In these dismal days
of central heating, my thoughts
turn to the summer.
by Scooj
Love
The Beatles said that
the love you take is equal
to the love you make
a sentiment I favour
but wonder if it is true.
by Scooj
1817. Upfest 2018 (77)
I love this striking stencil work by Paintily. The concept of a mask hiding another mask beneath it is a good one, and the ancient look adds to the mystery of the piece. The whole thing is worked really beautifully with great care and attention being paid to the shadows cast by the outer mask on the inner one.
This piece is all the more remarkable for being a stencil, which must have taken an eternity to prepare. The standard of stencils at Upfest 2018 has really been quite staggering and we are lucky to have seen so many over the course of the festival. Below is a little reminder of Paintily’s piece from last year.
1816. Upfest 2018 (76)
Oh my oh my. This utterly outstanding piece by Elafil was the biggest head turner of the festival. I had to revisit it several times, just to enjoy the bold brash colours and expression knock me over. I seriously rate this piece as a brilliant piece of street art. The bottle green and copper tones work so well together and create something that assault your eyes – ‘hey look at me’ the piece is saying.
Another thing about this particular piece is that it is unquestionably photogenic, which is great for someone like me who likes to present great pictures of street art in my posts. The only downside is that when I got to see it, the artist had already finished and fled the scene. Next time!
Elafil is from Spain although I’m not sure which part. He clearly has ambition to join the international circuit and on this evidence shouldn’t have any problem at all. He has a website which showcases some of his great work, but alas no ‘about me’ tab.
1815. Upfest 2018 (75)
Another South American artist at Upfest 2018, this time a Peruvian who is based in Barcelona, Bronik. The hat is the clue to the origin of the artist, but as I mentioned in the Dinho Bento piece two posts ago, there is something about the continent of South America that seems to have its own style.
In this lovely piece, we see again a story of connection between people and nature. This appears to be an inescapable component of our lives and yet one that we seem to be ambivalent towards if it gets in the way of our lifestyles. Only today (I wrote this two days ago) the WWF announced that since 1970 we have lost 60% of vertebrate species. Shameful. That is in my lifetime. Art like this may be all we have to remember our beautiful planet by.
This piece sings to me. It gives me what I need to redouble my efforts to make a real difference in this world and to act at whatever levels I can to slow the rate of biodiversity loss. A while back I wrote a haiku about our self-destruction. It was called Ants and is as follows:
When we are long gone
you shall inherit the earth
take good care of it.
I hope it is not prophetic.
1814. Upfest 2018 (74)
I am not entirely certain that this is an official Upfest piece, but failure to include it would not be in the spirit of my Upfest write ups. It is a cheeky shutter piece by T-Rex a local artist whose ‘graffiti partner’ Ryder sprayed his trademark tag on the left hand wall of the shop in the feature image.
T-Rex’s dinosaurs are a familiar site in Bristol and at Upfest too and add humour and a lighthearted touch. One of the things I love about these three characters is how the eyes give them each completely different personalities/emotions. Looking left to right, the first looks wary, the second fed up and the third agressive. A bit of fun.
Thursday doors
Door 51
Bamba Bazaar, Gloucester Road, Bristol.
This is an unlikely piece of door art next door to what I guess is my local pub, The Prince of Wales, which incidentally was painted by one of my favourite Bristol artists Andrew Burns Colwill…but that is another story.
I wasn’t looking for this door, which I think has been there for some time, but kind of noticed it while I was waiting at the pedestrian lights to cross the road earlier this summer. Actually it is more of a gate than a door, but it is utterly magnificent.
The gate actually guards the entrance to two further doors (so you get three for the price of one). I would think it was commissioned by Bamba Bazaar, a shop that specialises in beads (I bought some beads there once) and was constructed by Scroller Metal Work.
It would be nice if more businesses put in the effort to commission something beautiful and practical like this, but it is really rather un-British. I would expect to see something like this in Barcelona or Paris and perhaps take it for granted, but here in Bristol it is a hidden gem. It pays to look around.
by Scooj
More amazing doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0
Statue
Queen Victoria
ghostly white, still, stony gaze
commands her subjects.
by Scooj
On noticing that the statue of Queen Victoria on the edge of College Green in Bristol has been cleaned up, but the dirt that gave the statue details some relief, has gone and she now resembles a ghost. Happy Halloween.
1813. Upfest 2018 (73)
Yet another new wall for 2018, and how well it has been utilised by Dinho Bento. I guess this wall could have been split into two or three slots, but what a great decision to keep its integrity.
Dinho Bento is a Brazilian artist whose work seems to draw inspiration from the natural world. A quick glance at his Facebook feed tells you that he is interested in portraying the interconnectedness of humanity with our environment, and the organic green strands in this piece are a representation of that connection – or at least, that is my interpretation.
I can’t necessarily put my finger on it, but artists from different countries definitely have national styles, or perhaps continental styles, and this piece really screams out South America. I guess the more art you see, the more you recognise this phenomenon, and while it is not true of all artists, it is a real thing.
The natural world themes and story of this piece really chime for me. It is called ‘Listen to Nature’ – something I have done all my life. Great work Dinho Bento.
1812. Upfest 2018 (72)
Damn those parked cars!
Although this extraordinary piece is signed by Caro Pepe, I think she had some support from her frequent painting partner Age Age. This wall was another one themed with Bristol Women’s Voice (along with the Nomad Clan Lisa Simpson). Commemorating one hundred years of the Women’s vote.
I really like these rather surreal pieces that Caro Pepe is producing at the moment, with the cut-away pieces of head exposing thoughts, emotions and ideas – very powerful stuff and a further dimension to the covered eye that distinguishes her work.
So, another great wall and another great artist at Upfest 2018 – I think this is another one that makes it into my top 10.
Natural adventures 