Category: 7.1. Upfest 2016

885. Upfest 2016 (152)

You rarely meet anyone who doesn’t have a fondness for Baloo and his ‘the bear necessities’ song from the Disney adaptation of Kiplings’ the Jungle Book. It was the film I saw most frequently as a child – six times – in the days before videos. I had the LP, and pretty much know the entire film word for word, even now.

Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

A digression. This is a fine stencil from Bristol born and bred Mr Bear. I must confess to not knowing much at all about this artist, and I haven’t come across his work, or at least, not knowingly. He is a member of SSOSVA and started painting in 1997 under the moniker ‘Bas’.

884. Upfest 2016 (151)

Rumbl is another street artist from the rather large Dutch contingent that attended Upfest 2016. I must confess that when I first saw this piece I didn’t much like it. Now that I have looked a little more carefully and researched some of his other work, I think I get it now, and actually rather like it.

Rumbl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Rumbl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is a perfect Upfest wall and he has made a good job of it. He has a love of American illustration of the 1960s and you can see that clearly in this work. The stylised horse and cowboy boots…sort of Woody meets Lucky Luke meets John Wayne. I do now rather like this – pity it took me so long to post it.

 

 

883. Upfest 2016 (150)

I have a terrible feeling of being rushed to get these Upfest 2016 posts published, because at the time of writing this one, there are only about two weeks to go before 2017’s festival gets underway. I popped into the Upfest shop today and picked up my map. Very exciting indeed. This year there is going to be a very long wall (fifty or so artists) at Ashton Gate.

Back to this pair of works that I photographed together because of the interesting contrast between them. On the left is a piece by Von Grey, a psychedelic offering that has undertones of Sgt Pepper about it, which is no surprise as his biography states that his work is heavily influenced by 1970s album covers, ancient artefacts and modern subculture.

Von Grey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Von Grey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The piece on the right is a fabulous gorilla by Daub who judging from his Facebook and Instagram accounts appears to be remarkably fond of this gorilla, and why not, it is a magnificent beast. It is interesting that the gorilla is superimposed on a background that appears to tell its own story and I fear it is somehow not all good news.

Daub, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Daub, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Nice works by both of these artists.

882. Upfest 2016 (149)

Guts is a graffiti artist I have only recently been posting about on this blog, and when I took this picture at last year’s Upfest, He hadn’t crossed my radar at all.

Guts, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Guts, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

His Upfest catalogue entry reads ‘Guts is a Bristolian artist who makes lowbrow weirdness for people who like that sort of thing. He mainly works in spray paint, acrylic and posca on canvases and other stuff he finds lying around’. Reading this reminds me that so many street artists are incredibly modest about their talents, and I think that Guts is among them.

 

881. Upfest 2016 (148)

Hey, there’s a whole bunch of not very scary monsters in this work from Nol, and I think Edo Rath. Michael Nol is a rather tall Dutch artist (not that you can see from these images) and Edo Rath enjoys painting clean lines and happy characters. Together the pair have formed a collective called Noodle Inc.

Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I was able to take a couple of snaps while this piece was in progress, and it is interesting to see how the piece is constructed, with a full outline, and then systematic filling from left to right.

Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I have touched on this in a previous post, and I am intrigued by artists go about their business in such different ways. some add layers, some freestyle completely, some use templates, some work from the centre outwards and so on. All interesting.

Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I think these guys will be making a return for Upfest 2017. Watch out for more scary monsters.

880. Upfest 2016 (147)

Bees are very much the central focus of this Upfest piece by That Bloke Wilson, a self-taught artist who has been drawing all his life. He has been part of the Birmingham street art scene for a few years and has appeared at several local events there.

That Bloke Wilson, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
That Bloke Wilson, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I’m not too sure what the story is that’s going on in this piece, but that is one big fat bee making off with the pot of nectar.

879. Upfest 2016 (146)

This colourful piece is by a graffiti artist turned tattooist, Cize one. An artist for more than thirty years, Cize one has produced an accomplished piece here. Having read that he designs tattoos, one can see that he pays a lot of attention to detail, and has clear lines which are filled with colour. It is an unusual, almost comic-book style that he uses. Very nice.

Cize One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Cize One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

878. Upfest 2016 (145)

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.

1743, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
1743, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

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.’

877. Upfest 2017 (144)

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.

Brooke Ashley, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Brooke Ashley, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

One of the more modest pieces from the festival, but beautiful none the less.

876. Upfest 2016 (143)

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.

Pronk-Stukken, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Pronk-Stukken, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

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.

Pronk-Stukken, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Pronk-Stukken, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016