Tag: Street art

1153. Upfest 2017 (105)

Another really high quality piece at this year’s Upfest, this one is by local artist Jody. I think that this piece eclipses his wonderful work from last year, and this wall is really a very special wall.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Fin Dac had the privilege of painting this wall last year and it is fitting that Jody should continue where Fin Dac left off. This was a labout of love for Jody, and long after all the other artists had packed up and left, Jody was still at it, for several more days…maybe even a week or two.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I went back a lot, hoping each time that the piece would be complete, but I think Jody was hit by the changeable weather, and possibly the sheer ambition of the wall. On the upside, I have quite a few ‘in progress’ pictures.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

There is so much to love and marvel at in this captivating piece. The beautiful profile portrait, the cut out birds reminiscent of Henri Matisse and the extraordinary pink folds of material in the woman’s hair and neckline. This is a master work.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

In looking at the ‘in progress’pictures, it is interesting to see how Jody appeard to work in strips and patches, where other artists might come at a piece in layers. I guess the scale and scaffolding constraints dictate to some degree how a piece will be painted.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Along with Nomad Clan’s piece and one or two others, this really shows off the ‘high end’ of what street artists are capable of doing, and in doing it, bringing so much pleasure to so many people. I love this.

1152. Upfest 2017 (104)

I was very taken by Rocket01’s piece at leat year’s Upfest, and equally so by this magnificent overture to wildlife and conservation. I love the green backwash that he uses for his work and the synthesis of nature with technology and futuristic scenarios.

Rocket01, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Rocket01, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

There is something solemn and touching in his work let alone the fine artistry in his execution. I missed talking with him this year, I think he just wasn’t there when I was passing each time. Another really strong piece racked up for this year’s festival.

Rocket01, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Rocket01, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

1151. Upfest 2017 (103)

This extraordinary piece by Nomad Clan is just sensational and very probably my favourite from Upfest 2017. I have visited this wall many times, both during its creation and since, but have failed so far to get a clean shot of it withoug something in the way. I will keep trying.

Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Nomad Clan are a phenomenally talented duo, of CBLOXX and AYLO bosed in Manchester. They tend to work on large murals and have painted some of the largest murals in England.

Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The subject matter of the piece is captivating, and there is some deliberate reflection between the octopus and the old fisherman. Both are painted with tenderness and delicacy, and they have created a story, a dialogue between these two characters. Very powerful stuff.

Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I stopped for a chat with the artists on the Friday before Upfest…they had started a bit early, which given the weather over the weekend, was probably a wise decision… and they were happy to take a bit of time out to talk, particularly AYLO who was very smiley and chatty.

Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I have not seen any of their work in the flesh before, but was really so impressed with this piece. It oozes class and competence and absolutely stands out.

Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The close ups of the two characters may give you a feel for what I mean, and take a good look at the fishing boat tattoo on the fishenman’s head, brilliant attention to detail.

Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Nomad Clan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I sincerely hope they are invited back next year.

 

 

1150. Upfest 2017 (102)

This is a different kind of piece for upfest, by Bristol-based Italian-English illustrator Lisa Rose. In her website biography, she says the following: Inspired by a million things but especially femme experiences and bodies, sexuality, and empowerment. It says it all really. Her website illustrations are very interesting and worth a look.

Lisa Bell, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Lisa Bell, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

It is an unusual piece for a street art festival and represents the crossover between design/illustration and street work. Her strong lines and solid fill make this piece appear to be almost like a digital creation. This piece with the third eye is similar to one on her website and I would guess it a theme she explores. I didn’t get a chance to see her at the festival, but will look out for her if she is there in 2018.

1149. Upfest 2017 (101)

Maldito Mono is a street artist originally from the Canary Islands but who is now living in London in search of new experiences and to expand his work. His piece for Upfest is a bright and colourful bat with a bucket hat. Of course, the bat is holding a spray can, the tool of the trade.

Maldito Mono, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Maldito Mono, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

What is interesting to me about this piece is the eyes – they are vacant, and at first I wondered if the piece was complete, but the subtle shading in the eyes suggests that they are meant to be like this. I guess bats are blind, so this might be  a nod to that. A nice piece.

1148. Dean Lane skate park (89)

A pairing that I have seen a number of times over the last couple of years is that of Laic217 and Cort. An interesting aspect of this is that while I have seen numerous solo Laic217 pieces, I can’t recall ever seeing solo Cort work, but maybe I’m just not seeing them.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017

This is the first piece to cover over the amazing work of Apset and Ionas from Upfest in July this year. To be honest, I am amazed it has taken so long, but finally the piece had been dogged and then covered over by this new collaboration. We see in this piece the familiar skeleton work of Laic217, this time in a monochrome red with purple accent.

Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017

The Cort writing is great to look at and plays with a few styles and techniques. All in all this is a nice collaboration, but one which I expect to be far shorted lived than it’s predecessor.

1147. Brunel Way bridge (1)

I have known about this spot for a long while, but not managed to get out to it until recently. It is on a concrete wall which supports one of the main road bridges over the River Avon. The wall, on the south bank, is ideal for spraying, but a little less than ideal for photographing, due to poor light and reflections. I tried my best.

Inkie, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Inkie, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

This interesting piece by Inkie is a middle section to an ASK crew Halloween collaboration. There is one part about this that I am not sure about. The character in the middle is quite unlike anything I have seen from Inkie before and at first, my suspicion was that it is by somebody else, but the more I look at it, the more I think it is Inkie’s work. The hair in particular is in the style that he uses for his other pieces.

The writing is, as you would expect to see from Inkie, immaculate, and the piece as a whole something slightly out of the ordinary. More from this wall to follow soon.

1146. Wilder Street (19)

This wall in the famous Wilder Street is beautifully curated by Where the Wall and never seems to get tagged, this is probably down to the high quality of the collaborations that get permission to spray here. It is a little bit more like an outdoor gallery than graffiti wall.

Epok, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2017
Epok, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2017

Set on a nicely prepped red brick colour, this wonderful collaboration from three members of the ASK crew, Epok, Sepr and Deamze is a graffiti/street art feast. First up is a lovely clean angular piece of wildstyle writing, so typical of Epok. His work rarely fits the ‘rectangular’ boundaries that most writers work to, with his work often smaller at one end than the other.

Sepr, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2017
Sepr, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2017

Next up is the recently invigorated Sepr, who until recently has been relatively quiet on the streets, but of late has become quite busy, which is a great thing for all of us. Sepr has a great ability to tell stories through his cartoonesque work.

Sepr, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2017
Sepr, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2017

In this piece Sepr shows, by way of a thought bubble, that the karate protagonist is using his concentration to break a plank of wood – his mind is on a tree hugging his wife/partner – he is focusing his jealousy and rage into kinetic energy…or something like that.

Deamze, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2017
Deamze, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2017

The third part of this collaboration is yet another clean and tidy piece of wildstyle writing from Deamze, once again without a character. The balance of the three pieces is perfect, and the colour selections easy on the eye and complementary. A really great wall, well worth a gander.

1145. Camden Town, London

I knew where to look first when I emerged from the tube station in Camden Town, and on locating my first spot, I was rewarded with a small parking yard which had been pretty much resprayed since I was here a year ago. Unfortunately the gates were closed, which made photographing the side walls a little tricky, but this end wall, a gateway to an inner yard, was thankfully unobstructed and face on. The piece is of course by Stinkfish, who is also responsible for the most iconic piece in Stokes Croft, Bristol.

Stinkfish, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Stinkfish, Camden Town, London, November 2017

Stinkfish specialises in painting yellow portraits from photographs that he takes of people he meets, and adorns them with vibrant patterns of colour and light, creating a magical movement all around the piece. These characteristics make his work easy to identify.

Stinkfish, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Stinkfish, Camden Town, London, November 2017

His pieces are always great to look at and seem to ask many questions about who these characters are. I am not sure about the background, which looks like it is by another artist. In my view, the pieces fight for attention instead of complementing one another, so I would suggest that this was not a collaboration, but I am usually wrong about these things.

 

1144. Camden Town, London

Anyone familiar with Bladerunner (the original) will be familiar with the Tyrell quote: ‘The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long – and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy’.

Pegasus, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Pegasus, Camden Town, London, November 2017

This quote could equally well be applied to the extraordinary vocalist Amy Winehouse who died of a drugs overdose in July 2011. In the UK, and especially in North London there is a terrific fondness for this amazingly talented young woman whose moment in the spotlight was so short and fragmented. This wonderful stencil, by Pegasus, is a fine tribute to the singer.

Pegasus, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Pegasus, Camden Town, London, November 2017

I have featured a couple of Pegasus pieces in previous posts, this one of Mother Teresa from last year’s upfest, and this one of Donald Trump. Pegasus is fond of creating works of iconic public figures and is not afraid of controversy.