Sometimes you see a piece and you just say to yourself ‘yes’. That was what I felt when I saw this beautiful dog by Loughborough street artist Buber Nebz. Perhaps he is better known for his Lego men that he paints, but his creation at Upfest is simply wonderful.
Buber Nebz, Upfest , Bristol, July 2016
The whole composition just works really well. The gray shades and technique, but for me the composition is just perfect. The grumpy ginger bread man with legs missing and the fabulous expression on the dog possibly showing remorse.
Buber Nebz, Upfest , Bristol, July 2016
I love this piece, but especially have in mind Frankie Beane while writing this post. One for the dog-lovers.
Meeting the artists was, for me, one of the great pleasures of being at Upfest this year, and so it was with stopping to chat for a while with ObjectØØØ. Heaven only knows how he and other artists managed to get on with their work with all the interruptions.
Object000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
ObjectØØØ is an artist I have been watching develop over the last year, as he has taken more to the street art scene. His works are so very distinct…unlike anything else I have seen on the streets. More of his works here and here.
Object000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This is another great piece by him and carries all the hallmarks of his work: a contorted body, a bird wing, tentacles and a phrase he uses a lot ‘eat the rich’. I find his work unusual and also rather inspiring. His work oozes with angst and rage but to me also seems to be striving for a freedom just out of reach.
I do hope I’m not turning into too much of a street art critic/bore.
One of the first pieces I saw that had already been completed by the time I arived on Saturday, was this fine and controversial work by Pegasus.
Pegasus, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
It is highly accomplished stencil work that one expects from Pegasus and the content of his work is often edgy and possibly uncomfortable for some. I imagine that any work representing Mother Teresa (a Saint) is going to be tricky.
Pegasus, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I love this piece. It is quite shocking and at the same time so beautifully put together. I think this might be his first visit since his Trump/Hitler conflation in Greville Road, back in April 2016…another controversial one.
Well this may well be my last post before Upfest 2016 festival which begins tomorrow, and for which I have already seen a few early works on Instagram. There is a certain privilege that goes with being a Bristol street art blogger, and that is that each year, the largest gathering of street artists in Europe happens right here, in my back yard.
Deamze, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016
Another privilege is to watch, all year round, the work of these two wildstyle writers who are at the top of their game. This simultaneously painted pair of pieces is on the back wall of the Vector car park. Deamze is on the left, and Voyder is on the right.
Deamze, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016
The Deamze writing is reminiscent of a piece I posted back in June from the M32 cycle path. It uses the same greens and has his customary character and ASK motif.
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016
The Voyder piece is really unusual and something quite special. In his Instagram feed he has tagged the piece with #lichtenstein, and you can see the pop art explosion of colour and form.
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016
I love, love, love this. Voyder has absolutely cracked it with this one. Interpretive and in the style of a great artist and brilliantly executed. I can ask no more. Both of these will now have to make way for new pieces for the festival tomorrow. So excited.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have a real soft spot for Face F1st. I will always try to post his works as soon as I can after I have spotted them, although it is not always possible with such a huge backlog of street art.
Face F1st, Ashley Road, Bristol, July 2016
This is a slightly unusual Face F1st piece. Sure, the soft colours are there and the FACE letters and the swirling hair, but the expression on the girl’s face is something new altogether. I’m not sure if I like it as much as the softer faces, but it is certainly striking. Good to see more work from the Face.
This rather unusual piece was sprayed back at the start of June and is by DNT. Rather delightfully entitled ‘RIP corporate bunny’ it taps into the edgy political community that makes Stokes Croft such a creative force in Bristol. I like this work for many reasons…bullet holes in a cuddly bunny character. Disturbing and visually engaging all at once.
DNT, Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2016
The piece has been sprayed over the Hoax and AKArat work that I featured in one of my earlier posts this year.
I’m not sure how many times I might have walked past this before I noticed it. I would like to think not many. Recently (I think) the Attic Bar at the bottom end of Stokes Croft (It might even be North Road) had a little face lift with this collaboration between Aspire and another artist. I haven’t yet worked out who the other artist is, but the work looks familiar.
Aspire and ? Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2016
As always, Aspire has turned out yet another superb bird, which looks like a blue jay again, to watch over us.
Aspire and ? Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2016
I am perplexed by not knowing who the writer is. If anyone reading this knows the answer, please drop me a comment.
Everything was unexpected when I visited Leake Street Tunnel recently, not least the large number of new pieces that had been created as part of the #do1cancer campaign. It would have been easy to overlook some of the other works that had been in the tunnel…except, I find it hard to overlook anything.
Hannah Adamaszek, Leake Street, London, July 2016
Having reached the end of the tunnel, I returned the way I came – it is funny how you see different things when you go in the opposite direction. High on the ceiling was this wonderful face by Hannah Adamaszek, who I have featured a couple of times recently.
Hannah Adamaszek, Leake Street, London, July 2016
There are two notable things about this work: the first is that it must have been very awkward to do…neck-breaking; the second is that depending on where you stand, the face takes on very different appearances. More great work from Hannah, who I am expecting to see at Upfest.
The hoardings at the end of Old Bread Street are one of the favoured Bristol ‘illegal’ sites for street artists. The boards have been up for some considerable time blocking off a derelict site where construction is soon to begin. This piece by Deamze was next to Sepr and Voyder works recently posted on this site.
Deamze, Old Bread Street, Bristol, June 2016
This burner by Deamze sits with other pieces he has done which are easy to read, fresh, simple and clean in appearance. Nothing particularly wildstyle here, just bright fun writing. Deamze doing his stuff.
Let me take you back a short while to a gorgeous May day, when I discovered for the first time the wonders of Devon Road. This is a place where the local community wanted to brighten up their back street and so invited some of Bristol’s street artists to paint back doors, gates and walls. The result is absolutely wonderful and this is, in my mind, one of the highlights.
Sepr, Devon Road, Bristol, May 2016
This brilliant piece by Sepr contains many of the themes he uses in his work. We have two young women playing instruments, in this instance snare drums and high-hats cast in monochrome on a delicious blue background.
Sepr, Devon Road, Bristol, May 2016
I have been holding on to this piece for a long while, keeping it close…behaving a little like Gollum. It is my ‘precious’ you see. Well sort of. Now it is out there for all to enjoy. And if you get to Devon Road, be sure to stop and enjoy this piece.
Natural adventures 