3rd year of Rust Magic International Festival brings 17 new murals to Edmonton streets

Tucked away in the back alley behind a soon-to-be open brewery in Ritchie is one of Rust Magic’s newest works of art.

“This is like day six and I’ve been doing about 10-12 hours a day so it’s quite a lot of work,” laughed Mr. Cenz, a street artist from South London, UK.

The large, vibrant mural is a freestyle painting accessed by mechanical lift.

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“When I’m on the wall I treat it just like I paint a canvas so it’s completely spontaneous,” Mr. Cenz said.

Mr. Cenz travels internationally, placing his futuristic female portraits in urban settings around the world.

Rust Magic International‘s Trevor Peters and Annaliza Toledo courted Mr. Cenz to come paint in Edmonton after seeing his work in London.

“I really like that. They’ve got a lot of passion for what they do so it’s brilliant,” said Mr. Cenz.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I really like that. They've got a lot of passion for what they do so it's brilliant," said Mr. Cenz.

This year, Rust Magic International is producing 17 new murals. The largest has transformed the wall facing Grant MacEwan University on 106 Street by Los Angeles artist Slick, featuring the word “Edmonton” made up from cartoon hands.

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“The response and just the critiques we’ve been getting has just been amazing,” Peters said. “People just like being around all the walls.”

In the past four years, 54 outdoor walls and seven delivery trucks have been transformed. Peters says it’s a love and respect for Edmonton that fuels his work.

Only top recommended street artists make the cut “because we can’t just invite strangers here and they become a problem and don’t respect our city,” said Peters.

READ MORE: Festival organizers to bring ‘inspiration,’ ‘life’ with Edmonton’s largest mural

Attracting the best hasn’t been cheap.

So far Rust Magic International has invested $300,000 into public street art around Edmonton.

Peters and his partner have chipped in funds themselves, along with convincing local business associations and business owners to help pay for projects. Various crowdfunding campaigns have also helped makes ends meet.

“It makes me proud,” said Peters. “It’s a little scary to look at those numbers but we really believe in what we are doing and we really believe that Edmonton will help us achieve a better city visually.”

The final Rust Magic International event is an art show featuring select Rust Magic artists Friday night. A map of all the completed Rust Magic murals can be found here.