This work simply made me laugh. It is by the artist Pelmo, whose piece from Upfest 2016 passed me by, which is highly regrettable. I’m not entirely convinced that this was painted on the first two days of the festival, either that or I am losing my touch and missed it.
Pelmo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I love the understated tones used for the piece and the story is there for all to see. It is a witty piece, which would appear to draw some influence from the Gary Larson cartoon style.
Pelmo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
About himself, the artist says this in the programme profile:
‘I love painting a good character, a dramatic expression or a body beaten into shape by a little too much life. I generate my ideas by sketching in pubs and paint mostly for fun with the occasional commission.’
Well this one was a little off the beaten track, only by a hundred meters or so, but enough for many visitors to Upfest to have missed it. In fact, I missed it until a friend told me about it, and I went to investigate for myself.
Mr June, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mr June, who had a premium wall at Upfest 2016, came back this year to create this architectural masterpiece, turning a fairly ordinary flat into something out of the ordinary…exceptional even.
Mr June, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Smyth Lane has rarely been such a desirable location, demonstrating what a bit of unbelieveably cool spraying can do for a place. The clever straight line 3D effect created on the front of the building is perfectly offset by the more organic shapes that are on the walls of the tunnel. A watery theme disrupts the hard edges and ripples appear to disperse across the piece. While on the other side, water droplets bound by surface tension, sit on designed planes that have an Escher feel to them. And the greens…just beautiful.
Mr June, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mr June is a highly accomplished artist and this piece really has to go straight into the top ten for this year’s festival…and to think I nearly missed it. I wonder if other local residents will be offering up their properties for a makeover next year.
On the day of ‘Boogie Down Bristol’, a mini festival organised by Inkie in the Full Moon pub, a great many graffiti artists converged on this area of Stokes Croft, and RAW (Read and Weep crew) were represented by Ryder and T-Rex who created this magnificent collaboration right next door to the pub.
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
It was something of a miracle that they managed to get anything done, such was the pedestrian traffic stopping to admire the work and have a chat (including me).
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
I can honestly say that I think this is my favourite Ryder piece, it is in my view brilliant. The letters spell out Read and Weep and each one is individually crafted and filled with vibrant colours and patterns. Something of a masterclass for wannabe writers.
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder has a signature element to his style, and that is to put eyes and other features into the holes of the letters, so in this instance the first ‘E’ has eyes and teeth.
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
I also had the fortune to meet T-Rex for the first time, and having overcome the embarrassement of assuming that she was a male artist, we chatted for a while. Her work on this piece is magnificent also, with dinosaurs ‘bookending’ the writing with balance and skill.
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
The plants decorating the whole collaboration are also by T-Rex.
Coming across this piece and finding Ryder and T-Rex while they were spraying was hugely fortunate. I had actually come down to the area to visit the It’s All 2 Much gallery which was hosting a Tom Miller exhibition. I suppose in life as well as in taking in the streets, you won’t see anything if you don’t look – a recurring theme on ‘Natural Adventures’.
It would appear that NEVERGIVEUP, or nevergiveup familia as he tags himself, is making a takeover bid for The Bearpit. I would think that he probably has about seven or eight pieces down there at the moment, and they are not getting tagged. How he is managing to do this, I don’t know.
NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
This is one of his series of monsters – he appears to have moved on from bunnies. I like the way that he is moving about from idea to idea, and I also like the way he is saturating the area, a bit like Laic217 was doing before. I am sure that at some point he will move back to Dean Lane or maybe try to spray in some new places. It is the succession of pieces and artists that makes writing about street art in Bristol so much fun to do.
Sometimes we are lucky enough to see work by artists that is quite different from their normal work, or the style for which they are known. This is a case in point. After Upfest, Wasp Elder (Sam Worthington) took a trip to the walls at the M32 roundabout with Kid Crayon and sprayed this excellent wildstyle piece. It is so unlike anything he normally creates as you can see from his website, Kid Crayon said he was just having a bit of fun.
Wasp Elder, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017
What I love about the piece is how the black letters have an amazing 3D feel, they seem to bulge out of the wall. Take a closer look and you can see the effect is created by clever shading…all so simple once you gert to look at it, although I’m sure it is not simple to do. Yet another Upfest extra for you to enjoy. Now gone of course.
A recent piece from Cheo on a wall that you need to go looking for. This is the second pairing of Cheo and Soker pieces that I have found here, but I expect they have been spraying here for years.
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Some really lovely wildstyle writing and a fun character too. Cheo and his king bee just keep on pleasing. The image below is the last piece he had up here which was photographed in March 2017.
Another fabulously intricate piece of wildstyle writing from Deamze accompanied by a cartoon-style character. There is a lot to like about this piece…it is clean and crisp, the design is highly detailed, the cartoon character is beautifully done and is holding a spray can, which is always a good thing.
Deamze, New John Street, Bristol, September 2017
This is a site tucked up behind Cameron Balloons, and is a favourite for several members of the ASK crew, including Cheo, Soker and Deamze himself. I don’t come here very often, but it would appear that I visited pretty soon after a whole new bunch of work had been done. I like it when I get lucky like this.
Well, I have clocked up my first 50 Upfest 2017 pieces, and we are only in September – maybe I’ll get everything posted before next year’s festival, although I doubt it – there is just so much street/graffiti art happening in Bristol at the moment.
This was the brilliant official Upfest piece by Caro Pepe and Age Age, which was in the covered section of the Tobacco Factory car park, which given the weather over the three days was probably something of a blessing.
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
These two artists have collaborated many times, and really seem to enjoy working together. At last year’s festival they had adjacent spots and created separate works, however it seems that since then they have worked together much more.
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Working in soft mauves and browns, the two artists have combined the distinctive portraits of Caro Pepe with the elements of function and machinery that Age Age specialises in. The blend works well and I can see why they like to combine their styles. I am not sure, but I think the final version below was tampered with over the eye. It is possible that this was part of the original work, but Caro Pepe’s ‘blind’ eyes don’t usually have a patch like this.
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
As well as this wonderful piece, the pair worked on another wall and a shutter during their short stay in Bristol, which is a real bonus. Both of these to follow.
Mazzi C is an artist whose plain speaking and informative Upfest biography profile tells us that she is inspired by natural organic forms and Oriental art. Mazzie C, from Cornwall (my favourite place) goes on to say that she finds the juxtoposition of natural themes and street art using sprays and inks interesting. Her work is driven by dialetics of nature and urban culture. Well mine too – welcome to Natural Adventures.
Mazzie C, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This small work is subtle and engaging (I want to use the word charming, but it always sounds so patronising). There are several things going on here – the beautiful bird set amongst triangles and stencilled flower patterns, the swirling folds are also really well crafted, almost as if the whole thing is made of cloth. Now I just need to see some of this work on walls!
One of the truly outstanding and memorable pieces of Upfest 2017 was this extraordinary image of an infant holding a spray can. The artist, Mon Devane, comes from the city of Ourense in Galicia, Spain.
Mon Devane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Taking a look at his website, you can see that he has a strong and recognisable style, using a monochrome style on vibrant backgrounds. There is nothing subtle about his pieces, they are bold statements, and beautifully crafted.
Mon Devane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I do like it when street artists incorporate a spray can into their art, like the old masters including a paint pallette – the tools of their trade. I think that this might have been one of the most popular pieces from the Ashton Gate wall (although there were so many great pieces there), simply because of its instant impact.
Natural adventures 