from a joke to owls delight

As part of Yours and Owls 2023’s creative project Metropolis Locale, local visual artist Harold Barrientos talked to us about his upcoming mural project and how his involvement began as a joke.

Words Kirra Davey

Images Anthony Smith @anthonysmithmedia

What inspired you to become a visual artist?

I grew up being inspired by street art/graffiti, comics and anime. I used to spend countless hours trying to perfect drawing different characters and developing my own style. As I matured as an artist, I started incorporating my love for hip hop music with my work.

What made you decide you wanted to be a part of Yours and Owls’ 2023 Metropolis Locale?

To be honest, it started as a joke. All my friends bought tickets already and I remember joking around and saying that I won’t be buying a ticket this year [because] I’ll be there painting. I sent an email expressing an interest in being part of Metropolis Locale and I received a last-minute response saying that they would love to have me. I still can’t believe it, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity.

What are you excited for most about Metropolis Locale?

I’m very excited in being surrounded by creative people. It will be a good opportunity for me to see other artists and their creative process. Hopefully learn a thing or two.

You have previously painted on mediums such as vinyl records and skateboards, why did you decide that you are going to paint a mural for this event?

I’ve been playing with the idea of doing a mural for a while now. I still do love painting small pieces but as I grow as an artist, I’m starting to look for ways to challenge myself. Scaling my work from vinyls and skateboards to a mural is definitely a big shift. But it would be a good way to show how much I have improved and hopefully inspire others to pursue art.

We assume that the festival headliner you will be painting is a secret, but can you give any hints as to who it might be?

Mmm Saxophone! That’s all I can give you!

How can the Illawarra community help support your work, and do you have any future events other than Metropolis Locale coming up?

They can support me by following my Instagram @happyhazz_art. I’m in the process of creating a website to sell my work so keep an eye an out. Yours and Owls will be my last event this year but I’m working on a solo [event] which I will be announcing soon.