Month: May 2022

4462. Upfest 2022 (4)

I was hoping that there would be some Ukraine pieces at this year’s Upfest, and Karl Read has delivered handsomely with this fabulous stencil piece featuring Volodymir Zelensky. The concept is simple and powerful, as the president of Ukraine reveals his true identity as Superman. I am reminded, each time I see President Zelensky of the Shakespearean quote from Twelfth Night that “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them”. The middle one of these might apply in this instance.

Karl Read, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Karl Read, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Karl Read, an Upfest veteran, has cleverly worked on the colour scheme for the piece, with Zelensky painted in black and white and his Superman outfit blasting out in Ukraine’s blue and yellow colours. An additional nice touch is the little lapel badge worn by the president. This is a great contemporary commentary piece, deserving of this high profile wall in Bedminster.

4461. Upfest 2022 (3)

This year, Upfest is in two parts. The first part, which has been running for about three weeks now, has been to paint as many of the feature semi-permanent walls as possible before the festival weekend (May 28-29). The second part will be the remaining 350 or so artists painting on boards ‘live’ at various venues. This piece from My Dog Sighs falls into the former category.

My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

There are positives and negatives to this new approach (change is never easy). On the upside, there will be plenty of completed new works for visitors to enjoy, without the eyesore of scaffolding on the other hand, that wonderful interaction with some of the greatest artists on the circuit is lost. It can feel a little bit like ‘rent an artist’, without the opportunity to watch them at work. On balance I can see that it makes sense, and as a resident of Bristol I have been able to meet a lot of artists over the last week or two.

My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Unfortunately I missed My Dog Sighs this time, which is a pity. I think he was in and out very quickly. Such are the demands on some of the bigger names during festival season. This piece is one of his pigeon pieces, similar to the one he painted for the Cheltenham festival last year. The characters and colours are magnificent, and his work so totally on point. It might have been nice to see another one of his eyes for this festival, but I might just be being picky.

My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Pigeons are something of a favourite theme for street artists, and I guess that perhaps there is something unconscious going on, in that these artists being on the streets probably see a great many of these urban birds. A fine addition to the Upfest 22 collection.

One week

.

Only seven days

then a change in the routine

mini holiday

.

by Scooj

4460. Upfest 2022 (2)

It is easy to forget what a special time Upfest is in the Bristol calendar, especially for south Bristolians in the Bedminster area, where the festival is centred. The lucky residents of this area are blessed with some of the very best street artists and muralists visiting to decorate their walls and bring a sense of pride to the community.

Sian Storey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Sian Storey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

This gorgeous hummingbird piece is by Sian Storey and a fitting follow-up to her beautiful piece from last year’s 70×70 wall. The highly colourful and dynamic mural features two hummingbirds in flight surrounded by flowers and petals with a gold patterned motif in the centre.

Sian Storey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Sian Storey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

There is a great amount of detail in this busy piece, creating a sense of movement and frenetic activity. This is a very special wall that has hosted several significant artists in previous festivals, and Sian Storey has done it proud. The piece is slightly off the beaten track, on Westbourne Grove (which happens to be a Google Maps black hole).

4459. Upfest 2022 (1)

Upfest 2022 has begun, and the format has changed a little this year. The ‘permanent’ walls have been buffed and prepped for painting in the three weeks preceding the festival weekend, so that when people arrive for the festival, there will be a stunning array of new work completed for them to enjoy. It is possible that some H&S measures might have helped with that decision too. What it means is that for people like me, there has been ample time to capture works in progress and chat with artists from all over the UK, Europe and the world.

Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

This artist, however, didn’t need to travel far at all, as he lives in the same road as his artwork. Willl Cross (yes, three ‘L’s) is a fine artist (oil paintings) from Bristol whose work is truly stunning, and you can see some of it on his Instagram feed, which I strongly recommend you take a look at. This was his first effort at ‘street art’ and judging from the outcome, I sincerely hope it isn’t his last.

Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

I believe the woman in the portrait is wearing Bulgarian traditional costume, and Will Cross worked hard to recreate the intricate patterns in the blouse and apron. The whole composition is full of atmosphere and depth, and brings a little bit of Eastern Europe directly into the heart of Bedminster.

Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

There is so much to love about this painting. It is the work of a very talented young man who deserves recognition, and with this prominent spot is likely to get it during the Festival weekend. What a great way to introduce this year’s Upfest festival, which ill be taking place on 28 and 29 May (this coming weekend).

4458. M32 roundabout J3 (410)

We have discovered lately that Smut is not a one-trick pony, far from it, and his last few pieces have demonstrated that he has great versatility and has managed to be consistently tidy with his writing (sounds a bit like a school report – perhaps I should have been a teacher).

Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022
Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022

This piece on the M32 roundabout is a long way from his curvy, thin script writing that we have become accustomed to seeing from Smut. I don’t know how he does it, but Smut has the cleanest, sharpest lines imaginable and really knows how to turn out a supremely classy piece. The letter shapes are good, the colour selections fantastic and the shading/details of the green and yellow brilliant. This is an excellent, high-quality piece from Smut.

4457. M32 Spot (140)

You will know by now, that I consider John D’oh to be a fabulous stencil artist whose astute observations and commentaries record a snapshot of life in Britain, often observed through a political lens. While John D’oh speaks for many, particularly in Bristol, someone took exception to this piece and buffed all but Johnson’s face and scrawled ‘Support Boris Johnson’ next to it… there is still much work to do. If there are Johnson supporters in the poorer districts of Bristol, then there are still some messages that simply aren’t landing.

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2022
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2022

I really am so sick and tired of the worst Prime Minister we have ever had. He depresses me, because I am embarrassed and ashamed to think that people from other countries might believe Johnson to be representative of the UK’s views and aspirations. He is not. He is like Trump, bolstered by the far right of the Conservative party, pushing only their views and dressing it up as ‘what people want is…’. I loathe him and everything he stands for.

John D’oh writes “Fuel poverty… I can assure the British people that having burned £50 notes in front of homeless people I can relate and understand their suffering and see the pain in their eyes – Boris”, referencing some historical despicable behaviours of this odious man.

Keep up the great work, John D’oh, our nation needs reminding just how low Johnson will stoop to retain power.

Pride

.

Can it be ok

to take enormous pleasure

In a job well done

.

by Scooj

4456. High Street

Street art captures a great many forms, from spray paintings to paste ups to installations to sculptures, and this amazing piece by Duncan McKellar fits into the last category. There are not many sculptors in Bristol, so it is always great to come across their work, and Duncan McKellar uses scaffolding protector tubing bound together with cable ties as his preferred materials.

Duncan McKellar, High Street, Bristol, May 2022
Duncan McKellar, High Street, Bristol, May 2022

This sculpture is of two clasping hands in the colours of the Ukraine national flag, which is fortunate, because these are the two colours that the scaffold protector comes in. The sculpture is constructed around a rather hapless tree deep in the heart of Bristol. I would imagine that it won’t last too long before the council come along and remove it, but in the meantime it makes a bold statement of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

4455. M32 Spot (139)

Last October I wrote my first post about a piece by Typo on the pages of Natural Adventures, fully meaning to post his artwork reasonably regularly. My bad… I have only just got round to posting some more, and to make up for it, here are three of his column pieces for the price of one.

Typo, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2022
Typo, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2022

I have only seen Typo’s work on these square column under the M32 and nowhere else. He has a unique and colourful style, and one that seems to use the spray can more as a brush than a fill or solid line tool, with the result that his pieces look  like elaborate sketches. This first one seems to be of a character wearing a wizard hat with green hair, an a hidden caption ‘Rain’. What it all means, I simply don’t know.

Typo, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2022
Typo, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2022

The second piece in this selection  appears to be a flying toadstool, accompanied with a very colourful signature at the bottom. Typo’s work seems to be well thought out and telling a story of sorts. His artwork is developing, and he appears to be using these columns as a place to practice his craft.

Typo, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2022
Typo, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2022

The third piece in this collection is quite different. A figure with a sword slung over his shoulder painted before a red sun is accompanied with some Japanese writing and ‘#bemoremelling’ and ‘see you space cowboy’. All rather cryptic and mysterious, but intriguing and compelling too. Typo is creating a style and range all of his own, and is quite unlike anything else in Bristol. Lots more to come from this enigmatic artist.