How wonderful to see a familiar Bristol artist taking up one of the semi-permanent walls at Upfest this year. The artist in question is the magnificent Kid Crayon with the first of two Upfest pieces, the other being on a temporary board in Greville Smyth Park.
Kid Crayon, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This rather rare (these days) street piece by Kid Crayon features his name in blues and pinks, nicely worked around the notice board on the wall and a beautiful cartoon-style portrait. The portrait of a silver-haired woman wearing a choker round her neck, is a fine portrait indeed and works so well with his style. The best bit is a return of a floating crayon just in front of the woman’s mouth. It is so good to see Kid Crayon hitting walls again, I only hope he finds time to keep up the momentum.
I enjoy enormously seeing street art when I am visiting other parts of the UK or other countries, but I am conflicted when it comes to writing about what I see, because invariably I know nothing about the artists. This magnificent mural by Tamara Alves is a case in point.
Tamara Alves, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
I’m not quite sure what area of Porto we were in when we saw this, but the image is a striking one with a beautiful woman wrapped in an embrace of arms and hands. Tamara Alves is a massively talented artist from Lisbon, and you can read more about her on her very nice website. This was one of several large murals we saw in Porto.
Porto is a city spanning the north and south banks of the River Douro, across which there are six remarkable bridges, each with its own unique design and purpose. Perhaps the most impressive and iconic bridge is the Luis I Bridge, designed by Theophile Seyrig, a student of Gustave Eiffel, which has a lower and upper level. The upper level is now a metro and pedestrian route and offers some of the finest views of Porto from its span. Heading north on the bridge, this impressive mural by Frederico Draw looms large on the left-hand side of the bridge.
Frederico Draw, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
I know nothing of the artist, and a quick Google search took me to his Facebook page which contained little information. As my primary focus is on Bristol street art, I will leave it to the ‘resource investigators’ among you to find out more. The piece itself is a wonderfully blended portrait, making full use of the derelict wall as a backdrop, and is certainly eye-catching from quite some distance. I love the little shrine at the bottom left of the wall too. A cracking piece by a cracking bridge in a cracking city.
Although I am well aware of the incredibly innovative work of Vhils, I have only ever seen one of his works before and that, rather weirdly, is in Exeter, which I wrote about a few years ago. Vhils has a rather interesting technique, which is to chip away at a rendered wall and ‘etch’ a portrait into the wall, providing enormous texture and depth. Some of his pieces almost look like something printed off using a dot matrix printer (remember those?).
Vhils, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
My daughter and I stumbled across this piece quite by accident while strolling along the north bank of the River Douro. At first inspection, I thought that the piece was in some way damaged on the left-hand side, but then realised it was meant to look like a tree blending with a portrait. I always wonder whether this method of ‘sculpting’ does any damage to the building, but I guess it isn’t really my concern. I believe it was created in April 2016, and has barely changed at all since then.
This post marks a small milestone in the development of Natural Adventures, being my 4,500th street art/graffiti post. I never thought that this would happen when I first set up this blog, but it is funny how things happen in the most unexpected ways. This Upfest 2022 piece is by Bjor, and is a striking and beautiful piece, a little reminiscent of some of Jody’s work.
Bjor, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
I guess the contrast between the greyscale portrait and the abstract colourful swirl of thought/imagination/soul is what makes this piece so intriguing, there is a story happening somewhere in this splash of colour.
Bjor, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
I have not seen any of Bjor’s work before (one of the joys of Upfest is seeing the work of so many artists for the first time), and it is very fine accomplished stuff. Bjor comes from Norway and his artwork, which you can see on his Facebook page, is definitely worth a look.
One of the most pleasurable parts of the new format for Upfest, was the opportunity to meet artists in the weeks before the festival weekend while they were completing their allocated walls, and none more so than Ant Carver who I also met last year. The technique and painting methods he uses means that he paints over several days, and I think I caught up with him on three separate occasions while he painted this extraordinary portrait piece.
Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The first stage to his work is creating a matrix on the wall which he photographs and then superimposes his draft onto on his mobile phone. The lines act as a grid which he uses to map out a sketch on the wall, and he can create his outlines with pin-point accuracy. I believe that the piece is one he had painted on canvass for an exhibition.
Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Ant Carver, I think, uses spray cans for some of the work, but much of it is painted with brushes. The fine detail in the piece is achieved with the brushes, something that would be difficult to achieve using spray paint alone.
Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
I have a feeling that This piece, and indeed last year’s 75 x 75 piece are about aspects of mental health. I am not too certain that Ant Carver completed the piece, because the candle doesn’t look finished to me. I’ll need to check up on that.
Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
All in all another very pleasing and special piece from Ant Carver, on a new wall for Upfest, which is in a really great spot for maximum exposure. Great work from this modest and really likeable artist.
A little while back I was contacted by Paul H, who told me to get myself down to City Road, where there was a RAW paint jam going on. I happened to be passing that way, returning home from another spot, and was very pleased that I did, as there was a bit of a street party atmosphere going on.
Jaksta, City Road, Bristol, May 2022
Food, music and a host of street artists. There was nothing not to like. The colour scheme adopted by all the artists had a kind of summer holiday theme, with lots of pink sunset stuff going on. This piece by Jaksta was one of the highlights, especially as I haven’t seen any of his work for quite a long time. Some of you might recognise the subject of the piece as Snoopdogg, and I find it amazing that Jaksta can create these slightly grotesque carton portraits with spray cans. A rare talent that he executes so well.
I am feeling a little ‘hungover’ this morning having drenched myself in a festival of street art and graffiti at Upfest over the last two days. I have almost reached saturation point, so forgive me if this post does not quite live up to any expectation.
Hazard, High Street, Bristol, May 2022
I have mentioned before that I consider Hazard to have elevated herself into the world-class category, and I don’t think it will be too long before she will be headlining at street art festivals all over the world. This enormous piece in the centre of Bristol, near Castle Park, demonstrates clearly her talent and class. The piece has been here for a little while- I was rather late to the party, and unfortunately the margins of the piece have been tagged, which is a little annoying. The early bird gets the worm.
Hazard, High Street, Bristol, May 2022
The concept is a good one, with a portrait made up of composite features in differently shaded boxes. It is a very clever and effective idea that represents many people in one portrait. I am so pleased that Hazard is getting to paint these large walls, because it is the least she deserves. Hazard also happens to be one of the most delightful artists in Bristol, always happy to have a chat, even if she isn’t quite sure exactly who she is talking to…
Upfest 2022 has begun, and the format has changed a little this year. The ‘permanent’ walls have been buffed and prepped for painting in the three weeks preceding the festival weekend, so that when people arrive for the festival, there will be a stunning array of new work completed for them to enjoy. It is possible that some H&S measures might have helped with that decision too. What it means is that for people like me, there has been ample time to capture works in progress and chat with artists from all over the UK, Europe and the world.
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This artist, however, didn’t need to travel far at all, as he lives in the same road as his artwork. Willl Cross (yes, three ‘L’s) is a fine artist (oil paintings) from Bristol whose work is truly stunning, and you can see some of it on his Instagram feed, which I strongly recommend you take a look at. This was his first effort at ‘street art’ and judging from the outcome, I sincerely hope it isn’t his last.
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
I believe the woman in the portrait is wearing Bulgarian traditional costume, and Will Cross worked hard to recreate the intricate patterns in the blouse and apron. The whole composition is full of atmosphere and depth, and brings a little bit of Eastern Europe directly into the heart of Bedminster.
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
There is so much to love about this painting. It is the work of a very talented young man who deserves recognition, and with this prominent spot is likely to get it during the Festival weekend. What a great way to introduce this year’s Upfest festival, which ill be taking place on 28 and 29 May (this coming weekend).
Erviti has done it again by landing a beautiful piece of artwork on the streets of Bristol. This stunner was painted as part of a Bristol Womxn Mural Collective paint jam in the old alleyway of Leonard Lane.
Erviti, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2022
The portrait of a woman wearing a hooded cloak is so unusual, and a real breath of fresh air on the streets of Bristol. The collective as a whole add another dimension to the street art scene, with studio artists going feral with their creative designs and different techniques. The end result adds to the huge diversity of art on the city’s streets. Erviti is leading the way with this welcome addition.
Natural adventures 