Tag: Stencil

1057. Bristol Museum

For a short while, this incredible piece by Banksy, could be viewed in Bristol Museum. For a shorter time still (hours) it could be viewed in Clement Street, on a door where it was sprayed. The ownership of the work was hotly disputed between Bristol City Council and Broad Plains Boys’ Club and the furore that it caused (see this BBC news story), not uncommon with Banksy pieces, somewhat overshadowed the utter brilliance of the the work, entitled ‘Mobile Lovers’.

Banksy, Bristol Museum, Bristol, May 2014
Banksy, Bristol Museum, Bristol, May 2014

I saw this piece in the museum sometime before I started posting about street art, and sadly I only have this single iPhone image (is there something ironic there?). The title has a double meaning and the piece, not only brilliantly executed, is a fabulous commentary on our modern lifestyle and love-affair with mobile technology. This is absolutely one of my favourite pieces by Banksy, and it is such a pity that it now sits on the wall of somebody who can afford it. I firmly believe street art is for all, but when it carries such a high value as Banksy pieces do, this is what happens.

1053. The Bearpit (94)

I am really enjoying the direction that Lemak is taking his work in at the moment, and even better, he is pasting up his fragmented stencils in The Bearpit. I am not sure exactly how he produces these works, but I think they start with stencil work followed by a printing process before finally being pasted up.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

This particular magnificent piece can be found on one of the staircases leading down into The Bearpit from the northern side. It is a sophisticated portrait of a girl wearing a native North American headdress, part in sepia and part in colour. The segments are arranged on the wall, and our brain fills in the gaps so that we see the full piece when we look at it.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

I cannot really express how much I like this piece and the original art Lemak is turning out at the moment. Well worth a trip to The Bearpit.

1049. Upfest 2017 (67)

RTC is a stencil artist who is based in Cheltenham, so not a million miles away from Bristol…in street art terms, he is pretty much a local. This is a fine multi-layered stencil featuring Guardians of the Galaxy characters Groot and Rocket Raccoon. It is a clever technical piece from this self-taught artist…there is hope for uas all.

RTC, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
RTC, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This piece has a photorealistic appearance which is amll the more remarkable for being a stencil. I have not seen any of RTC’s wortk before, but will be looking out for him in the future.

1042. Upfest 2017 (65)

Pahnl were the selected festival artists for Upfest 2017, which meant that they had to work twice as hard as any of the other artists. They provided the visuals for the programme, map and other publicity material and they produced two stencils to advertise the upcoming event, previously covered in this blog.

Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Their work consists of beautifully designed stylized figures, looking a bit like they have marched off a corporate logo portfolio, set in various, often witty scenes. The work is very time consuming, as each element is stencilled onto the overall scene.

Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The effect is a world of colourful small designs interacting with each other and the viewer. Something about the figures reminds me a bit of Play Mobil figures.

Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This wall, alongside the ‘Hen and Chicken’ was the first of two ambitious pieces by Pahnl which at various times saw them valiantly spraying under plastic sheeting cowering from the rain. There are loads of individual pirate stories going on here involving these little people.

Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Clean it up

 

Going for a walk?

the message is loud and clear,

clean up doggy poop.

 

by Scooj

1008. Upfest 2017 (46)

At Upfest, I am always rather fond of these small square boards that give artists the opportunity to showcase their work. I am guessing that they might also be able to sell these small pieces, but I am not sure. This witty piece is by Mr Bear, who produced this lovely Baloo work at last year’s festival.

Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

There are quite a few fun things going on here, although I really don’t know what the word ‘bacon’ is doing in the ‘Hello my name is’ badge. This is a really goos multi-layered stencil from that nice Mr Bear. Would be great to see him return again next time.

988. The Bearpit (87)

On the north steps dropping down into The Bearpit there is this wonderful new piece from Lemak. It is a wheatpaste of a complex multi-layered stencil. I love the original work Lemak is producing at the moment, confining partial images within geometric shapes, with much of the image hidden beyond the confines of the boundaries, leaving much to the imagination.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

It is a piece that is in a similar vein to the one he produced for Upfest this year (to follow). I am sure that many busy pedestrians miss this, as they trundle into The Bearpit buried in their thoughts or mobile phones. It is a little bit camouflaged by all the scrawls and tags around it, and only seems to jump out at you once you have spotted it.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

Another fine piece from the brilliant Lemak.

984. Upfest 2017 (37)

One of my favourite artists from Upfest 2016 was DinDin who produced this official piece and left a couple of wheatpastes in the Moon Street area of Stokes Croft before she left Bristol. This year she excelled with this beautiful stencil featuring a street dancer in what looks like a fairly stark wasteland.

DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This piece really stands out and catches the eye. What I found interesting as well was how different the piece looked in the overcast conditions and then in the bright sunlight. Maybe this is an artifact of how cameras work, but the difference is remarkable.

DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I think that DinDin got her work done quickly this year – I think she must have seen the forecast – so I didn’t get to meet her, which is a pity because I realy do like her work very much.

 

970. Upfest 2017 (30)

The artist who created this piece has an interesting and colourful background. I will quote the profile from the Upfest programme:

‘Lapiz started wheat pasting in the streets of New Zealand after moving there from South Africa where he had worked in HIV research. The immense cultural shock proved to be a source of inspiration but needed a vent which was and still is street art. While living in Buenos Aires the many murals inspired him to paint his thought provoking stencils on a large scale.’

H

This piece for Upfest is challenging, but also beautiful. Split into three colour sections the whole piece presents as slightly menacing…balaclavas are always menacing…but also witty and very skilfully composed. I like this one a lot, and it really stood out.

UPDATE (7 September 2017) – following an instagram exchange, Lapiz shared a description of the piece as follows:

Female #nipples still have to be covered in public or the internet. But when it is a painting they usually aren’t. But what happens if you paint one of the best known statue of a woman, the #venus of milo as she was a real person including the nipples. And how would the spectator react. That is what i did for #upfest2017 a #streetartfestival with thousands of visitors. The only way to do it, is to use a ridiculous amount of highly detailed stencils. The body has 9 layers, the toga 7. The pink beanie was done so she looks like a member of #pussyriot just to push the viewer into the right direction. What do you think?

956. Upfest 2017 (22)

A great thing about Upfest is that it gives us all the chance to see emerging local artists and it gives those young artists some great exposure. Lisa Allen is a Bristol artist who started to create urban art only last year, and here we have a stencil piece with a pop art feel to it and the surrounding decorations give it something of a 1980s touch.

Lisa Allen, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Lisa Allen, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

A bright and witty piece which makes good use of the metre square format. I very much look forward to seeing more of her work on the streets of Bristol – perhaps as more ‘legal’ walls are created.