I think that this piece by The Art of Sok has been around for a little while, but I was pointed in the direction of it by the artist himself, which was lucky, because I don’t visit this spot as a matter of routine. It was painted as part of a collaboration with Smak, which makes sense because they are friends and share a Welsh heritage.
The Art of Sok, Ashton Road, Bristol, July 2024
The Art of Sok has done here what he does so well; he has created an outstanding comic-book style cartoon of a young man wearing a baseball cap and smoking. The piece is perfectly clean and tight as a nut. Even the smoke coming from the cigarette is stylised, and you can see the two styles meeting where the much more wispy smoke drifts across from Smak’s adjacent piece. Wonderful work from The Art of Sok.
M. Oldhues, Ashton Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
I think that this year, Steve and Emma, the organisers of Upfest, have definitely focused their efforts on securing more permanent walls in Bedminster for even more high-end artists from around the world to come to Bristol and leave their mark. There is an immediate and positive impact of the buildings and their surroundings when a new ‘marquee’ piece goes up.
M. Oldhues, Ashton Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
This is an absolute beauty from Megan Oldhues, who is based in Toronto, Canada, and who describes her work as traditional realism, which I think it is the perfect description for this outstanding piece. I have been writing about street art and graffiti for almost ten years now, and I can honestly say that this still life piece ranks right up there with my all-time favourites. Not only is the piece magnificent in every way, but the transformative effect it has had on this unexceptional terraced building is quite extraordinary.
M. Oldhues, Ashton Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Somehow when looking at this mural, the brain completely shuts out the windows, which before the building was painted, were the only features to see, breaking up the monotony of the wall. Although I usually immerse myself in ‘everyday’ graffiti writing and street art, it is awe inspiring to see impressive murals like this one from time to time. Megan Oldhues is welcome in Bristol any time.
I think I am right in saying that Paul Monsters is the only artist at Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event to have painted more than one wall, although I still haven’t posted his first collaboration yet. This is his second collaboration, and this time he has combined delightfully with The Hass.
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The collaboration is painted on two sides of a building on Ashton Road, not far away from the Ashton Gate football stadium. The portrait, which looks a little bit like a self-portrait, is by The Hass, but the way it blends into the geometric patterns of Paul Monsters is what makes this a proper collaboration in my eyes.
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The Hass is a super-talented artist who writes under another name for his graffiti pieces. The portrait has such amazing depth, with perfect use of different tones and shading to bring out the features and highlight all the wrinkles and contours of the face. A masterful piece of wall art.
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
It is quite unusual to see this colour combination used in the geometric work of Paul Monsters. More often he works with yellows, greens, browns, oranges and purples, but here he has gone for a rather more subtle colour palette which works really well on this particular space.
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
I am not too sure about the significance of the owl, but The Hass has absolutely smashed it. The owl appears to be wearing a little red cap, shared by the self-portrait, and I wonder if The Hass is the owl. Who knows? I’ll have to ask him next time I see him.
All in all, another outstanding wall in this summer series. We citizens of Bristol are a lucky bunch really.
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
What an absolutely gorgeous piece, and what a lovely way to decorate a corner wall. The work is by Rich T and is exactly the kind of piece that brings light, colour and joy to a grey, dull space. The act of chucking a bit of paint on a wall (albeit extremely skilfully) can raise the spirits of an area.
Rich T, Ashton Road, Bristol, December 2020
Rich T specialises in these stylised flower pieces and turns out something that looks amazing and so professional (if you know what I mean). He recently collaborated with Mr Penfold, and there would appear to be some influences incorporated into this piece. A stunner and if you should happen to be passing, well worth stopping by and taking a good look.
As is so often the case with finding new work on the street, I was not looking for this piece. On the contrary I was trying to capture a few more Upfest pieces that I hadn’t yet seen in their completed state and drove past this hoarding. I had to act quickly to pull over into a free parking space and jump out of the car for a quick snap.
Smak, Ashton Road, Bristol, September 2018
This sublime graffiti writing is by the superb Smak, and is outstanding in many ways. The colour palette is beautifully selected and the chrome/grey parts of the lettering in particular have a great 3D effect. The letters spell out SMAK but are quite nicely concealed in this piece. Really great work.
Natural adventures 