Month: September 2016

391. Upfest 2016 (35)

At the far west end of North Street in the Rising Sun pub garden there was a host of SSOSVA (Secret Society of Super Villain Artists) gathered under a covered area. There was a real party atmosphere going on, some very loud music and clearly all the artists were having a ball.

RIP, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
RIP, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

RIP is a stencil artist I have come across many times before although I am only familiar with his small single layer witty stencils. This piece was something of a pleasant surprise for me, to see a multi layer stencil, and a really rather classy one at that.

RIP, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
RIP, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

It is interesting that the more that you see of an artist, the more depth you get to discover. The range of styles and techniques can be incredibly broad from studio to street…just another aspect I love about the whole street art/graffiti scene.

 

390. Upfest 2016 (34)

There are some artists who are quite unique, because of their style, subject matter or materials. Shok 1 is one such artist. I don’t know if anyone else does what he does, or at least with so much skill.

Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

Shok 1 is a British artist who specialises in X-ray images. Watching him work was amazing. He uses a small image for reference, and then sprays out every detail on a large wall. His attention to detail is just exceptional. I watched him ‘mist’ an area on the bottom right of the piece, and over five minutes he must have sprayed the same spot twenty times, with different densities of spray.

Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

I don’t know where he got the X-ray of the unicorn from, but it must be a pretty rare thing.

Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

Shok 1 was a lead artist at Upfest and quite deservedly so. It is amazing to have one of his pieces in Bristol as I don’t recall seeing one here before. I hope he returns next year, or sooner. Almost pure perfection.

In the lap of the Gods

 

Where did it all go?

Youth, enthusiasm and

immortality.

 

by Scooj

389. Upfest 2016 (33)

I never made it to Upfest 2015, which might be a blessing, as I would probably still be writing posts about it now if I had. I was struck though by how many ‘treats’ were hidden in the North Street area after the event.

23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

It was in searching carefully for these ‘treats’ that I started to find some lovely paste ups by 23Magpies, such as this chameleon. Her work is heavily focused on wildlife and the environment, and her feature piece for Upfest was this lovely fox and design.

23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I am a big fan of 23Magpies’ work and will be writing about some of the treats she left behind after this year’s festival. On this particular piece, you’ve got to love the detail of the bee on the rim, which the fox appears to be watching. Great stuff.

Poldark

 

Wretched Warleggan

not a decent bone in his

body; a scoundrel.

 

by Scooj

 

– apologies for all the Cornwall haikus at the moment. Still under the influence of holiday.

388. Upfest 2016 (32)

This artist has appeared regularly on this blog and requires no introduction. Aspire’s birds are in inspiration and a tonic for those who live in the city of Bristol. He is a prolific artist who brightens up the some of the darker places for example; The Bearpit and walls and hoardings in the Stokes Croft area.

Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

 

This is not the first Blue Jay that I have seen by Aspire, and I hope he will continue to do more. This one is special though, in that it was produced for Upfest and will remain intact for at least a year as it is within the playground of Ashton Gate School, in the company of some other great street art.

Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Alas! I didn’t make it to this site on the Saturday, and missed the opportunity of seeing Aspire at work and of meeting him. Note to self…make better use of the Saturday at Upfest 2017.

Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

“You are beautiful when you are who you are”

Wheal Coates

 

For generations

children have dropped stones down the

shaft; a distant ‘plop’.

 

by Scooj

Shoreditch

 

Strolling through Shoreditch

shutter working overtime

utterly vibrant.

 

by Scooj

387. Upfest 2016 (31)

I used to play five-a-side football with someone called Karl Read, but it wasn’t this Karl Read. This one is a stencil artist from the South Coast and created this amazing portrait in one of the key locations for Upfest. Last year, the wall was home to Robers Wass’ beautiful fox.

Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

There is something about the tones and lines that reminds me a lot of Copyright’s work, of which there is quite a lot in the area, and at first I thought it might be one of his, but then I looked closer.

Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Once again, one of the real pleasures of being at the festival was to be able to see the artists at work. In this instance, Karl was working with some really large pieces of card that were not entirely cooperating.

Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The more observant viewer, and one that gets to this final sentence, might spot a reflection of the author of this post (that’s me) in the glass door in the feature image. Vanity publishing!

First day

 

Dawning of a new

era; so beautiful in

her school uniform.

 

by Scooj