‘Rainbow road’: Artist unveils latest street of 63 colourful houses

One by one, artist Tash Footko is transforming the city of Gloucester by painting homes countless different colours.

The 44-year-old artist and property developer has just unveiled Hopewell Street, her latest road of 63 ‘rainbow’ homes.

Tash started painting houses in Gloucester in 2018, leaving entire streets and squares bursting with colour – but this fifth transformation is her biggest project yet.

Interestingly, locals say it has created a better atmosphere and has even seen house values rise by up to 30%.

So if you thought vivid colours could be a bit divisive when it comes to potential buyers, it seems… maybe not.

Since Tash made it her mission to turn Gloucester into a ‘Rainbow City’ five years’ ago, 134 houses have been painted in her trademark colours – amassing to 1,300 litres of paint in total.

Tash, who has lived in Gloucester for the past two decades, said: ‘It shows what an individual with a vision can achieve.

‘I started these transformations as there was such a negative morale about the appearance of the city.

‘The backdrop been here all the time, it just needed a creative mind and a huge injection of colour to decorate it.

‘My projects get more exciting every time and I seem to have a template and formula that works.

‘The response from the community, its schools and visitors to the street has been overwhelmingly positive.’

Tash has self-funded the five projects so far but for 2023 and 2024 her projects will be partially paid for by Gloucestershire County Council’s Levelling Up Together scheme.

‘I will continue to work completely voluntarily so that every penny of funding goes towards making the area shine,’ said Tash.

The new home makeovers have also been accompanied by a huge floral mural by street artist Sophie Mess, alongside one by Stuart Doust as well as a quirky door installation and rainbow staircase.

But what do the residents really think? Well, they think the regeneration is pretty ‘remarkable’.

Rob Wilks, who has lived on Hopewell street for 63 years, said: ‘It was like Tash appeared from nowhere and turned our street into a work of art.

‘The tireless work she does behind the scenes to fix the street’s issues before adding her signature colours is admirable.

‘She has bought love, fun, colour and laughter to the street and we cant thank her enough for that.’

Brigitte Wurfel-Mathurin, who has lived on Barton Street for 37 years, said: ‘There is no end to this lady’s ability to improve the look of our city.

‘Her remarkable vision and drive is phenomenal and she takes the community on the adventure with her.

‘Having Tash come to our street and do what she has done has been life changing and makes me feel so proud to say that I live in Barton and Tredworth.

‘She has created a kaleidoscopic masterpiece here and another landmark for Gloucester.’

Tash’s initial 2018 project began with painting the houses on a small street to ‘reinvigorate’ local areas with creativity.

Now, she is set on transforming entire parts of the city to turn them into huge ‘outdoor art galleries’.

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