A St Albans artist whose work recently featured alongside pieces from Banksy and Damien Hirst has reached the finals of the world’s largest stencil competition.
John Feeney is one of 92 stencil finalists representing 21 countries in the 2015 Stencil Art Prize Exhibition in Australia.
The art prize began as an Australian-only event with just 13 finalists in 2009.
John, a spray painter who regularly exhibits his work at the annual Childwickbury Arts Fair, said he was ‘stoked’ to be a finalist for the third year after two of his pieces, Mandala Girl and Lady of the Flowers, were chosen for display at the Ambush Gallery in Sydney.
The winner will be announced at the exhibition’s opening night on Friday, October 16.
Countries represented in the 2015 Stencil Art Prize include Cyprus, Columbia, Thailand and the Czech Republic.
Director of the awards, Jacinta Fintan, said: “The quality of stencil art works this year is phenomenal. Traditional stencil means are still very popular, however we are seeing more and more artists pushing the boundaries of the medium.”
Key themes include cityscapes, portraiture, flora and fauna, and political art.
Since John uploaded a timelapse video to his Facebook page of his creation of Mandala Girl, which depicts a friend who works in a bar in Brick Lane, it has been viewed by tens of thousands of people.
His work has also recently featured at the Underdog Art Gallery in London Bridge, alongside pieces from Damien Hirst and Banksy in the “Mix” exhibition of urban, modern and pop art.
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