Category: 5. Street Art

927. Bedminster

Some pieces are difficult to photograph. It might be a narrow lane, an awkward height, in front of a parking bay, in a tunnel or as in this instance a tree casting speckled light and shade rendering my photographic efforts utterly useless. I had to visit this spot four times before I could get a half decent picture of it.

Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

It took an overcast moment and diversion on my way to Upfest to get this dinosaur by Andy Council. It was worth waiting for, to see the architectural detail that comes together to create this triceratops (I think). It is always good to see the Bristol suspension bridge incorporated into a work. Yet another note to self on this matter – must do a special post of street art that incorporates the bridge.

926. Wilder Street (16)

Decay is a very fast worker, and this was the second piece that he sprayed on this particular day back in April after a paint jam in The Bearpit. Although much of his work follows a similar formula, each piece is different, and brings his hallmark to a wall.

Decay, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

I wanted to post this piece before It got lost in my archive (like hundreds of others) and before I get too carried away with Upfest 2017 pictures. Those of you who know the Bristol street art scene will notice the work of another great abstract graffiti artist, Mr Klue, just to the left of this piece.

Decay, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

It is interesting to see how Decay has sprayed beyond the doorway as if it wasn’t even there, mentally filling in the gaps. Happy face.

925. The Bearpit (81)

This piece was one of a series of ‘quick ones’ from Kid Crayon, and if I understood correctly, part of passing his skills on to another aspiring street sprayer. I love the way the community has a social structure of its own where artists respect and look after one another. Of course, like any society, it is not all easy; there are codes, ‘territories’, legality, status and hierarchy and so on to contend with every day.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

This is a really nice simple piece by Kid Crayon, and something of a reversion to his wheatpastes that were so influential in getting me interested in all this stuff in the first place. Respect.

 

924. Dean Lane skate park (70)

Relative new boy, NEVERGIVEUP, is definitely making his presence felt on the streets of Bristol, and although his rabbit designs are becoming familiar, the way he is presenting them is rather dynamic.

NEVERGIVEUP, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017
NEVERGIVEUP, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017

This clever piece in Dean Lane skate park is designed to be viewed from the roof of an adjacent swimming pool building. The only problems with this are tricky access and trespass. Apart from that, it is a doddle. I caught up with NGU at Upfest and he said that even he had struggled to take a picture, and got shouted at by an official from the Swimming pool building. He is coming up with some interesting work, and challenging the status quo a little.

NEVERGIVEUP, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017
NEVERGIVEUP, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017

923. Upfest 2017 (4)

Cheo, who is one of the  most established Bristol street artists at the heart of the Bristol scene, is also very active in promoting and collaborating with Upfest. This year he brought the Aardman character ‘Morph’ to life as Graff Morph, and sprayed this loveable character in several locations around the Upfest area.

Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Morph first appeared in the Television programme Take Hart, presented by Tony Hart. The programme itself was a spin-off from Vision On, which a few will recall as being the only art programme for children for many years. It is fitting that the character from an art programme is the subject of focus for Cheo at Upfest. There were seven Graff Morphs at Upfest. This was the first one I saw. All good fun, especially for the children at the event.

If you look carefully at the Featured Image, you will be able to spot one of Chinagirl Tile’s grenade bunnies from last year.

922. Upfest 2017 (5)

I remember well the lovely piece by Fats in the Tobacco Factory at last year’s Upfest. This year she produced another fine work in South Street park, where I was able to catch up with her for a few minutes.

Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Fats talked a lot about her background and heritage, which is truly international and mixed, and how her work receives many influences, from Arabic calligraphy to the styles of indigenous Inuit people. Our discussion ventured further into the perils of perceived appropriation and how this can create some tensions. This is a tricky path really. At what point does ‘being influenced by’ transition into copying?

Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I am clear that Fats’ work is stunning, and carries many influences that she skilfully executes in her own lyrical way. I see more of the North American influence others may see more Arabic. One thing is clear, she loves her dark drawing lines. I actually really like this piece, and was grateful for her time.

Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

921. Upfest 2017 (3)

I have only been familiar with the work of Losthills since last Upfest, and his wheatpastes are a joy – each one found is a treasure. It seems he stole a march on all the others this year by arriving in Bristol a day or two before Upfest.

Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Not only content with pasting in Bedminster, he also left a few treats in the Stokes Croft area too. This is a really great piece by Losthills, with Jake the dog posing as (I’m guessing here) Ed Sheeran. There is a lot of detail here, right down to the tattoos. Brilliant.

Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

By the end of the second day of the festival, ‘Ed’ the dog was joined by some groupies.

A word about placement – I have said this before, but for wheatpasters, the location and orientation of your piece is almost as important as the piece itself. This is a perfect place, as good as any I have seen in Bristol.

920. Upfest 2017 (2)

At the very farthest end of East Street above the Barclays Bank is the first piece of Upfest 2017 that will be seen by visitors approaching from that direction. It is a stunning portrait by two of Bristol’s best street artists 3Dom and Voyder.

3Dom and Voyder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
3Dom and Voyder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

They have collaborated before to spray a similar piece a few years back and this is easily its equal. It is a busy piece full of meanings – there is the contextualising of Bristol with the Clifton suspension bridge and hot air balloons – and the headdress is full of hidden and overt meaning, including a third eye.

3Dom and Voyder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
3Dom and Voyder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The face, by Voyder is absolutely captivating. The whole bold piece is a fabulous taster for those arriving in Bedminster to discover some sensational street/graffiti art.

919. Upfest 2017 (1)

The spirit of Upfest is alive and well.

I took a quick walk to Bedminster the day before the festival began, and I came across these two artists in Dean Lane. They said that they hadn’t managed to get a space at this year’s festival, but were hoping to find a wall somewhere, and they had started with this one.

Apset and Ionas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Apset and Ionas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

They come from Thessaloniki in Greece, and their names are Apset and Ionas. They were so friendly and happy for me to chat with them for a while. I warned them that at last year’s festival this wall was sprayed several times over and that I hoped their piece would remain.

Apset and Ionas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Apset and Ionas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Without question, the piece is very different from the things we usually see in Dean Lane. It has a real Mediterranean feel to it, which was most welcome, given the showery nature of the weather this year. I managed to find Apset’s Facebook page, but failed to find out much about Ionas.

Apset and Ionas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Apset and Ionas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

They did eventually find some boards to spray in the South Street park venue and I’ll cover these another time. Equally uplifting was that this piece remained in place and untagged for at least three days.

Two great artists, a great first piece at Upfest and a great place to start my posts for Upfest 2017.

918. The Bearpit (80)

Another Bearpit piece from the effervescent J. Dior. His child-like style is one of the most recognisable in Bristol, and his work usually seems to tell a story, although the story is often somewhat difficult to unravel.

J. Dior, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
J. Dior, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

I understand the J. Dior is an Italian artist, or so I am told, and that he is rather absorbed in his own space. I have not yet met him, but given the frequency that both of us are in The Bearpit, it is just a matter of time.

I think that J. Dior divides opinion. Some see him as a rather poor artist taking up decent wall space, others see his work as innovative and fresh. For me, the jury is out for a while, but I am drawn to his story telling.