It is incredible to think how far and fast Werm has come from when I first met him back in 2020, when he was writing under the name Eman. He has definitely switched from character pieces to focussing on his writing, so it was great to see this piece where he has combined both.
Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
The character is, I think, an alien from the Simpsons – I know I have seen it before… I have just Googled it, and I am correct, and it is called Kang or Kodos. The letters, spelling out Werm, are intricate and beautifully filled with superb horizontal fill transitions. This is Werm raising his game once again. Great stuff.
Another Logoe piece from his recent blitz of Bristol, this time at the entrance to the St Werburghs tunnel. I don’t know how long Logoe was in Bristol on his latest visit, but he managed to paint at least five or six pieces, and must have been churning them out at a staggering rate.
Logoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2022
One of the clever things about Logoe’s work is his colour schemes, where his selections are carefully thought out. Here he gives us a palette of yellows, greens and turquoise which work beautifully together. There are still more pieces to come from this trip.
I go away for a few days and whaddayaknow, a whole bunch of walls have been refreshed, including the long wall at Cumberland Basin. There are several beauties that have gone up there, and this fine piece by Saor is right up there.
Saor, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022
The thing I most like about Saor’s work is that every piece he paints is immaculately turned out. The lines are sharp, the fills solid and the designs imaginative. As his work develops, there are definitely some similarities with the Bristol writer Epok, whose letter designs contain combinations of curves and geometry in harmonious balance. This is a lovely piece from Saor.
I don’t recall ever going to this car park and finding it without a car parked in front of this long wall. Having said that, it is not a car park that I often frequent, and maybe I have simply been unlucky on each visit.
Vanessa Scott, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The long mural is by Vanessa Scott, who painted a memorable piece for Upfest in 2021 as part of the 75 walls in 75 days event, and it was great to be able to welcome her back this year with this calming water lilies piece.
Vanessa Scott, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The abstract design is perfect for this wall and rather grey car park environment, bringing a spot of colour and uplifting beauty to the streets. Vanessa Scott comes from Manchester and is a prolific muralist, whose work we don’t get to see too often here in the south.
This wall is a powerful and significant wall, reasonably new to Upfest, that although is impressive, is really difficult to photograph. Because it is high up, the bright sky behind it tends to lead to underexposure of the artwork, so I have to do a little bit of post-production work just to make these pictures reasonable.
Snub 23, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The mural is by Snub23, a regular at Upfest, and one who pretty much always gets to paint one of the premium walls. Snub23’s work these days usually features comic book-style characters, caught in a narrative and almost as if they were ripped out of the pages and stuck up on the wall. What is the rest of the story behind this magnificent piece?
Snub 23, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Technically, this piece is beautifully painted, with fabulous detail in the character’s mask and in the material around his neck. The background is a perfect, patterned backdrop for the scene, providing an almost pixelated or white noise environment, which is very effective. This is a great Upfest piece from Snub23.
There are some paintings at Upfest that you fall in love with at first sight and this magnificent mural by Sphiza is exactly that. From the moment I first saw it, I knew it was something rather special.
Sphiza, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
In this piece, which makes extraordinary use of colours to create shadings and texture (a bit like a stencil might), Sphiza conveys an important ‘peace’ message via a portrait of a youngster drawing a peace symbol on a sheet of paper. I don’t know very much about Sphiza, and haven’t seen any of her work before, but am especially interested because she is from Porto in Portugal, and regulars will know how much I love the city.
At last year’s Upfest, Cuicasolo was given a lovely wall in the Hen and Chicken café garden, this year she had to make do with one of the square boards, which she has painted expertly.
Cuicasolo, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Cuicasolo’s designs are nicely thought out and have a mixture of geometric discipline and abstract freedom, creating work that dances in front of your eyes. The colour selections work well together and the overall piece is pleasing, it is a pity she wasn’t allocated a wall to paint this year, but with so many artists, a large proportion of them end up painting boards,
In one of the prettiest backwaters immediately off North Street is the perfect street art wall. This miniature park, ‘Ebenezer Pocket Park’, has benefitted from some stunning murals over the years, and at Upfest 22 it was the turn of Philth.
Philth, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Philth is perhaps best known for his floral designs, one of which can still be seen in North Street Green, not far away from this piece. In this outstanding mural, which has a retro feel to it, Philth has painted a beautiful young lady in amongst an ocean of mushrooms and fungi. The ribs under the caps have been cleverly observed and recreated. What makes the piece special is the green tones that have been used and the splashes of red, lifting the whole design to another level. A truly wonderful Upfest piece.
Natural adventures 