Bnie, Vozie, Pekoe and Evey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This collaboration is an absolute belter from the RBF crew and brings together the talents of Bnie, Vozie, Pekoe and Evey in one magnificent board.
Bnie, Vozie, Pekoe and Evey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
It was great to watch the crew paint this piece on a gorgeous day in late May, which felt like a genuinely joyous celebration of art and music in a totally Bristol context.
Bnie and Vozie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The colour scheme adopted was sustained across the whole collaborative piece and combines the colours pink and blue that seem to have been a bit of a thing this year. On the left, Bnie and Vozie spoilt us with two superb examples of great graffiti writing.
Pekoe, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The centrepiece of the collaboration was this magnificent portrait piece by Pekoe and arguably her finest piece of the year, although the bar she set herself was pretty high.
Evey, and Bnie?, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
On the right, Evey rounded the piece off with a huge shout-out to themselves with an RBF which I think might have been painted by Bnie at a guess. Some beautiful work from a beautiful group of people.
It is customary on the last Thursday before the Christmas break to present a selection of favourite doors from the last year. This is my selection, and I had some real beauties to choose from this year. I hope you enjoy them this second time round. I look forward to seeing other Thursday door selections too.
Green Hut door, Alpe d’Huez, France, February 2022Green arched door, Filton, Bristol, March 2022Red door, lilac walls and a temple, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022Ghost door at Phillimore Chambers, Westminster, London, May 2022An extraordinary door and carved wooden surround and awning, Westminster, London, May 2022Three doors, including a tradesman’s entrance, Westminster, London, May 2022Porto Tram with side doors, line 18, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Possibly my favourite door of the trip, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Lighthouse with red door, Foz do Douro, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Church, doors and tiles, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Arched green door, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Old black door and steps, Bristol, October 2022Pair of doors, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
So that’s it for the year. 2022 has been a very difficult year for so many reasons. I guess it is fitting that the final pair of doors in blue and yellow represent the colours of a country that I hadn’t given much consideration before dictator Putin’s “special operation” and invasion this year. I dedicate this gallery of doors to the people of Ukraine, keeping them very much in my thoughts this Christmas.
May I take the opportunity to wish you all a very happy holiday season, and Christmas. See you all on the other side.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
It never ceases to amaze me just how many artists paint at Upfest, and it is truly a triumph of organisation by Steve and Emma and their team. At the festival, artists can be allocated walls, some of them enormous, temporary hoardings or these 1 meter squares, and it is up to the artists to make the most of the space available. Chi-Yien Snow has done a wonderful job with this board.
Chi-Yien Snow, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Chi-Yien Snow is a fine artist living in Clevedon, who paints in acrylics and oils, and has painted this outstanding and soulful portrait piece for the festival. I would guess that the portrait is of a native South American, perhaps from the Amazon region, or at least that is what it looks like to me. It is always a real pleasure to see the work of new artists and I will be looking out for Chi-Yien Snow’s work from now on.
Emily Joy Rich is a regular participant at Upfest and her sign writing street art amply demonstrates the breadth of talent on display at the event. I always feel like I have seen more of her art than I actually have, perhaps it is because her pieces are so strong and memorable and remain in the memory for a long while.
Emily Joy Rich, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This beautiful piece could be adopted as a mantra for our time. For me, I keep on dreaming for an Arsenal triumph in the Premiership, or for a Government free of Tories forever. I love the way Emily Joy Rich has combined the on-point word DREAMING on a backdrop of the words ‘keep on’, written in a drippy handwritten style. This is a classy piece from a classy artist.
I feel I have been neglecting the remarkable street art work that was created at the end of May during Upfest 2022, such has been the volume of new work in the city, so I am making up for lost time with a quick segment of ten Upfest pieces, starting with this one by Sake One.
Sake One, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This is an absolutely stunning and arresting piece, hidden behind some verdant trees, on a wall that has hosted several wonderful Upfest pieces in the past. I understand that the piece is inspired by the track Paradise Circus by Massive Attack. The California-based artist, who is no stranger to Upfest, said of this piece
“Since many apple trees are covering the wall, I wanted to make it appear like they are forest nymphs peering through. I thought it would work to give the mural this title, since she has a devilish grin. I also wanted to give a wink or Easter egg to Massive Attack and Bristol”
Sake One, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This is a fine work from a celebrated artist, and it was great to welcome him back to Bristol again for the festival.
Another classy piece from Saor alongside his NTS friends on the long wall at Dean Lane. His work is so on-point, always neat and tidy. He achieves this without the comfort of borders, which means that all of his lines have to be cut-in perfectly, which is a terrific skill.
Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
The blues and yellows on a grey background work very well and are in line with the colour scheme for the whole collaborative wall. The stylised letters SAOR give way to some animation in the middle of the piece, with elements of a smiley face. This is an outstanding piece, which, to be fair, is consistent with most of his work.
I am rather hoping that Peggy will become a regular on the pages of Natural Adventures, because I really like her floral designs and her use of space in the spots she paints, bringing a touch of class and joy along with her.
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Peggy has used the space on the side of this skate ramp really cleverly, and produced a stunning array of leaves and flowers with decorative swirls. There is something a little similar in her style to Alex Lucas, certainly in the subject matter. I’m really looking forward to seeing much more from this rising star.
