I thought I’d try something a bit different, inspired by some lovely poetry I read here. This is the first poem I have written since school (other than Haiku). Be gentle.
This wonderful piece appeared a few days after Upfest had ended, and I guess Feoflip decided to stick around and improve some bare walls. I really love this piece, the soft pastel colours give the piece the look of an illustration. The character looks like it has just walked off the pages of a children’s picture book. I would love to read that story.
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip was unknown to me before Upfest, but I have now seen several of his pieces all over Bristol, and will be sharing them over the coming weeks. He is fast becoming one of my favourite artists. I love the combination of organic and mechanical, it works very well, as with his piece at Ashton Gate School.
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, August 2016
The more observant reader may also notice the Gregos mask just to the left of this piece which I wrote about last year.
I was deeply moved today when I met a lady roughly my age spraying a cardboard stencil tribute to Dom. I stopped to ask her who Dom was. She told me through her tears that he was her son, aged 21, who died two days ago on a basketball court. Too tragic for words. Sometimes life is just so very tough. Such sadness. As a boy Dom used to skate here at Dean Lane skate park.
Just once in a while you see a wall and just go ‘wow’. This was one of those walls. Deamze, Voyder and Soker have collaborated before and seem to really go to town when they do. My only regret posting this is that these pictures really don’t do the wall justice, the pinks are absolutely amazing.
Deamze, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Deamze has a brilliant theme going on with a cartoon character rounding off his moniker. A quick Google search informs me it is from Dexter’s Laboratory – not a cartoon I am familiar with…it’s my age.
Deamze, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Deamze, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Voyder is in the middle, as usual, and sprays his signature with those beautiful curving letters. I wonder if their positioning is like the ‘Ant and Dec’ thing where one always has to stand on one side, and the other on the other.
Voyder, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Joining the work of Voyder and Soker is a ‘tweetie pie’, I’m not sure which of them sprayed it, but it spans the two pieces well.
Soker, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Soker rounds off the triptych with great wildstyle writing that we are used to seeing from such a master. These three pieces together are genuinely breathtaking. Let’s hope these three get together again soon.
Soker, Voyder and Deamze, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Without question, one of the highlights of this year’s Upfest was this magnificent mural by the fabulous Louis Masai. His works are nearly always highlight threats to the environment or endangered species and on that ticket alone he ranks highly in my own personal favourite artists.
Louis Masai, Redpoint, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
His recent murals have featured animals painted with a patchwork quilt kind of effect, and in this case the rhinoceros is being stitched together by a honey bee and a bumble bee.
Louis Masai, Redpoint, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Louis Masai, Redpoint, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
It is difficult not to be impressed with this work, and not surprisingly Louis Masai’s status in the street art world has grown in the last year or two.
Louis Masai, Redpoint, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Definitely, definitely in my top five pieces from this year’s festival. It is a pity that it is slightly off the beaten track as many visitors to Upfest will have missed it. The piece is on the Redpoint Bristol Climbing Centre on Winterstoke Road.
Louis Masai, Redpoint, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
It would be great if he could return next year, although I’m not sure he could better this one.
Seeing Bristol street artists’ work at Upfest just felt right. In amongst all the exotic invitees to the festival were the artists that put Bristol on the map in the first place. If there wasn’t a street art scene here in the first place then there would be no festival.
Kid Crayon, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This cheeky piece by Kid Crayon is yet another great work by one of my favourite Bristol street artists. I read, I think on KC’s Instagram feed, that he was not happy with the piece and that the sun had played havoc with his spray cans. Havoc or not, KC never fails to please, with his bright colours and Picassoesque ‘blue’ figures. Keep them coming!
Natural adventures 