Alongside all the newcomers to Bristol’s Upfest festival, there is a cohort of ‘regulars’ who turn up and wow us with their talent, year after year. One of these regulars is RTC (Rich Turner) who has been present at several festivals and presented us with this magnificent British bulldog stencil piece this year.
RTC, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
RTC manages to produce these massively detailed and multi-layered stencil pieces that are photorealistic in their appearance. The backgrounds too are beautifully constructed with hexagons bubbles and stars all adding to the structure of the piece. What is most amazing is that it is all contained with; one of the small 1m squared board.
This post marks a small milestone in the development of Natural Adventures, being my 4,500th street art/graffiti post. I never thought that this would happen when I first set up this blog, but it is funny how things happen in the most unexpected ways. This Upfest 2022 piece is by Bjor, and is a striking and beautiful piece, a little reminiscent of some of Jody’s work.
Bjor, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
I guess the contrast between the greyscale portrait and the abstract colourful swirl of thought/imagination/soul is what makes this piece so intriguing, there is a story happening somewhere in this splash of colour.
Bjor, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
I have not seen any of Bjor’s work before (one of the joys of Upfest is seeing the work of so many artists for the first time), and it is very fine accomplished stuff. Bjor comes from Norway and his artwork, which you can see on his Facebook page, is definitely worth a look.
I have said many times on this blog that one of the great things about street art is that much of it chronicles the times we live in, either overtly in a political context or sometimes in more subtle ways through visual cues or references. This Upfest stencil piece from Daisy Mae Morris is an overt reverence to the war in Ukraine and features Volodymir Zelensky.
Daisy Mae Morris, Upfest 22, May 2022
The piece is a take on the famous Lord Kitchener poster of the First World War and seeks to gain the support of Britons in the struggle Ukraine face against dictator Putin and his Russian army. It is a nicely done stencil and I was lucky enough to watch her doing the very final touches to the piece, but not lucky enough to stop for a chat. Great work from Daisy Mae.
One of the most pleasurable parts of the new format for Upfest, was the opportunity to meet artists in the weeks before the festival weekend while they were completing their allocated walls, and none more so than Ant Carver who I also met last year. The technique and painting methods he uses means that he paints over several days, and I think I caught up with him on three separate occasions while he painted this extraordinary portrait piece.
Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The first stage to his work is creating a matrix on the wall which he photographs and then superimposes his draft onto on his mobile phone. The lines act as a grid which he uses to map out a sketch on the wall, and he can create his outlines with pin-point accuracy. I believe that the piece is one he had painted on canvass for an exhibition.
Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Ant Carver, I think, uses spray cans for some of the work, but much of it is painted with brushes. The fine detail in the piece is achieved with the brushes, something that would be difficult to achieve using spray paint alone.
Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
I have a feeling that This piece, and indeed last year’s 75 x 75 piece are about aspects of mental health. I am not too certain that Ant Carver completed the piece, because the candle doesn’t look finished to me. I’ll need to check up on that.
Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
All in all another very pleasing and special piece from Ant Carver, on a new wall for Upfest, which is in a really great spot for maximum exposure. Great work from this modest and really likeable artist.
It is difficult to know where to begin with this outstanding street scene by Dan Kitchener, whose work just seems to get better and better. Painted on one of the larger Upfest walls, the typical street scene features tons of smaller screens displaying Japanese advertising and anime figures cheek by jowl.
Dan Kitchener, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The wall is not easy to photograph, so I have broken the piece down into sections or chunks to give a taste of the intricacy of each section. At the base of the piece, a wet street scene with a car and pedestrians holding umbrellas, is reminiscent (as I have said many times before) of the dystopian scenes from Blade Runner, a theme present in so much of Dan Kitchener’s work.
Dan Kitchener, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Above the street level, a bank of advertising screens and hoardings illuminate the dark street. It would be interesting to have a translations of all the writing, to understand better what is happening here.
Dan Kitchener, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
It is amazing to see this all as one piece by one artist, because it comes across as if each section is by a different artist, if you see what I mean. I don’t know how long it took Dan Kitchener to paint the piece, but I know he works fast, and I imagine this represents 2-3 days of painting. An utterly outstanding piece that transports you halfway across the world, if even for a short while.
These gates opposite the Hen and Chicken have played host to so many outstanding pieces for Upfest, and this time it is the turn of GretL, for at least the second time at the festival.
GretL, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
It seems that hummingbirds are a very popular theme with street artists, and there is definitely something about creating a moment in time in their frenetic and rapid wing beat. These stylised birds are truly beautiful and set against a sumptuous arrangement of leaves. A gorgeous piece.
I was hoping that there would be some Ukraine pieces at this year’s Upfest, and Karl Read has delivered handsomely with this fabulous stencil piece featuring Volodymir Zelensky. The concept is simple and powerful, as the president of Ukraine reveals his true identity as Superman. I am reminded, each time I see President Zelensky of the Shakespearean quote from Twelfth Night that “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them”. The middle one of these might apply in this instance.
Karl Read, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Karl Read, an Upfest veteran, has cleverly worked on the colour scheme for the piece, with Zelensky painted in black and white and his Superman outfit blasting out in Ukraine’s blue and yellow colours. An additional nice touch is the little lapel badge worn by the president. This is a great contemporary commentary piece, deserving of this high profile wall in Bedminster.
This year, Upfest is in two parts. The first part, which has been running for about three weeks now, has been to paint as many of the feature semi-permanent walls as possible before the festival weekend (May 28-29). The second part will be the remaining 350 or so artists painting on boards ‘live’ at various venues. This piece from My Dog Sighs falls into the former category.
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
There are positives and negatives to this new approach (change is never easy). On the upside, there will be plenty of completed new works for visitors to enjoy, without the eyesore of scaffolding on the other hand, that wonderful interaction with some of the greatest artists on the circuit is lost. It can feel a little bit like ‘rent an artist’, without the opportunity to watch them at work. On balance I can see that it makes sense, and as a resident of Bristol I have been able to meet a lot of artists over the last week or two.
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Unfortunately I missed My Dog Sighs this time, which is a pity. I think he was in and out very quickly. Such are the demands on some of the bigger names during festival season. This piece is one of his pigeon pieces, similar to the one he painted for the Cheltenham festival last year. The characters and colours are magnificent, and his work so totally on point. It might have been nice to see another one of his eyes for this festival, but I might just be being picky.
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Pigeons are something of a favourite theme for street artists, and I guess that perhaps there is something unconscious going on, in that these artists being on the streets probably see a great many of these urban birds. A fine addition to the Upfest 22 collection.
It is easy to forget what a special time Upfest is in the Bristol calendar, especially for south Bristolians in the Bedminster area, where the festival is centred. The lucky residents of this area are blessed with some of the very best street artists and muralists visiting to decorate their walls and bring a sense of pride to the community.
Sian Storey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This gorgeous hummingbird piece is by Sian Storey and a fitting follow-up to her beautiful piece from last year’s 70×70 wall. The highly colourful and dynamic mural features two hummingbirds in flight surrounded by flowers and petals with a gold patterned motif in the centre.
Sian Storey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
There is a great amount of detail in this busy piece, creating a sense of movement and frenetic activity. This is a very special wall that has hosted several significant artists in previous festivals, and Sian Storey has done it proud. The piece is slightly off the beaten track, on Westbourne Grove (which happens to be a Google Maps black hole).
Upfest 2022 has begun, and the format has changed a little this year. The ‘permanent’ walls have been buffed and prepped for painting in the three weeks preceding the festival weekend, so that when people arrive for the festival, there will be a stunning array of new work completed for them to enjoy. It is possible that some H&S measures might have helped with that decision too. What it means is that for people like me, there has been ample time to capture works in progress and chat with artists from all over the UK, Europe and the world.
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This artist, however, didn’t need to travel far at all, as he lives in the same road as his artwork. Willl Cross (yes, three ‘L’s) is a fine artist (oil paintings) from Bristol whose work is truly stunning, and you can see some of it on his Instagram feed, which I strongly recommend you take a look at. This was his first effort at ‘street art’ and judging from the outcome, I sincerely hope it isn’t his last.
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
I believe the woman in the portrait is wearing Bulgarian traditional costume, and Will Cross worked hard to recreate the intricate patterns in the blouse and apron. The whole composition is full of atmosphere and depth, and brings a little bit of Eastern Europe directly into the heart of Bedminster.
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
There is so much to love about this painting. It is the work of a very talented young man who deserves recognition, and with this prominent spot is likely to get it during the Festival weekend. What a great way to introduce this year’s Upfest festival, which ill be taking place on 28 and 29 May (this coming weekend).
Natural adventures 