Tag: Graffiti

1398. Upfest 2017 (155)

Andrew Burns Colwill is a great Bristol artist and one who has championed  environmental awareness vigorously in recent years, particularly with his 20:50 vision pieces. At Upfest 2017 he really excelled himself with this magnificent polar bear sitting on what at first appears to be a piece of ice, but which is actually a pick up truck floating in a sea of plastic.

Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

His ongoing commentary on the destruction of our planet, and visions of what it might look like in 2050 results in a series of haunting images, of which this is one. A prophet of what might be, if we don’t pull our fingers out and get things sorted. Andrew Burns Colwill, like many others in the environmental movement, has been talking about plastic for some time…at last it feels like the government is listening.

Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is one of the best pieces of the 2017 festival, and the good news I understand is that it is here to stay. The Coopers Arms pub, where this piece can be found, will be keeping it. ABC’s fine art pedigree shine through in this work and he is truly the king of murals in Bristol. I salute you.

Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

1397. Upfest 2017 (154)

Without question, watching Arladiss painting this piece was my most joyful experience at Upfest 2017. This was the second piece she worked on in South Street Park during the festival, and I was lucky enough to see her adding the final touches.

Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The charming portrait of a child appeared to be finished, but Arladiss had other plans. The youthful joy she brings to her paintings of children is complemented with a bit of child-like fun to bring about the final touches.

Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Arladis held a paintbrush loaded with paint and proceeded to splatter the piece with great gusto. Just watching her do this was an experience. She was so obviously enjoying applying this final touch and was beaming while she did it.

Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Her sense of fun rubbed off on the few spectators who gathered to see what she was up to and, for a moment we all reverted to a childish state. Her sense of fun is so infectious. I love the piece, and her other Upfest piece, and am thrilled to know that she will be returning for Upfest 2018.

Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

 

1396. Upfest 2017 (153)

The boards at North Street Green are mostly set out in pairs and in portrait orientation. This means that when writing about them, one has to take them in pairs. Sometimes the pairing is wholly complementary, almost like a collaboration. In other cases the pairings are in marked contrast, and this is one of those. On the left is a feline (tiger?) face by Bristol’s J. West and on the right is a simple portrait of a girl and overwritten with colourful squiggles by Everything’s Oh-Kay.

J. West, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
J. West, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

J.West is no stranger to this blog, and I most recently featured his street savvy panda complete with ghetto blaster from The Bearpit. This blue cat, composed of geometric shapes and contrasting colours is probably the best of his work I have seen to date. I really like it.

Everything's Oh-Kay, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Everything’s Oh-Kay, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I have not seen any of Everything’s Oh-Kay’s work before, and my first impression is that it feels very graphic designery. In fact, a great many street artists are designers and illustrators by day, taking to the walls to liberate their asrtistic talents away from a commission or customer brief. I am a little on the fence with this particular piece, and would like to see more.

1395. Upfest 2017 (152)

Following directly on from my post of Hannah Adamaszek and Saroj, here is another all female collaboration from last year’s Upfest between Kler and So Free So. Once more I feel lucky to see the work of two more artists relatively unknown to me.

Kler and So Free So, Upfest, Bristol, JUly 2017
Kler and So Free So, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This collaboration works so well with two very different styles using similar colours to create two distinct female portraits. The portrait on the left is by Kler, from Barcelona, where she sprays on the legal walls. A former designer, she now travels widely for street art festivals. Her piece here at Upfest is a triumph.

Kler and So Free So, Upfest, Bristol, JUly 2017
Kler and So Free So, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

So Free So is a Swiss graphic designer who also does a lot of street work. She tries to convey emotions in her pieces, and the shadowy eyes and mouth in this work are part of this inner exposure. She has collaborated with Kler on several occasions, and on researching her for this post, it turns out I have seen their work before at Upfest. So Free So’s website is really well worth a look.

Kier, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Kler and So Free So, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

1394. Upfest 2017 (151)

There were many fine collaborations at Upfest last year, but few of them were finer than that between Hannah Adamasek and Saroj. I have written many times about Hannah’s work, but don’t believe I have come across Saroj before.

Hannah Adamaszek and Saroj, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Hannah Adamaszek and Saroj, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

In the Upfest programme there is a really nice profile for Saroj Patel, and rather than paraphrase it, I have decided to offer it in full:

Saroj is a designer and artist whose practice encompasses illustration, painting, graphic design, typography and art direction. Nature is a compelling part of her work which incorporates decorative arrangements of organic forms, flora, and wildlife, creating a distinctive hand drawn style which displays a fluidity of movement through the use of patterns, lines and colour.

Saroj draws inspiration from exploring the natural and built environments around her, from wandering city streets to hiking in forests and mountains, capturing moments of stillness and chaos, embracing and absorbing the beauty in every moment.
Hannah Adamaszek and Saroj, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Hannah Adamaszek and Saroj, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I like this aquatic piece that places a swimmer in a setting of plants and fish, resulting in a rather atmospheric and fresh piece.
Hannah Adamaszek and Saroj, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Hannah Adamaszek and Saroj, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I was lucky enough to visit this piece, which was in the beer garden of the Steam Crane, several times over the festival and it is interesting to see how it developed. I am hoping that both will return this year.

1393. The Bearpit (127)

Although I am confident this is a Tom Miller piece, with his trademark explosion of swirling colours, it is not signed, and so there is that tiny little nagging doubt about it. However, since nobody else in Bristol paints like this, I will attribute it to him anyway.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2108
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2108

I’m not sure if it is still there or not, it has been a week or two since I did any street art hunting in Bristol, but most of his recent stuff has been tagged and oversprayed unnecessarily quickly, which is pretty annoying really.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2108
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2108

In this piece, a motif he uses a lot, a heart, is surrounded by a chaos of colour. A nice piece.

 

 

1392. M32 Spot (17)

I posted my first piece by Nevla about a week ago, and this is the second. Fortunately, I have a whole bunch more I can share, now that I know who the artist is.

Nevla, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2018
Nevla, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2018

His cartoon style is something quite different and refreshing in Bristol as well as being really distinctive. His characters are usually framed by a red or blue border and tend to be black and white, almost as if he has drawn the cartoon using a flip chart and thick black marker pen. It is a pity that he favours tunnels, because the light is always poor and photographs dishonest.

1391. M32 roundabout J3 (71)

A nice quick one from Mr Draws, which was to mark the arrival of storm Emma, one of a couple of snow events that hit the UK and Bristol during March this year.

Mr Draws, M32, Bristol, March 2018
Mr Draws, M32, Bristol, March 2018

I like this piece, it is modest and unassuming, but contains some lovely little details inside the dull chrome letters. As ever, always good to see Mr Draws’ work.

1390. M32 roundabout J3 (70)

A few weeks back there was a bit of an informal paint jam at the M32, with artists from Swansea, Cardiff, Tiverton and Taunton all represented. I managed to be there at the right time and photograph the artists at work. The interesting thing for me was that most of these artists/graff writers were completely new to me.

Amoe, M32, Bristol, February 2018
Amoe, M32, Bristol, February 2018

This is a lovely piece by Karm Amoe from Cardiff. He has a website, but it doesn’t say too much and appears to be incomplete, so I really don’t have too much information on the artist.

Amoe, M32, Bristol, March 2018
Amoe, M32, Bristol, March 2018

There is something very pleasing about the form of his letters, and the colours he has selected are outstanding. The swirly pattern at the base of the piece and white at the top adds some real class. Nice to be able to see something new (to me).

1389. Dean Lane skate park (116)

Another Laic217 piece, this time on the long wall at Dean Lane which was sprayed at the same time as the NEVERGIVEUP piece just to the left. Both artists are part of the vibrant community of Polish street artists in Bristol, which also includes Hire and Skor85. It is nice when they work together.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018

This is only a small piece, but what a fabulous piece it is. I particularly like the folds in the leather (PVC?) jacket the skeleton is wearing. Laic217 has been improving so much over the last couple of years, but it is his understanding of materials that has really developed…his skeletons parading an extensive wardrobe. I look forward to seeing one wearing a fur coat…a challenge.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018

Laic217 has been busy lately, which is always a good thing in my book.