It was not my intention to post two Upfest entries by the same artist so close together, but I am approaching all of this in a rather random way. So here we have the second wonderful offering from Caro Pepe in a rather short space of time.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This incredible work carries the overall theme of Mr. Men/Little Miss and presents us with Little Miss Sunshine. Once again, we see the single eye and flowing hair, but in this instance in a styalised form to fit the theme. It is funny, but this piece, more than many other Upfest works, just blends in so perfectly into the North Street ‘thing’ and feels like it has been here forever.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I do hope we can encourage Caro Pepe to visit us in Bristol again from her native Argentina.
Lemak had said that he was planning something spectacular for Upfest this year and with this piece ‘love’ he surely didn’t disappoint. I have been hugely impressed with Bristol-based Lemak’s stencil work that I have seen, in particular his tribute to DJ Derek and his tattooed girl.
Lemak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This piece is an absolute masterclass in stencil work, and I think my favourite piece of Upfest 2016. In addition to the great composition and technical work, Lemak has introduced some innovation to the piece.
Lemak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The heart stands proud of the rest of the picture, giving it a 3D aspect. His use of chemical formulae also brings an interesting dimension to the work, but most of all it is telling a story, and the best works usually have a story to tell. I don’t think I can express how good I think this is.
Lemak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I returned to this piece several times over the three days, but wasn’t lucky enough to catch up with Lemack…perhaps next time. Utterly brilliant.
Fake is a brilliant self-taught Dutch stencil artist from Amsterdam whose work at this year’s Upfest is one of the outstanding pieces. Who can forget the image of a comic character (is it Skeletor? I’m not much cop at this kind of thing) riding a banana?
Fake, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The clean lines and framing of the piece on a white wall is what really makes this something different and special. Once again Upfest brings in talent like this for Bristolians to enjoy and appreciate for at least a year, and makes us all hungry for more.
Fake, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I was very struck by this piece by Fake, and it is in my ‘top ten’ (figurative, not literal, because that would be impossible) from the festival. His website is well worth a gander too.
Only a few yards away from the wonderful Hannah Adamaszek piece is this striking work by one of my old favourites ATM. His works of wildlife can be found all over Bristol, and now in the very special playground of Ashton Gate school. It looks like I might only have missed him by slim moment as his step ladder is still next to the wall, but I think the work was completed.
ATM, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
As a naturalist, I really ought to know what bird this is, but I am not sure. Scratch that…I have just checked out his Instagram account and it is a wood warbler. His bird works are really exceptional and I wonder if he has been approached by the Audubon Mural Project, if not, he should be. A superb work, and an outstanding artist at this year’s festival.
My wanderings in Shoreditch turned up so many wonderful pieces of street art, but this duo of Mr Cenz and Fanakapan really has to be the pick of the bunch. I am really familiar with both artists, thanks in part to the excellent London Calling blog.
Mr Cenz, Hoxton Square, London, August 2016
For a while, I have longed to see some work, first-hand by both of these artists, so this was a real treat for me on a wet monday evening. Mr Cenz is a London street artist who started his graffiti in 1988 and is now a professional graffiti artist with his own company Positive Arts.
Mr Cenz, Hoxton Square, London, August 2016
This reasonably recent piece is a freestyle creation of a female portrait distorted with shapes and colour, typical of his current work. Exceptional work and so very pleasing to the eye.
Fanakapan, Hoxton Square, London, August 2016
Fanakapan is a genius in my view. He creates the most incredible images of shiny surfaces which recently has featured helium balloons of lettering, animals and other shapes. The way he captures these subjects is quite extraordinary and his technique is quite exceptional.
Fanakapan, Hoxton Square, London, August 2016
In this piece he has even managed to incorporate two wooden features on the wall into his art. I am a huge fan of both these artists, and wish they would do more work in Bristol outside of Upfest. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. I was a very happy man after finding these works on the side of 333 Mother, a pub on the end of Hoxton Square.
Time for a little bit of a diversion from Upfest 2016…just for a few moments. With my work taking me to London for two days a week now, I am taking advantage of staying over in areas where I get great access to the London street art scene. Shoreditch is obviously the most famous place to go, and so this week I took my first steps out into the streets.
Stinkfish, Rivington Road, Shoreditch, London, August 2016
I had no idea where I was going, but it didn’t take too long to come across some really great pieces. This is by one of the the best South American street artists around at the moment – Stinkfish. This piece, outside the Bedroom Bar on Rivington Street is much smaller than his works I am used to in Bristol, but it is no less impressive.
Stinkfish, Rivington Road, Shoreditch, London, August 2016
Everything is here…the photo captured image, yellow faces and skin, and designs emanating from and around the heads of the subjects. I was very happy to find this and also to be able to recognise the artist immediately. Rewind 18 months and I would have known nothing, and would possibly have walked past without taking a closer look. I am happy now to be able to enjoy street art and share it with you. A good feeling.
This is a chimp by Matti. It is absolutely fantastic and one of my ‘best in show’ pieces from Upfest 2016. Matti is an artist who is based in Bristol, and works in the design, media and print industry. I don’t think he does much street work, which is a pity really.
Matti, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Matti has a fabulous website, very professionally put together, and ideal for a client base. For me though, I like to keep things simple (reading my blog should confirm that), and some of the descriptions on his bio leave me a little cold – probably because I am not from the world of art and design – maybe I should study more…
Matti, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
…anyway this is a chimp by Matti. It is in Ashton Gate School. It is brilliant.
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.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
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.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
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.
Miss Wah was definitely one of the most colourful artists at Upfest 2016, not only in her work but also in personality. She was very happy to talk about her work, in spite of me breaking her concentration and musical experience. I wrote a post recently about her work at Upfest 2015, and this reads as a bit of an extension to that.
Miss Wah, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I managed to photograph Miss Wah at work on the Saturday while she was using her Uni Posca pen to draw in detail, and then photographed the finished piece on the Sunday. I happened to notice that Miss Wah had been quite busy with stickers on lamp posts on the Saturday evening too!
Miss Wah, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Miss Wah’s work is in the Kawaii style and is a real winner for anyone into cute and cuddly art.
This is an interesting piece by one of the more enigmatic Bristol street artists, Tuco. He is both an artist and an appreciator of the art of others and his Instagram feed is full of pieces by other artists. He likes to paint with green, and for Upfest he created a great image of Gilbert – a children’s television character from a programme called ‘Get Fresh‘ from the mid 1980s. It is interesting that he started to paint in 1984 and appears still to be influenced in his work by the period.
Tuco, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I rather like his Instagram profile that reads ‘Some of the stuff is by me. Some of the stuff isn’t by me. I like sausages and booze. You can like want you want! I’M FRIGHTENED OF BATS. #graffiti‘. I will be looking out for more of his work…if I can find it.
Natural adventures 