Farewell Fisher queen,
boyhood would have been poorer
without you Leia.
by Scooj
540. Picton Lane (6)
This is another beautiful bird creation by Aspire in Picton Lane, a little alleyway tucked away in Montpelier. I think these are house sparrows, which were so common when I was a youngster, but are something of a rarity these days.
I am full of admiration for the way that Aspire can just turn up to a wall and within a few hours transform it into something of beauty. His talent is as rare as the birds he paints.
I am filled with horror to learn that he has recently moved to London. Our loss is most certainly London’s gain. I wish him all the very best…the streets are lined with gold don’t you know.
I am sure that he will come back occasionally to his native Bristol, lest we forget (an unlikely scenario). Bon voyage.
539. The Bearpit (30)
The Bearpit is a great place for graffiti/street artists to do quick pieces. A place where graffiti is tolerated, perhaps even encouraged, and with plenty of nooks and crannies to leave mark.
This is a piece by RIP that I photographed back in August 2016. I am not sure who the subject of the stencil is, so I must confess that it is slightly lost on me, but it is another fine piece from this urban guerilla whose regular visits to Bristol are always welcome.
I am informed by Duncan that it is Kurt Cobain – thank you.
538. Raleigh Road Vector (3)
This is another nice piece from wildstyle specialist Soker. It was in the Vector car park back in July, just before being overpainted during Upfest. The car park is a special place for Bristol street artists as it has five walls available in a gated space, so the works are rarely tagged. It also allows for gatherings and collaborations.
537. Dean Lane skate park (30)
This is a piece from back in July, and one that was probably overlooked by many. It is by the fabulous Angus and was sprayed at about the same time as his ‘Purple Rain’ tribute to Prince. It would seem that Angus was experimenting with 3D circles/spheres at the time, and I think they work rather well.
536. Upfest 2016 (75)
HAPPY CHRISTMAS ALL!
I haven’t seen much micro stencilling since I started writing about street art and graffiti art, so it was a real discovery to see this incredible stencil by Eins92. I’m sure it was no reflection on the artist, but there was no biography in the Upfest programme, so I have had to dig a little deeper to find out anything about him.
Eins92 is a German street artist who has recently spent some time in the UK going to various urban art festivals and leaving behind his little treasures. There is a really good interview with him in this Global Street Art feature. I can’t believe I didn’t photograph another of his stencils on the other side of the bus.
This work is so intricate, and the stencils he cuts are so incredibly tiny. This is really skilled work and he produced it perfectly.
535. Upfest 2016 (74)
A little while back I posted an amazing wall painting by Andrew Burns Colwill from Upfest 2015. It was the goldfish leaping out of a bowl piece in the Tobacco Factory car park. Well, Andrew was back again this year, and this time I managed to get some pictures of him at work.
Why the long face?
That Friday feeling
but now it’s time to cheer up
Christmas Eve beckons.
by Scooj
534. Upfest 2016 (73)
An interesting commentary piece at this year’s Upfest by MAS972, and artist based in Tel Aviv. I don’t know if it reflects his experiences in the UK, but we certainly are a nation awash with CCTV cameras.
Another visiting artist I know little about, but you can see more of his work at this London street art design website. think the text is a reference to the slogan from Candid Camera, which was ‘smile, you’re on TV’, if I remember correctly.
533. Upfest 2016 (72)
This energetic and rather curious looking tiger is by the artist Lewis Campbell who paints under the name of Lost Monkey. Lewis Campbell, who comes from London is an illustrator story board artist who turns his hand to street murals and larger canvasses from time to time.
This work has loads of energy and an element of menace about it, but also seems to have something of the child about it. The name ‘Lost Monkey’ is (according to his website) a symbol of the potential ideas and imaginings that fill an artist’s head – just bubbling under the radar of the subconscious. As he is a native Londoner, I’m not sure we’ll be seeing a lot of Lost Monkey in Bristol – maybe at Upfest 2017.
Natural adventures 