Well these two seem to have come out of hibernation, and this is one of two recent collaborations between Soge and Hire. These two are both Polish artists who have adopted Bristol as their home and have been collaborating for a few years now.
Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
On the left is a fine and rather complex piece of writing by Soge, which does actually spell out SOGE although it is highly disguised. His style is like a kind of organic Gothic and seems to be from the same school as Hire and quite unusual for Bristol. Long thin sections of lettering with sharp points, this is technically very difficult and brilliantly executed.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
On the right is one of Hire’s trademark rabbits which are altogether more ‘street’ and sinister than the rather cuddly rabbits painted by fellow countryman Nevergiveup. There is a lot of menace in this rabbit – not one I’d like to meet on a dark night – and you can see how the fur, all pointy, reflects the style in Soge’s writing. These two would seen to enjoy each other’s company and it is a pleasure to see them back out and painting again.
Nightwayss is on fire, not literally of course, that would be mad. His work is appearing all over the place, and not necessarily just in the more common spots. This intriguing piece is sandwiched between Face 1st and Panskaribas and depicts a monkey sitting on a bathroom sink looking in a mirror.
Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
I think this is brilliant and tells a story which I would like to know a lot more about. why is the monkey there is the first place? Is it metaphorical? Why is the reflection a different colour? I love this piece, there is something magical about it.
These philosophical musings are a positive force on the streets of Bristol, and #DFTE has introduced an original way of presenting them. The picture frames give a sense of value and permanence to his words which without them would certainly be dismissed as graffiti/tagging.
#DFTE, North Street, Bristol, June 2019
‘Be good to yourself for no reason’ seems like sound advice to me and surely contributes to the positive mindfulness revolution supporting mental health. Perhaps #DFTE should be sponsored by the NHS to do this work nationally! I like the simple full caps font and slightly random orientation of his letters. From a communications perspective (it is my job after all) we would normally advise against any written communication using full caps as it is significantly more difficult to read, and often comes across as shouting, but the font he uses is soft and works well.
This is an interesting piece by Decay along the M32 cycle path that uses minimal colours to great effect. Looking at his work recently has brought us on a bit of an adventure, crossing over from his abstract work into his writing, while retaining his little character ‘Chuck’ throughout. This piece almost feels like it is a reversion back to the abstract, even though it does spell out DECAY.
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Decay has been incredibly prolific this year and has also teamed up regularly with other artists including Rezwonk and Nightwayss. It is interesting how artists build up these paint friendships which seem to be more linked to their personalities than their styles (take SPZero76 and Kid Crayon of the Eat crew for example).
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
It would appear that Decay has recently joined the LRS Krew (Last Radical Souls) who seem to be a loosely connected global crew who write the LRS everywhere. Here is his contribution (which is rather classier than many of the others on their Instagram feed) which he painted adjacent to the piece above. Always great work from Decay.
I guess I have been posting pieces by Diced Mango since the beginning of the year and I can honestly say that I think that this is his best piece yet. On one of the tunnel entrances (the Easton swimming pool side) he has found the perfect spot to show the piece off.
Diced Mango, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, June 2019
I think that he has absolutely nailed the flames effect and his colour selections work really well. He has really developed his technique in such a short space of time, and it is easy to chart his improvement. I’m looking forward to seeing where it all goes.
It is great to see Mr Draws back out and enjoying himself. This is a really colourful piece (gone already I’m afraid) that kind of reminds me a little of birthday party wrapping paper. The letters DREW, a corruption of Draws, are connected with some kind of tubing that looks a little like a worm.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
What you see is what you get with Mr Draws. There is nothing pretentious about his work and he has developed a style that is all his own. If you are looking for perfect geometric lines or clever 3D shading, then probably best to look elsewhere. I lioke his work because of its authenticity and honesty – rare commodities just at the moment. Brought a smile to my face.
My oh my! Nick Harvey, who paints his street art under the name Kin Dose, has created something very special indeed for Upfest’s Summer Editions project. Although it is a pity that there is no festival this year, there has been ample compensation in the form of these ‘special’ pieces spread across the city, with more to come over the summer.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
I knew that Kin Dose was painting a piece, so took the opportunity to go down and watch him work for a while. I have been an admirer of his work for a few years now, ever since I first became aware of him – it was his cat with black eyes at the Carriageworks that first captivated me. It is so good to be able to watch an artist at work and Kin Dose was sketching out the piece the first time I saw it. I asked him quite a few questions (probably too many) and was able to find out quite a lot about him and his work.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
He came to Bristol a few years ago and had been known as both Kin and Dose, so combined both to give him his current street name. He used to do a lot of stencils, but said he has become a bit tired of them and no longer enjoys the fiddly cutting element of the technique. Recently he has been doing a lot more photorealistic stuff, and this one must surely be the jewel in the crown.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
He explained that he perfected his technique through using air brushes to create these photorealistic pieces, and he also uses a lot of cardboard cut out shapes to mask areas and create sharp, clean lines. I asked if that was cheating and he said absolutely not, which made me feel a lot better, because I have been using card to create straight lines on my own rudimentary efforts.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
The piece took about five or six days to complete, and it is amazing to see how a sketched out blur can turn into something quite magnificent. The piece is almost two paintings in one, the girl’s face and the tiger brought together on a cosmic backdrop.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
I’m not too sure what the piece is telling us, but I suspect it is something to do with a connection with nature. The tiger’s head is really stunning and holds a captivating expression. His technique is remarkable, it is almost impossible to understand how he gets such fine detail into the fur and whiskers.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
Another triumph for Upfest, and anotherr great addition to Kin Dose’s impressive portfolio.
Well I have been very late to the party on this one. It is a magnificent mosaic piece depicting that once ubiquitous video game ‘Space Invaders’ by Angus. I believe it has been here for quite some time. Having looked at the piece on social media, I think that the background has faded quite significantly from its original dark sky blue.
Angus, Bath Road, Bristol, June 2019
I very rarely drive down this road, and I stumbled upon this and another couple of pieces in this spot by complete accident. It is funny, but it doesn’t seem to matter how much you hunt around in this city, there are always surprises waiting around every corner. I am a big fan of Angus and love his versatility and can-do attitude. Great fun nostalgic piece.
It is the simplicity of Face 1st’s work that I am drawn to. It is unpretentious but full of joy and beauty – uplifting. This modest piece in a copper colour was neatly tacked onto the end of the long wall at Dean Lane skate park. I don’t think it lasted very long, but then nothing here does last very long.
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
I find this one particularly pleasing on the eye, the lines are good and proportions fantastic and the colour combination works very well. One of the features to look out for in his pieces is the ‘ƒƒ’ signature, often placed on the hair of his beauties. I love this piece.
Painted during a bit of a paint-jam down on the cycle path a couple of weeks back, this is a nice bit of writing from Bristol-based artist Hypo. I have only seen a couple of his pieces from Upfest before, so it is great to see something beyond that ‘safe’ environment.
Hypo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
The writing is quite unusual with large spaces between the letters. If his name wasn’t so obviously part of this piece I think I would have difficulty in identifying it, as it isn’t like the other pieces I am more familiar with. Nice though.
Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Natural adventures 