Using the power of public art that inspires dialogue and unites the community, 37 artists from around the world were selected by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance to participate in the fourth annual Shine Mural Festival, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The festival, which added more than a dozen new murals to empty walls featured six international, five national and 26 local artists, each with a distinct and unique style; from hand-lettering to truck art style, and many that have worked for various global brands, such as Apple, Sephora and Airbnb.
Although we could not cover every work that went up over the course of the week, we’ve highlighted several from the roster on talent that were onsite painting.
DAAS (Japan)
DAAS is a Japan based American contemporary artist, widely known for his bold, colorful, geometric paintings and murals. DAAS’ work is instantly recognizable for the combination of cubist and abstract elements into portraits of humans and animals. The angles and lines of the work are reminiscent of origami folds and utilize a distinguishable array of color combinations to convey emotion and put forward a positive and often spiritual narrative. His artwork and murals can be seen around the globe in countries such as: Japan, China, Portugal, Italy, Jordan, USA, Nepal and the Dominican Republic.
LOOK THE WEIRD (Germany)
Founding member of the 10-person internationally-renowned graffiti crew The Weird, LOOK (Lars Wunderlich) is an accomplished contemporary artist from Germany best known for his highly detailed graffiti-style characters. His mural and canvas work can be found displayed throughout the world. LOOK is also a founding member of the design collective Peach Beach with Vidam the Weird.
Nomad Clan (U.K.)
Nomad Clan is an internationally known female duo whose work often celebrates local history or highlights socio-economic issues relevant to their location. As a collaboration between street artists Cbloxx (Joy Gilleard) and AYLO (Hayley Garner), Nomad Clan brings dark yet playful folkloric murals to walls across Europe. They also are celebrated for painting the tallest mural in the U.K.
Becky Beukes (South Africa)
Originally from South Africa, fine artist Bekky Beukes explores the internal and external interaction between dark and light. She’s known for emotionally-charged work that’s fueled by her fascination with internal and external chaos.
Belin (Spain)
Miguel Ángel Belinchón Bujes, aka Belin, is a Spanish artist best known for his unequivocal post-neo cubism style. A self-taught painter, Belin masterfully blends realism with cubism to create a modern technique. His highly acclaimed paintings and sculptures can be found on walls and galleries throughout the world, as well as featured with brands like Dockers, Sephora, and Kat Von D’s High Voltage Tattoo.
Angela Faustina (USA)
Atlanta-based artist Angela Faustina paints macro details of juicy fruit at the height of ripeness to highlight the vibrancy of life. Her perspective into the sticky sweetness of organic produce reflects a bold approach that blurs boundaries between whimsical abstraction and scientific realism. Faustina’s paintings have been internationally collected and shown in galleries in the United States, Italy and Portugal since 2006.
J&S Signs (USA)
Founded in St. Petersburg in 2013, the vintage hand-lettering collaboration between Jeffrey Sincich and Josh Stover, known as J&S Signs, is now based out of Portland, Oregon. Known for creating murals with positive community messages and a distinctly vintage style, the team at J&S Signs has worked for notable brands such as Nike, Adidas, Patagonia, and Airbnb.
Ya La’Ford (USA)
Ya La’Ford is a professor, painter, installation artist and muralist working out of St. Petersburg, Washington, DC, and New York City. Her process as a painter focuses on adding and subtracting, revealing an obsession with interconnectivity. La’Ford’s signature use of geometric lines with contrasting colors can be found on walls and in galleries throughout the United States.
Melanie Posner (USA)
A Fine Arts graduate from the University of Tampa, Melanie is best known for painting photo-realistic women with beautiful blends of the rainbow. Her signature style using vibrant colors and mixed media bring an immersive and striking aspect to her work. Her portraits can be found all around the Tampa Bay Region, in galleries and local businesses.
Images by Edel Mohr unless stated otherwise.
