Upfest have chosen Gemma Compton as their promotional ‘face’ of upfest 2016, and what a very fine choice indeed. Her work is used on their twitter account profile and on the main website homepage. On an altogether larger scale, she painted the outside of the Upfest shop on North Street. The work was completed on about 11 June, and really brightens up the shopfront.
Gemma Compton, North Street, Bristol, June 2016
All of the work she has done for Upfest 2016 uses these wonderful ‘Spode’ colours and contain her signature motifs of birds, butterflies and flowers. It says in her Upfest artist profile that her inspirations have come from an upbringing in the Cotswold’s and her love of nature.
Gemma Compton, North Street, Bristol, June 2016
I love all the work she has done for the Upfest ‘brand’ this year, and am really looking forward to seeing her working at this year’s festival.
The piece I posted by 45RPM recently of the anteater seemed to be very popular, so I am posting another of his works, this time from the magnificent Brunswick Square hoardings. This piece features the RPM lettering and a rather angry looking bulldog squeezing his way into the picture.
45RPM, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016
I have to say that I think 45RPM’s work is quite an acquired taste, or maybe that is just me, but every new piece of his that I see, the more I seem to enjoy them, and now, going back through my files, I am finding more of them and liking them better on this ‘second viewing’ than on the first. There is more to come on and from this fine street artist.
Behind the Tobacco Factory there is a car park, and on the wall of each of the stalls there is a piece of art by a different street artist. I am not sure if this is just an Upfest thing, but I have a feeling that they do change from time to time, and not just during the festival.
Hannah Adamaszek, the Tobacco Factory, Bristol, June 2016
These pieces are a challenge to photograph, because, being a car park, there are usually cars parked in front of them and that was the case with this beautiful, calming piece by Hannah Adamaszek. Hannah appeared on my radar back in June, and I have to say I really like her work. It balances out all the other work that I see and is refreshingly different. It is all part of the spectrum of art that Bristol has to offer.
Hannah Adamaszek, the Tobacco Factory, Bristol, June 2016
I am really fond of this piece, which is weird, because I wouldn’t naturally like this kind of thing, but seeing it up close there is just something about it that attracts me. More please Hannah.
This is a rather cheerful and witty work that has been sitting in my ‘pending folder’ for rather a long time now. It has been there because I have no idea who painted it. It looks to me like the work of someone who doesn’t paint often, and while nicely executed, it has a certain naivety to it.
Unknown artist, Albert Park Place, Bristol, March 2016
I don’t think I have seen any other work by this artist, but I could easily be wrong…it happens quite a lot in my posts. The cat has the fine privilege of overlooking my favourite Sepr piece of the year so far.
Sit back and enjoy the pun and celebrate the fact that anyone can be a street artist.
This is a wonderful work by Epok, and it sits next to a lovely piece by Deamze that I featured recently. Like all of his works, this has beautifully clean edges and the letters EPOK are on a slant in a geometric style.
Epok, Upper York Street, Bristol, June 2016
Particularly notable about this piece is the green and blue effect over the top of the lettering. Epok’s work is always a pleasure to look at and admire. Distinctive, clean and memorable.
John D’oh is a political stencil artist, and he has been oh so very busy recently. This recent piece, in a little alcove on North Street, really chimes with me. It is a promotional piece for the upcoming Upfest event and in fact there are two of the stencils side by side in this location. Technically, this piece is excellent.
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, June 2016
The best bit about this piece is that it features a guy called Jeff, who sells ‘The Big Issue’, a magazine I have referred to previously in my posts. He is my local seller, and I like to buy my copies from him. He can usually be found in Stokes Croft, in North Bristol, but this stencil is in North Street (rather confusingly) in South Bristol.
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, June 2016
There was a nice feature in the Bristol Post (I cannot find a link) about the stencil and how pleased Jeff was to be the subject of it. I’ll have to talk to Jeff about it next time I see him. Great work, with a great subject promoting a great event.
This is a really fun piece by the great Bristol artist Angus, who is becoming more prominent on the scene. He tends to concentrate his works in the centre and south of Bristol, and this piece is in Raleigh Road, just off North Street, at the Tobacco Factory. Cosmic Traveller did a lovely piece not so long ago about Stewy and Angus working together at this same spot.
Angus, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016
I like the title of the piece, ‘lazy art’ but I suspect it is anything but. It is fun to see how others have contributed to the piece, adding to the fun. I have several other Angus pieces in my folders and need to get on with publishing them. His work pretty much always brings a smile to my face. Looking forward to seeing him at Upfest.
UPDATE: Inkie informs me via Twitter that this piece is going nowhere and will remain in place after Upfest, which is great news.
This wonderful Inkie is enjoying the last days of the Raj. It was created for Upfest 2015, and will in all likelihood give way to another piece at the 2016 festival in July.
Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016
‘Best thing since sliced bread’ is a wonderful piece by Inkie, incorporating his large block writing, and the styalised girl with flowing hair. Interestingly the girl is in three quarter profile, rather than the silhouetted profile that is more common in his works.
Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016
On the wall of a bakery, this uplifting work fits so perfectly in this quiet street, immediately off North Street. I wonder what will replace it.
I have been keeping my powder dry on this one for a long time now. I’m not too sure why. I think it might be because it is another one of my favourite collaborations in Bristol, by three of my favourite street artists: Sepr, Deamze and 3Dom. I like to have this one sitting in my pending file, reminding me just how good some of this stuff is. Today I am setting the pieces free and moving on. Liberation.
Sepr, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016Sepr, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016
The left hand side of the triptych is by Sepr and shows a man driving a wheeled vehicle, incorporating the next part of the collaboration. Once more he uses his simple colour scheme that seems to bring out the detail in the character’s face. There is a great sense of movement.
Deamze, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016Deamze, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016
The middle section is a wildstyle piece by Deamze, incorporating all the elements that make his writing so recognisable. Just to make it extra easy he even signs it for us. The flow of colour continues from left to right and into the third part of the collaboration.
3Dom, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016
The right hand side of the project is by 3Dom. This is a brilliant cartoon dreamlike character – a dark round ball with face and teeth and everything – riding on a chopper bicycle at speed towards the other pieces. The dust clouds are beautifully done.
3Dom, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016
The three pieces together tell a story, although unfortunately I’m not sure what the plot line is. I really must collar these guys and interview them sometime. Maybe Upfest will be an opportunity to meet and interview a few artists. We’ll see.
There are times when you think you know it all, or perhaps I shouldn’t judge…I’ll start again. There are times when I think I know it all (just ask my children), and I thought I pretty much knew where to find all the best places for graffiti and street art are. Writing this blog has shown me how utterly wrong I am. There I’ve said it.
Two dear friends of mine walked home with me a few weeks back, and were terribly polite by showing interest in my rather overbearing desire to tell them all about every piece of art we walked past. Who painted it, when they did it, what was there before, where you might find more of their work, who they collaborate with…and so on…oh my goodness they must have been very bored. They didn’t show it though, they are friends after all.
During our conversation, they asked whether I knew about the Alex Lucas bats piece by Montpelier Park. No I hadn’t. So they took me there straight away, and what a gift.
Alex Lucas, St Andrew’s Road, Bristol, March 2016
This beautiful work by Lucas adorns a small council tool shed on the edge of the park. The bats are so typical of her superb illustrations and so full of character. To top it off she has added a quotation by Gilbert White one of the early and pioneering English naturalists in the eighteenth century and author of Natural History and Antiques of Selborne, a book given to me by my late step father when I was a boy.
Alex Lucas, St Andrew’s Road, Bristol, March 2016
I like everything about this Lucas work. Where it is, the colours, the illustrations, the quotation, the fun of bats ‘playing’, the obvious love for nature, everything.
So I concede I really don’t know where all the street art in Bristol is, and I will be forever grateful to Jon and Jane for pointing this jewel out to me.
Natural adventures 