Tag: North Street

783 North Street Savana (1)

A little while ago Frankie Beane posted a piece by Telmo Miel which was absolutely stunning. We had a short exchange of comments, and I looked into whether or not Telmo Miel had been to Bristol for Upfest. It turns out they have been a couple of times before, the last of which was in 2015. It also just so happens that I photographed their shutter piece not knowing who they were, and only now am I able to share it.

Talmo and Miel, North Street, Bristol, June 2016
Talmo and Miel, North Street, Bristol, June 2016

Telmo Miel is/are two artists who paint as one. This was the Dutch duo’s biography from the Upfest website:

‘Telmo Pieper and Miel Krutzmann are the names behind Telmo Miel artistic machinery. Telmo Pieper was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands where he graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy. He is a creator, image maker and a contemporary graffiti artist. Miel Krutzmann also received his degree from the Academy in Rotterdam, and he is a mural painter and illustrator, who started drawing as a child and never stopped. Together, they share a fascination for (sur)realistic imagery and are currently making life-sized wall paintings using spray-paint all over the globe.’

I hope they return soon as their work is actually rather good.

 

 

765. North Street shop front

Whenever I go out looking for street art and graffiti I always live in hope that I might find an artist at work, and this meeting with Copyright and Paul Monsters and indeed Gemma Compton who was just there (she and Copyright are married), signalled the start of something of a purple patch for me meeting artists. I don’t know if it is luck or what, but it is always great to stop and have a chat.

Copyright and Paul Monsters, North Street, Bristol, April 2017
Copyright and Paul Monsters, North Street, Bristol, April 2017

This is a really amazing collaboration between the two, Copyright’s beautiful women’s faces and the geometry of Paul Monster’s colourful patterns complement each other perfectly. I happen to know at the time of writing that they have worked together again since, because I found them again…more on this one some other time.

Copyright and Paul Monsters, North Street, Bristol, April 2017
Copyright and Paul Monsters, North Street, Bristol, April 2017

Paul doesn’t get out to spray much these days because he is working flat out with Upfest the organising team in their office in North Street. If you take a look at the list of artists for the 2017 festival, you have Paul to thank, as he put it all together.

Copyright and Paul Monsters, North Street, Bristol, April 2017
Copyright and Paul Monsters, North Street, Bristol, April 2017
Copyright and Paul Monsters, North Street, Bristol, April 2017
Copyright and Paul Monsters, North Street, Bristol, April 2017

680. North Street Hoarding (7)

This is one I have held on to for a long time, and I did so because it is a really great piece. I hadn’t published it because the artist,  Shab, has only recently come onto my radar. Of course, I am now finding his work everywhere…that seems to be the way of things.

Shab, North Street, Bristol, September 2015
Shab, North Street, Bristol, September 2015

This piece was from Upfest 2015, and managed to remain for quite some time. There are still some remnants of it there today, just. I really love this piece and the way Shab captures the figures. There is a touch of what looks like an African influence going on. A firm favourite.

656. North Street hoarding (6)

It seems like these hoardings have been here on North Street for years…because I think they have been. This is of course ok, because it presents graffiti artists with plenty of space to do their work.  This particular niche is a favourite for John D’oh and RIP, and here we have a philosophical piece from the latter.

RIP, North Street, Bristol, January 2017
RIP, North Street, Bristol, January 2017

The statement, positioned next to a heart reads ‘With all the battering it’s taken I’m surprised it’s still ticking’. Perhaps this lets on something about the artist’s lifestyle. I do like RIP’s work. Never too snazzy or complicated, usually a single layer stencil and often lighthearted or political. A vibrant member of SSOSVA.

600. North Street No. 173

A turkey isn’t just for Christmas…or on second thoughts a turkey is just for Christmas, apart from this one by Andy Council on North Street in Bedminster.

Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017

This colourful shutter piece gives us what we expect from Andy Council; an animal form created from architectural ‘blocks’ and local icons, in this example Concord forming the crest of the bird. Instantly recognisable, his works encourage close inspection to figure out all the micro-stories going on in the piece.

Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017

Sorry about the bins in this one – I guess I should have moved the one on the right of the picture, but I feel it is good to see these things in their context sometimes.

593. Upfest 2016 (87)

Jody is no stranger to the streets of Bristol and I have featured works of his before, most recently this Virgin Mary just off North Street. He was one of the established Bristol artists at last year’s Upfest and took over a tricky wall that had previously been occupied by Osch and his tiger.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I watched this piece by Jody take shape over the two days of the festival, and visited the scene a few days later to get a decent view of the piece. It is absolutely stunning. Clean, fresh and with a story going on.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This wall, however, must be the most difficult to photograph of all the walls used at Upfest. Try as I might, I just don’t seem to be able to get a decent shot. I notice that Jody took one from the top of the building opposite, but not all of us are fortunate enough to get such a privileged view.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I do like this piece, and admire it every time I walk up North Street. A great piece by the self-styled ‘aerosol artist’.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

 

588. Upfest 2016 (82)

OK, I know, I just posted a piece by Face the Strange, and here we have another one. I have done this deliberately because I think that each of them deserves a post to themself. Occasionally I will combine pieces by the same artist, but mostly I like to concentrate on each work. It just so happens that there are two by FTS in a row.

Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July2016

I love this small paste up. It could have been easily missed, lurking on a doorway behind a tub of recycling. But take a closer look at this TV set and you will see that there is a still from ‘a Clockwork Orange’ and in the spirit of things, FTS has replaced the heads of the characters with oranges wearing bowler hats. Any artistic reference to this great film has to be a good thing. This wheatpaste is witty and fun, and the style of FTS’s work is always slightly unsettling and anarchic. Great work.

587. Upfest 2016 (81)

Face the Strange seemed to have a great time at Upfest 2016, spreading the love all over North Street with a fine selection of his wheatpastes, each one of them curiouas and humorous.

Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This one seems to show four red-shirted gentlemen with projector or television tubes for heads. Nobody said that peculiar wasn’t allowed at Upfest, so Face the Strange has provided it in bucket-loads. A commentary on techno-geek-physics-heads? Reminds me a little of Kraftwerk, remember them?

 

578. North Street Green (5)

Gemma Compton’s work is rather special, usually incorporating wildlife and in particular insects and birds. In this beautiful example she has created a series of hawk moths (death’s head?) laid out in a pattern, with her customary blue and white background.

Gemma Compton, North Street, Bristol, November 2016
Gemma Compton, North Street, Bristol, November 2016

The piece almost feels like a study or looks like something from a scientific collection. The moths are inanimate and objects to be admired, rather than thriving living insects. Another facet of her work is her great drips in this case as a sort of back wash.

Gemma Compton, North Street, Bristol, November 2016
Gemma Compton, North Street, Bristol, November 2016

The piece I posted at Wapping Wharf recently also has one of these moths and copious drips. I think both were created at around the same time. What is not to like about her magnificent work?

572. North Street Green (4)

This is a special wall just off North Street, opposite the Upfest shop. The wall is a bit like the PRSC outdoor gallery, in that it is a place where street artists can show off their great works in the near certainty that it will not get tagged. The wall is respected.

Jody, North Street Green, Bristol, January 2017
Jody, North Street Green, Bristol, January 2017
Jody created this free hand piece of the Virgin Mary just before Christmas and had to battle with the elements whilst doing it, according to his Instagram feed. I think it was well worth the effort

The colours used are reminiscent of those he used to paint the hands and moth, further along North Street last year. There is something about this colour combination that is difficult to photograph, there is quite a lot of reflection, which you don’t get with the naked eye. The point being that the photographs don’t do it justice. It is a beautiful and spiritual piece, like much of his work. All good.