Dave Bain

Dave Bain is a Bristol illustrator and mural painter. He is known for combining limited colour palettes with distinctive and expressive characters. His public artworks celebrate community, diversity and the natural world and are always imbued with a big dollop of positivity.

His artworks have transformed hospital environments; assisting in way-finding while providing a sense of calm, interaction and playful distraction. They’ve celebrated local areas and their relationship to culture - notably his reinterpretation of the beloved Aardman characters in Bristol’s city centre. And also, they’ve provided a welcoming reminder of school values, brought nature to urban spaces and interpreted the heritage of various public institutions.

Collaboration has played a key role in his practice with a number of murals involving creative input from other painters, sculptures or workshop facilitators. He’s passionate about sharing practical painting knowledge and supporting fellow mural painters. Recently, he’s written an in-depth guide on how to deliver site-specific artworks for the professional industry body, The Association of Illustrators. And, you’ll usually find him employing a crew of mural painters on his larger mural projects.

Art work by Dave Bain