Tag: Face

1418. Shoreditch, London (4)

On a trip to Shoreditch a little while back I came across this unusual and very attractive piece by Raphael Gindt, a young artist from Luxembourg. This is the first time I have seen any of his work and I know precious little about him.

Raphael Gindt, Shoreditch, London, February 2018
Raphael Gindt, Shoreditch, London, February 2018

I took a look on Instagram, and found his feed where he actually has a video of him painting this piece. What is interesting is that he uses palette knives which he loads up with spray paint and then smears onto the wall, a technique I’ve not seen before.

Raphael Gindt, Shoreditch, London, February 2018
Raphael Gindt, Shoreditch, London, February 2018

On his website, Raphael Gindt describes himself as an urban artist, street artist, muralist, surrealist, painter. A quick look at his street work demonstrated the obvious talent he has and the range of his artwork. This particular piece has a soulful quality and is eye-grabbing. I’d like to see more of his work but I’m not sure if Bristol is on his radar.

1407. M32 Roundabout J3 (72)

He keeps on painting them and I just keep on writing about them – this is another nice piece at the M32 by Face F1st. My first impression about this piece though it that it looks a little hurried…the lines are not very clean and the white surround looks like the work of a bomber.

Face F1st, M32, Bristol, March 2018
Face F1st, M32, Bristol, March 2018

The face, as with all his pieces, is simple and charming and provides the focal point for the rest of the decoration. Normally, the surrounding patterns spell out FACE, but I can’t see it in this piece. Not his best work, but worth including, I felt. I snapped up two more of his pieces on my way to work this morning.

1371. Upfest 2017 (150)

Bringing up the 150 mark for Upfest 2017 (roughly half way through!) is this striking mural by Kristx. Again, this is another piece that I never got to see in its finished state, which is a real pity, because it looks magnificent…a bold and captivating work.

Kristx, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Kristx, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Her biography in the Upfest programme is comprehensive, but also suffers a little from translation issues, alternating his and hers throughout. She is French, self taught and has been spraying full time for four years. More of her work can be seen on her Facebook stream, well worth a visit.

Kristx, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Kristx, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Another artist who it would be great to welcome this year. I am not sure if she applied or was accepted/

1369. Upfest 2017 (148)

As with many of the pieces from the Aston Gate site at Upfest, I never got a picture of this completed work by London-based artist Woskerski.

Woskerski, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Woskerski, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I have seen and posted a piece of his from Leake Street tunnel in London about a year or so ago but have not seen any more of his work since, so it was great to see this photorealistic piece at Upfest.

Woskerski, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Woskerski, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Adjacent to the face wearing the 3D specs Woskerski has added some wildstyle writing, which demonstrates the versatility of this artist, who also paints under the name Methyl. Just a pity I didn’t get a final shot.

1366. Upfest 2017 (145)

It was impossible to ignore this extraordinary face by Rast ot Upfest 2017. Situated on the long hoardings at Ashton Gate, the bright colours and striking face drew you in.

Rast, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Rast, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Originally from Spain, Rast has been living in Bristol in 2014. I must say that I have not come across his work before, but surely would lioke to see more of it in the various locations around Bristol that I vsist.

Rast, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Rast, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

1358. Moon Street (41)

One of my favourite streets and one of my favourite artists – the perfect match. This is a lovely piece by Face F1st, who is probably one of Bristol’s most consistently prolific artists on the street at the moment.

Face F1st, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2018
Face F1st, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2018

This is a large work, with all his characteristic swirls and figure of eights worked into a pattern and the letters FACE book-ending the face in the middle. Sadly this fine work lasted less than a week.

Face F1st, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2018
Face F1st, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2018

1350. Upfest 2017 (136)

Really, this is one of my favourite pieces from the whole of Upfest 2017, not only because of the quality of work, but because of the cheerful resilience of the artists in persevering with their work in spite if the inclement weather.

N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

A fine collaboration between N4T4 and Philth which really brightened up the walk between North Street and Ashton Gate.

N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

These two artists have painted together at the last three Upfests, and although not a true collaboration, their pieces complement each other perfectly.

N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I walked past these two a few times, and took my favourite picture of the festival (above) of them cheerfully painting in the rain. Such dedication.

N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The N4T4 piece on the left is a wonderful example of his portrait style, incorporating colours and shapes which combine to make the whole. A blast of exquisite colour and a stunning face.

N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Contrast this then with the grey scale portrait by Philth on the right. He is as well known for his floral designs as he is for his portraits and this piece is overflowing with flowers that lift the piece to another level.

i absolutely love this wall. Beautiful.

 

 

1329. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (34)

It has been a while but it is always worth waiting for any works by Tom Miller. Tom is a hugely talented fine artist who creates wonderful and sometimes slightly disturbing surreal pieces, often involving distorted body parts.

Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018
Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018

This piece is located in one of Miller’s favourite spots and catches the eye of passing pedestrians and motorists, more than other work here. His artwork is very different and really stands out – we are lucky to see gallery quality paintings on the street.

Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018
Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018

There is a lot of symbolism in this piece…a hand instead of a face clutching a heart from which an arm is extending clutching another heart. So many ideas and bits of detail to marvel at, and all set on a background of light shades, shapes and colours. I love this piece and admire the artist hugely.

Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018
Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018

Sadly, nothing lasts forever, and the piece only lasted about a week before it was sprayed over by what looks like a thelocknessmonster piece. I know which I’d rather have hanging up at home.

1319. Castlehaven Road, Camden Town (2)

When I first saw this piece, I thought I had found another Gregos mask, but I was wrong. It is a piece by Urban Solid, a street art duo from Italy. To see more of their work, take a read of this great blog by London Calling.

Urban Solid, Castlehaven Road, Camden Town, November 2017
Urban Solid, Castlehaven Road, Camden Town, November 2017

Unfortunately, I looks like the piece has been damaged, there is meant to be something in the mouth of the face, but it has been snapped off. I am a fan of this kind of 3D installation art that challenges the viewer with humour and sometimes political rhetoric. All part of the broad spectrum.

1292. Upfest 2017 (126)

This was an Upfest piece that seemed to divide opinion…a bit of a ‘marmite’ work, you either love it or hate it. It is an installation piece by Id-Iom which contains several 3D elements protruding from the work.

id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

While photographing the piece during its creation I noticed that the trees in the background created brilliant hairstyles for the faces…an unintended addition which I think added to the overall piece. When I pointed it out to the artists, they didn’t seem to see the funny side, and just got on with the work.

id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Looking at the equipment that they brought along, there would seem to have been an immense amount of thought and preparation that went into this piece. I can’t say that it was my favourite at Upfest, but it was one of the more stimulating works that attracted more thought than most. These two are unconventional and like to push the boundaries.