It is obvious from many of my posts on Natural Adventures, that I like butterflies, and this outstanding piece from SoFreeSo is an absolute beauty. The Swiss artist specialises in dreamy portraits and butterflies, and her pieces really come to life through the eyes of her subjects.
SoFreeSo, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
There is a lot to like about this piece, the overall composition and colours work very well, especially on sunny days, and those drips are to die for. Interestingly, the incorporation of eyes onto the wings of butterflies is an idea created by mother nature (or evolution if you prefer), where many species of butterfly have developed ‘eye spots’ on their wings to mimic a larger, more scary animal and deter would-be predators.
For a large wall, this one gets fairly frequent facelifts, usually, but not always, linked to Upfest. This time for 75 walls in 75 days, it is the turn of Philth and N4T4, and they have created something rather special.
Philth and N4T4, Clift House Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The two artists are no strangers to collaborating with one another, and indeed my first introduction to their talents was at an Upfest festival a few years back. In this mural, their work integrates really well, assisted by the colour palette both artists are using.
N4T4, Clift House Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The portrait is by N4T4 and is typical of his work, where the face is composed of a whole load of tiny detailed patterns, in this case floral patterns. It is so clever the way he does this. Not so clever is the terrible photograph. I’ll have to go and take another one.
Philth and N4T4, Clift House Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The extraordinary floral backdrop is by Philth and is surely inspired by William Morris wallpaper designs. Rich and sumptuous, the poppy heads, sunflowers, foxgloves and daisies make for a stunning piece, and it is amazing how powerful the whole effect is, being created with so few colours.
Philth, Clift House Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
For good measure, topping the mural there is a butterfly which I think is by N4T4. The wing spots give this away as being a peacock butterfly, which again is superbly created using a limited colour palette. This is a joyful and uplifting collaboration that greets motorists on one of the busier roads in Bedminster and thoroughly deserving of its place on this premium wall.
It feels like a very long time ago since I last saw a new Copyright mural but my goodness, it has been well worth the wait. Copyright has produced this outstanding and colourful piece for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days, and I am grateful to both artist and organisers for making this happen.
Copyright, Greville Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
This wall has had some notable occupants in the past, but I think that this one might eclipse them all. The piece would appear to be a reference to rebuilding a broken nation maybe, and doing it brick by brick. Of course it might be something else altogether.
The female portrait, in black and white, is wearing a most incredible headdress bursting with colours and designs and even a Felix with a crown. There is a lot of symbolism here and I am not sure what it all means, but the ensemble is quite an eye full with flowers, butterflies, a jewel and even a couple of ‘toilet door’ figures to the left. If all of this was not enough, Copyright has set the piece on a nicely decorated and eye-catching background. The whole mural is stunning… it would be great to see more of this more often from Copyright.
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