I love seeing the work of Alex Lucas wherever it crops up, but it is especially nice to see her work at Upfest, when it isn’t tied to a commission. Alex Lucas has made a huge impression on the city of Bristol and her work is dotted all around the city – I have featured much of it on this blog.
Alex Lucas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This piece was a bit tucked away, and incredibly difficult to photograph with the crowds and the lighting. Even so, it is possible to see that this is a classy illustration of a cat who is thinking about a mouse. Yum.
This is a different kind of piece for upfest, by Bristol-based Italian-English illustrator Lisa Rose. In her website biography, she says the following: Inspired by a million things but especially femme experiences and bodies, sexuality, and empowerment. It says it all really. Her website illustrations are very interesting and worth a look.
Lisa Bell, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
It is an unusual piece for a street art festival and represents the crossover between design/illustration and street work. Her strong lines and solid fill make this piece appear to be almost like a digital creation. This piece with the third eye is similar to one on her website and I would guess it a theme she explores. I didn’t get a chance to see her at the festival, but will look out for her if she is there in 2018.
At upfest many of the artists get paired up on neighbouring boards, and because of the portrait nature of these it is much easier for me to post about them as a pair. These two pieces are by Lea Gudrich and Dan Pritchard.
Lea Gudrich, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Lea Gudrich is German-based artist living in Cologne. This piece was hashtagged with ‘childhood memories’ on her instagram account so I guess there is a story there. Most of the work she produces features wildlife largely in black and white with some incorporation of bright colours. Beautiful illustrations mostly.
Dan Pritchard, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dan Pritchard, by contrast is an illustrator with a rather more brash and colourful style. Based in Bristol, his Upfest profile says his work is inspired by humour found in the British way of life, the hum drum of the 9-5 commute and the films and television of the 80s and 90s. I guess this one is drawn directly from ‘Ghostbusters’.
This was one of my favourite pieces of the South Street Park site at Upfest 2017. The picture of a Pirate is beautifully illustrated and has all the nostalgic feel of a children’s picture book. I would willingly pick up and read a book with pictures such as this. It tells its own story, for example, the writing on the pirate’s knuckles spells ‘FREE’…
Rame13, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
The work is by Rame13 an Italian artist born in Pisa. She has been painting from an early age, but has only been producing street art since 2016, so a relative newcomer. Her Facebook page confirms what I already know…that I love her style, and the kind of work she produces, it is well worth a quick look.
Rame13, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Looking at the work in progress, it is interesting to see how she works in blocks, rather than in layers, like spray artists tend to do. Indeed it is refreshing to see street artists working without spray cans – there were a few at Upfest this year.
Rame13, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I think it would be easy for me to become a big fan – I hope she returns next year. Lovely work.
I absolutely love doing this, for so many reasons, but it is particularly gratifying that on the same day I write a post about an Upfest artist new to me I find a street piece by the same artist. It is like having two Christmases at once. This is what happened with this beautiful piece by Aintzane Crucet.
Aintzane Crucet, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2017
It can be found on the Where the Wall curated wall in Wilder Street and was sprayed in the immediate aftermath of Upfest. It would seem that Deamze helped out with the spot, as he has a piece just to the right (to follow).
Aintzane Crucet, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2017
I could seriously fall in love with this illustrator’s work. It is very different from much of the stuff we see in Bristol, and has a welcoming, soft appearance together with a complex story. A fox tail attached to what looks like a duck-billed platypus, a keyhole on the girl’s forehead and a teapot. What is going on? Happy days.
Tucked away in a shady corner of North Street Green was this beautiful piece by Aintzane Crucet, a Spanish Illustrator who was born in Motril (Granada) and now lives in Malaga. There is a fairytale quality to this work which would sit comfortably in any children’s library.
Aintzane Crucet, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Other than the Upfest programme notes, there is very little information about this young artist who I would guess is at the beginning of her career. I’m pleased she made the journey to Bristol.
This wonderful piece appeared a few days after Upfest had ended, and I guess Feoflip decided to stick around and improve some bare walls. I really love this piece, the soft pastel colours give the piece the look of an illustration. The character looks like it has just walked off the pages of a children’s picture book. I would love to read that story.
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip was unknown to me before Upfest, but I have now seen several of his pieces all over Bristol, and will be sharing them over the coming weeks. He is fast becoming one of my favourite artists. I love the combination of organic and mechanical, it works very well, as with his piece at Ashton Gate School.
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, August 2016
The more observant reader may also notice the Gregos mask just to the left of this piece which I wrote about last year.
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 