Now here is something of a rarity, a piece of street art by Smak, rather than the graffiti writing we normally associate him with. Smak is an accomplished artist as well as writer as this piece from Upfest 2016 amply demonstrates.
Smak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I think this piece is depicting the Gorgon Medusa with her snake locks and stare that turns all who gaze upon her to stone. I think that if the piece had not been signed I would have really struggled to recognise it as a Smak piece. Really great to see something different from this Bristol-based artist.
I think this was the first time I saw anything by Hypo, but I think I might have been somewhat overwhelmed by the anti-May work by Peter Sheridan next to it that this piece passed me by a little. I am glad that I have had time to reflect and dig it out of archive.
Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I have noticed that Hypo likes to work with a vanishing point in the middle of his work, so that all 3D shading gravitates to the centre. I like the reasonably straightforward graff writing of this piece especially the splashes of white on the corners. At the bottom he recognises Mixie, Expo and Ulow as well as himself. A nice Upfest piece…below is his offering from 2017.
Carl Kenz is a German artist who seems to incorporate tentacles into most of his work. In this tribute to Andy Worhol he offers a slightly different take on the Campbell’s soup tin with a new variety – tentacle soup (fresh ‘n’ alive) overflowing with movement and activity.
Carl Kenz, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
As well as his tentacle work, it appears that Carl Kenz is also rather ford of 3D art and there are several interesting pieces on his streetart.com website. I love this piece, which really leaps out at you and is full of mischief and fun.
Yet another notable omission from my Upfest 2016 posts is this extraordinary piece by Manchester’s brilliant duo, Nomad Clan. It looks a little bit like a dystopian future piece and bristles with menace and potential violence.
Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This would have been the first time I saw these two painting or indeed was conscious of their work, although at the time I was not conscious of their work…if that makes sense. It is amazing to think what a successful few years they have had.
Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The piece is sprayed on the fake train carriage that is rolled out at Upfest each year, which is a nice touch from the organisers. The only downside to it is that it is surrounded by fences, presumably to stop people from sitting on the ledge and getting in the way of the artists.
Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This is a great looking piece with loads of attitude and a bit of as story gong on in.
A rare treat indeed, getting to see John D’oh in action at Upfest 2016 finishing off his five piece stencil. How on earth can this have languished in my archive for so long? I just don’t understand it. It is great to use this trawl to share it with you now.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The theme of the piece is getting connected, or at least that is how it comes across. John D’oh tells us in his recent book that the piece features friends of his to whom he pitched the idea of them talking into cans with the string between them spelling out his name. It seems to have worked out well.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The way that John D’oh frames these pieces makes them look a little bit like a cheesy girl’s comic from the 1970s, like Jackie (I only know this because my sister had a subscription). Kevin Bacon I think is included because of his links to the EE advertising campaign which has been running for a few years now.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Rounding things off is a sublime stencil of the wonderful Jeff Knight, my local Big Issue seller. An all round excellent Upfest piece.
When I saw this back in 2016 I was still at the early stages of learning about the street art scene in Bristol (in fact I am still learning every day) and I knew little about the RAW crew and the artists constituting it. While it is obvious that the character on the right is by Jaksta (the medallion gives this away) the writing is less obvious.
Jaksta and Ware?, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
It looks like the letters say WARE to me, but here I am showing my ignorance because I don’t know the artist at all. The writing is beautifully executed and I love the musical notes sitting on the midway line on the blue letters. A really nice piece of street art for the festival.
Going back through my pictures from Upfest 2016 I am left a little puzzled by some of the pieces that I failed to post. This work by Diff looks rather like a studio study as much as it does a piece of street art. A silhouetted woman wearing a bowler hat surrounded by pink yellow and white bubbles.
Diff, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Although not necessarily one of Diff’s best pieces, there is an air of grace about it and some care and attention to detail has gone in to the bubbles, especially where they overlap.
The big news for 2019 is that there will be no Upfest this year, the organisers have decided to have a fallow year to regroup and hit 2020 with renewed vigour. What this means is that I might be able to catch up a little on Upfest pieces passim that still need writing up. I am starting this batch of 2016 pieces with work from, I think, Douglas Trodge.
Douglas Trodge, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I have looked all over the Interweb, but I cannot find a Douglas Trodge, so am unable to write anything further of any use here. The two cartoon portraits are rather unusual and certainly memorable… way too good to sit in my archive forever.
Douglas Trodge, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I might have to do a little more research on this piece.
Street art is a mysterious beast and manages to catch me out consistently. I don’t know how long Panskaribas has been spraying in Bristol, but having not been aware of his work only a few months ago, I now seem to come across it on a really regular basis. Either there has been a mental block or gap on my part, or Panskaribas has only recently moved to Bristol or started spraying walls.
Panskaribas, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2019
Whatever the reason for this heightened presence of Panskaribas, in my view, it is a good thing. I like his characters with faces sketched out in a cartoon doodle style. There is a simplicity to his work that is oddly sophisticated and I am looking forward to learning more.
It is such a pleasure to come across something new in Bristol, and visiting artists are always very welcome. This is an easy piece to miss, as it is on one of the ramps at Dean Lane skate park which is easy to walk past while focussing on the larger walls behind. The stencil of Kurt Cobain (from a photo shoot for a hat retailer) is by Cartoonneros, an Argentinian artist who appears to reside in London, judging from his Instagram posts.
Cartoonneros, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2018
Although I have pictures of his work from my London trips, I haven’t yet posted anything by him… but finding this one in Bristol recently might be just the prompt I was looking for to post his London stuff. The stencil itself is nicely composed with a basic black outline and areas coloured to bring the whole thing to life.
Cartoonneros, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2018
The style reminds me a little of Bristol’s Hoax, but only a little. I am so pleased with this find, especially as any art sprayed onto skate walls become scuffed very quickly and this still looks relatively fresh. I hope Cartoonneros makes another trim to the west of England again soon.
Natural adventures 