Tag: Mural

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.

 

 

375. M32 roundabout J3 (15)

I am enjoying posting about Upfest, but equally, like taking a break to post some of the more ‘earthy’ or visceral graffiti art that Bristol plays host to. Upfest comes and goes…this stuff is the beating heart of the Bristol scene, without which Upfest would possibly have less meaning or context.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016

This is a typical piece by Laic217 which I photographed a couple of months ago. The characteristic letters of his name and character piece. There appears to be a bit of symbolism going on here as well, an impenetrable wall, behind which lies a heart. There is a story.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016

I like Laic217’s work but would say that I prefer his full size faces to his burners, but that is only my personal preference. Nice to write about some local artists again.

372. Upfest 2016 (23)

Dan Doodies is a street artist, designer, illustrator and painter form the Slough/London area. His piece at Upfest 2016 was one of the most memorable of the whole event. There is a rush of colour in this psychadelic piece that has a whiff of the Beatles and in my mind ELO about it.

Dan Doodies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dan Doodies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I love this bold and striking piece and somehow it seems to represent all that is best about Upfest bringing artists together from all over the country/world to show off their works. I still feel with every passing day, what a privilege it is to live in Bristol and to have such a vibrant street art culture.

371. Upfest 2016 (22)

There was so much street art on offer at Upfest, that if you blinked you could miss something. I am so glad I had my camera with me, although on the day I took this photograph, my camera ran out of battery (aaaaargh what an idiot!) so I had to use my phone camera, and the results don’t really do the art justice. This was one of those pieces that was better ‘in the flesh’ but still looks pretty good in this photograph.

Mutiny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Mutiny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The artist is Mutiny (Jane Laurie), a British, London-based,  wildlife illustrator, fine art painter and street artist. Clearly very talented and driven with a desire to raise awareness about endangered wildlife; she uses the hashtag #lovewildlife and signature anatomical heart on all her street art work. Oh! so much great stuff at Upfest.