Dan Doodies is a street artist, designer, illustrator and painter form the Slough/London area. His piece at Upfest 2016 was one of the most memorable of the whole event. There is a rush of colour in this psychadelic piece that has a whiff of the Beatles and in my mind ELO about it.
Dan Doodies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I love this bold and striking piece and somehow it seems to represent all that is best about Upfest bringing artists together from all over the country/world to show off their works. I still feel with every passing day, what a privilege it is to live in Bristol and to have such a vibrant street art culture.
There was so much street art on offer at Upfest, that if you blinked you could miss something. I am so glad I had my camera with me, although on the day I took this photograph, my camera ran out of battery (aaaaargh what an idiot!) so I had to use my phone camera, and the results don’t really do the art justice. This was one of those pieces that was better ‘in the flesh’ but still looks pretty good in this photograph.
Mutiny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The artist is Mutiny (Jane Laurie), a British, London-based, wildlife illustrator, fine art painter and street artist. Clearly very talented and driven with a desire to raise awareness about endangered wildlife; she uses the hashtag #lovewildlife and signature anatomical heart on all her street art work. Oh! so much great stuff at Upfest.
A lovely cheerful piece by Beep Monkey at Ashton Gate School. Saturday was obviously the day to be at this site, as there was only one artist on the Sunday when I came down, and most of the works were complete.
Beep Monkey, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I must confess that I didn’t spend too long looking at this when I photographed it, but have had some time to look at it and find out more about the artist. Beep Monkey is new to street art, but has a rich background in illustrative and digital work; you can see the shading under the rabbit’s foot looks like a pen and paper sketch. I look forward to seeing more of his street pieces.
There are few things more satisfying than wandering aimlessly around streets you have never walked down before and revelling in the architecture, bustle, characters and of course the street art. On one such recent walk I found this beauty. A stunning portrait by James Cochran or aka Jimmy C.
AKA Jimmy C, Whitby Street, London, August 2016
Aka Jimmy C grew up in Australia and studied visual arts at the University of South Australia before moving to London where he lives now. His very distinctive aerosol pointillist style reminds me of the post-impressionists like Van Gogh or Seurat.
AKA Jimmy C, Whitby Street, London, August 2016
There is always something very special that happens when fine art and graffiti fuse. Another example might be Bristol’s Tom Miller. This particular piece was painted back in 2011 but still looks so very fresh. A great work.
The last thing I was expecting to see on a day out in W-s-M was a large Dan Kitchener piece.I don’t know how this can have passed me by. It would appear that he was creating this piece a week or two before Upfest 2016 at the Hazy Days Music & Arts Festival.
Dan Kitchener, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
The following quote from Kitchener’s Instagram feed gives some background to the fabulous mural:
“‘Metropolis’ – Here’s my finished mural from Hazy Days Music & Arts Festival in Weston Super Mare, an amazing event, amazing organisation and a lovely place by the sea! I love being able to paint my more fantasy style illustrations on walls, and this future geisha assassin, looking out over the future Tokyo metropolis was an image I have had for a while and was waiting for the right wall and time to paint it! The geisha is based on my shoots with Ayumi LaNoire. The wall was all freehand spray paint, as usual! No projections or tracing, or stencils, just pure freehand”
Dan Kitchener, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
Yet another wonderful surprise for me, and a glimpse at the extraordinary talents of Dan Kitchener. The images he creates are so full of atmosphere and narrative. I am always reminded of ‘Blade Runner’ when I see his works.
On my recent day-trip to Weston-super-Mare, I felt compelled to visit the Tropicana, site of Banksy’s very successful Dismaland. I never made it to the exhibition, which I deeply regret, but read a great many posts and blogs about it and felt quite well acquainted with many of the exhibits. The site now plays host to a temporary fairground, with open entry, so I decided to take a look around. Ironically it all felt rather more dismal than it might have been during the exhibition.
My Dog Sighs, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
Going in through the entrance lobby, there are several stencils by JPS, Fawn and Pzy, which I will get round to posting soon. Once into the main area, there were several larger murals on the left hand side walls. Unfortunately these were rather obscured by heavy fairground wagons and equipment. Undeterred, I found a way round the back and snapped away. This is a beautiful piece by the excellent My Dog Sighs, and so utterly unmistakable.
My Dog Sighs, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
The photographs were tricky to take, because I couldn’t get any real distance from the piece. It didn’t matter though. This was another great extra surprise, because I didn’t know there was going to be anything here at all. It all comes down to wandering around, being curious and looking. I got my rewards.
Recently my daughter suggested we had a day at the seaside. In Bristol, the seaside generally means Weston-super-Mare, or Weston on the mud. A Victorian seaside town that was very much alive when we visited. It is also the home of one of the great stencil artists in the country, and one of the first artists that inspired me to write about street art in the first place, JPS.
JPS, Richmond Street, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
This is a piece that I have seen numerous times on digital media, but to see it for real was a treat. It is funny and beautifully executed. Furthermore, what none of the pictures reveal is that it is outside the Bear Grills restaurant, adding to the joke.
JPS, Richmond Street, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
This is the first of many of JPS pieces I will write about from the W-s-M ‘gallery’, as they can be found all over the place, and I am sure I missed tons, so a further visit is in the planning.
More great art from one of the very best local Bristol street artists. (This is a difficult judgement to make, because there are so many of them that are just incredible). Sled One has created a wild and wonderful mural with curious giraffe-like creatures as its centrepiece.
Sled One, Upper York Street, Bristol, August 2016
I would say that the colours and overall style are certainly in the 3Dom school of street art, and far removed from the extraordinarily brilliant wildstyle burners that are Sled One’s trademark. I love Sled One’s work, and I would guess that he freestyled this, as he generally seems to freestyle everything.
Sled One, Upper York Street, Bristol, August 2016
I am always in awe of his work. The details and stories are great. In this picture the giraffe on the right appears to be peeing on the tent of the giraffe on the left – not sure what the background to this might be, but there is definitely a story there somewhere.
With my weekly trips to London, and tons of pictures from Upfest, it is all too easy to neglect my first love…Bristol street art, here every day on the streets, right in front of my eyes. I took a bunch of photographs on my way to work a few days ago, and here is one of the highlights.
3Dom, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016
This wall has been home to a piece by Laic217 for quite a while but has been replaced by this magnificent 3Dom work. Skulls seem to hold a fascination for street artists…(note to self – special skulls post)…this skull though is one happy, peaceful soul.
3Dom, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016
I think this piece is quite new. It is always exciting for someone like me to find the new stuff and see it for the first time. Yet another winner from 3Dom.
Towards the end of North Street (the West end) there are a lovely pair of garage doors that constitute a desirable spot for local street artists. At Upfest 2016 the honour was given to Rocket01 to work his magic.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
When I got to his pitch, he was rather concerned about the inconsiderate car drivers who were impatiently tooting street enthusiasts as they photographed his work. An irritation shared by many who were trying to admire his work on this tight corner. I chatted with him for a short while and told him I would write about his work in my blog…so here it is.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This is a striking piece by Rocket01 who originally comers from Sheffield and tours the country as a street artist. This was the first time I have seen his work, and I was really impressed. I like this kind of thing.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
In his bio from the Upfest programme, he talks of his work with the following quote:
“I have visions of a post-apocalyptic world where mankind has finally embraced nature and immersed himself within it. He swims with the fishes, he flies with the birds, chlorophyll runs through his veins and his eyes photosyntesize.”
I rather like this, but that is no surprise coming from a ‘nature boy’.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
There is detail in this work that hints at sustainable energy, peace, nature…visions of hope. Another great Upfest piece.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Natural adventures 