Taking live-action spray paint art to the streets: meet Alex Wilkie
Alex Wilkie creates futuristic art at festivals and outdoor shows while audiences watch
Next to the carnival games at the Royal St. John's Regatta, and the juggling at the Downtown St. John's Busker Festival, is live-action art.
"It's one of the few things you want to be happy about doing in five minutes or less," Alex Wilkie says of his spray paint art.
Wilkie uses cans of spray paint to create sci-fi and fantasy themed paintings on poster board, usually outdoors, in front of entranced onlookers.
"A lot of spray painting is about speed painting," said Wilkie.
"Most of these I can complete in four to five minutes."
Making art on the spot
Wilkie saw another spray paint artist doing this a few years ago, and he decided to give it a try, learning on his own.
For the past four years or so, Wilkie has been making spray paint art at public events, such as this past week's Royal St. John's Regatta and this weekend's Downtown St. John's Busker Festival.
Wilkie sets up a folding table with poster board, spray paints, and tools to create details, such as palette knives, old magazine paper, and metal bowls to use as round stencils.
He puts on a respirator and protective gloves, and starts work.
Spray, stencil, etch, repeat
"It doesn't look like much starting out, just a couple of random colours being sprayed down, but then before you know it, there's a whole planet, pyramids, galaxies happening in front of you."
In just a few minutes, with the sound of hissing spray paint and some expert daubing, stencilling, and etching, Wilkie transforms a blank piece of poster board into an otherworldly landscape.
When you lift that bowl off and see that planet sitting in the space, it's different every time," said Wilkie.
"That's my favourite part."
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