Tag: Mural

418. Upfest 2016 (45)

Krishna Malla is an illustrator from Cornwall. As a frequent visitor to Cornwall, I need to seek out some of his work, as street art is hard to come by down there. His wonderful work at Upfest, of a snail (what is it about snails…see 3Dom’s recent work in Stokes Croft) contains two of his alias’ ‘Hare’ and ‘Tech Moon’.

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

He has a nice website, in which his ‘About’ section reads as follows:

“Street artist and illustrator from Cornwall.

I like doing drawings.”

That’s pretty cool. Krishna Malla teaches at the Arts University Bournemouth, which is also pretty cool. Given that Bristol is somewhere between Cornwall and Bournemouth, it would be nice to think he might drop by and paint something new for us sometime.

417. Upfest 2016 (44)

I have been aware of The Addicted Doodler for some time, but never posted any of his work before (something that will change I assure you). What I didn’t know until I started to find out a little bit more, was just what a brilliant designer and illustrator the Bristol-based artist is as well as his more familiar street art.

The Addicted Doodler, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The Addicted Doodler, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This piece from Upfest is typical of his light-hearted style in which he gives human characteristics to inanimate objects in a cartoon style, sometimes quite reminiscent of Mr Potatohead. Personification? Whatever the style is called, I love the bright and cheerful look he brings to the streets of Bristol.

415. Upfest 2016 (42)

There were several highly memorable pieces at Upfest this year, and this photorealistic colour negative by Takerone was in my view one of the best. Takerone, who comes from Hungary, tries to make his art photo real, but makes an effort to retain a natural look.

Takerone, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Takerone, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

If, like me, you are wondering what the positive image looks like, then definitely take a look at Takerone’s Facebook page which has a brilliant film clip with positive and negative versions of his work side by side. Just a great idea and incredible execution. I have tried to cut an image from his video below:

Takerone, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Takerone, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

413. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (17)

The arches at the Carriageworks in Stokes Croft probably have the highest footfall of any street art location in Bristol, so when you create a piece there it always makes an impression, especially when it is as bold and exciting as this one by 3Dom

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016

I don’t know what happens in 3Dom’s mind, but he seems to have a fertile and creative imagination. A snail and a pagoda…what is that all about? Lots of symbolism or a story perhaps.

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016

3Dom has an amazing ability, not only to create extraordinary scenes and characters, but also to spray all sorts of different textures. For example the amazing slime trail dangling from the snail. Another outstanding piece in the heart of graffitiland.

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016

412. Upper York Street (4)

Another Bristol writer with a distinctive style is Whysayit. His work appears all over the place and he often collaborates with other writers and appears as a pair of works in the same colour regimes but differing styles.

Whysayit, Upper York Street, Bristol, September 2016
Whysayit, Upper York Street, Bristol, September 2016

This cheeky little piece is in the doorway between two larger walls favoured by Bristol writers such as Epok, Deamze and Kleiner Shames. Whysayit shortens his style for throw-ups by just spraying the letters YS. Really worth taking a look at his Instagram account.

411. Moon Street (11)

There is something comforting about seeing Laic217’s work. He tends to paint in two forms: writing of his name with a character incorporated or an acid-house melting face.

 

Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016

This is the third of these melting faces that I have come across and it is a great addition to the series of which the first and second have both been posted on this blog.

Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016

I like his work and see how it is getting sharper with each new piece I come across. Laic217 is a prolific artist and appears to favour Moon street and the M32 roundabout for his work. I love his stuff, and I think it really epitomises the Bristol scene – raw, edgy and fun.

Laic217 and 3Dom, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016
Laic217 and 3Dom, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016

410. Backfields Lane (1)

It has been quite some time since I last featured a piece by Decay, but I came upon this one quite by accident recently whilst seeking out a large mural by Kleiner Shames.

Decay, Backfields Lane, Bristol, September 2016
Decay, Backfields Lane, Bristol, September 2016

I love the radiating geometry and colours that Decay uses in his work and love it that nearly always the pieces are uplifting and fun. Sometimes edgy and political, but always good to look at.

Decay, Backfields Lane, Bristol, September 2016
Decay, Backfields Lane, Bristol, September 2016

Since moving to Bristol about a year ago, Decay has really made his mark on the graffiti art scene. He is now part of the furniture here, and that is a good thing.

409. Wilder Street (7)

I’m trying to work through some of the pictures I have been meaning to post for a while…there is just too much talent in Bristol.

3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016

This is a subtle little piece by 3Dom on a small side path off Wilder Street, which I photographed back in June, long before all the Upfest excitement. The unusual work has an emphasis on mushrooms – what kind we can only guess, but the whole piece has an hallucinogenic quality to it.

3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016

3Dom is utterly brilliant – there is little more to say really.

3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016

408. Old Bread Street (7)

Every now and then I begin to think I know quite a lot about street art in Bristol. I write about it every day, and feature dozens of different artists in this blog. And then…I visit one of my favourite sites and see this, and realise I have so much more to learn.

Mr Penfold, Old Bread Street, Bristol, September 2016
Mr Penfold, Old Bread Street, Bristol, September 2016

It is always exciting coming across a new artist, but also a little threatening…how could I have missed them? Who are they? Are they local? Many doubts begin to challenge your knowledge and credibility. Then I have the light-bulb moment…I am doing this for fun, not to be judged. This is not work, it is a passion, and learning and discovery are my companions on this journey. I didn’t know anything about Mr Penfold (Tim Gresham), before I saw this, maybe I should have done but I have never seen his work before. This piece is so different and eye-catching, I had to find out more and write about it.

Mr Penfold, Old Bread Street, Bristol, September 2016
Mr Penfold, Old Bread Street, Bristol, September 2016

Mr Penfold (thirty-something) is originally from Cambridge, now based in Bristol,  and works using various media and surfaces. Clearly a disciplined designer, he applies his talents to graphics, advertising, painting and street art. His work is very distinctive, and appears to draw on what I consider to be quite an ’80s and ’90s look. On reading his Facebook page I see that he has done another recent piece near where I work, so watch this space for more Mr Penfold.

Sorry about the water on the lens!

406. Upfest 2016 (39)

I posted about this collaborating pair only a few days ago when I wasn’t sure who the artists were. Now I know who they are, I feel that I can write about them with a little more confidence. The work, which was one of the many in South Street Park, was a subtle collaboration between Serge KB and Simian Switch, surrounded by highly colourful and eye-catching pieces.

Serge KB and Simian Switch, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Serge KB and Simian Switch, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I loved the artwork in this, in particular Serge KB’s ‘deer’ which was extremely similar to the one he sprayed at the M32. Perhaps he was practicing for the festival? Simian Switches ‘octopus’ grappling with spray cans brings an element of humour to the piece too.

Simian Switch, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Simian Switch, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Both artists left ‘extras’ in the area which I will post about when I get through a little more of my ridiculous backlog of photographs. Street artists stop for nobody.