Tag: UK

416. Upfest 2016 (43)

I like a bit of edge, and at This year’s upfest it was provided in small doses by the brilliant wheatpaster ‘What Have I Done Now’. I don’t know if he had a ‘feature piece’ or whether he had been invited to simply paste up his work wherever he felt like, but there was plenty of the latter on show.

What Have I Done Now, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
What Have I Done Now, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This small Piece appeared on the corner of a large advertising hoarding, and as with so many of these things, many visitors to Upfest walked straight past it, probably focusing on finding the next art venue. A pity.

What Have I Done Now, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
What Have I Done Now, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I liked What Have I Done Now’s biography in the Upfest programme, it reads:

‘When people ask me what kind of artist I am, I say political.As more often than not I’m responding to the machinery of control as it grinds us all up in its gears. I’m trying to remind folk we can simply refuse to stop applying the grease.‘

Good words, and great art work. More to come.

Indian Summer

.

Lingering Summer

stay a while longer and know

you are most welcome. 

.
by Scooj

415. Upfest 2016 (42)

There were several highly memorable pieces at Upfest this year, and this photorealistic colour negative by Takerone was in my view one of the best. Takerone, who comes from Hungary, tries to make his art photo real, but makes an effort to retain a natural look.

Takerone, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Takerone, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

If, like me, you are wondering what the positive image looks like, then definitely take a look at Takerone’s Facebook page which has a brilliant film clip with positive and negative versions of his work side by side. Just a great idea and incredible execution. I have tried to cut an image from his video below:

Takerone, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Takerone, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Book club

 

Sweet joy. They are here

and I am relegated

to this room…I write.

 

by Scooj

 

My daughter’s assessment of this haiku…”that’s boring Dad”.

414. Upfest 2016 (41)

23Magpies is an artist I have admired for sometime now. Although she has already featured in one Upfest 2016 post already, her ‘official’ work, I couldn’t resist including some of her ‘extras’.

23Magpies, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
23Magpies, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

These extras are often left behind by street artists during a festival and wheatpastes in particular seem to appear all over the place. 23Magpies leaves these treats for people like me to find. Often she pastes them onto utility boxes and lamp posts.

23Magpies, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
23Magpies, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Generally to get a good look and photograph one needs to stoop somewhat drawing strange glances from passers-by. Of course if you don’t look, you won’t see. Some will never see beyond their next text message.

23Magpies, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
23Magpies, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

23Magpies is known for her wildlife and environmental themes in her work and with this cat and mouse pair she doesn’t sdisappoint. More 23Magpies extras in a future post…I promise.

Waiting it out

 

Inexorable

my time in time will come, but

will I welcome it?

 

by Scooj

413. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (17)

The arches at the Carriageworks in Stokes Croft probably have the highest footfall of any street art location in Bristol, so when you create a piece there it always makes an impression, especially when it is as bold and exciting as this one by 3Dom

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016

I don’t know what happens in 3Dom’s mind, but he seems to have a fertile and creative imagination. A snail and a pagoda…what is that all about? Lots of symbolism or a story perhaps.

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016

3Dom has an amazing ability, not only to create extraordinary scenes and characters, but also to spray all sorts of different textures. For example the amazing slime trail dangling from the snail. Another outstanding piece in the heart of graffitiland.

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2016

412. Upper York Street (4)

Another Bristol writer with a distinctive style is Whysayit. His work appears all over the place and he often collaborates with other writers and appears as a pair of works in the same colour regimes but differing styles.

Whysayit, Upper York Street, Bristol, September 2016
Whysayit, Upper York Street, Bristol, September 2016

This cheeky little piece is in the doorway between two larger walls favoured by Bristol writers such as Epok, Deamze and Kleiner Shames. Whysayit shortens his style for throw-ups by just spraying the letters YS. Really worth taking a look at his Instagram account.

411. Moon Street (11)

There is something comforting about seeing Laic217’s work. He tends to paint in two forms: writing of his name with a character incorporated or an acid-house melting face.

 

Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016

This is the third of these melting faces that I have come across and it is a great addition to the series of which the first and second have both been posted on this blog.

Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016

I like his work and see how it is getting sharper with each new piece I come across. Laic217 is a prolific artist and appears to favour Moon street and the M32 roundabout for his work. I love his stuff, and I think it really epitomises the Bristol scene – raw, edgy and fun.

Laic217 and 3Dom, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016
Laic217 and 3Dom, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2016

Matilda

 

Weather-worn and wise

forever calm and serene

my rock in a storm.

 

by Scooj