Tag: Monster

946. Upfest 2017 (16)

First impressions count, and when I was doing my first walk around Upfest on the Saturday, this piece leapt out at me and grabbed my attention. Although I tend to have many favourites much of the time, I think I would have to say that this was the outstanding piece for me at Upfest 2017.

Bisser, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Bisser, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This friendly monster is by Bisser, a 27 year old Belgian artist and according to his Upfest biography notes ‘he’s influenced by graffiti, street art, muralism, cartoons and comics. His visual style is figurative and is very recognisable’.

Bisser, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Bisser, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The first thought I had when I saw this monster was of the book ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, by Maurice Sendak. So much expression, a simple idea beautifully executed. This piece deserves a permanent wall. Maybe if he comes to Upfest again he’ll get one – he certainly ought to on the back of this.

Bisser, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Bisser, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I chatted for a while with Bisser, and he is such a decent unassuming, modest fellow. He told me that his name in Flemish (I think that’s what he said) means ‘taken twice’ in relation to exams/college work – I think the equivalent in English would be ‘retake’. He adopted the name because he had to do his art exams a second time after first failing them. I like it that he has found strength and even a moniker from facing up to challenges. My favourite piece at Upfest.

929. Upfest 2017 (7)

This is a beautifully worked piece from Bristol-based Bill Giles, an illustrator and designer who occasionally takes to the walls. He specialises in creating grotesque monsters whose flesh melts away and his design work is finely detailed. This monster seems to reflect much more the uplifting atmosphere of Upfest with its bright colours and sunglasses, an altogether fun piece.

Bill Giles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Bill Giles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Bill Giles is part of an artist collective called ‘Cretin‘ based in Bristol that specialises in designs and illustrations of monsters. Membership of Cretin includes SPZero76, Paul Roberts (Monsters), Loch Ness and Dom Williams – there’s a lot of talent there.

881. Upfest 2016 (148)

Hey, there’s a whole bunch of not very scary monsters in this work from Nol, and I think Edo Rath. Michael Nol is a rather tall Dutch artist (not that you can see from these images) and Edo Rath enjoys painting clean lines and happy characters. Together the pair have formed a collective called Noodle Inc.

Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I was able to take a couple of snaps while this piece was in progress, and it is interesting to see how the piece is constructed, with a full outline, and then systematic filling from left to right.

Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I have touched on this in a previous post, and I am intrigued by artists go about their business in such different ways. some add layers, some freestyle completely, some use templates, some work from the centre outwards and so on. All interesting.

Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I think these guys will be making a return for Upfest 2017. Watch out for more scary monsters.

855. Dean Lane skate park (59)

This is a fun little piece in Dean Lane by Guts, another artist new to these pages. I met him on the same occasion as I met Jimmer Wilson and Lumagro. I have absolutely no idea what the in joke is about, but it made me laugh anyway…”Joe Habgood Rides Scooters”.

Guts, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017
Guts, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017

This is the type of childish speech bubble that absolutely encapsulates graffiti, I think. A public space sprayed and a cheeky message. Harmless but subversive. It works for me, probably because I have a tendency to be a bit childish too – just ask Mrs Scooj or the Scoojlings. Great colours and great monster face. I like this…and it is still there some weeks on.

If you want to read more about Guts or several other Bristol artists, then I cannot recommend highly enough Auntie G’s fabulous blog post on a recent Bristol exhibition ‘3 is the Magic Number’ – A superb insight into the Bristol art scene and interesting commentary on the crossover between fine art and street art.

296. All Saints’ Street

One of the great achievements of the See No Evil street art events in 2011 and 2012 has been the way in which the large pieces have now become local landmarks in the Nelson Street area. In a city where the turnover of street art tends to be incredibly high, it is great to have these untouched iconic pieces that form the backbone of some of the tourist street art tours. I have said it before though, the best thing about the scene here in Bristol is the huge spectrum of work from DBK tagging through to pieces by the world class Pixel Pancho.

Pixel Pancho, All Saints' Street, Bristol, June 2016
Pixel Pancho, All Saints’ Street, Bristol, June 2016

This lovely piece by Pixel Pancho is instantly recognisable as one of his by the use of mechanical elements blended with the biological, to give a robotic appearance. Having one of his works here in Bristol, made it all the better when I recently saw him at work in New York.

Pixel Pancho, All Saints' Street, Bristol, June 2016
Pixel Pancho, All Saints’ Street, Bristol, June 2016

I have yet to see a decent photograph of this piece. It is high on a wall on a shaded side of the street and is difficult to frame without getting light pollution from the surrounding skyline. The colours always look washed out, unless they have been digitally enhanced.

This is a real cultural asset for Bristol.