5322. Upfest 2022 (80)

David Puck, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
David Puck, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

This is the last in a batch of ten pieces that I have posted from Upfest 22, in my rather tardy efforts to cover the festival as thoroughly as I am able. That it is taking me so long is a symptom of the uptick in activity on the Bristol streets over the last two years or so. Keeping up is challenging.

David Puck, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
David Puck, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

This brilliantly painted piece by David Puck of two men kissing, would have been seen as controversial and challenging a decade or so ago, but thankfully it is part of  a more normal and mainstream narrative these days. There is still more to do, but when I think back to attitudes when I was growing up we have come a long way.

David Puck, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
David Puck, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

There is a real skill in the artwork here, where there is actually a lot of white space, with just a subtle hint of shading, but enough to provide texture and depth to the men’s faces. I believe that David Puck has now left Bristol for the time being, but his artwork has had a positive impact on the city over the last year or two.

5271. St Agnes

David Puck, St Agnes, Bristol, May 2023
David Puck, St Agnes, Bristol, May 2023

I am inherently lazy, or at least that is a self-perception reinforced by years of my mother and teachers telling me so when I was in my teens. A self-fulfilling prophecy? Maybe. I took this picture about a week ago, but am not too happy with it because of the dappled shadow cast across it. I am posting it now, however, because it is a great piece from David Puck, and I am not sure that I can be bothered to return to get a clean shot of it. There is also the factor that I rarely walk around this spot, and have other places that I prioritise.

David Puck, St Agnes, Bristol, May 2023
David Puck, St Agnes, Bristol, May 2023

I haven’t posted many pieces by David Puck, but he (they) is a Bristol artist (I think) who has painted wheatpastes in the city and some murals too. While they don’t paint a lot on the streets, their portraits are always rather attractive and engaging, and this one is a beauty. I have a feeling it might have been here for quite a while as it references Astrozeneca, which is sooo last year. A fine piece indeed.

4909. Temple Way (4)

David Puck, Temple Way, Bristol, December 2022
David Puck, Temple Way, Bristol, December 2022

This is an easy piece to overlook, and sometimes it is the pieces that are ‘in our faces’ that this can happen to. I’m not sure how long this paste-up by David Puck has been on this hoarding, but it is one of a few large portrait wheatpastes that he has gifted us over the year, but the first I have posted on Natural Adventures.

David Puck, Temple Way, Bristol, December 2022
David Puck, Temple Way, Bristol, December 2022

Let’s hear it for the wheatpasters! This form of street art is very much the poor relation in Bristol, which is a pity, because I have always rather liked them, and it was Kid Crayon’s wheatpastes that first got me curious about street art a few years back. David Puck has created a portrait of a woman resembling Marilyn Monroe, beautifully painted with a leafy print. The words ‘Apathy to nature tells of inner style’ would appear to be a quote and may have inspired the piece. It is so good to see work like this in Bristol, and I will see if I can dig out and post some more David Puck.