Tag: Street art

1009. Upfest 2017 (47)

Life can be funny sometimes, and every now and again we are surprised.

Last year I wrote a post about a lovely piece by Beep Monkey at the Ashton Gate School site, and until the Summer, I had heard nothing more about the artist. Then, during a casual chat at work with one of my colleagues (of several years) we meandered onto the subject of street art. She was not aware that I blogged about street art in Bristol and I most certainly didn’t know that her husband was Beep Monkey. Curious how we navigate our way through life, and then occasionally have these serendipitous moments.

Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

So armed with new insight into Beep Monkey, I was able to seek out his piece in North Street Green and understand a little bit about what inspired it. I believe that his daughters might have given him a rather big steer for this piece – a prancing pink unicorn being the central character.

Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Of course, there is a slightly subversive element to this piece, again, I think a steer from children, which is that the unicorn is indeed farting a rainbow – but of course, didn’t you know that that is what pink unicorn farts look like?

Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The Unicorn might have been the ‘commissioned’ element, but I am rather more attracted to the yellow character riding on its back and which was in last year’s piece. Is this the Beep Monkey? Fine stuff once again, and who knows, if he is here for Upfest 2018, I might just get even more insight.

1008. Upfest 2017 (46)

At Upfest, I am always rather fond of these small square boards that give artists the opportunity to showcase their work. I am guessing that they might also be able to sell these small pieces, but I am not sure. This witty piece is by Mr Bear, who produced this lovely Baloo work at last year’s festival.

Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

There are quite a few fun things going on here, although I really don’t know what the word ‘bacon’ is doing in the ‘Hello my name is’ badge. This is a really goos multi-layered stencil from that nice Mr Bear. Would be great to see him return again next time.

1007. Church Road, St George.

My daughter has a chameleon, which eats live locusts. Every now and then, when I have forgotten to order them I have to traipse over to the other side of Bristol to get some, and this journey takes me through St George where I spotted this shutter piece. This is in my view rather special, because it is by the highly talented Braga Last1.

Braga Last1, Church Road St George, Bristol, July 2017
Braga Last1, Church Road St George, Bristol, July 2017

Braga Last1 is a Belgian artist who has been over to Bristol for Upfest for the last two years, and I have a feeling he did this commission in 2016. There is so much to like about this piece. First off, the artist himself, secondly it depicts a cartoon version of Darth Vader and thirdly it is beautifully sprayed. I like it a lot. Belgium seems to be having a bit of a street art golden period at the moment, with other artists such as Mehsos, Bisser and Dzia all stunning audiences with their work. Of course Belgium has a very rich culture of art going back centuries, and maybe this heritage inspires them. More from Braga Last1 soon.

1006. East Street

Situated on top of the Besley Hill estate agent’s premises and commanding a grand view from East Street over to the Steam Crane is this colourful and detailed piece by Loch Ness. Having seen Loch Ness at work on more than one occasion, I know that he takes his time and really concentrates hard on every detail of his work.

Loch Ness, East Street, Bristol, March 2017
Loch Ness, East Street, Bristol, March 2017

This particular piece features a whole bunch of monsters perched on top of a row of houses enjoying themselves playing and fishing. There is a nice little touch on the right hand side, where you can see two hot air balloons, something for which Bristol is famous – indeed Cameron balloons is directly behind this shop.

Loch Ness, East Street, Bristol, March 2017
Loch Ness, East Street, Bristol, March 2017

Loch Ness fills his pieces with colour and energy and there is always a lot going on. This is a fine and entertaining piece which brightens up this end of the high street.

1005. M32 roundabout J3 (45)

I know very little about the artist of this bold and interesting piece on the roundabout over the M32, other than that they might be called Biers. It is at times like this that I realise just how little I know about the Bristol street art scene, even though I like to think I know quite a lot.

Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2017
Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2017

I decided to post the piece anyway, albeit several months after I saw it, because It stands out from the crowd and is actually rather witty. Each time I look at it, it makes me smile. The whole piece is beautifully worked, and the lettering design and execution is outstanding. Ultimately who couldn’t love graffiti art with the caption ‘night of the living bread’?

1004. The Bearpit (89)

I took these pictures a while ago, but have always had the intention of posting them. First though I had to do a bit of homework. The piece appeared in The Bearpit back in January 2017, and was not by any of the artists I am familiar with.

The work itself is on the face of it quite simple, featuring a key, a knife, a feather and some twigs. Once you step back, you will notice the whole thing spells out LOVE…there is a lot of thought and symbolism in this and it is a much more complex piece than one might think on first inspection.

Riky Boy, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Riky Boy, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

The colours of the piece , whether accidental or deliberate, are significant because the red white and green are the colours of the Italian flag and the artist Riky Boy comes from Milan. I am guessing he was passing through Bristol and left us a present, because I haven’t seen any of his work here since.

Looking at his Instagram account, it would seem that the ‘key’ motif is one he uses a lot, and would appear to have some deeper significance for the artist. I find this work and other pieces I have seen online rather intriguing. Riky Boy’s style is quite unique and raw, but there is a great deal of emotion and intellegence behind his work. A really satisfying find.

1003. The Bearpit (88)

Another old one from the archive dating back to January 2017. This is a really great semi-abstract piece from the hugely talented Mr Klue. In this piece he uses his favoured colour scheme of purples and blues and incorporates a vanishing point around which the whole work focuses.

Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

I like his work very much, but haven’t seen too much of it on the streets lately – in fact the most recent piece I saw was the one he did for Upfest.

Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

I look forward to more of his work on the streets of Bristol. I hope I don’t have to wait too long.

1002. Dean Lane skate park (77)

You will notice that this recent series of posts is a bit of a catch up from archives that I have held on to, but can hold on no longer…they all have to see the light of day at some point.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017

This is a wonderful jagged bunny by Hire from way back in January, before I knew who the artist was. This piece got left behind. I think I have several more old pieces from Hire and I fully intend to get round to posting them one day.

The green rabbit on the ping background works particularly well I think. You might notice he sprayed this over a Mr Draws piece, one I never saw! The bunny looks as cold as I felt when out walking to take this picture. I am not really looking forward to the inexorable march of Winter. You might notice he sprayed this over a Mr Draws piece, one I never saw!

1001. North Street

Just a quick one that I have been meaning to post for ever – since Upfest last year in fact. This is a small piece by the imaginative and creative Feoflip, who was in my view one of the highlights of Upfest 2016.

Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, November 2017
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, November 2016

This is a plug socket brought to life and animated, looking almost like a little dog. It is a 2-pin socket betraying the continental background of the artist. This utility box has since been sprayed green…and had a little Upfest 2017 treatment!

1000. Moon Street (36)

I am confused. Some time ago I was told that Skor85 is a female artist, however I read in the Upfest biography that Skor85 is referred to as he. I will avoid any further gender designation until I am absolutely certain.

Skor85, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2017
Skor85, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2017

This is an old piece from back in January on the wall of the Lakota in Moon Street. The work is typically understated although it comes to life with the cleverly drawn outlines interrupted with zig-zags. I do like the work on Skor85 more of which you can see on this Facebook page.