Month: February 2017

623. Upfest 2016 (93)

There were an enormous number of works to look at and absorb at Upfest 2016, and inevitably some didn’t register at the time, but were snapped in the moment and retained. This piece, by Christian Boehmer, was one of those that I don’t recall, but that I am so pleased I captured so that I have been able to study it and enjoy it in preparing to write this post.

Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Boehmer, from Germany, is an artist who creates urban street art and drawings which have a common thread, all the figures have a paper bag over their head. I rather like this, in part because it satisfies my love of surreal art, but also because there is something very powerful in obscuring people’s faces and expressions. You need to study more their clothes, bodies, gestures, movements and so on without being distracted by the face. And then you are left being curious about the face and the personality. I like this piece a lot.

622. Upfest 2016 (92)

Gemma Compton was selected as the featured artist for Upfest 2016, and her work appeared on all the promotional material for the festival, including the maps, programmes, digital social media and even the painting a mural on the Upfest shop.

Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Having put in all the hard work she was rewarded with a nice white wall to work on, and she produced this fine piece in collaboration with Copyright.

Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I saw her busy at work on the piece, which took longer than the two days to complete, but I didn’t stop to chat, as I guessed she might have had enough interruptions over the two days. I regret that now, but I’m sure she’ll be back this year.

Gemma Compton and Copyright, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Gemma Compton and Copyright, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The other half of this collaboration, Copyright,  is also no stranger to street art in Bristol and I have featured his work several times on this blog before. Gemma painted the left hand side of the heart, and Copyright the right. They are partners and this heart is a lovely way to mark their relationship.

Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Their styles are different, but complement each other well. One thing in common is that the subjects of both artists are pretty much always female. A nice piece…pity about the car parked in front.

Copyright, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Copyright, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Wake up from work

 

Blue tits flit about

in branches before me, a

welcome distraction.

 

by Scooj

Winter’s tail

 

February days

fill body and mind with a

dark grey foreboding.

 

by Scooj

621. Upfest 2016 (91)

A vibrant and attractive addition to North Street is this magnificent piece is by the Toronto-based Canadian muralist Bird0 (Jerry Rugg). This kind of mural is just one of the many brilliant things about Upfest and how the artworks created breathe new life into urban areas.

Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is the first work I have consciously registered by Bird0 and it has grown on me since I first saw it. I didn’t really ‘get it’ at first, but having researched his work a little since last July, I am definitely fast becoming a fan, and would love to see more of his work.

Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The scaffolding was up for the entirety of the festival, and so most visitors to Upfest wouldn’t have seen the final ‘reveal’ when the scaffolding came down, which is a pity.

Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The surreal nature of his art and the geometric approach he adopts both appeal to me and it was interesting to see the piece develop. There is a nice short bio of Bird0 on Streetartbio.com.

Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

620. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (22)

A recent piece by Tom Miller in one of his favourite locations, the arches at the Carriageworks in Stokes Croft. This is a much calmer piece that we are used to from this artist whose surreal style challenges and provokes us. Not so much of the frenetic stuff flying about the place, but we do see a merging of body parts, in this case a hand and the head.

Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2017
Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2017

It is no secret that I am an admirer of Miller’s work, and have been from the first piece I saw at the same location back in December 2015. This piece plays on ideas, dreams and imaginings…light shining down from an umbrella. All very odd, but interesting to look at. The figure is set against a black background which gives the whole piece a clean appearance.

Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2017
Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2017

I am very glad that I photographed it when I did, even with the van parked right up against it (illegally I might add) because a day or two later it had been tagged and defaced. Pity.

Explaining it to a child

.

We live in dark times

Where self-interest Trumps all

And hope is suppressed.

.

by Scooj.

Refugees

Mannequins, refugees, haiku
Mannequins, refugees, haiku

Abused, abandoned,

unloved, forgotten, unseen;

inconvenient.

 

by Scooj

 

619. Leonard Lane (9)

I have been hanging on to these pictures for a long time now. They are a set of works that were drawn and pasted up by Jonesy for the Human Nature project in Leonard Lane in July 2015. These are harrowing drawings that highlight some of the perils threatening our environment and wildlife. There is a tortured feeling to these pictures.

Jonesy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015
Jonesy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015

Jonesy is probably better known for his sculptures, and I thoroughly recommend taking a look at some of his work on this Inspiring City website.

Jonesy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015
Jonesy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015

Each of these images is nightmarish and foreboding. Knowing what we know now about Trump and his intentions these warnings have even more potency about them.

Jonesy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015
Jonesy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015

Leonard Lane has become a bit tatty since the Human Nature project and it could really do with a Human Nature II project – nature fights back. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Jonesy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015
Jonesy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015

618. M32 cycle path (4)

Ok, I’ll admit it, I am having a bit of a thing about Laic217’s work at the moment, and it won’t stop here. We see him once again experimenting with a figure distorted behind broken glass. There is a story here, the heart shape in the hole in the glass betrays that much. Laic’s faces and figures inhabit that territory between realism and cartoon, very much the province of street artists, where walls and boards provide the canvass.

Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2017
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2017

This is a haunting piece, and lacks the humour and lightheartedness of many of his pieces, but it is intriguing and different and sets itself apart. Not to everyone’s taste I am sure, but I so much enjoy finding his works.

Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2017
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2017

No prizes for spotting the rather nice 3Dom eye character adjacent to this piece.