An unusual and rather unsettling piece from ‘1743’. Ambulances and crows are perhaps not the bringers of joy, and this is a hard-hitting piece, in spite of its small size.
The Upfest programme biography reads:
‘UK artist based in Leeds. I paint stuff because I can and it’s fun. Mostly with a spray can and stencils. Inspired by life and what I see around me.’
I don’t know a great deal about this artist, but her name is Brooke Ashley. This is a really engaging piece that I feel would lend itself well to illustration, and I would guess that her background may be in illustration.
One of the more modest pieces from the festival, but beautiful none the less.
Cool damp air surrounds
my melancholic humor
offering relief.
by Scooj
This is a really interesting piece by the Dutch street artist Pronk-Stukken, not only for its unusual and captivating subject, but also because it was sprayed at Dean Lane skate park, which is not an official site for Upfest artists, and one that gets sprayed numerous times over during Upfest. My guess is that he had another piece somewhere at the frstival, which I don’t appear to have photographed.
This piece reminds me of a camel, but that is just what I see. I loved this piece the first time I saw it, and still like it now. One of my favourites of the festival. Regrettably it looks like Pronk-Stukken will not be returning this year.
Let the sun shine in
or at least a cloudy sky;
break in dry weather.
by Scooj
I love stencils and I love cats…this then is simply heaven. The work is from the self-taught Bizzy (Izolda Lautner) who turned he hand to artwork only some 5-6 years ago. Without any formal training, she gives great hope for street art wannabes (like me?).
This was her first piece in front of a live audience, and I think it turned out fantastically well. I wish I had seen her in the process of spraying it. I will be keeping an eye out for her work, although it looks like she won’t be at Upfest 2017, which is a great shame. You can read more about her on her Stencil Art Prize website profile.
When blogging about street art, one increasingly becomes reliant on others for information about artists or new pieces and so on. I am grateful to ‘The Art Blogger 54’ for posting this piece recently. Until then, this photograph had been sitting in my pending file, waiting for the artist’s identity. I hadn’t seen the finished piece at Upfest, and so had no signature to go on. I cannot recommend highly enough The Art Blogger 54’s blog, especially if you are into wildlife art and sculpture.
It is by FreshMess, a collaboration between two artists, one of whose style is clean and fresh and the other whose style is erratic and messy. These two have combined beautifully to produce one of the most striking pieces of Upfest 2016.
Unfortunately, I don’t think they will be at Upfest 2017, but maybe they’ll visit again another time.
I have just been reading Skor85’s biography on the Upfest 2017 website and found out that she is of Polish origination, adding to the vibrant Polish street art community that appears to be growing in Bristol.
This is an interesting piece, from one of her favourite spots at Deaners, from July last year, around the time of Upfest. Some philosophy to go with the solemn figure drowning his/her sorrows. I love her use of colour and highlight lines on the head, arms and legs. Subtle and modest, her work always interests me.
You can’t hide from me
I have naturalist’s eyes
I see living things.
by Scooj
I took this picture way back in June 2016 before I knew who it was by. I liked it at the time – I don’t photograph everything I see, and many pieces don’t make it into this blog…I have a little bit of editorial control. It is of course by Hire, and shows his trademark jagged Gothic form.
There is a symmetry to this piece, and if you look closely, you will be able to make out the letters HIRE. Nice one.
Natural adventures 