I love seeing the work of Alex Lucas wherever it crops up, but it is especially nice to see her work at Upfest, when it isn’t tied to a commission. Alex Lucas has made a huge impression on the city of Bristol and her work is dotted all around the city – I have featured much of it on this blog.
Alex Lucas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This piece was a bit tucked away, and incredibly difficult to photograph with the crowds and the lighting. Even so, it is possible to see that this is a classy illustration of a cat who is thinking about a mouse. Yum.
Now that I have recently broken the ice with Ugar I feel I can post another of his works, which pre-dates his collaboration with Kid Crayon. This is a large piece which he sprayed alongside NEVERGIVEUP back in October.
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
It is a piece of two sections. On the left is his name UGAR bookended with a cat? and a dog and on the right a little scene being sprayed by the dog. I have noticed that Ugar likes to fill his lettering with a marbled effect, which works well and is unusual and organic.
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
The scene in green shades on the right is mysterious and dreamy and quite unlike his writing to the left of it. The green skulls add a slightly dark tone to this lighthearted piece, but they are contiguous with the other green clouds surrounding the whole piece.
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
Finally, Ugar has thrown in a whole bunch of fish bones filling the empty spaces…I’m not sure what that is all about. There is a story in this piece somewhere. On the far right he has sprayed what looks like ‘I love cats’, but it might be something else. I am guessing he is being mischievous.
I love stencils and I love cats…this then is simply heaven. The work is from the self-taught Bizzy (Izolda Lautner) who turned he hand to artwork only some 5-6 years ago. Without any formal training, she gives great hope for street art wannabes (like me?).
Bizzy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This was her first piece in front of a live audience, and I think it turned out fantastically well. I wish I had seen her in the process of spraying it. I will be keeping an eye out for her work, although it looks like she won’t be at Upfest 2017, which is a great shame. You can read more about her on her Stencil Art Prize website profile.
It is clear that Deamze really favours this spot for his pieces, and I have seen several different ones here over the last few months. This is a bright piece, in his typical widlstyle format, with a character popping up at the end. In this case it is a beautiful Felix the Cat.
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2017
I admire very much the way Deamze recreates cartoon characters with such accuracy and sharpness, and his range seems to have no boundaries. All good really.
One of the most charming pieces of Upfest 2016 must surely have been this cat and mouse mural by Boe and Irony.
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Unfortunately during the festival, I don’t think this piece got as much notice as perhaps it should have done for two reasons. Firstly, the scaffolding remained up until after the festival, and secondly it was tucked away in an area that was slightly off the beaten track. In a way this makes it almost more attractive and exclusive for Bristol street art fans.
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I don’t know too much about either of the artists, there wasn’t even a biography in the programme for Boe. I have seen some of Irony’s work on social media before, but this is the first of his works I have seen ‘in the flesh’.
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, January 2017
Irony describes himself on his Facebook page as a ‘painter, street artist, vandal’. That’s the spirit. Looking at his other works, it is difficult to believe that this London-based artist is self-taught.
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, January 2017
This piece is so beautifully sprayed, the fur on both the cat and the mouse is amazing, and the electric-blue outline really makes the piece stand out.
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, January 2017
Who wouldn’t want something like this on the side of their house?
Street artists are like busses…nothing for ages and then two come along together. This is a small piece by Fin DAC tucked away in Shoreditch and when I took the photograph I didn’t know who it was by. Then, recently I posted a piece by him from Bristol’s Upfest and I recalled this picture and can post it now.
Fin DAC, Cheshire Street, Shoreditch, August 2016
The two pieces are very different, and the Shoreditch one is more typical of the Geisha that one normally associates with the artist. In both instances though it is the painted eye mask that gives away the artist’s identity – his signature if you like. At the time I took this I thought it was worth a snap. It was a good decision.
This guy just gets better and better. It has been really interesting watching how Laic217’s work has developed over the last eighteen months or so, and being able to pick up on some of his motifs and styles.
Laic217, Old Bread Street, Bristol, January 2017
In my view, this is his best piece of wildstyle writing to date, and the purple cat sets it off brilliantly. I love the fish bone logo on his jacket. The inclusion of the brick wall adds texture, and has been used in some of his previous works.
Laic217, Old Bread Street, Bristol, January 2017
It looks like Laic217 spent a bit more time on this piece, and the clean finish indicates that it was time well spent. It has been a very busy period for the artist, and I have a couple more recent pieces to post soon. Really great stuff from a rising star.
Natural adventures 