1451. The Bearpit (138)

I bee W is an artist I admire very much. I first met him at Upfest 2016, and knew of his work before that, but this is the first time I have written about him, which surely can’t be right. His intricate stencils are often set on reasonably plain backgrounds, which brings out the central subject.

I bee W, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
I bee W, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018

This ‘pigs might fly’ piece was created during the Spring paint jam in The Bearpit and I think carries a message, but I am not entirely sure whether it is connected to the clampdown on graffiti in The Bearpit or not.

I bee W, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
I bee W, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018

It is a nice composition and contrasts well with the surrounding graffiti, helping it to stand out. It is like a gallery piece, and I like that.

591. Upfest 2016 (85)

One of the first pieces I saw at Upfest 2016 was in the back garden area of The Steam Crane pub at the eastern end of North Street. These remarkable pigs are by brothers who paint under the name Id-Iom.

Id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
Id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July2016

Their entry in the Upfest programme reads: “In a nutshell? Determined never again to suffer under the yoke of an oppressive employer, this is the ongoing tale of two brothers who are going to take the world by storm or die trying!”. Well you have to admire their ambition.

Id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
Id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July2016

Id-Iom have a great WordPress site, and unlike many artists, they keep it very up to date and post their artworks regularly. Well worth a look. I can work out that they might originally be from the Isla of Man, but now operate out of London.

Id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
Id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July2016

The pigs in this piece remind me of Animal Farm, but that is probably because it is a book that is very front of mind for me at the moment. It is a brilliantly stencilled wall and a piece that really set the standard for Upfest.

Id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
Id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July2016