486. Upfest 2016 (60)

You just have to love a picture of a chimpanzee in a space suit, and if you don’t, then leave this post immediately. Interestingly this is not the first such simian astronaut I have written about, Zase and Dekor sprayed one some time ago near Eastville.

Achim Szabo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Achim Szabo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The artist of this chimp is Achim Szabo, a German artist who works out of Stuttgart. A look at his website shows you the incredible range of styles he adopts, and of course he isn’t restricted to walls, he can work in watercolours, design and digital as well. It seems that so many street artists have this broad set of skills. I wonder which branch of their work they enjoy the most.

Achim Szabo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Achim Szabo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

In this piece, I particularly like the rough style that has been used to create it, almost a sketch, and it is topped off by the yellow banana. Lovely work.

446. Jamaica Street (7)

Cheba is fast growing a national profile and seems to be in demand for painting his large cosmic spacescapes all over the place. This is one of his amazing creations from back in April this year.

Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2016
Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2016

Nobody else does these space pictures quite as well as Cheba, he has really mastered the technique and gives us something to marvel at. This particular piece is one of my favourites, but I don’t think it lasted long before being badly tagged. I’m just pleased that I managed to snap it before it was ruined. It was painted on the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft outdoor gallery.

Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2016
Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2016

Check out the grey-haired skater!

428. Jamaica Street (6)

Directly opposite the Stokes Croft open air gallery is a house which received an unusual makeover by Cheba a few months back. The building was badly tagged and getting a bit grotty, but the unusual pink stellar Cheba work kind of put an end to that.

China Girl Tile, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2016
China Girl Tile, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2016

I have walked past the mural many times but only very recently become aware of the brightly coloured ceramic pony above the window. It is by China Girl Tile, and so incredibly kitcsh that it is just bloody brilliant. Small and unnoticed by most passers-by it really made me laugh when I saw it.

China Girl Tile and Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2016
China Girl Tile and Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2016

This is almost certainly an ‘extra’ left behind by China Girl Tile after installing her brilliant foxes for Upfest in July. It also works so well with Cheba’s pink ‘number’. So utterly worth seeking out.

427. Stokes Croft, The Full Moon

This large work has been here for well over a year now, but I simply haven’t got round to sharing it until now. Cheba is making something of a name for himself with painting these large scale, full building interstellar galactic murals.

Cheba, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2016
Cheba, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2016

This particular piece is a bit of a landmark at the centre of a cultural hub in Bristol. Cheba produces these amazing works and he produces them so very well. His technique is recognisable and I would say ‘best in class’ of this king of work.

Cheba, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2016
Cheba, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2016

I recently saw another large piece by Cheba in Camden Town, not dissimilar to this one. Of course I will write about it one day…maybe in a light year or two.