487. Upfest 2016 (61)

I knew nothing of the Thomas Brothers before Upfest where I saw this dazzling piece. The British brothers work together and bring in elements of 80s childhood experiences into their work, such as cartoons and Japanese toys, and create their contemporary works using these influences.

The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Looking at this piece, I can really feel the 80s screaming out at me. The style they use, they call collaborative layering, and there is more explanation of this on their website. I would describe the whole effect as 80s pop art for the 10s. Hmmmm.

The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I will be keeping a sharp eye out for these two in future, as I like their work and it ticks a lot of my own ‘looking back’ boxes.

Regrets

 

I said things I did

not mean to say and I said

things I did not mean.

 

by Scooj

486. Upfest 2016 (60)

You just have to love a picture of a chimpanzee in a space suit, and if you don’t, then leave this post immediately. Interestingly this is not the first such simian astronaut I have written about, Zase and Dekor sprayed one some time ago near Eastville.

Achim Szabo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Achim Szabo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The artist of this chimp is Achim Szabo, a German artist who works out of Stuttgart. A look at his website shows you the incredible range of styles he adopts, and of course he isn’t restricted to walls, he can work in watercolours, design and digital as well. It seems that so many street artists have this broad set of skills. I wonder which branch of their work they enjoy the most.

Achim Szabo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Achim Szabo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

In this piece, I particularly like the rough style that has been used to create it, almost a sketch, and it is topped off by the yellow banana. Lovely work.

19,240

 

So many lives lost

on the first day of the Somme

we will not forget.

 

by Scooj

lest-we-forget1
Shrouds of the Somme, Haiku

485. Upfest 2016 (59)

Somehow this seems to be the perfect wheatpaste pairing. The fabulous D7606 bottles that can be found in so many places and the enchanting one-off pieces that 23 Magpies leaves for explorers to find.

23 Magpies and D7606, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
23 Magpies and D7606, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
I have seen D7606’s bottles in a number of places in Bristol and in London, and I guess they are in other cities too. He is a busy wheatpaster, and one I admire.

23 Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
23 Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
The gorgeous bearded emperor tamarin (I think) is beautifully framed in  a designed contemporary context, and the whole piece is very small indeed.. I really do love 23 Magpies’ work, and get a real thrill every time I find one of her pieces. I hope she returns to Bristol before next year’s Upfest.

484. Upfest 2016 (58)

It was impossible not to notice this bright and arresting piece by Kier (Chiara Frei) at Upfest this year. The three panels spelled out the phrase ‘Be the one you want to be‘ showing three green and purple portraits with interchangeable face parts.

Kier, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Kier, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

From her website, Chiara describes herself as a graphic designer who loves her job and is happy to learn new things. Beyond that she prefers not to say too much about herself.

Kier, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Kier, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Her choice of colours and subject for Upfest meant that her piece really caught the eye. I went back to it two or three times, just to take another look. There was something about it.

Kier, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Kier, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Victoria Line

 

A sea of hair sways

in unison with the train

as it rocks and jolts.

 

by Scooj

Fingers crossed

.

Lives around the world

impacted by today’s Vote

a global ripple. 

.

by Scooj

483. Upfest 2016 (57)

I have featured Dale Grimshaw a few weeks ago with one of his Shoreditch pieces. Well, we were lucky enough in Bristol to have him pay us a visit for Upfest 2016.

Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

His works are instantly recognisable, usually being portraits of people from around the world, many of whom face political struggles. The faces are usually adorned with face paint, and the works are usually accompanied by a little piece of wildstyle writing.

Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I managed to get a couple of pictures of Dale Grimshaw finishing off the piece on the Saturday, and I returned on the Sunday, and made subsequent visits to capture the finished article.

Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This work simply has to be admired, as do all of his works. Let’s hope for a quick return to Bristol.

Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dale Grimshaw, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

482. Upfest 2016 (56)

As a naturalist by training, I find it difficult not to be enthralled by these magnificent frogs painted by JXC at Upfest this year. I was lucky enough to see this piece half way through its creation and again on completion.

JXC, Upfest, Bristol July 2016
JXC, Upfest, Bristol July 2016
I met the artist briefly late on the Sunday afternoon while he he was chatting with one of his friends who had been creating a piece nearby.

JXC, Upfest, Bristol July 2016
JXC, Upfest, Bristol July 2016
JXC is a London artist who takes inspiration from popular culture, or so the programme notes say. I’m not too bothered about that, I simply love these frogs and am intrigued with the way he approaches his work. It would appear that he painted this piece using a zonal approach rather than painting one frog, then the other, then the background etc. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but look at the half-finished pieces, and you might get the gist.

JXC, Upfest, Bristol July 2016
JXC, Upfest, Bristol July 2016
JXC has a rather lovely website, and you can read more about the artist here.