Month: December 2018

1913. Upfest 2018 (109)

Tell me honestly…who doesn’t love a stencil of a chimp? And as they go, this is about as good as you are going to get – a brilliant piece by Matti. I don’t know too much about the artist, and although he has a website, it appears to be unpopulated.

Matti, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Matti, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This stencil captures so beautifully the nature and soul of this little chimp. What is going on behind those glassy eyes? This piece so perfectly matches the perfect subject matter with brilliantly executed technical skills.

Matti, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Matti, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I could look at those eyes for hours.

1912. Upfest 2018 (108)

With so many artists flooding in to Bristol for Upfest, it is always great to see that there is a good representation of local artists, who keep things real. It can be overwhelming seeing so much street art, and at times awe inspiring, but it is as well to remember the roots of a festival like this whose foundations were built on the work of graffiti writers and street artists who produce work day in and day out on our city streets.

Ryder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Ryder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This is a great piece of writing from Ryder of RAW (Read and Weep) which is technically brilliant as well as rather beautiful. Each of the letters seems to be bursting with character, and the colours and shading are absolutely masterfully worked. Anyone who wants to get more into burners, should take a long hard look at this one and enjoy the technique that has been applied to create it.

Oops..sorry

 

Mild mannered colleagues

side-stepping in the office

brownian motion.

 

by Scooj

1911. Upfest 2018 (107)

This is the second Mini Gabi wheatpaste I have posted from Upfest 2018 which this time features our heroine making a strong and contemporary statement ‘girls’ rights to feel safe!!’

Mini Gabi, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Mini Gabi, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Before the festival I had never heard of Mini Gabi but strangely enough on my trip to Shoreditch in November I saw several of her paste ups, which felt really good. I’ll be posting them in due course. I’m rather liking this little character who has real attitude (some similarities to Phoebe New York), and regular readers will know I am very ford of wheatpastes.

1910. Upfest 2018 (106)

I have only ever seen three pieces by Beep Monkey, and each of them has been at each of the last three Upfests. His work is consistently good and has a lovely cartoon style that is both witty and fun.

Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I always look out for his work at Upfest because his wife is a colleague of mine, although it took us a couple of years to work out the connection. In this piece it looks like the monkey and the rabbit are having a bit of a disagreement. The piece almost looks animated and the three white flashes give it some movement. Another beauty from Beep Monkey.

Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Beep Monkey, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Beep Monkey, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Part of the ageing process

.

Wearing boxer shorts

back-to-front is a sure sign

of getting older.

.

by Scooj

1909. Upfest 2018 (105)

Regular readers of Natural Adventures may recall posts about the ephemeral work of Annika Pixie who is a Bristol artist and regular at Upfest. Annika is a vibrant and colourful member of the local art community, who appears to spend her winters in Thailand teaching before returning to her adopted city.

Annika Pixie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Annika Pixie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This portrait carries all the hallmarks of an Annika Pixie piece. The face is partly obscured by a thin veil as if peering through a net curtain and there is a sadness in the girl’s expression. on her chest are some little ballet dancer stencils…I wonder what the story is here. It is always great to see Annika’s work although I was disappointed to have missed talking to her this year.

1908. Upfest 2018 (104)

The Hen and Chicken on North Street has a lot of wall space and is one of the focal points of Upfest. This particular wall has had some beauties on it in the past and this monochrome piece by 8Mail is no exception. Although this artist has been to Upfest for the last six years, I’m not sure I recall his work and can’t find any in my archives, but I do think I’ll have to go and take a better look.

2Upfest18 556 28 July 2018

Usually working in charcoals, this urban artist likes to capture chaotic and fleeting moments. There was just such a moment while he was painting the piece, when he tried to use the chair in the picture to stand. All I need to say is that the artist is a tall young man, and the chair was not designed for standing on.

This is a fine simple piece, that despite its simplicity contains real interest. I found it captivating.

Urban trenches

 

Dog-dug muddy holes

pepper-pot punctuations

a garden ruined.

 

by Scooj

1907. Upfest 2018 (103)

This is the third of D7606’s 10 celebratory balloons that he pasted up around the Upfest site to celebrate the 10 years that the festival has been running.

D7606, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
D7606, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

In this one, which completely upstages the Tesco poster on which it is pasted, we are presented with an image of Frida Kahlo – a popular figure for street artists.

D7606, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
D7606, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I have more of these balloons, but am not quite sure if I collected all ten of them – we’ll have to wait and see when I get to the end of my Upfest 2018 posts.