Tag: Street art

519. Dean Lane skate park (27)

It would appear that Mr Draws has recently had an epiphany. The master of drawing mountains has started to do some writing, which is all rather exciting really. I have seen several of his new pieces in the Stokes Croft area, and this one in Dean Lane is rather good.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2016
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2016

I enjoy his selection of colours and the block capitals. Turning the A upside down seems to work really well. Adding this new dimension to his portfolio can only be a really good thing. I wonder where this adventure will take him. I note it has recently taken him to Leake Street in London.

518. Moon Street (15)

Off the beaten track, DinDin left this little treat behind in Moon Street while she was over for Upfest this year. Unfortunately, even though I found the piece quite soon after it was completed, it was already slightly damaged.

DinDin, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016
DinDin, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016

I love it nonetheless. It is a swanky, stylish wheatpaste that somehow blends in really well with the brick wall it is pasted to. It is very close to another of her pieces I posted about a little while back. DinDin is my favourite discovery from Upfest this year, and I dearly hope she returns next year. Always welcome.

517. Hoxton Square, Shoreditch (2)

Alongside some lovely work by Fanakapan and Mr Cenz, Unify has painted this lovely spray can. Representing a spray can as the main subject or as a ‘bit part’ is one of the recurring themes that I have noticed in street art. Acknowledging the tools of the trade.

Unify, Hoxton Square, London, August 2016
Unify, Hoxton Square, London, August 2016
Unify’s work has a charming quality about it, although it is often accompanied by a social or political message, which adds to the depth of his pieces. An accomplished and productive artist, who would be very welcome to come again to Bristol anytime.

516. Grimsby Street, Shoreditch (1)

Stik is probably the most instantly recognisable street artist in the world. His simple stick figures hide a sophistication that is quite baffling really. They appear to convey such strong feelings and emotions, often compassionate. How does he do that?

Stik, Grimsby Street, London, August 2016
Stik, Grimsby Street, London, August 2016
This piece however is slightly different. Lurking in a backstreet that is a favourite for street artists are these two rather unfortunate characters puking up in the street. I don’t know what the story here is, but it is not like it isn’t something we all haven’t done, either through illness or over indulgence. Perhaps just a commentary on the human condition.

Stik, Grimsby Street, London, August 2016
Stik, Grimsby Street, London, August 2016
I absolutely love his work and have posted about the large piece in Bristol and charming wall in Chichester previously. More to come.

515. The Bearpit (29)

This is a cheeky little ‘left-over’ from Upfest 2016 by Feoflip when he was in town in July. He has playfully animated a plug and wire, giving it a little personality. He sprayed several of these around the place, and I will try to post about them all. This one is on the wooden panels that create a terraced lawn (a bit of a fancy word for some grass) on the northern side of The Bearpit.

Feoflip, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2016

You can tell that Feoflip is not from these parts – we don’t use plugs like that in the UK, we have much more chunky square-pin jobbies that would look more like bull dogs than this rather cute ‘terrier’.

 

 

514. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (20)

It is not so long ago that I posted a piece by Face F1st, which was in the same place as this one, although this face predates the other. Aaargh! the confusion and disruption of archiving. There is simply too much Bristol street/graffiti art to post in a nice logical sequence. When I go out to take pictures, I might get a dozen or more new pieces. These will be additional to the hundreds I have not yet published. I only get enough time to write about one piece a day, so I have a dilemma…do I publish the most recent piece or just post in a rather more organic way. I have opted for the latter, which is why this older piece by Face F1st has been published after the more recent one. An over-long explanation I fear.

Face F1st, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2016
Face F1st, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2016
This time we have a lovely face with a wildstyle hairstyle made up from the word FACE. All very nice. He continues to be one of my favourite artists.

513. Upfest 2016 (70)

I have long admired the work of Annatomix from the comfort of my PC or mobile phone through Instagram and other digital social media. It was a real pleasure then to see her at work at this year’s Upfest.

Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Annatomix is a self-taught artist from Birmingham who seems equally at home with fine art work as she does with street art or graffiti art. Her geometric folded paper characters are very distinctive, and her pieces certainly stand out from the crowd.

Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
She has a lovely website and you can read more about her here. There are also some great examples of her street art work on this Global Street Art page.

Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
As with many pieces I saw at Upfest, I never saw the final work, but I love the simple peace (anti-war) message and symbolism. I want to find more of her work, but I think I might have to go to London to see it.

 

512. Upfest 2016 (69)

I have said on a number of occasions that one of the great privileges of Upfest is that we get to see so many artists from all over the country and beyond. This amazingly moving stencil is by Mister Feeney who is a spray paint artist and maker of stupid videos, so his Facebook profile says.

Mister Feeney, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Mister Feeney, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something haunting about this stencil, or familiar, I’m not sure which. It reminds me of the famous National Geographic cover of the woman with the headscarf and amazing eyes.

Mister Feeney has been a stencil art prize finalist for the last three years and it is easy to see why. His Facebook stream is well worth a visit, and you get to see first hand just how accomplished he is. This is a fabulous piece.

 

511. Upfest 2016 (68)

Regular readers will know that I am particularly fond of paste ups and the artists who create them, such as Kid Crayon, Tian, 23 Magpies, D7606 and Phoebe New York. Another wonderful and highly distinctive member of this genre is C3 whose works can be seen not only in Bristol from this year’s upfest, but also all over the popular street art areas of London.

C3, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
C3, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Her work is always thoughtfully designed and presented cleverly. In this case, her subject shares a space with Phoebe New York and a tin of Stella Artois. Placement is everything for wheatpasters. This is like a little shrine.

510. Upfest 2016 (67)

I first ‘discovered’ Stephen Quick in January this year, when I found one of his pieces in the Tobacco Factory car park. I was immediately drawn to it because of both its wonderful stencil technique and its subject matter – Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher kissing. Brilliant.

Stephen Quick, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Stephen Quick, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I then found another of his pieces, again in the Tobacco Factory car park (a fine venue for street art), which features Alan Rickman as a ‘Severus Sane’ commemorating the sad passing of Rickman and David Bowie in one superb piece.

 

Stephen Quick, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Stephen Quick, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Imagine then my excitement then at not only finding another piece at Upfest 2016, but also at meeting Stephen and having a long chat about his work and compositions. He is a really, really nice guy.

 

Stephen Quick, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Stephen Quick, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is a remarkable piece, presenting the unlikely couple of the Iron Man and Judy Garland’s Dorothy in a close and intimate pose. There is tenderness and a passion from her and a cold, metallic heartlessness from him. It works so well. This is a magnificent stencil, and one of the best pieces from Upfest this year. I look forward to meeting Stephen again, and if I am lucky enough interviewing him. Great work.

Stephen Quick, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Stephen Quick, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016