1257. Upfest 2017 (121)

It has been a little while since I last posted anything from Upfest 2017. I would guess I am about half way through my archive of photographs but am unlikely to write up every piece from the festival before this year’s festival begins. C’est la vie.

Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This piece is a hugely entertaining and bold work from Boe and Irony, who worked so well together at Upfest 2016 with their cat and mouse work on the side of a residential building just off North Street.

Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Gulls are a very common sight in Bristol, and this huge portrait of a gull peering around the corner so perfectly captures the cheeky nature of these birds, and is in keeping with the City.

Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The artists took a while to complete the piece and it wasn’t actually until a few days after the festival that it was completed. It was so utterly worth the waiting though, this was one of the highlights of Upfest 2017, a real triumph. I hope the artists will be back this year to give us yet another mouth watering morsel.

Lunch

 

Tinged with a little

sadness that my toastie’s gone;

it was delicious.

 

by Scooj

1256. Stokes Croft corner wall (4)

On one of the most iconic walls in Bristol, there are always things to look out for around the large yellow and black Stinkfish face of a girl. One reasonably recent addition is this incredible bust (if that is the right term). Unfortunately I don’t know who the artist is, but it is a beautiful addition to this space.

Unknown artist, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018
Unknown artist, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018

I don’t come across very many sculptures on my Bristol street art sorties, so it was a real pleasure to find this. It is perched high up, and I’m not sure that it is seen by many. You have to look up and observe.

Unknown artist, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018
Unknown artist, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018

Up close you can see that it is a nicely worked piece. Any ideas about the artist would be most welcome.

Pogues on the bus

 

Gritty urban folk

reminder of student days

of pubs, bars and clubs.

 

by Scooj

1255. Leonard Lane (14)

Leonard Lane is one of my favourite spots. somehow it feels more exclusive than some of the other more popular spots, and it is tucked away in the deepest heart of old Bristol. The Lane has become more popular with ‘established’ artists in recent weeks, with both Decay and John D’oh making themselves at home in this narrow space.

Skor85, Leonard Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Skor85, Leonard Lane, Bristol, January 2018

Now it is the turn of Skor85 and this curious piece. What I like about her work is its dream-like stories that unfold in front of you. This one involves two people rather happy about something and high fiving. Meanwhile, the lady with her bunny ballet outfit brandishes a cutlass and the man is holding a dead rabbit. What on earth… . It doesn’t matter. I love this piece, which is nicely framed too. It would be great to see more of this kind of work in the heavily tagged lane.

Modern diaspora

 

Work space reduction

and remote technology…

W.F.H.

 

by Scooj

 

*WFH = Work from home.

1254. Moon Street (41)

Clearly Whysayit spent a little more time on this lovely piece in Moon Street than he has done on some of his other graffiti writing. One of the things I really like about this writer is that he can produce work on a spectrum, from scrawly tagging through to quick throw ups and to something like this which is a nicely executed clean piece.

Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2018
Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2018

The colours are excellent, the green hovering beautifully on top of the pink. The fill is clever too, starting as spots on the left, transforming to stripes on the right. Whysayit has also created a real feeling of depth to this piece. There is so much more to graffiti art than simply disguising letters.

Morning drag

 

Lethargic students

trudge their way to lecture halls

nursing excesses.

 

by Scooj

Optimist

 

Ingenuity

it’s a human condition

we can fix the world;

in the hands of young people

a balance can be restored.

Pessimist

 

My heart is filled with

an unbearable sadness

when I see the world

when I see what we have done

and the mistakes we have made.

 

by Scooj