Tag: Mural

389. Upfest 2016 (33)

I never made it to Upfest 2015, which might be a blessing, as I would probably still be writing posts about it now if I had. I was struck though by how many ‘treats’ were hidden in the North Street area after the event.

23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

It was in searching carefully for these ‘treats’ that I started to find some lovely paste ups by 23Magpies, such as this chameleon. Her work is heavily focused on wildlife and the environment, and her feature piece for Upfest was this lovely fox and design.

23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I am a big fan of 23Magpies’ work and will be writing about some of the treats she left behind after this year’s festival. On this particular piece, you’ve got to love the detail of the bee on the rim, which the fox appears to be watching. Great stuff.

388. Upfest 2016 (32)

This artist has appeared regularly on this blog and requires no introduction. Aspire’s birds are in inspiration and a tonic for those who live in the city of Bristol. He is a prolific artist who brightens up the some of the darker places for example; The Bearpit and walls and hoardings in the Stokes Croft area.

Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

 

This is not the first Blue Jay that I have seen by Aspire, and I hope he will continue to do more. This one is special though, in that it was produced for Upfest and will remain intact for at least a year as it is within the playground of Ashton Gate School, in the company of some other great street art.

Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Alas! I didn’t make it to this site on the Saturday, and missed the opportunity of seeing Aspire at work and of meeting him. Note to self…make better use of the Saturday at Upfest 2017.

Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

“You are beautiful when you are who you are”

387. Upfest 2016 (31)

I used to play five-a-side football with someone called Karl Read, but it wasn’t this Karl Read. This one is a stencil artist from the South Coast and created this amazing portrait in one of the key locations for Upfest. Last year, the wall was home to Robers Wass’ beautiful fox.

Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

There is something about the tones and lines that reminds me a lot of Copyright’s work, of which there is quite a lot in the area, and at first I thought it might be one of his, but then I looked closer.

Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Once again, one of the real pleasures of being at the festival was to be able to see the artists at work. In this instance, Karl was working with some really large pieces of card that were not entirely cooperating.

Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Karl Read, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The more observant viewer, and one that gets to this final sentence, might spot a reflection of the author of this post (that’s me) in the glass door in the feature image. Vanity publishing!

385. Upfest 2016 (29)

On the Saturday of Upfest 2016 I was not sure who the artist was on this wall. He was high up on a scaffold tower, and seemed only to have started his piece.

Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The wall in Greville Road is one of the least photogenic ‘art walls’ in Bristol. It is high up and surrounded by bright skies with the sun during the day behind the wall and so the face is usually in shade. The previous occupant was a hand by Jody.

Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Even on the Sunday and the Monday the wall was only half done, so I was still in the dark about the artist. I returned a few days after the Festival and the full picture was revealed…a most fantastic work by Cosmo Sarson.

Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

His ‘Breakdancing Jesus’ remains one of the most celebrated pieces in Bristol, and this is equal to it. The colours of this work are wonderful as the figure floats under the multicoloured surface and his half-naked body is reflected in swirls. This really is one of the highlights of the festival and so worth waiting for.

Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

 

 

384. Upfest 2016 (28)

After seeing all of his wonderful wheatpastes in Stokes Croft whilst ‘on tour’ in the UK, it was a real treat to find this fabulous Tian work at Upfest this year. This time his work was not a paste up, but nevertheless unmistakably a Tian piece.

Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I love his work, and in this piece there is a continuation of his use of sepia tones for the main subject. The whole work shows how accomplished Tian is using different techniques and materials. I am not too sure who is in the picture, but I guess she is famous.

Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I was rather hoping that while Tian was in Bristol, he might do another series of wheatpastes, but so far I haven’t found anything. I very much look forward to his next visit.

Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

382. Upfest 2016 (26)

Having recently posted a piece by Mr Sle7en, I thought it would be good to share his contribution to Upfest 2016. Again, Mr Sle7en incorporates the third eye into this piece and uses the strong colours associated with his work.

Mr Sle7en, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
Mr Sle7en, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

The writing says ‘Free Sesk’ which is a reference to the recent custodial sentence dished out to Jack Keeling, a well known tagger and graffiti writer in Bristol. I featured one of his throw ups on New Year’s Day this year. It seems a little unfair that he has been jailed, when there are so many other taggers in town, but I guess this happens from time to time and they all know the risks they are taking.

380. Armada Place (6)

The fencing in Armada Place is a hotspot that is slightly off the beaten track, and can easily be missed. I make a point of taking the short diversion away from Stokes Croft on my way to work, to be able to capture gems like this one by Fois (Kleiner Shames).

Kleiner Shames, Armada Place, Bristol, August 2016
Kleiner Shames, Armada Place, Bristol, August 2016

It feels like Fois has become a little more active recently, or maybe I am just finding more of his wildstyle pieces. I don’t know, but I always feel good when I come across one for the first time. I like the way that he disguises the name Fois just enough to make it hard for the ‘untrained’ eye to read. This is really a wonderful piece that he calls ‘a quick one’.

Kleiner Shames, Armada Place, Bristol, August 2016
Kleiner Shames, Armada Place, Bristol, August 2016

Only recently I found out that Fois is actually Kleiner Shames – a rather respectable looking designer. It irks me that by calling him Fois all this time I look like a bit of an idiot. I suppose it is all part of being on the outside looking in.

378. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (16)

I do love the Carriageworks. The pieces here tend to be quite large because of the framing of the arches, and so we are often treated to ‘special’ work. The turnover for any work here is about a month or so, so this piece is approaching its ‘sell by’ date. It has been a while since I posted about Mr Sle7en, which is a pity, because I love his work. It would seem that he is not as prolific as some of our other artists, but he is no less talented.

Mr Sle7en, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2016
Mr Sle7en, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2016

In this mysterious piece, we have the ‘signature’ single eye that is common to Mr Sle7en’s work.There is always something about his work that I like. I can’t put my finger on it, but it is unusual, sometimes unsettling but always beautifully executed.

377. West Pallant, Chichester

Having only recently posted about JPS in Weston-super-Mare, I was lucky enough to find this wonderful JPS cat while staying with my mother in West Wittering recently.

JPS, West Pallant, Chichester, August 2016
JPS, West Pallant, Chichester, August 2016

I knew the cat was somewhere in Chichester, but wasn’t sure where. I don’t know if you have ever been to Chichester, but its compass layout should be a simple enough plan to map out in your brain. I, however, and I know I am not alone in this, really struggle to know where on earth I am when in one of the four main streets. This cat I hope will help me to navigate better in future, along with the wonderful Stik not too far away.

JPS, West Pallant, Chichester, August 2016
JPS, West Pallant, Chichester, August 2016

This cat by JPS has been stencilled in other places too…another post maybe. It is quite beautiful. The stencil itself is exceptional and the colouring really makes it stand out. If you look carefully you will see the the letters J P S disguised in the cat’s fur. One of my favourite stencils.

JPS, West Pallant, Chichester, August 2016
JPS, West Pallant, Chichester, August 2016

376. Hoxton Square, Shoreditch, London (2)

I couldn’t resist sneaking this wonderful stencil by Unify in during this ‘Upfest lull’. One of my earliest posts was a Unify piece in Bristol, that is as fresh today as the day it was sprayed. I have looked for other pieces by him, but found nothing in Bristol. In London however, his hometown, I have found some of his work.

Unify, Hoxton Square, Shoreditch, London, August 2016
Unify, Hoxton Square, Shoreditch, London, August 2016

This amazing piece that I recall seeing on digital media a little while ago, is obviously a commentary on immigration and probably the Brexit referendum. It is a powerful bit of street art.

Unify, Hoxton Square, Shoreditch, London, August 2016
Unify, Hoxton Square, Shoreditch, London, August 2016

This piece sits quietly next to the wonderful Mr Cenz and Fanakapan pieces that I recently posted here. More to come from Unify soon.