Tag: Graffiti

1364. Upfest 2017 (143)

This unusual and rather haunting portrait, on the hoardings in Raleigh Road, is by the amazing Wasp Elder.

Wasp Elder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Wasp Elder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Rather than try to write something clever about his style, that I am not over-familiar with, I thought I’d quote his biography straight from the Upfest programme, because it so perfectly describes what is going on in this picture.

‘Wasp Elder paints pictures populated by enigmatic souls and unstressed backgrounds, enticing a sentiment of an obscure journey.

His drawings, paintings and films present an evocative combination of solitary figures, collaged scenes, close-ups, obscured features, and potential catastrophe.’

Wasp Elder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Wasp Elder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

It is a fine piece and was in stark contrast to the rather more lighthearted pieces on the rest of this hoarding, lending weight to the wonderful diversity of street art. I like this a lot.

 

 

1363. Upfest 2017 (142)

This was most certainly one of the highlights of my Upfest experience last year even before I knew that it was by an artist whose work I admire greatly, Braga Last 1.

Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I saw this piece early in its genesis on one of my first circuits around South Street Park, but inspite of Braga being scrawled all over it, the penny hadn’t dropped. It wasn’t until the end of the second day that I was able to see the finished piece and grab a few moments chatting with Braga Last 1, or at least I should say with his girlfriend as he struggled a litle with English.

Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The piece is a self-portrait with a crazy bag of stuff in a back pack…but where is he off to? If you take a closer look, this is actually a Brexit piece – there are some clues in the bag.

Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

If you look carefully, you can see that in the rucksack is a book ‘Brexit for Dummies’ a brilliant title. What saddens me is that Europeans view our departure as utter folly, and I can’t help agreeing with them. I feel embarrassed and ashamed that our nation voted to leave and I am left feeling closer to the Europeans than to my own countryfolk. I fear an unhealthy legacy for many decades to come.

Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

1362. Upfest 2017 (141)

One of the first large pieces I saw at Upfest 2017 was this fabulously pink ice cream delight from Buff Monster on the side of the Salvation Army building which has played host to some wonderful work in previous festivals.

Buff Monster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Buff Monster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

There seems to be quite a big thing for monsters in the street art world, and I guess it relates to having a licence to spray whatever comes from the imagination. There are some great monster artists out there of which Buff Monster is one.

Buff Monster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Buff Monster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is a great big piece of fun which has been beautifully sprayed and is a real asset to this part of East Street.

Buff Monster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Buff Monster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I hadn’t seen any of Buff Monster’s work before this (one of the brilliant aspects of Upfest), but was lucky enough to find a piece subsequently when I was on holiday in New York. It is always great to see something by an artist you are familiar with…comforting.

 

 

1361. The Bearpit (126)

I haven’t posted anything by Cheba for what seems a very long while, although I do know of one or two pieces he has created recently of which this is one. It would seem that he likes this particular spot which he has sprayed in the past.

Cheba, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018
Cheba, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018

Cheba is the master of cosmic murals, it is his thing and he does it so very well. It is possible to immerse yourself entirely in this piece, looking at the stars and clouds in this imaginary scene. While it might not be to everyone’s taste, this is beautifully sprayed and brings something of outer space into the centre of a busy city.

 

1360. Newfoundland Street (1)

I’m not quite sure how this spot has passed me by until a couple of weeks ago. On the site where my old garage used to be – the place where I got my car MOTd – there is now a large development under construction. I believe that an hotel is being built, although I’m mystified as to why they have chosen to locate one here, it is not exactly a prime site.

Aspire, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018
Aspire, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018

There are several Bristol artists featured on this hoarding and the first of these I am witing about is Aspire. His work is always a real treat to find, especially as he now lives in London, and seeing new work by him in Bristol is a rarity. His depiction of birds is in the same category as ATM and Louis Masai and is always an eyebrow-raiser in these urban locations.

Aspire, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018
Aspire, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018

In this piece Aspire has painted four pigeons, although these are so beautiful I’d prefer to call them rock doves. In the centre of the picture is, I think, a partridge. I’m not sure of the significance of this…maybe there isn’t any, but it is an unusual assembly of species. Aspire’s work is always brilliant and this piece simply confirms that.

1359. M32 roundabout J3 (68)

I do like Mr Draws. It has been fun following his progress over the last three or so years and seeing his unstoppable enthusiasm for experimentation. His pieces are raw and creative, but not the highly polished design pieces we see from several other Bristol writers.

Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2018
Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2018

Mr Draws ploughs his own furrow and will not be intimidated by any nonsensical hierarchy – he just gets on and does what he loves. I caught up with him while he was spraying this unusual piece and he announced that he was going to be moving to Berlin later in the year. I will definitely miss tracking down his work, but I think he will have an amazing time.

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

This week artists from all over the globe have been finding out whether their applications to paint at Upfest 2018 have been accepted. Mr Draws has made the cut and will be there.

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

1357. Dean Lane skate park (112)

I always like finding Elvs pieces, there is something about how intricate and so very clean about them. Fantastic detailing and sharpness that so many pieces I see every day just don’t have. One of the features that helps his work stand out, is that his vanishing point for the shaded edges of the letters is somewhere in the middle of the piece, whereas much of the writing you see has a vanishing point to one side or the other. Small thing I know, but these things help give artists their uniqueness.

Elvs, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, March 2018
Elvs, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, March 2018

As ever his lettering is outstanding and the colours really stand out on the blue background. I get the impression that his work probabkly takes quite some time to do, no sign of a quick throw up mentality here. I have not yet med Elvs, but would sure like to se him at work.

1356. Horfield skate park (2)

I don’t go to this spot often, but just happened to be picking up my daughter and a friend from Horfield Sports Centre and had five minutes to kill. I took a short walk around the perimeter of the skate park, in the melting snow, and was pretty happy to find this writing from Rusk.

Rusk, Horfield skate park, Bristol, March 2018
Rusk, Horfield skate park, Bristol, March 2018

Most of the stuff here is pretty elementary and it is a bit of a practice wall, so it is always nice to see something a bit more polished from an established graffiti writer. The class of this piece stands out, and even on a wall that not many will see, Rusk has taken his time to produce something of quality. A nice March surprise.

1355. North Street Green (10)

I recently took a few work colleagues on a guided street art tour to Bedminster as part of an organisational event designed to share skills, learn more about the work we do and to get to know each other better and the city we live in as part of a wellbeing initiative. The tour was very oversubscribed, and I may have to run some more. It was something of a success and all the participants told me that they had really enjoyed it.

Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2018
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2018

What luck it was then that we came across one of Bristol’s most well known street artists at work, just finishing off a new work as part of his nomination as Upfest artist of the month for March in the build up to Upfest 2018, Andy Council.

Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, March 2018
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, March 2018

His style and presentation should come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog. He has created a wonderful dinosaur, a stegosaurus type I think, which is composed of architectural features, including the Clifton Suspension Bridge on the head of the beast. I stopped for a quick chat with Andy, but it was the coldest day of the year so far and I felt I needed to keep the tour moving. It was nice to be able to show people an artist at work, and even better that it was Andy Council.