432. Upfest 2016 (48)

C3 is a street artist I admire very much. The distinctive cut out pasteups C3 produces were very much in evidence at Upfest along the hotly contested spots of North Street. There wasn’t a biography of C3 in the Upfest programme, so I am not certain that the works were entirely official, which in my mind makes them all the better.

C3, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
C3, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The work of C3 will often feature, as in this wheatpaste, a backdrop of newspaper, typically with an image of a woman in black ink and red hair. Instantly recognisable and each telling a story of love or heartbreak. Since seeing C3’s work in Bristol, I have photographed a whole lot more in Shoreditch, which I will share soon. Worth a quick squint at C3’s website too.

431. Upfest 2016 (47)

I know I have said it before and I will say it again. One of the real pleasures at Upfest 2016 was the huge number of wheatpastes that appeared overnight between the Saturday and the Sunday of the festival.

Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This was my first introduction to the crazy world of Face the Strange, a wheatpaster who creates characters with heads substituted for any manner of everyday objects. His pieces are witty and rather stylish – I like them. This works on several levels and the reproduction of naff flying ducks is very funny.

Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Face the Strange has a Facebook page, which is well worth a look. Since this first discovey, I have since found more of his work in Bristol from Upfest, and loads in Shoreditch and Camden Town. More to come from this prolific artist.

First netball tournament

.

Full of excitement 

nervous anticipation

my goal attack girl. 

.

by Scooj

Killing time

.

Four minutes only

seventeen syllables to

contrive; here we go. 

.

by Scooj

430. Upfest 2016 (46)

One of the best things about my personal journey into the world of graffiti art and street art has been the discovery and continuing observation of Tom Miller. Tom is a fine artist who has turned his hand, like many others, to the street and with stunning results.

Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This work was produced for Upfest, and I managed to catch him just as he was signing the piece. Some great shots, but my intrusion came at the expense of a film maker who has been following Tom for a couple of years…I got in the way a bit…oops.

Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

All was ok though as we have a mutual interest in Tom,’s work, and my accidental ‘photobomb’ was forgiven.

Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Tom’s work is centered around his construct of ‘imaginite’ which is, I think, the idea of capturing the mind’s thoughts in art. A fabulous concept, and one that draws heavily on the Surrealist movement. I just love his work and this is a beauty.

Last stand

 

This stubborn Summer

reluctant to relinquish

its tenuous grip.

 

by Scooj

429. Wilder Street (8)

There are some pieces that you just fall in love with. It is difficult to explain why, it just happens. This is one such piece, and I have been waiting a little while to post it because I wasn’t too sure who the artist was. It is by Acid Collapse, and one of my favourite pieces of the year.

Acid Collapse, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016
Acid Collapse, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016

I can find out very little about Acid (Juanito) Collapse other than that he is probably from Colombia, that he has a Facebook Page and that he visited Bristol Earlier this year. The rest is a mystery.

Acid Collapse, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016
Acid Collapse, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016

This piece seems to cross seamlessly from graffiti art to street art and back again. Amazing colour palette, stunning writing and the face is just the best. It would be grate to see him return some time.

 

 

Pub crawl

.

Leaving dos galore

farewells to long-time colleagues

drowning my sorrows. 

.

by Scooj 

.

* written whilst walking between pubs. 

428. Jamaica Street (6)

Directly opposite the Stokes Croft open air gallery is a house which received an unusual makeover by Cheba a few months back. The building was badly tagged and getting a bit grotty, but the unusual pink stellar Cheba work kind of put an end to that.

China Girl Tile, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2016
China Girl Tile, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2016

I have walked past the mural many times but only very recently become aware of the brightly coloured ceramic pony above the window. It is by China Girl Tile, and so incredibly kitcsh that it is just bloody brilliant. Small and unnoticed by most passers-by it really made me laugh when I saw it.

China Girl Tile and Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2016
China Girl Tile and Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2016

This is almost certainly an ‘extra’ left behind by China Girl Tile after installing her brilliant foxes for Upfest in July. It also works so well with Cheba’s pink ‘number’. So utterly worth seeking out.

427. Stokes Croft, The Full Moon

This large work has been here for well over a year now, but I simply haven’t got round to sharing it until now. Cheba is making something of a name for himself with painting these large scale, full building interstellar galactic murals.

Cheba, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2016
Cheba, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2016

This particular piece is a bit of a landmark at the centre of a cultural hub in Bristol. Cheba produces these amazing works and he produces them so very well. His technique is recognisable and I would say ‘best in class’ of this king of work.

Cheba, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2016
Cheba, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2016

I recently saw another large piece by Cheba in Camden Town, not dissimilar to this one. Of course I will write about it one day…maybe in a light year or two.