Tag: Stencil

1068. Moon Street (37)

Moon Street has an ecclectic hotchpotch of tags, throw ups, stencils, tiles, paste ups and pieces, which is probably why I like it so much. Sometimes you have to look quite hard for things and this is a good example of that. This tile by RIP is secured quite high up on a wall, and could be easily missed.

RIP, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2017
RIP, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2017

The tile is of a stencil piece of a woman’s face looking like she is from the 1920s or 1930s. Unfortunately there is a bit of light reflection on the tile, but it is a fun piece nonetheless. I think the tile went up around the time of Upfest, when RIP was in town.

1063. Upfest 2017 (75)

These are two really beautiful pieces that I wish I’d spent more time looking at during my walk around North Street Green at Upfest. Each of them is calming and serene, and they make a fine pair. I am not sure if the co-location was by accident or by design, but it works very well.

Paintily, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Paintily, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The left hand side is by Paintily, a Bristol-based artist originally from Brighton. There is something about this stencil that I like a lot, and the stripes on the face of the girl finish the piece off beautifully. I have not seen any of her work before, but would love to see her take her work to the streets.

Taina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Taina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The right hand side is by Taina, and has the feel of a children’s book illustration. Such a simple idea and so beautifully painted, there is a whole story unfolding here, and one I want to know more about.  Taina is a Swiss-Finnish artist based in Zurich whose work I think I could very well fall in love with. A quick look at this website might give you an insight as to why I like her work so much. I definitely want her to return next year.

Paintily and Taina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Paintily and Taina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

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.