Well Feoflip really is the man of the moment. Before Upfest 2016 I hadn’t seen any of his work, or if I had, it had passed me by. Now it seems I can’t go anywhere in Bristol without stumbling upon one of his incredible pieces.
Tag: Face
450. Cowper Street, Shoreditch, London (1)
When I first started my two days a week working in London this Summer, I stayed in a hotel on City Road and ventured out towards Shoreditch without really knowing what I would find. One of the first encounters with street art I had was this bold signature piece by Thierry Noir.
Thierry Noir is a significant French street artist and has a Wikipedia page just to emphasise the fact. He claims to have been the first street artist to paint the Berlin Wall…more in the link. I love his simple style and bold colours. He hardly needs to sign his works, but this one said to me ‘welcome to Shoreditch’.
445. Dean Lane skate park (21)
Since I’m on a run of posting about artists that I know little about I thought I’d include this understated work by Jee See on one of the ramps at Dean Lane skate park. There are other works by Jee See scattered around the city in the bearpit, in St Werberghs tunnel and in Montpelier, but he remains elusive on the Interweb.
Many of his pieces feature a girl’s face, sometimes in revolutionary garb, and there is something very compelling about the artwork. I can’t put my finger on it, but it feels edgy and interesting. More from this local artist to come.
441. City Road (3)
I have spent a little while trying to find out more about Feoflip. I don’t tend to spend too much time doing this kind of thing, because before you know it, an hour or two can pass. All I want to know is where he is from, but I have a big fail on that one. Feoflip is an artist whose work I love, and fortunately he left his mark in Bristol in a big way after Upfest this year. His Facebook page provides a little bit of information on this, but you might need to use the translate button.
This subtle piece blends in so well with the frame, it almost feels like it was always there. It appears that I am not the only Bristol street art blogger who has a thing for Feoflip, Cosmo recently posted this excellent review of some of his works…in fact she has beaten me to it with most of them.
I have a whole load more of his pieces to share and will try to post them as soon as I can, but I’m afraid the backlog doesn’t get any smaller…aaaaargh.
405. Upfest 2016 (38)
During Upfest 2016 there was agreat deal of activity in Luckwell Road. The hoardings, which the seem to have been there forever, were getting a makeover with a series of portraits, the southern-most of which was this beautiful work by Philth.
Philth, Luckwell Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Philth, Luckwell Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Philth, Luckwell Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I was lucky enough to see Philth at work on both the Saturday and the Sunday and to photograph the completed piece on the Monday.
Philth, Luckwell Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Philth, Luckwell Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Philth, Luckwell Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Philth, Luckwell Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Philth, Philip Blake, is a graphic designer and illustrator who favours painting ‘hot chicks’, using spray paints or paste ups. I recall a lovely work by him from last year’s Upfest that I will post about some time. That location now has a beautiful Caro Pepe work in its place.
I love these two tone works with splashes of colour – Karl Read produced the same effect although with completely different techniques. Really great work.
355. Upfest 2016 (14)
This is an extraordinary and eye catching piece by yet another female artist at Upfest this year. I love this piece very much. The more you look at it, the more it can unsettle. The out-of-proportion eye, and absence of the other eye ‘obscured’ by hair looks a little strange. What emotions are being expressed? Other works by the artist share similar features.
I saw this piece in various stages of its development, and the final result is really stunning. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to speak with the artist Caro Pepe, from Argentina…she had enough trouble on the pavement with people squeezed between her and the parked car. It must have been very difficult to concentrate.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The previous incumbent at this address, number 74 North Street, was the wonderful N4T4 piece from last year’s festival. Two portraits, two very different styles, both excellent.
I will definitely be looking out for more of Pepe’s work, although I expect to see it on the world stage rather than the local Bristol one. Thank you Upfest! There is a fine interview with Caro Pepe on the Street Art Bio website which is well worth a read.
340. Ashley Road (8)
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have a real soft spot for Face F1st. I will always try to post his works as soon as I can after I have spotted them, although it is not always possible with such a huge backlog of street art.
This is a slightly unusual Face F1st piece. Sure, the soft colours are there and the FACE letters and the swirling hair, but the expression on the girl’s face is something new altogether. I’m not sure if I like it as much as the softer faces, but it is certainly striking. Good to see more work from the Face.
337. Leake Street tunnel, London (3)
Everything was unexpected when I visited Leake Street Tunnel recently, not least the large number of new pieces that had been created as part of the #do1cancer campaign. It would have been easy to overlook some of the other works that had been in the tunnel…except, I find it hard to overlook anything.
Having reached the end of the tunnel, I returned the way I came – it is funny how you see different things when you go in the opposite direction. High on the ceiling was this wonderful face by Hannah Adamaszek, who I have featured a couple of times recently.
There are two notable things about this work: the first is that it must have been very awkward to do…neck-breaking; the second is that depending on where you stand, the face takes on very different appearances. More great work from Hannah, who I am expecting to see at Upfest.
310, Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (2)
Behind the Tobacco Factory there is a car park, and on the wall of each of the stalls there is a piece of art by a different street artist. I am not sure if this is just an Upfest thing, but I have a feeling that they do change from time to time, and not just during the festival.
These pieces are a challenge to photograph, because, being a car park, there are usually cars parked in front of them and that was the case with this beautiful, calming piece by Hannah Adamaszek. Hannah appeared on my radar back in June, and I have to say I really like her work. It balances out all the other work that I see and is refreshingly different. It is all part of the spectrum of art that Bristol has to offer.
I am really fond of this piece, which is weird, because I wouldn’t naturally like this kind of thing, but seeing it up close there is just something about it that attracts me. More please Hannah.
273. North Street Green (2)
This lovely wall seems to have an orderly rotation and large bags of respect. Rarely is anything here tagged, and the pieces appear to remain for several weeks before being painted over. The piece before this one was the Cheo gorilla, and it has since been replaced by a recent Mr Draws work.
This is a lovely collaboration by Copyright and E.Lee (who is from Chicago, and spent a little time in Bristol recently). The two figures are characteristic of Copyright’s work, so I am assuming that the frames are by E.Lee, who I think has the most distinctive signature of any street artist – a red stamped seal with the letters EL merged together.
I am really loving copyright’s work at the moment, both sprayed and pasted. He is gifted.
Natural adventures 