    1. Thank you Derrick! The puffin was a surprise 🙂 Some works stay since the inception of the festival in 2015. Some got repainted. The paint itself can last for years. I have no idea why the works have been repainted, except for one. In that case the building was set for sale and they had to remove the mural because of the copyright.

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