Updated March 07, 2017 11:21:53

Photo: Artist Drapl weaved his magic on the old skate arena in Red Hill. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe)

Warehouse walls, delivery docks and a former skating rink have been brought to life with hypercolour portraits and positive messages thanks to street artists across Brisbane.

The two-week Brisbane Street Arts Festival saw more than 22 major murals painted at places throughout the city by both local and international artists.

"There was a massive positive response from the general public this year, and being our second year we had bigger and more central locations," festival co-director Lincoln Savage said.

"What we set out to do when we started the festival was to give the city more energy and character.

"We love adding to the city."

Mr Savage said the largest piece created this year was in South Brisbane.

Photo: The largest work is Minimal Intervention by Mimi which shows the four stages of wine production. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe)

"In terms of size, the MiMi piece in Fish Lane on the Wandering Cooks wall was huge," he said.

The piece stretches to more than 10 metres in length and sits on the back of an old warehouse, providing a stark contrast to the new apartment buildings going up in the area.

Mr Savage said for him a large portrait in the CBD packed the biggest impact.

Photo: Alethea Beetson painted by Claire Foxton at 280 Elizabeth Street. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe)

"Claire Foxton's portrait on the Telstra Exchange Building on Elizabeth Street in the CBD of Alethea Beetson from the Queensland Museum and Digi Youth Arts was the most important," he said.

"It recognises Alethea's work with young Indigenous kids in art — and the outcome is incredible."

This year the event's name changed to the Brisbane Street Arts Festival, added an 's' to art to ensure performance and sculpture was included in the program.

The street art component, however, continued to pack the most punch.

Pieces can be found in Newmarket, West End and extending all the way to the Sunshine Coast.

Photo: Social Weave was a piece painted by Guss which aims to shine a light on the current state of race issues. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Rae Allen)

"Another festival director said the festival was 'about enhancing urban tapestry', and I totally agree with that," Mr Savage said.

During the two-week festival, people were also encouraged to see the works being drawn, painted and refined.

Mr Sor2's piece on an underpass in South Brisbane and Drapl's large mural on the side of the former Red Hill skate arena were both created in front of eager crowds.

"These public events gave people the chance to speak to artists directly and to watch the artistic process and that's really important," Mr Savage said.

Photo: Artist Mr Sor2 uses detail to create his elaborate piece in Fish Lane, South Brisbane. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe)

"A lot of the time people who don't have an art background might not always understand how the process works and how they [the artists] respond to the space and environment."

The festival team has already begun planning next year's event which will be held in the first half of 2018.

Topics: street-art, visual-art, community-and-society, carnivals-and-festivals, community-and-multicultural-festivals, human-interest, brisbane-4000

First posted March 07, 2017 10:49:39