An Interview with Burley Banksy
“I'm that Burley Banksy bloke who paints street boxes.” – Andy McVeigh, AKA Burley Banksy
Andy McVeigh, otherwise known as Leeds’ own infamous street artist Burley Banksy, has spent the last few years brightening our streets by painting street-side electrical boxes with murals celebrating this fantastic city and all it has to offer – most particularly our very own Leeds United FC. If you’re local to Leeds you’ll be familiar with his work, continually cropping up throughout various neighbourhoods, bringing joy to passersby and strengthening the sense of local community.
Andy, a primary school teacher by day, originally started out painting the murals purely for his own enjoyment, and to cheer up residents of Leeds during grey days. Then all of a sudden, ‘sightings’ of these murals and discussion around the identity of this mysterious new street artist started cropping up all over social media. And that was that. Andy found himself gaining a large online following – and with that immense support for his work from the local community – which gave him no other option than to reveal his true identity to the public.
Though humbled by this reaction from Leeds residents and beyond, Andy continues to connect with the community through his mural work, school workshops and talks, and now the production of prints and merchandise so we can all take a small piece of this fantastic street art home.
Hi Andy, or should we say Burley Banksy? What are you working on at the moment?
I'm working on a mural for 21st Century Man/Men's Health Unlocked in Leeds about what it means to be a bloke these days. It'll be on the outer wall of Leeds Indoor Market. I'm also designing a print to go in the vinyl record sleeve of the Apollo Junction new album.
What motivates you to create?
I just have loads of ideas in my head all the time and it's therapeutic to get them out!
How has your style developed over time?
I think I've just hopefully got a bit neater! I do get bit embarrassed about the first ones I did now, they make me cringe a bit.
Who are your biggest artistic influences?
I think my biggest influences are football clothing designs/shirts and record sleeves. They are my touchstones, I guess. They're the art that I always had in my own hands.
Is there a specific environment or material that's integral to your work?
For me it's the electrical boxes obviously.
What is a typical day like for you as an Artist?
A typical day? There's different ones. Painting canvases at home. Doing an art workshop in a school. Doing a commission in someone's house. Getting designs turned into merch and prints. Painting boxes in the street. Yesterday was just attending a Child Protection course at Elland Road.
Describe your ideal working environment.
Just a dry day!
What has been your favourite piece to create so far, and why?
Favourite one? A fair few but usually the newest ones ‘cause I'm not bored of them. I suppose the In Bielsa We Trust one ‘cause it was in papers, TV and seemed to become a part of people's consciousness a little bit during that ace Bielsa time .
Any top tips for getting inspired?
Just to bloody write ideas down straight away or you forget ‘em. Which I do a lot. Very annoying!
Finally, if you could meet any other Artist past or present, who would it be and why?
Probably Dali. Just so I could ask him where he got his bonkers ideas from for long legged elephants etc. Dreams? LSD? And how long does it take to grow a ‘tache like that?
Burley Banksy’s work will be featuring as part of our All About Urban exhibition from 23rd Sept – 31st October.
You can learn more about Burley Banksy and his work by visiting his website: www.burleybanksy.com