This is the second Liskeard piece I have posted by Stuart H Taylor, on a building festooned with his work in this small Cornish town. The piece is a biblical scene of Moses parting the Red Sea, and is most impressive if not a little incongruous.
Stuart H Taylor, Castle Hill, Liskeard, August 2021
As with his other pieces, this is not painted using spray paints, but with brushes and the overall impact is impressive on this little back stairway. In a town that doesn’t have a graffiti culture to speak of, it is great to find this little artistic oasis.
Stuart H Taylor, Castle Hill, Liskeard, August 2021
The artwork is clearly that of a trained artist, and there is an obvious likeness to Charlton Heston and a famous still image taken from the film the Ten Commandments. What fortune finding this spot.
I first came across the work of Elaine Carr (Instagram – Cuicasolo) when I saw her iconic ‘Bristol’ piece in Dean Lane, painted across someone’s garden fence and gates. It was obvious even then that she is a talented artist and designer. Elaine Carr has a career in model making and set design, amongst other things, and has had little time for painting street walls, but from the small number of pieces I have seen, they are first class.
Cuicasolo, Greville Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Although a little tricky to access, this is a beautiful and very stylish mural by Elaine Carr in the little outdoor seating area of the Hen and Chicken on North Street. The architectural design has all sorts of false perspectives and 3D tricks, not unlike the work of Escher. The subtle tones and colours are sublime and the including of a little bit of green landscape is very clever. I love this piece, which amply demonstrates the range and variety of walls painted at this year’s Upfest 75×75 event.
This little concrete corner underneath Brunel Way is becoming a bit of a Pekoe gallery, with several of her quick column portraits on display at the moment. In fact I am posting this most recent piece before I have posted the one you can see behind it, due to my current backlog (many hundreds of unpublished photographs).
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2021
I like these quick portraits that Pekoe paints, because although they are a little rough around the edges, they still have the charm and emotion of her larger portrait pieces. The colours Pekoe has chosen for this one work nicely together and certainly add a little interest to this rather dull and grey place. Hurrah for Pekoe who just keeps going.
For the first time during Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days summer event I find myself a little baffled. This piece by Jay Sharples, an Upfest veteran, leaves me a little cold. It is technically beautifully painted and has a very strong design element which works well in the space, but it just doesn’t do it for me, which is a pity, because I like Jay Sharples’ work very much. I guess I can’t like everything.
Jay Sharples Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The black and pink stripes are very striking and the contrast is very eye-catching. I am guessing that there was a lot of masking tape involved in the painting of this piece. I have a feeling that Jay Sharples may have left us a little present elsewhere in Bristol, rather more akin to his usual work. I thought I’d just include a previous Upfest piece from the artist below for comparison.
I spend a fair bit of my spare time immersed in the world of street art and graffiti art and even when I am on holiday, the antennae are out and working overtime. On a recent family holiday to Cornwall, we had opted for an Indian takeaway one evening, rather than cook (in holiday mode). Before I picked up the food, I thought I’d do a quick Google Maps search of the streets in Liskeard to get my bearings. As luck would have it, the building opposite the takeaway had several rather nice pieces painted on it (not a common sight anywhere in Cornwall), all of them by an artist called Stuart H Taylor.
Stuart H Taylor, Castle Hill, Liskeard, Cornwall, August 21
This stunning piece was one of the murals, with more to come soon, and rather blew my socks off. I think that his work is brush painted rather than using spray cans, but Stuart H Taylor has created a very clever stencil effect using shades and tones that make this really stand out. The reflected scene in the sunglasses is not a new idea, but has been very well executed and one is left pondering what is going on. What a bonus to find this piece and more on holiday, feeding my habit.
How utterly perfect to welcome Aspire back to Bristol for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days, and what an amazing huge mural he has gifted the fine people of Bedminster. I have to admit that this piece came as a bit of a surprise as he seemed to have painted it quite quickly between visits, or maybe I just didn’t stop to look the right way at the right time.
Aspire, Fairfield Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
I thought I was going to get a bit frustrated with the parking situation, but the gentleman in the black van was very obliging and moved out of the way for me to take a picture, and just to prove it, here he is giving me the thumbs up. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. The upshot was I managed to get a full and uninterrupted photograph of the wall.
Aspire, Fairfield Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The mural itself is awesome, and takes Aspire into the next level. I am not sure how many large murals he has done since moving to London from Bristol, but this is definitely the biggest I have seen.
Aspire, Fairfield Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The focus of the piece is a stunning Kingfisher, with a cherry on the top, and a little bit of pixelation, for which Aspire is famed. However, Aspire has combined the bird with a classical study of a bowl of fruit and the combination makes for a very special and intoxicating mural. This is glorious stuff and reminds us of what we have been missing in Bristol (as if we didn’t already know) since Aspire left. Bravo!
This extraordinary piece from Nightwayss is really pushing boundaries for the artist and is notable for its absence of monkeys. I believe that the piece might be based on a self portrait, and there seems to be some agonising soul-searching going on here.
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021
The piece was painted as part of Eman’s birthday paint jam, so I had a chance to catch up with Nightwayss. Unfortunately his effervescence slightly freaked out my long-suffering dog, who is dragged around Bristol’s graffiti spots, and who decided to bark a lot every time Nightwayss tried to stroke him, rendering conversation a little tricky.
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
There is no doubt that Nightwayss is a very skilled artist, and he has pulled off this concept very well, with the face and skull beautifully finished. An unusual and compelling piece.
In the midst of all the excitement of the Upfest 75 walls in 75 days summer event, it is easy to forget about the beating heart of the Bristol graffiti art scene. Writers like Phour put in the hard graft day in, day out, honing their skills, making adjustments and having fun. Without these people, Bristol would simply be a high-end clinical showcase of wall art, and I could name one or two towns and cities in the UK that are just that, where there is no sub-culture to speak of.
Phour, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2021
Phour’s letters are distinctive and regular, spelling out the name. In this piece there is a fine horizontal transition running across the letters with some decorative bubbles. The green bubble background and bright green border help to give the letters a bit of a lift. A nice piece from Phour.
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.
I have enjoyed the work of Mr Draws over the years and enjoy his company too so it was mighty fine to see him joining in with Eman’s birthday paint jam down in Cumberland Basin at the end of July.
Mr Draws, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
Mr Draws has taken a slight departure from his customary ‘DRAWS’ letters to create this rather nice ‘My happy place’ piece. The letter style and fill are very ‘Mr Draws’ if that makes sense, particularly the pink camouflage patterned fills. A happy piece for a happy day.
Natural adventures 