Tag: Abstract

3948. Upfest 2021 75×75 (62)

This was perhaps one of the lower-key pieces to be painted for the Upfest 75×75 event, tucked away in the car park of the Tobacco Factory. I don’t think I have come across Kappa V Kappa Art before, but it appears that they are a Bristol-based outfit who describe themselves as chaotic, colourful art. I am not sure of the identity of the artist(s) so have used the ‘they’ pronoun to overcome embarrassment.

Kappa v Kappa Art, the Tobacco Factory, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Kappa v Kappa Art, the Tobacco Factory, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

The piece itself, while certainly colourful, I wouldn’t describe as being chaotic, on the contrary, I think that there is a clear form to this delightful abstract piece, bursting with energy. Really rather nice, and I will be looking out for more work from Kappa v Kappa.

3898. Upfest 2021 75×75 (49)

Another artist whose work I very much admire and who is no stranger to Upfest is Envol, and he returned to Bristol to paint one of his distinctive pieces just off North Street. I was lucky enough to meet him while he was painting this and he stopped for a while for a great chat. It turns out that he is good friends with Fanakapan, another very talented London artist and one who has also painted at Upfest in the past.

Envol, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Envol, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

While I managed to photograph the piece as a work in progress, by the time I came back to photograph the final finished piece it had been vandalised, along with several other Upfest murals, by some misguided (and probably ill) idiot. Thankfully the piece was fully restored and is as good as new.

Envol, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Envol, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

Envol creates these sharp and clean pieces incorporating parts of the body with abstract shapes and patterns, and sometimes disrupting them with white space. They are quite surreal, and at times remind me a little of Giorgio de Chirico fused with Matisse’s cut outs. Beautiful to look at and thought-provoking. This piece is another fabulous contribution to Upfest’s 75×75 event.

3755. Cumberland Basin

I have known about this lovely piece by Rtiiika for a while, but until a recent extended walk didn’t quite know where it was. Finding it was a rather pleasant surprise and a bit of a bonus. It is great to see that Rtiiika seems to be doing more and more street art work and the larger format really lends itself to her designs.

Rtiiika, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Rtiiika, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

In this piece, on the side of a storage unit, there are two figures created in her very stylistic design. Her figures are painted with long lines and tend to be very leggy, often with the top halves missing or hinted at. On a black background, the pink, white and green colours stand out clearly. Minimalist? Abstract? I’m not sure what the right words are, but this piece is is. I particularly like the plants in green that add another dimension and without which the piece probably wouldn’t work.

3696. Lower Approach Road (10)

This piece from Rtiiika has been around for a while now, but I have only just managed to get round to posting it. I very much like Rtiiika’s work and am setting off this morning to find another recent one in Brislington.

Rtiiika, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, April 2021
Rtiiika, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, April 2021

Rtiiika’s highly designed style is very distinctive and features line drawn characters that are fairly abstract in form. These characters are over a checkered wall in various contrasting colours. The inner squares carry the word ‘TOoOT!’ Which is probably a reference to the tooting of trains from Temple Meads station. Something a little different for us to enjoy.

3646. Dean Lane skate park (409)

It looks like Flava136 may have spent a few days in Bristol a week or two back and during that visit he left us two very nice pieces indeed, this being the first one. Flava136 has worked hard on perfecting his monster style and his execution seems to improve with each new piece I see.

Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

Although this piece didn’t last too long, it certainly made a lasting impression. When I took this picture, Varo was painting next to it. He offered to move his trolley, but I said that trolleys were all part of the picture and he needn’t bother. It almost looks like Flava136’s monster is about to devour the trolley. I love the way that Flava136’s work is becoming this mash-up of abstract and character art. Great colours too. This is a lovely fresh piece.

3613. M32 Cycle path (119)

I don’t know if I am imagining things, but since this whole pandemic malarkey began it seems like there have been more collaborative walls than one would normally expect, and I wonder if it is a way for artists to legitimately socialise, whilst keeping a distance, with people they care about. Maybe it is just a perception, but I feel there has been a collaborative explosion.

Benjimagnetic, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Benjimagnetic, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2021

This wonderful piece from the magnificent Benjimagnetic was painted alongside Hemper, Turoe and Veks and demonstrates a slight change of direction he has been on lately in which he has moved away from his busy and frenetic style, but managed to retain the abstract nature of his letters. This piece most likely spells out BEN, but it is nicely disguised. A very nice piece indeed with some fabulous colour transitions.

3591. Cumberland Basin

I have only seen three pieces by Hanski, and this one is a little different from the other two. Tucked away in a bit of a hole, this piece will be missed by many, which is a pity. It is an unusual and unconventional piece, blending the abstract with a face.

Hanski, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2021
Hanski, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2021

The colours are eye-catching and certainly command attention. I think that this is a great beginning from Hanski and hitting walls is the first step in building up confidence and capability (something I haven’t yet had the courage to do). I wonder where her adventure will take us next.

3549. King Street (3)

It doesn’t seem to matter how far back in time you go, those wheelie bins are a real nuisance. In another blast from the past, I have dug out this Mr Penfold piece from 2017, in a spot that the artist has made his home. I have at least three versions of his work in this archway and I am sure there may be others.

Mr Penfold, King Street, Bristol, May 2017

If you can ignore the bins for a moment you will see a beautifully designed piece incorporating a cocktail glass and some random abstract shapes. This is so unmistakably the work of Mr Penfold and forms a part of Bristol’s artistic DNA, along with artists like Andy Council, Alex Lucas and Tom Miller, whose murals around the city remind us of who we are. I’m so pleased to have liberated this one from my archive.

Mr Penfold, King Street, Bristol, August 2019
Mr Penfold, King Street, Bristol, August 2019
Mr Penfold, King Street, Bristol, September 2020
Mr Penfold, King Street, Bristol, September 2020

3532. Bragg’s Lane (2)

Bragg’s Lane is a little bit off the main drag of street art spots, and although there are pieces here from time to time, I can’t think of quite such a good ‘gallery’ as there is at present. This is a fine contribution from Mr Klue and Mr Sleven, who often collaborate and who were very busy in the tunnel at the back end of last year.

Mr Klue and Mr Sleven. Brigg's Lane, Bristol. February 2021
Mr Klue and Mr Sleven. Brigg’s Lane, Bristol. February 2021

I’m not entirely clear when this collaboration was painted, but it is looking bright an clean and is I tagged, so it must be relatively new. Mr Klue provides the foundation for the collaboration with his inimitable abstract style in his preferred purple and pink tones with dashes of yellow. One of his key motifs, the mad hatter’s hat, makes a welcome appearance to the right of the piece.

Mr Sleven. Brigg's Lane, Bristol. February 2021
Mr Sleven. Brigg’s Lane, Bristol. February 2021

Mr Sleven has made great use of the shutter door to frame his bright and vibrant piece. The face appears to be that of a very unscary monster with three eyes and a mouth displaying four gold teeth spelling out LOVE. The multicoloured skin of the monster is stitched together a la Frankenstein’s monster, and the artist has spelled out his name using the same stitch technique. This is a fine collaboration and well worth seeking out, but it is a bugger for parking.

3513. Dean Lane skate park (394)

More great work from Benjimagnetic who is on fire these days, this time with a nice piece of heavily disguised writing at Dean Lane. This one was painted alongside Acer One who also seems to have had a new lease of life in recent weeks.

Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021

Benjimagnetic has used his favourite colour palette of reds, purples and blues, but rather than spelling BEN as is usual he has spelt something else here. My usual uselessness at reading his writing means that I can’t tell you what this says… it starts with a T but I lose it after that. Whatever it says, it is still a fine piece.