Decay is totally excelling at the moment, and it seems to me that each new piece he produces is better than the last. In the last year he has entered into a world of colour selections that might at one time have been unimaginable. This new piece is on the hoardings in North Street, curated by Upfest.
Decay, North Street, Bristol, May 2019
Not the easiest piece in the world to photograph and looking at the hazards around it, probably not the easiest to paint either. I truly believe Decay has found a new level in his work, but he needs to slow down… I’m having difficulty keeping up!
This is one of a few new pieces organised by Upfest who are curating some hoardings around a tower block on North Street. It is of course by the magnificent Silent Hobo who expertly, through his observations, chronicles contemporary youth culture in Bristol.
Silent Hobo, North Street, Bristol, May 2019
Silent Hobo has created an urban scene that looks a lot like the DIY skate park under the M32, although it is fairly generic and could portray any urban flyover. He has captured mood and movement in this piece and is beating the drum for this great city. It was a difficult piece to photograph because it is behind a fence, and I was on my toes, arms at full extension, which would explain why the edges are a little cut-off. Such a fine piece.
On North Street some hoardings have recently been erected around a tower block, which is either due to be renovated or demolished, I am not too sure which. Anyhow the hoardings look like they will be staying for a while, and Upfest are curating them, which means that they will probably remain in reasonably good condition and be reserved for selected artists.
Sepr, North Street, Bristol, May 2019
This piece is by the fabulous Sepr and features a lady with a cat and some mischievous looking mice. The grayscale piece is punctuated with a little pink on the cat and the woman’s mouth… I have no idea what is going on with the pink but it looks good. I admire greatly Sepr’s clean retro style and never tire of the humorous scenes he creates.
I just don’t get to see enough of Lemak’s wonderful and complex stencils. Much of his work is studio work, but occasionally we get lucky and he takes to the streets. This outstanding piece is painted on the double doors that played host to Dr Love at Upfest 2018, and more recently to the gorgeous lips of Muckrock.
Lemak, North Street, Bristol, February 2019
This work features a space scene in which two astronauts, dressed in pink and blue respectively are sharing a rather awkward space hug, in which their helmets kind of get in the way. The rest of the wall is decorated with fabulous starscapes and neon oriental letters.
Lemak, North Street, Bristol, February 2019
Zoom in a little closer to the astronauts and you get a sense of just how outstandingly good this stencil is, in which the fabric of the space suits has extraordinary texture.
perhaps this is a projection of our future where the air can no longer sustain us and we’ll all be wearing such suits.
This is a beautiful, beautiful piece.
Muckrock, North Street, Bristol, December 2018Dr. Love, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Happy Christmas folks – a special one for you today…
I have known about this piece for a little while, but just not had the space to get all the way down to the far end of North Street to photograph it until a couple of weeks ago. It is by the extraordinarily talented Muckrock who visited Bristol back in September this year. She was given permission to paint this by Upfest who curate this spot. It had been the site of the Dr Love piece from Upfest which sadly had been badly tagged.
Muckrock, North Street, Bristol, December 2018
Since I have been aware of Muckrock through this piece and a spectacular one she painted at Dean Lane skatepark, I have followed her on Instagram. OMG she is good, and I think I might be a little bit in love with her talent. It is a pity she lives in America, but I guess it makes her trip to Bristol all the more special.
Muckrock, North Street, Bristol, December 2018
I absolutely love this GIRL POWER mouth which has so much attitude about it. There is much to admire in the artwork…the creases, shadows and shiny reflections on the lips and teeth. I would love her to come back to the city – maybe for Upfest 2019 (Please).
Whoops! a slightly wonkey picture of a beautiful shutter piece by Vanesa Longchamp on North Street. This was one of two Upfest pieces by the artist that I had not come across before the festival. Looking at digital social media, you can see how popular her work is and it is easy to understand why.
Vanesa Longchamp, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
I love it when artists do more than one piece at the festival, especially when one of them is likely to have some permanence. Like her other piece, this is a beauty which oozes class. While the lines and concept are straightforward, the execution and USP are stamped all over it. We wwere lucky to see two of her works this year.
I can’t think for the life of me why it has taken me so long to post this piece. Not only is it a really great piece, it is also signed by the artist so no excuses. It is by 3rdeye, a Bristol based artist whose Upfest 2018 piece I recently posted.
3rdeye, North Street, Bristol, January 2016
This is a different take on his monsters than I am used to, being quite structured and symmetrical, where normally they are quite organic. I think the symmetry works perfectly on this set of doors. A lovely old one (January 2016) sees the light of day.
To kick of the third set of ten posts from Upfest 2018 is this magnificent piece by the brilliant artist Annatomix. I have seen a few of her pieces and I have to say the more I see of them, the more I like them.
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
This piece was on a new wall for 2018, which it suited perfectly, in a little garden space behind an arched gateway on North Street. I wrote a haiku about this gateway some time ago.
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
I managed to have a quick chat with Annatomix during one of the several showers on the Saturday, and I think she was worried about getting behind schedule with the piece. It was such a pity that it rained during Upfest, especially as it was in the middle of a heatwave.
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The choice of subject, a kingfisher, and the stunning colours – thanks largely to the kingfisher itself – was absolutely perfect for this space. Her origami style of painting is so clever and really attractive – a kind of abstract take on wildlife.
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
I think it would be nice to keep this as a permanent wall, but I don’t know it that is likely to happen – best to enjoy it while it is there I guess. Bravo Annatomix – one of the festival highlights.
This stunning piece from Piet Rodriguez was one of the first I saw at this year’s Upfest and it set the bar very high indeed. Some readers might recognise this site from a recent ‘Thursday doors‘ post on this blog…what a vast improvement this make-over has made.
Piet Rodriguez, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Piet Rodriguez is a French artist who was raised in Brussels, and a quick look at his website gives you an idea of what an accomplished artist he is. I gather from his biography in the Upfest porgramme that he only took up the spray can in 2015, which surely is a good thing for all of us.
Piet Rodriguez, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
This was not the only piece that Piet Rodriguez did at Upfest, and I will post his smaller board from South Street park at a later date. I think I am a fan.
A wonderful collaboration between Paul Monsters and Loch Ness that has been hiding away in my archive for such a very long time. Too good to leave there, especially as I owe my debut piece to these two, Paul for all his unvelievable work on Upfest and Loch Ness for giving me my lesson in spray painting.
Paul Monsters and Loch Ness, North Street Green, July 2015
It is rare to see a piece by Paul Monsters these days that isn’t some kind of geometric design, and Loch Ness too has developed his technique and is favouring larger pieces these days. The two still collaborate, and I expect to see them both hard at work at Upfest.
I am writing this in advance, but by my estimate this post should be out the day before Upfest begins.
Europe’s largest street art festival begins in Bristol tomorrow, and I am (will be) beside myself with excitement. Time to prep cameras and make sure all batteries are powered up to the max. I’ll start to post images from the festival as soon as I am able, but regular followers will know that it take me about 9 months or so to work through them.
Natural adventures 