This is one of the slightly more bonkers pieces from Upfest this year. Surreal and vivid, it absolutely makes me smile every time I look at it. Unfortunately I never got to see the finished work, but I was pleased to get some pictures of the artist at work.
Mr Draws is a busy Bristol street artist who specialises in spraying colourful impressionist mountain ranges. His style is simple and at times appears to be naive, but it is far from that, and some of his pieces demonstrate his sophistication.
For years, I have been marveling at the incredible 3D pavement works created by street artists and shared through digital media. I used to enjoy these, even before I was interested in street art…they are absorbing and technically brilliant.
Until this year, I had never seen a 3D street piece in the flesh, so it was a genuine thrill to see Leon Keer’s work dominating the Tobacco Factory car park.
Leon Keer was born in Utrecht, the Netherlands in 1970, which makes him almost as old as me, which is cool. He is described as a pop-surrealist artist and is known for his canvasses and his 3D street art.
Leon Keer has a brilliant website, which I strongly recommend you take a look at. It features not only his 3D art, but also some of his paintings, which I find rather compelling.
The amazing thing about the 3D art is that it only works from a specific viewpoint. Observed from anywhere else and it looks quite bizarre, as you can see from some of these pictures. This was another highlight from the festival, and something quite different.
I knew nothing of the Thomas Brothers before Upfest where I saw this dazzling piece. The British brothers work together and bring in elements of 80s childhood experiences into their work, such as cartoons and Japanese toys, and create their contemporary works using these influences.
I have featured Dale Grimshaw a few weeks ago with one of his Shoreditch pieces. Well, we were lucky enough in Bristol to have him pay us a visit for Upfest 2016.
His works are instantly recognisable, usually being portraits of people from around the world, many of whom face political struggles. The faces are usually adorned with face paint, and the works are usually accompanied by a little piece of wildstyle writing.
I managed to get a couple of pictures of Dale Grimshaw finishing off the piece on the Saturday, and I returned on the Sunday, and made subsequent visits to capture the finished article.
This work simply has to be admired, as do all of his works. Let’s hope for a quick return to Bristol.
I knew that the area is a favourite for street artists and graffiti artists, but I had no idea about the layout of the streets or what could be found where, so I just started to wander – my favourite thing.
I eventually happened upon this incredible mews, running parallel with one of the busier streets, but hidden away (note – always seek out alley ways and back streets). The reward for my explorations was this magnificent Fanakapan mural of flies (of course the helium balloon type).
This work is exceptional, not only the flies, but the perspective on the walls and shadows cast. A masterpiece and a privilege to find it and photograph it. There were loads of other pieces in this mews and I will in time post about them too.
I haven’t seen any work by this artist before or since I took this photograph. His name is Rusk (or Rusk 1 or One_rusk on Instagram), and this piece is really rather Summery, even though it was sprayed in September this year. We did actually have a nice September.
The piece didn’t last long, as nothing does at Dean Lane, but it will remain in my memory, because of its unique subject matter, and also the fact that I don’t know the artist at all. Maybe I will start spotting more of his work as I look around, I hope so.
When I saw this I thought of Klue…ok so I begin with a really cheesy pun, but starting off a post can be difficult you know, so any way in is a welcome way as far as I can see. This is a lovely little piece by Mr Klue, tucked away in the borderlands between St Pauls and St Werberghs.
Well Feoflip really is the man of the moment. Before Upfest 2016 I hadn’t seen any of his work, or if I had, it had passed me by. Now it seems I can’t go anywhere in Bristol without stumbling upon one of his incredible pieces.
Recently I have become much more aware of the extraordinary works by Ments. His works recently have often been side by side with one of Bristol’s brightest young street artists, Sled One. I don’t know too much about Ments, but know that I really like his work.
Natural adventures 