A really colourful collaboration by Bristol artists, DNT, Akarat and Sheva. It is great that as well as visiting artists from all over the world, space is made for some of the local street/graffiti artists who keep Bristolians happy year-round.
DNT, Akarat and Sheva, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
In this large piece, the stencils at each end are by Akarat, the writing and little angel at the bottom right hand side by DNT and the rest I assume is by Sheva. Sheva is a Bristol artist I have not posted about before, and although I am familiar with the name, I am not familiar with his work.
DNT, Akarat and Sheva, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The whole thing, I think is entitled ‘War Baby’ but I am not too sure what the narrative, if there is one, is.
DNT, Akarat, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This was definitely one of the brightest and most vibrant pieces of last year’s festival.
I am feeling under a little pressure to get as many Upfest 2016 pieces posted before the end of July when the whole thing starts all over again. I think that the only way I will be able to achieve this is to shorten the narrative sections surrounding the images, which will be a Godsend for those who don’t like to read, but perhaps not so great for those who like to know a little more about the artists and the impression their work has made.
Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This is a wonderful piece by Braga Last1 whose owl in Dean Lane skate park I posted only a few days ago. This time he has created a beautiful rhinoceros in the school playground of Ashton Gate School.
Braga Last1, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The use of monochrome accompanied with colours spilling from the horn/tree on the rhinoceros is skilfully done, and the slight reflection of green on the head and back of the animal has been well thought through. A lovely piece.
One of the larger showcase pieces from Upfest 2016 was this wall in the beer garden of the Steam Crane pub on North Street. It is a wonderful collaboration by the Lost Souls crew, made up of Si Mitchell, SPZero76, Captain Kris and Squirl, although the latter did not participate on this occasion.
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This was certainly one of the busier venues during the festival, probably on account of it being a pub, and it was quite tricky jostling for decent pictures of the crew at work. SPZero76 (seated above with the New York cap) though was very comfortable chatting with visitors, in fact I saw him talking more than I saw him spraying.
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Si Mitchell (above) worked on the left hand side of the piece, SPZero76 on the middle section and Captain Kris on the right. The whole piece is a frenetic busy think, telling a story of I don’t know what, but I like the result very much.
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I returned to the wall some months later to get a decent picture of the completed piece. Of course it is slightly compromised by pub furniture getting in the way a bit, but I think it is possible to get an idea of the great qualities of the piece. The section above of the strange man eating the happy octopus is by Si Mitchell.
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The middle section (above) is so typically by SPZero76, with his dog character using a spray can.
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The right hand section which completes this rather surreal piece is by Captain Kris, and as part of the seamless sequencing, the octopus makes an appearance in this panel too. A really beautifully worked fun piece.
Right next to the recent Georgie artist stencil ‘citizen of nowhere’ in The Bearpit steps (see previous post), is this magnificent Kid Crayon piece. I cannot tell you how much I love this. It has colour, humour, craziness and a blue face. Something about it reminds me of an upbeat Gaugin crossed with Picasso…know what I mean? With a touch of Jean de Brunhoff (creator of Barbar the elephant).
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
It is so raw and so good. I will stop there for fear of gushing too much. I like it…you got it?
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
It is with some disappointment that I am updating this post to report that this and many other great pieces in The Bearpit and elsewhere in Bristol have been tagged and dogged at the end of the Easter break. It is annoying when this happens. I think everyone accepts that it does happen, but it does seem really senseless and damages the reputation of street art and graffiti art in the City.
As far as I can make out, it was Georgie (artist) who organised The Bearpit ‘paint jam’ on 8 April, and I managed to catch up with her for a few minutes while she was starting work on this fabulous ‘citizen of nowhere’ piece. She told me that she was negotiating with Bristol City Council to try and create some ‘legal walls’ where street artists could create their works without constantly having to keep an eye out for the authorities. Georgie suggested that legal walls would also encourage new artists to try their hand and see what they could do, without fear of arrest. My view is that this would be a good thing, but I will always have a soft spot for the edgy illegal stuff…it all starts there.
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
This is a brilliant stencil piece containing part of a Theresa May quote “if you believe you’re a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere”. I think this piece demonstrates clearly what utter nonsense the Prime Minister comes out with. Ghastly, ghastly May.
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
I enjoyed meeting Georgie, she seems to be a real mover and shaker in the street art scene in Bristol, well organised, galvanised and talented. I love this piece (I can’t believe that less than 24 hours after completion it was tagged) which contrasts in style with her recent freestyle Michael Caine piece. All good.
There is a lot to say about this remarkable recent piece by 3Dom in Wilder Street. I found out, while speaking to Alex from Where the Wall, that strictly speaking 3Dom did not have permission to spray the piece. Furthermore he sprayed over one of the landmark pieces left behind by Shalak Attack and Bruno Smokey when they visited Bristol last year.
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
I get the feeling that 3Dom got away with this misdemeanour on two counts…firstly his status as a local artist and secondly it is quite simply outstanding. The work in my eyes represents quite a departure from the usual wild and weird characters normally associated with his work. Here we see an intricate and beautiful study of floral patterns, shapes and colours, so very different from his previous work.
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
This is a truly outstanding piece and worth a trip to Wilder Street to grab a look. I noticed via 3Dom’s Insta account that he not so very long ago produced a similar style piece in London. This is the mark of an artist exploring new ideas and expressions, not something all are blessed with. I look forward to maybe seeing more of this stuff, which I understand was freestyled. Bravo!
The ‘paint Jam’ organised on 8 April coincided with a beautiful and sunny Spring day. Unfortunately, there were not as many artists as one might have hoped for, but it was all a bit last-minute, so any turn out was good.
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
I came across an artist I had not met before, but whose work has recently been creeping onto my radar…Sirens. I stopped and chatted for a while with this really interesting artist, who likes to grab people’s attention in places where they least expect it. He has been working with painting on plastic sheeting suspended between trees in local woodlands, drawing attention to his ideas in unusual places.
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Much of his work contains an environmental theme and messages, contrasting beauty with urban landscapes. This piece ‘head for hope’ reminds me a little of the scene in the Terry Gilliam film ‘Brazil’ where the car drives along a road with high walls, beyond which is beautiful countryside. Look out for more from Sirens here.
Quite by chance I came across Laic217 spraying over one of his old pieces in Moon Street on my way to the ‘paint jam’ on 8 April. This was indeed a bit of a red-letter day for me, and I hadn’t even arrived at The Bearpit yet.
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
I have been really wanting to meet Laic217 for some time, because his work is so different and distinctive and he is so incredibly prolific at the moment. Now was my chance to say hello and ask him a few questions.
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
He seemed to know who I was (probably from my Instagram account), so I didn’t need to explain too much why I was interested in his work. He implied that he tries not to be influenced by other artists or what people write about him, preferring instead to plough his own furrow. He tends to spray alone and does not belong to any local crew. I picked up an accent which to my untrained ear sounded German.
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
When I asked him how can he be so prolific, he stated what I suppose is obvious, he said “It is what I do and I love to do it”. This is another skull face and bucket hat combo (I was glad to see he sports such a hat) with a gold tooth, joint, brick wall behind sun glasses and shattered smiley. It is all there and all absolutely wonderful.
A stunning piece by Decay for the ‘paint Jam’ on the 8 April, organised by Georgie and advertised at very short notice through social media. This is a favourite wall for Decay, and he has had several other pieces here before.
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
I was fortunate enough to be there while he was just finishing off the piece. I love the way the young boy is looking back at his work. So very few people stop to take a look (such a British behaviour) perhaps for fear of interrupting the artist, or worse still striking up a conversation.
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
All the very best features of a Decay piece are here: the abstract form of concentric rays emanating from a central face. The piece is directly adjacent to a large pink work I featured by Decay not so very long ago.
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
He is a busy man, and shortly after completing this piece he drifted over to Wilder street to do a piece on the nicely prepped walls…to follow in a little while.
I haven’t seen much of Sled One for a while…apart from the man eating fridge piece…so it was nice to come across this wildstyle work on the M32 roundabout at the start of April.
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017
I can’t help that the piece is Easter chocolate egg inspired. The colours of purple and gold, reminiscent of Cadbury branding, and the chocolate brown colours definitely have that Easter egg look about them.
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017
So the story here is to write a wildstyle piece in the theme of Easter eggs, and I think Sled One has cracked it…sorry.
Natural adventures 