Tag: Street art

1260. Upfest 2017 (124)

I don’t know an awful lot about Gee street art and the Interweb and his Instagram profile are not particularly enlightening, although I do believe he has been about for some time. One thing is clear from his social media presence is that Gee street art is available for commissions and willing to travel.

Gee street art, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Gee street art, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This upfest piece itself is probably an expression that many of us can identify with. The character is nicely conveyed in a moment of fed-upness or maybe discombobulation or something not quite reaching despair. Interestingly I don’t really remember this piece very well from my walks around the festival, and only really picked it out from the thumbnails on my computer.

1259. Upfest 2017 (123)

I first came across these two artists, Caro Pepe and Age Age at Upfest 2016 when they had adjacent pieces on North Street. Since then (and possibly before, I don’t know) they have collaborated quite a lot at festivals around Europe.

Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

It was so good to see them at Upfest 2017 collaborating not only on their ‘official’ wall, but also on this shutter and another wall (yet to be posted). This particular shutter has been home to some amazing artwork previously, and Caro Pepe and Age Age have continued that tradition.

Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The pair have once again used muted shades for their Upfest experience which gives this piece a subtle feel. It is amazing that their work blends so well because their styles and subject matter are quite different – maybe their success comes from blending these. Anyhow, this was a real treat and many visitors would have missed it, as I think it was sprayed in the days following the main festival. Thank you both.

1258. Upfest 2017 (122)

I think that this was probably the most photographed wall at Upfest 2017. It is certainly one of the best, if not the best, spot at the festival and this time it was given a magnificent makeover by Kobra.

Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

It is a fascinating rendition of John Lennon in the style so typical of Kobra, using geometric shapes and contrasting colours as an overlay to the portrait. As a strong statement in street art, this piece is exceptional, and pretty much stole the show amongst the visiting public. I have only one slight uncertainty about the piece and that is the relevance of John Lennon to Bristol – but perhaps I am being a little parochial about this.

Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Many of the visitors who came to the festival would not have seen this piece without the cherry-picker parked in front of it, which wasn’t removed until the Monday  or Tuesday after the event, which is a real pity.

Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Since seeing this piece, tmy first by Kobra, I was lucky enough to come across a couple more in Williamsburg, New York, which I hope to post here if I ever get through my growing backlogs.

Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Make no mistake though the scale and nature of this piece make it a real winner, a stunner and a must-see wall if you happen to visit Bristol, before it goes this July.

 

 

1257. Upfest 2017 (121)

It has been a little while since I last posted anything from Upfest 2017. I would guess I am about half way through my archive of photographs but am unlikely to write up every piece from the festival before this year’s festival begins. C’est la vie.

Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This piece is a hugely entertaining and bold work from Boe and Irony, who worked so well together at Upfest 2016 with their cat and mouse work on the side of a residential building just off North Street.

Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Gulls are a very common sight in Bristol, and this huge portrait of a gull peering around the corner so perfectly captures the cheeky nature of these birds, and is in keeping with the City.

Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Boe and Irony, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The artists took a while to complete the piece and it wasn’t actually until a few days after the festival that it was completed. It was so utterly worth the waiting though, this was one of the highlights of Upfest 2017, a real triumph. I hope the artists will be back this year to give us yet another mouth watering morsel.

1256. Stokes Croft corner wall (4)

On one of the most iconic walls in Bristol, there are always things to look out for around the large yellow and black Stinkfish face of a girl. One reasonably recent addition is this incredible bust (if that is the right term). Unfortunately I don’t know who the artist is, but it is a beautiful addition to this space.

Unknown artist, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018
Unknown artist, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018

I don’t come across very many sculptures on my Bristol street art sorties, so it was a real pleasure to find this. It is perched high up, and I’m not sure that it is seen by many. You have to look up and observe.

Unknown artist, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018
Unknown artist, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018

Up close you can see that it is a nicely worked piece. Any ideas about the artist would be most welcome.

1255. Leonard Lane (14)

Leonard Lane is one of my favourite spots. somehow it feels more exclusive than some of the other more popular spots, and it is tucked away in the deepest heart of old Bristol. The Lane has become more popular with ‘established’ artists in recent weeks, with both Decay and John D’oh making themselves at home in this narrow space.

Skor85, Leonard Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Skor85, Leonard Lane, Bristol, January 2018

Now it is the turn of Skor85 and this curious piece. What I like about her work is its dream-like stories that unfold in front of you. This one involves two people rather happy about something and high fiving. Meanwhile, the lady with her bunny ballet outfit brandishes a cutlass and the man is holding a dead rabbit. What on earth… . It doesn’t matter. I love this piece, which is nicely framed too. It would be great to see more of this kind of work in the heavily tagged lane.

1254. Moon Street (41)

Clearly Whysayit spent a little more time on this lovely piece in Moon Street than he has done on some of his other graffiti writing. One of the things I really like about this writer is that he can produce work on a spectrum, from scrawly tagging through to quick throw ups and to something like this which is a nicely executed clean piece.

Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2018
Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2018

The colours are excellent, the green hovering beautifully on top of the pink. The fill is clever too, starting as spots on the left, transforming to stripes on the right. Whysayit has also created a real feeling of depth to this piece. There is so much more to graffiti art than simply disguising letters.

1253. M32 roundabout J3 (61)

I have become rather fond of Elvs pieces recently. I enjoy their symmetry and the Gothic styling. and the colours he uses. This is a recent example of his work on the roundabout of the M32.

Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2017
Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2017

I believe he comes from Cardiff, but tends to make fairly regular visits to Bristol to seek out some walls. He is in my view one of the best DBK artists…DBK seems to have such a broad spectrum from fairly hopeless taggers at one end right up to rather classy graffiti artists like Elvs. Nice new year piece.

1252. M32 roundabout J3 (60)

I don’t know an awful lot about Lopes…I think I have sen his name once or twice around Bristol, but can’t be sure. His burner here is nicely executed, but it is the Kid Crayon character to the left that makes this wall.

Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017
Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017

I am not sure if this was a deliberate collaboration or if Kid Crayon added his work afterwards. I suspect the latter. However it came about, the KC character with his funny accent in the speech bubble adds so much to the writing of Lopez, bringing the most out of it by drawing attention to it.

Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017
Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017

This is a witty and fun piece and so very typical of the understated brilliance of Kid Crayon. Perfect.

1251. The Bearpit (116)

More monsters from NEVERGIVEUP in The Bearpit. Although this one has been around for a while, I am posting it now because I didn’t want to flood the blog with too much of his work at once.

 

NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

I enjoyed his monster phase and his incredible work rate, however over the winter he seems to have slowed down a little and reverted to spraying bunnies. I am looking forward to seeing what direction he takes in the spring.