Tag: Hand

3898. Upfest 2021 75×75 (49)

Another artist whose work I very much admire and who is no stranger to Upfest is Envol, and he returned to Bristol to paint one of his distinctive pieces just off North Street. I was lucky enough to meet him while he was painting this and he stopped for a while for a great chat. It turns out that he is good friends with Fanakapan, another very talented London artist and one who has also painted at Upfest in the past.

Envol, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Envol, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

While I managed to photograph the piece as a work in progress, by the time I came back to photograph the final finished piece it had been vandalised, along with several other Upfest murals, by some misguided (and probably ill) idiot. Thankfully the piece was fully restored and is as good as new.

Envol, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Envol, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

Envol creates these sharp and clean pieces incorporating parts of the body with abstract shapes and patterns, and sometimes disrupting them with white space. They are quite surreal, and at times remind me a little of Giorgio de Chirico fused with Matisse’s cut outs. Beautiful to look at and thought-provoking. This piece is another fabulous contribution to Upfest’s 75×75 event.

3527. Bragg’s Lane (1)

It always pays to explore the city. It is easy to get trapped into only visiting the places you know or are familiar with. Hunting for street art has taught me to leave no stone unturned and to always look over your shoulder to see if you have missed something.

Object..., Bragg's Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Object…, Bragg’s Lane, Bristol, February 2021

I caught sight of this beauty from Object… out of the corner of my eye a few weeks ago while driving by and resolved at that moment to return to take some pictures, which I did last weekend. This is a big bold and angry piece from the people’s champion Object… and features some of his recurring motifs, such as ‘eat the rich’ slogan and disfigured body parts, in this case a hand. I like and have always liked his work. There is so much passion and anguish, and it bursts out from the wall, even if it is a little uncomfortable to look at. A fabulous large piece.

3283. M32 Spot (88)

It has been a very, very long time since I last saw a piece from Object… and at this time of political turmoil I have missed his interjections and commentary defending the less well off and downcast members of our society.

Object..., M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Object…, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020

Another rather grotesque imagining of a hand being eaten by hungry mouths… a piece with a lot of pain anguish and rage. The whole scene is rather unpleasant and uncomfortable, but I think that is the point, this is a challenging and political piece. The slogan ‘Eat the Rich’ accompanies th work as in so much of Object…’s art. A provocative and compelling piece.

3054. Cattle Market Road (5)

This is the fifth and final piece from the magnificent outdoor gallery in Cattle Market Road arranged by The Hass. it is by an artist I’ve not come across before, which should not come as too much as a surprise because he is a tattoo artist called Josh B.

Josh B, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, June 2020
Josh B, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, June 2020

It is immediately clear that this is the work of a tattoo artist, particularly looking at the bird, flowers and hand on the left. I can’t put my finger on why the tattoo style comes across so strongly, maybe the way the spray paint is used in the way that ink is, I don’t know. The piece is really beautifully painted and it is great to see the Bristol reference in the shape of the Bristol suspension bridge in one of the framed pictures. A lovely piece.

2515. Cheltenham 2019 (14)

I have not seen much of Korp’s work but everything I have seen from this artist I very much like. His highly distinctive style is instantly recognisable and quite unlike anything else out there. I don’t know what he calls his characters, but they usually look a bit like worms to me, although this one painted at this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival s a little different.

Korp, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Korp, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

The piece is painted on a backdrop of hand paste ups with the words ‘The Hand Mischief’ written on them. Over the top of this paper wall Korp has painted a demonic looking character with ears and red eyes I wouldn’t normally associate with his pieces. Is this simply what it is, or is it a piece full of symbolism and meaning? I am not sure, but it is a classy piece either way.

2276. Moon Street (72)

Regulars will know that I don’t much like to post street art on Natural Adventures when I don’t know who the artist is, but just occasionally I do it because the artwork is too good to ignore and maybe I’ll get to find out who it is as a result of writing about it.

Unknown (Rezwonk?), Moon Street, Bristol, June 2019
Unknown (Rezwonk?), Moon Street, Bristol, June 2019

This wonderful and certainly rather original piece appeared in Moon Street about three weeks ago on a gateway that has been favboured in the past by Rezwonk, which is why I have tentatively attributed it to him. However, although he is capable of something like this, it is not commensurate with most of the writing work he has been doing recently.

Whoever the artist is, it is a striking painting and brings a touch of class to the street, which is well known for its tagging and high turnover. I love the anatomical diagram, and particularly the numbering. Something like this would certainly liven up a waiting room in a doctor’s surgery or hospital.

Update –  14 March 2020 – it is by Kosc.

2180. Rivington Street, London, (8)

This doorway (if you care to look on streetview, which is a little out of date now) used to be reasonably clean, and only the little squirrel stencil (bottom right) by Bristol’s Stewy occupied the space. Things move fast in the street art/graff world and I have seen dozens of wheatpastes and larger pieces on the doors. This one I think has to be the pick of the bunch.

Nether410, Rivington Street, London, April 2019
Nether410, Rivington Street, London, April 2019

Although I had been aware of this beautiful piece by Nether410 from my trip to Shoreditch last November, it wasn’t until I visited in April this year that I actually found it. There is a big story unfolding, which touches on incarceration and freedom, humanity and nature. A stunning and thoughtful piece. Skylark security can piss off though. (My apologies).

1990. Upfest 2018 (126)

One of the more obviously striking and describable pieces of Upfest 2018 was this interesting hand speaker by Agent Provocateur. It is weird but whenever I look at it I find it very hard not to see the Northern Ireland flag, which is rather distracting.

Agent Provocateur, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Agent Provocateur, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This is a simple and quite challenging piece with an element of edge or threat combined with humour and general oddness. I’m not sure why there is so much damage to the right hand side board, but I think the artist could have tidied it up a little bit. Maybe I photographed it before completion. A memorable piece.

1934. Shoreditch, London (14)

A magnificent celebration of the written word by Nomad Clan, depicting a letter and a pigeon, both methods of carrying written messages, to align with the theme of this large wall in Shoreditch on ‘connectivity’.

Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

I am a huge fan of this talented duo, who have visited Bristol for Upfest in each of the last two years. This is a masterful work with many elements to focus on, but it is the feathers on the right hand side of the piece that I find most appealing…they have such a lightness about them.

Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

Nomad Clan are known for their big walls and this one is big. Their concepts and ideas are so beautifully illustrated with a softness of tone that many artists appear to struggle with. I was very happy to find this piece.

1876. Upfest 2018 (95)

Krishna Malla was late to the party this year, which was a good thing for me, because I managed to catch up with him just as he was packing up. Even though he seemed to be in a bit of a rush, he still made time for a chat. I remember his brilliant snail and hare work from Upfest 2016, so it was good to meet the Cornwall-based artist this time round.

Krishna Malla, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Krishna Malla, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This piece embraces fully the Simpsons theme for this year’s festival. The theme does seem to have divided opinion, but I sit firmly on the side of ‘love it’. I like the concept and execution of a mister Burns palm holding up the five fingers, each one a member of the Simpsons family. There is something rather od about it, but I rather like that. It would be great to see Krishna Malla return next year.

Krishna Malla, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Krishna Malla, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016