Tag: Street art

939. Upfest 2017 (13)

You can be pretty sure that when Goin takes to the street, the work he produces will have an edge and political aspect. His piece for Upfest was no exception this year. He has created a large monochrome stencil of a traditional working-class paperboy holding up a newspaper with the words ‘Bullshit’s Tories’.

Goin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Goin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I believe that Goin is French and this might give us a clue to the slightly curious wording. It is obviously an anti-Tory slogan, but doesn’t quite read right. It matters not one jot though, because it is pretty overt either way, and the piece is really powerful.

Goin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Goin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I like Goin’s work a lot, but was very slack last year, and missed out on his main Upfest piece. It was slightly off the main drag, and by the time I went to photograph it, it had gone. Not this year.

938. Upfest 2017 (12)

I love the whole idea of our beautiful wildlife being a little bit subversive, and nobody creates this edginess between cute and dangerous better than Chinagirl Tile. Her last two visits to Bristol for Upfest have seen her decorate the streets, not only in Bedminster but also in Stokes Croft with her anarchic ceramic creatures.

Chinagirl Tile, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Chinagirl Tile, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is a rather charming little squirrel claiming to have stolen Banksy. It is nicely located on a wall surrounded with greenery. It rather blends in and will be missed by many passers by. You have to keep your eyes open.

I have several other Chinagirl pieces to post about from this year’s festival.

937. Upfest 2017 (11)

This was a wonderful and carefree piece beautifully painted by the cheerful and smiling Arladiss, an artist I believe to be from Norway. I noticed that this wasn’t the only piece she worked on during Upfest, although I’m not sure it was planned that way. It seems that the weather may have deterred one or two of the artists and that in South Street Park, where Arladiss was painting, there were a few vacant boards.

Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

You can see from her Facebook pages that most of her work features children enjoying and being a part of the local environment. Indeed, her Upfest profile says that ‘she wants children in a neighbourhood to see the importance of their existence, and show them that they are a vital and beautiful part of the community’.

Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Her enthusiasm for her work was infectious, and it was fun watching her paint. The combination of the child striking a child-like pose and the birds swirling around her, give a tremendous sense of innocence and freedom.

Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Arladiss, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I think I am a fan.

936. Raleigh Road, Vector (14)

There is rarely a Voyder piece that I look at and think…that’s not much good. In fact I can think only of one, and I am not going to share which one here. This is another stunning piece from a little while before Upfest 2017, when Boogie was in town, whose piece can be seen just to the right of this picture (to follow).

Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2017
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2017

This time Voyder has gone for a copper coloured design which carries a really nice 3D quality about it emphasised by the white shading and stars. Appearing to lie behind the writing is a rainbow, interestingly in reverse order from convention, which would normally start with red on the left.

Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2017
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2017

I have several more Voyder pieces in my files – I just need more time to get them all out.

935. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (26)

Anyone that reads my posts regularly will know that over the last couple of years or so I have been closely following the progress of Tom Miller. A young art student who I believe has recently graduated from UWE in Bristol. He recently held a successful exhibition entitled ‘Paracosm’ at the It’s All 2 Much gallery in Stokes Croft.

Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

I was driving home not long ago and spotted Tom at work on one of the arches, so I pulled over, and chatted with him while he was taking a break and eating his lunch. He is genuinely such a nice guy and utterly modest about his work. It is great in Bristol that we have quite a few fine artists who cross over into street art, widening the spectrum of what we are fortunate enough to see.

Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

I am not sure if this piece has a name, but it is characteristically effervescent with ideas and thoughts merging with the human body…where physical meets metaphysical in art form.

Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Tom Miller, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

Nothing demonstrates this meeting of worlds better than a close up of the character’s ‘head’. Needless to say I am a huge admirer of his work, and look forward to his next piece. It is to his credit and the respect in which he is held, that this piece has remained untagged and in pristine condition for at least a fortnight…a rarity in these parts.

934. M32 roundabout (43)

Kid Crayon is a busy man at the moment, and seems to really be enjoying his work and his collaborations. This piece was sprayed the day after his rain-interrupted exertions at Upfest 2017. A little bit of decent weather and he creates this fantastic blue face.

Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017
Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017

I really like this piece, and two things stand out for me. The first is the crazy eyes – like ping pong balls and an interesting take on the iris. The second is the signature, that looks rather different from ones I have seen before…perhaps he is experimenting with it.

Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017
Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017

This is a fun, creative piece that, for me at least, shows Kid Crayon’s enthusiasm for his art. Love it.

933. Wilder Street (17)

I absolutely love doing this, for so many reasons, but it is particularly gratifying that on the same day I write a post about an Upfest artist new to me I find a street piece by the same artist. It is like having two Christmases at once.  This is what happened with this beautiful piece by Aintzane Crucet.

Aintzane Crucet, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2017
Aintzane Crucet, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2017

It can be found on the Where the Wall curated wall in Wilder Street and was sprayed in the immediate aftermath of Upfest. It would seem that Deamze helped out with the spot, as he has a piece just to the right (to follow).

Aintzane Crucet, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2017
Aintzane Crucet, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2017

I could seriously fall in love with this illustrator’s work. It is very different from much of the stuff we see in Bristol, and has a welcoming, soft appearance together with a complex story. A fox tail attached to what looks like a duck-billed platypus, a keyhole on the girl’s forehead and a teapot. What is going on? Happy days.

932. Upfest 2017 (10)

As someone who is interested in street art in Bristol, I really ought to know an awful lot more about Diff than I do. It is all part of learning about the very rich and diverse culture of the Bristol street/graffiti art scene.

Diff, Upfest, Bristol, July 2015
Diff, Upfest, Bristol, July 2015

This is a fabulous bold and humorous piece, conflating the statues from Easter Island with the haircuts of Sideshow Bob and Sideshow Mel from the Simpsons cartoon series. It is a simple theme with some really nice clear lines and shading – really great work.

Diff, Upfest, Bristol, July 2015
Diff, Upfest, Bristol, July 2015

You can find out more about Diff from this 212 Productions website profile.

931. Upfest 2017 (9)

Well it is no surprise that my path should cross with the work of Face the Strange at Upfest. What perhaps was a surprise was witnessing him pasting this piece up, and serendipitously on many levels, putting a face to the name.

Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Face the Strange, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I really should have asked him, what on earth is going on in his head…a man in a suit with a pineapple face and pineapple skin. Is it all just bonkers, funny and off-the-wall or is there some deeper hidden meaning. I expect it is a combination of both. Instead we talked about other wheatpasters and Upfest and the weather.

930. Upfest 2017 (8)

Tucked away in a shady corner of North Street Green was this beautiful piece by Aintzane Crucet, a Spanish Illustrator who was born in Motril (Granada) and now lives in Malaga. There is a fairytale quality to this work which would sit comfortably in any children’s library.

Aintzane Crucet, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Aintzane Crucet, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Other than the Upfest programme notes, there is very little information about this young artist who I would guess is at the beginning of her career. I’m pleased she made the journey to Bristol.

Aintzane Crucet, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Aintzane Crucet, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017