While BUMP boasts a healthy offering of national and international artists, the festival’s most admirable quality is the opportunities it gives local artists. BUMP has featured local stars such as Josee La Guita and Kat Simmers. The festival also fosters opportunities for up-and-coming local artists through its Road Works program, which creates smaller scale art work on concrete traffic barriers.
This year, multidisciplinary artist and musician Matthew Springer graduates from Road Works into his largest mural yet.
“I feel very honoured and very thankful for this opportunity. It’s not easy to get into BUMP,” says Springer. “I’m very excited to take it to this next level.”
If you’re out at shows often, you’ve likely seen Springer playing in one of his many music projects. You’ve also likely seen his vibrant and eclectic art style adorning posters in venues or out on the streets. Springer’s art is surrealist and pop-y — it defies conventions and embraces a zany maximalism.
“It’s a really good challenge. There’s a lot of technical aspects to mural painting that really push you as an artist, and I appreciate being challenged,” says Springer. “I feel like the intention of it is to bring people together and to take notice of aspects of our city we wouldn’t notice otherwise.”
While Springer draws some of his inspiration from nature and his experiences, his main source is his lifelong passion for music. He uses his art to visualize the feelings songs give him. The tone of what he’s listening to bleeds into his work.
“I can listen to a song that makes me think of a certain colour or a place, and then I’ll really listen to those sounds and notes and see how it translates to my hand,” says Springer. “If I want to make something really bubbly or yellow and sunshiny, I’ll listen to more upbeat music. If I want to make something that’s darker or weirder, I’ll listen to stranger or harsher music.”
Springer’s piece for BUMP reflects on his experiences watching his friends and fellow creatives play at local venues. He keeps a visual journal where he illustrates standout moments, vibes, and feelings from the shows he attends.
“I came home from those shows and did some fun drawings to harness the energy of fun and music and community,” says Springer. “I tried to incorporate those aspects into my mural, because that’s what I want people to feel when they look at it. Try to make it welcoming and fun, bubbly, like it’s a good place to be.”
Read more about BUMP Festival here.
