Category: 7.4. Upfest 2021

3908. Upfest 2021 75×75 (52)

I am generally pretty well tapped into the appearance of new pieces in Bristol through Instagram and Twitter, especially anything to do with Upfest, which made finding this piece accidentally/incidentally, by Sophie Long, extra special. Sophie Long is a Bristol artist who creates stunning colourful canvasses and murals of wild animals (and usually lots of lovely drips too), and who is an Upfest favourite.

Sophie Long, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Sophie Long, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

These beautiful whale pieces, on the door shutter and wall of People Solutions on North Street, replace a pair of octopi from a previous Upfest event. Sophie Long has managed to use the vertical space brilliantly, who’d have thought you could paint blue whales in a diving pose?

Sophie Long, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Sophie Long, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

There is always an emotional connection with our largest mammal cousins and Sophie Long has done a brilliant job at representing that connection. Skilfully painted in ghostly colours, these two leviathans remind us of the fragility of biodiversity on Earth. Beautiful.

3905. Upfest 2021 75×75 (51)

It is always a real pleasure to welcome Dan Kitchener back to Bristol, and his work is absolutely astonishing, but for Upfest to allocate this wall to him is unfortunate to say the least. At best, perhaps the narrow space where the wall is located reflects the backstreets of a ‘Tokyoesque’ scene, but the detail and interest in this wonderful mural just can’t be fully appreciated from the street, and it is near impossible to photograph. Rant over.

Dan Kitchener, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 2021
Dan Kitchener, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 2021

These busy scenes that Dan Kitchener creates have a strong feel of ‘Bladerunner’ about them, if you know what I mean. Dark, wet, oriental streets with neon advertising and car headlights providing an intoxicating atmosphere and people with opened umbrellas busily scurrying across the traffic. Dan Kitchener gives us a complete urban nighttime landscape.

Dan Kitchener, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 2021
Dan Kitchener, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 2021

When you look closer at the work, you can see how effective the spray paint is for creating the reflections in the wet tarmac, but also in offering great detail in the neon lighting. There is a simplicity about Dan Kitchener’s style that allows your brain to work hard and fully create the scene. It is like an illusion, yes, an illusion that tricks your brain into thinking this is a real scene, a photograph or a memory. Clever stuff. Really evocative.

Dan Kitchener, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 2021
Dan Kitchener, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 2021

It is possible to photograph the wall from the roof of the bank, but I have not yet been in the right place at the right time to achieve this, and for most passers by this is similarly an impossibility. Another outstandingly brilliant piece from Dan Kitchener for Upfest.

3903. Upfest 2021 75×75 (50)

Another fabulous Upfest 75×75 mural, and another beast to photograph… well, I suppose it is in a car park so parked cars are something of an expected irritation. The fun mural is by Georgie Webster, a Bristol-based artist who likes painting animals, the male nude, butts and more (according to her website).

Georgie Webster, Myrtle Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Georgie Webster, Myrtle Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

In this piece Georgie Webster has painted a festival of roller skating and dance, from the waist down. The legs are full of variety – is that a pair of grraffe legs? – and vibrant colours, something of a speciality of the artist.

Georgie Webster, Myrtle Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Georgie Webster, Myrtle Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

It was a pity that I haven’t yet been able to get a good photograph of the whole wall, but I think you can get the idea from the pictures posted.

Georgie Webster, Myrtle Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Georgie Webster, Myrtle Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

I particularly like the little the little guinea pig, which was hidden behind a car and took me several attempts to photograph it because the car was so close to the wall and I had to hold the camera out to one side between the wall and car. The whole mural is a splash of colour and a statement of joy, and a little view of the world from the bottom half, which makes a refreshing change.

Georgie Webster, Myrtle Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Georgie Webster, Myrtle Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

3898. Upfest 2021 75×75 (49)

Another artist whose work I very much admire and who is no stranger to Upfest is Envol, and he returned to Bristol to paint one of his distinctive pieces just off North Street. I was lucky enough to meet him while he was painting this and he stopped for a while for a great chat. It turns out that he is good friends with Fanakapan, another very talented London artist and one who has also painted at Upfest in the past.

Envol, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Envol, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

While I managed to photograph the piece as a work in progress, by the time I came back to photograph the final finished piece it had been vandalised, along with several other Upfest murals, by some misguided (and probably ill) idiot. Thankfully the piece was fully restored and is as good as new.

Envol, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Envol, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

Envol creates these sharp and clean pieces incorporating parts of the body with abstract shapes and patterns, and sometimes disrupting them with white space. They are quite surreal, and at times remind me a little of Giorgio de Chirico fused with Matisse’s cut outs. Beautiful to look at and thought-provoking. This piece is another fabulous contribution to Upfest’s 75×75 event.

3896. Upfest 2021 75×75 (48)

I first came across the work of Elaine Carr (Instagram – Cuicasolo) when I saw her iconic ‘Bristol’ piece in Dean Lane, painted across someone’s garden fence and gates. It was obvious even then that she is a talented artist and designer. Elaine Carr has a career in model making and set design, amongst other things, and has had little time for painting street walls, but from the small number of pieces I have seen, they are first class.

Cuicasolo, Greville Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Cuicasolo, Greville Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

Although a little tricky to access, this is a beautiful and very stylish mural by Elaine Carr in the little outdoor seating area of the Hen and Chicken on North Street. The architectural design has all sorts of false perspectives and 3D tricks, not unlike the work of Escher. The subtle tones and colours are sublime and the including of a little bit of green landscape is very clever. I love this piece, which amply demonstrates the range and variety of walls painted at this year’s Upfest 75×75 event.

3894. Upfest 2021 75×75 (47)

For the first time during Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days summer event I find myself a little baffled. This piece by Jay Sharples, an Upfest veteran, leaves me a little cold. It is technically beautifully painted and has a very strong design element which works well in the space, but it just doesn’t do it for me, which is a pity, because I like Jay Sharples’ work very much. I guess I can’t like everything.

Jay Sharples, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Jay Sharples Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

The black and pink stripes are very striking and the contrast is very eye-catching. I am guessing that there was a lot of masking tape involved in the painting of this piece. I have a feeling that Jay Sharples may have left us a little present elsewhere in Bristol, rather more akin to his usual work. I thought I’d just include a previous Upfest piece from the artist below for comparison.

Jay Sharples, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jay Sharples, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

3892. Upfest 2021 75×75 (46)

How utterly perfect to welcome Aspire back to Bristol for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days, and what an amazing huge mural he has gifted the fine people of Bedminster. I have to admit that this piece came as a bit of a surprise as he seemed to have painted it quite quickly between visits, or maybe I just didn’t stop to look the right way at the right time.

Aspire, Fairfield Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Aspire, Fairfield Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

I thought I was going to get a bit frustrated with the parking situation, but the gentleman in the black van was very obliging and moved out of the way for me to take a picture, and just to prove it, here he is giving me the thumbs up. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. The upshot was I managed to get a full and uninterrupted photograph of the wall.

Aspire, Fairfield Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Aspire, Fairfield Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

The mural itself is awesome, and takes Aspire into the next level. I am not sure how many large murals he has done since moving to London from Bristol, but this is definitely the biggest I have seen.

Aspire, Fairfield Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Aspire, Fairfield Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

The focus of the piece is a stunning Kingfisher, with a cherry on the top, and a little bit of pixelation, for which Aspire is famed. However, Aspire has combined the bird with a classical study of a bowl of fruit and the combination makes for a very special and intoxicating mural. This is glorious stuff and reminds us of what we have been missing in Bristol (as if we didn’t already know) since Aspire left. Bravo!

3889. Upfest 2021 75×75 (45)

It feels like a very long time ago since I last saw a new Copyright mural but my goodness, it has been well worth the wait. Copyright has produced this outstanding and colourful piece for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days, and I am grateful to both artist and organisers for making this happen.

Copyright, Greville Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Copyright, Greville Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

This wall has had some notable occupants in the past, but I think that this one might eclipse them all. The piece would appear to be a reference to rebuilding a broken nation maybe, and doing it brick by brick. Of course it might be something else altogether.

The female portrait, in black and white, is wearing a most incredible headdress bursting with colours and designs and even a Felix with a crown. There is a lot of symbolism here and I am not sure what it all means, but the ensemble is quite an eye full with flowers, butterflies, a jewel and even a couple of ‘toilet door’ figures to the left. If all of this was not enough, Copyright has set the piece on a nicely decorated and eye-catching background. The whole mural is stunning… it would be great to see more of this more often from Copyright.

3886. Upfest 2021 75×75 (44)

What an absolute delight to find this beautiful mural by Bex Glover which has been painted as part of Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days initiative. Set on the side of a North Street shop, Bex Glover brings her unique design style and colour combinations that spreads the wonder of British nature to our streets.

Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

This mural celebrates the hedgehog, a native mammal that has been in steep decline for some years now, just another casualty of our human carelessness and disregard for our environment. These three little characters are beautifully painted and appear to be following a yellow trail – perhaps it is their yellow brick road at the end of the rainbow.

Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

I am a huge admirer of Bex Glover’s work which always stands out from the crowd and her connection with nature certainly chimes with me. Lovely stuff.

3882. Upfest 2021 75×75 (43)

This modest piece by Emma Philippa Maeve is one of the smallest of Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days, and could easily be missed by many due to its location just off North Street and the recess it sits in. It is a really interesting piece and quite unlike anything else from the event, demonstrating the breadth of styles and talent that is on display in Bedminster.

Emma Philippa Maeve, Merrywood Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Emma Philippa Maeve, Merrywood Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

The bright and colourful piece looks like an etching scratched into the surface of the wall and her work is influenced by her travels. Emma Philippa Maeve has a very interesting website that shows you more of her work and tells you a little about her inspiration. She uses the term Flaneuse, derived from Flaneur, to describe her lifestyle, and it is a subject close to my own heart. To explore for the sake of making new discoveries and learning more about what is around you… keeping your eyes open is what it is all about. Fabulous.