Tag: Street art

1652. M32 cycle path (17)

I really rather like this creature created by Kool Hand in the cycle path that runs alongside the M32. Technically, although a cycle path, it has been out of asction for several months now due to construction work, which probably makes spraying this particular wall a little less hazardous.

Kool Hand, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2018
Kool Hand, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2018

I’ve noticed that Kool Hand seems to favour using a white background, which really helps to bring out the contrasting colours he uses for his characters. Always crisp and clean, Kool Hand tends to use only a few bold colours, together with a little shading to create these striking pieces. This creature reminds me of primative marine life forms from earlier geological ages. Nice work.

1651. Hillgrove Street (7)

I don’t visit Hillgrove Street as much as I used to when I first started writing about street art, probably because turnover of work is very low there, so there is rarely new stuff to find. However, it is always worth checking every now and then, and these two (relatively) new pieces bear this out.

qWeRT and RIP, Hillgrove Street, Bristol, August 2018
qWeRT and RIP, Hillgrove Street, Bristol, August 2018

The wheatpaste on top is by qWeRT, who seems to have blitzed Bristol some time during late spring or early summer. This is another charming googly eyed pair…there is always so much hope and love in these paste ups.

The bird below is a nice simple stencil by RIP who is an occasional visitor to Bristol, and always leaves behind as few treasures to uncover. Both pieces complement each other and are placed carefully. Placement is a key skill for small stencils and paste ups. All good.

1650. The Bearpit (157)

Wowzer…(not a word I use often), what a fabulous piece in The Bearpit from Face 1st. I have to say that I am just loving his development to full body pieces, and that hair…it’s just brilliant.

Face 1st, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2018
Face 1st, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2018

Now I happened to get really lucky a few days back and met Face 1st, Soap and Tasha Bee all at once all for the first time while they were collaborating at the M32 roundabout – more about that in another post. It was such a pleasure to meet Face 1st at last, after three years of posting, and it was rather gratifying and humbling that he had read this blog and even shared some posts with his mother. Watching these guys at work simply inspires me to get out there and start spraying – I would love to be able to do what they do as well as they do it. I guess I need to practice…a lot.

I love, love this piece, and have noticed that he is doing more of these and going big – so much to look forward to.

As an aside – this post is scheduled to publish while I am on an aeroplane bound for Italy…the wonders of modern technology.

1649. The Bearpit (156)

These are the characteristic swirling whirling abstract patterns created by Bristol artist Run Z. Although I haven’t seen that many of his pieces, they do seem to crop every now and again and they are instantly recognisable as his work.

Run Z, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2018
Run Z, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2018

The works will often follow a colour theme and this one seems to incorporate a green, blue and white palette. There is something of a stained glass window feel to these works and in fact I think the designs would make fabulous windows.

1648. Upfest 2018 (10)

I round off the first 10 Upfest 2018 posts with this rather nice little shutter piece by Silk Crystal, which was one of at least two ‘extras’ that accompanied his official Upfest piece. This happens a lot on North Street, and I would think that probably upwards of 40% of shutters there have been enhanced by Upfest artists over the years.

Silk Crystal street art, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Silk Crystal street art, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Silk Crystal is a silk screen and street art company that operates around the North Devon coast and works a lot to commissions. This particular piece chimes for me with its marine theme (a lot of these this year) and certainly improves the shutter – now to get to work on the rest of the shop’s appearance!

1647. Upfest 2018 (9)

I have seen a few pieces by Bristol artist J. West around the place and posted two or three of them on this blog in the past. He is an animator turned artist and much of his inspiration has come from a spell working at Bristol Zoo Gardens and from David Attenborough TV shows.

J. West, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
J. West, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I haven’t seen too much of his work, but that which I have seen appears to be bilaterally symmetrical and this Upfest piece is no different. I am sorry that I didn’t stop to talk to him because I think we probably share inspirations, but he looked pretty busy, and it is never easy chatting to people with a mask on.

J. West, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
J. West, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I will keep looking out for his distinct style of work, but for me, this piece I think is my favourite that I have seen so far.

1646. Upfest 2018 (8)

Jimmer Wilmott is one of the warmest and most welcoming artists I have met. On the two occasions I have been fortunate enough to cross paths with him he has exuded enthusiasm from every pore, and his rather quirky and fun-loving personality is reflected in his pop surrealist art.

Jimmer Willmott, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Jimmer Willmott, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

It was great to see him at work at Upfest and to witness one of his ‘canvasses’ come to life – I have seen many of them on Instagram, but none ‘in the flesh’. Seeing the layers and the brush work during its genesis and then the final painting was a privilege. The last time I saw him he had created an eyeball using spray cans at Dean Lane skate park.

Jimmer Willmott, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Jimmer Willmott, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I think he got a bit carried away during our conversation and was inviting me to go with him to the Cheltenham street art Festival and paint with him. I had to remind him that I have no artistic talent and a total of 2 hours spraying experience. I am however tempted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmer Willmott, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Jimmer Willmott, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

It was great to see him at work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1645. Upfest 2018 (7)

I don’t know very much about GretL, other than that she is a French artist and designer who likes to work with bold colours and ideas of camouflage. I saw this shutter piece on the first day of Upfest and could see that it was a new Upfest work, thanks to the label. Often it is difficult to date shutter pieces, because I rarely see them, due to the times I visit places where they might be.

Gretl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Gretl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This is a simple and rather charming piece entitled ‘humming flower’ and here the artist has conflated the humming bird and the flower, both in the title and in the work. I think she may have done another piece during the festival and will have to look out for it. some nice work.

1644. Upfest 2018 (6)

One of the great wheatpasters at Upfest this year was C3 with her distinctive red haired characters hand painted onto written paper. I must have paused to chat with her and D7606 several times over the course of the two days. I think she told me that she had only pasted a couple of pieces this year. I could only find these two, and both are winners in my book.

C3, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
C3, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

The art of wheatpasting at Upfest is a delicate balance between finding the right time to go out – the festival organisers are not too keen, because they are responsible for keeping the street furniture clear during the three days – and finding the right place that isn’t over-crowded. Some pasters simply slap their work on any available space. Others like C3 and D7606 are rather more discerning. Love these two paste ups.

C3, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
C3, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

1643. Upfest 2018 (5)

Kid crayon is a favourite Bristol artist of mine and his contribution to Upfest this year was straight forward and fun. I’m not too sure what the crocodile, triangle and cake are all about, but I’m sure they have some kind of meaning. The piece also carries birthday wishes for Meg.

Kid Crayon, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Kid Crayon, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I think Kid Crayon had seen the forecast for Sunday and had managed to complete his piece by early Saturday afternoon. I managed to swing by when he was painting and chatted for a short while. It is one of the great things about Upfest that you get to see works in progress and figure out how these artists go about their work.