Tag: Upfest

4621. Upfest 2022 (36)

Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Two Inkie posts in a row… It happens you know from time to time, sometimes by design and other times quite by accident. This was an accident, but nothing to stress about, there are no rules on Natural Adventures, and if there were I wouldn’t stick to them anyway.

Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

I watched Inkie as he was painting this stunner, and was reminded of the incredible pace he works at. I watched him paint the lower left hand quadrant for a couple of minutes, walked the dog up the road for five minutes, came back and he had virtually finished the segment, awesome to witness.

Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Somehow Upfest wouldn’t feel like Upfest without a landmark Inkie piece, and the area plays host to several of his pieces still, from years gone by. Inkie – Bristol – ASK (After Schook Klub) – Vikki. Says it all. A true beauty.

4595. Upfest 2022 (35)

I am a huge admirer of Johnman’s incredible pieces, and although I have only seen a handful of them, each one is an absolute cracker. I particularly like this piece, because accidentally or deliberately, the scene blends into the real blue sky behind it, giving a slightly surreal feel to the whole thing.

Johnman, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Johnman, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Johnman has a gift for producing intrigue and drama in his work, and here we have a girl in a wheat field under a deep blue sky with a dove of peace. The colours suggest that this is a representation of the Ukranian flag and that it is a piece depicting the war with the Dictator Putin’s Russia. A stunning, mysterious and compassionate piece from this outstanding artist.

4594. Upfest 2022 (34)

I guess it is a host’s prerogative, in this case Upfest, to be able to include lots of local artists to join in the fun of the festival, and it felt like, this year more than any other, that Bristol-based artists made up a significant proportion of all the artists in attendance. This is a brilliant thing, because it introduces all the visitors to the festival to the vast pool of talent we have in the city.

Zake, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Zake, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Any regular reader of Natural Adventures will be no stranger to the work of Zake, and here we see him at work painting the body of one of his characteristic cartoon-style faces. I like work in progress (WIP) photographs, because they give you a real sense of how the finished article was created, and how the finishing touches can transform a piece.

Zake, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Zake, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

As always, it is the mastery of light and shade that makes Zake’s work so special, and he has managed to apply these principles not only to the character’s face but also to his clothes. A fine festival piece from Zake.

4593. Upfest 2022 (33)

I think I was being rather thick when I looked at this piece, and it took me quite a while to unpick what was going on. It is funny how you can look at something but not really see it, which is something I pride myself on being able to do ordinarily, but in this instance I failed.

Usedpencil, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Used Pencil, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The clever piece is by Used Pencil and is of course a portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth, although not an entirely flattering one. Upfest was held this year just before the extended bank holiday during which the nation celebrated the Queen’s platinum jubilee – I didn’t celebrate, because I was in Porto with my daughter.

This portrait is a bit like a fully painted doodle and it is very nicely executed too. Used Pencil is another artist I have never come across before and his Upfest biography reads:

I am Used Pencil, the ‘Secret Walls’ winning, mural making, illicit illustrator with walls covered and exhibitions curated in HK, Lisbon, LDN, Manchester and Iceland, to name just a few. Always starting with a pencil and paper, I like to make marks on all surfaces using fine line creative wizardry.

Nice contemporary work.

4592. Upfest 2022 (32)

I think it is fair to say that some of the Upfest pieces are much more memorable than others. Some you really want to photograph and some others you forget that you even saw them until you review your pictures. This is definitely one of those memorable ones.

Mister Samo, Upfest 22, Bristol, Bristol, May 2022
Mister Samo, Upfest 22, Bristol, Bristol, May 2022

The bright piece is by Mister Samo, who I have not encountered before but who has a really interesting biography in the Upfest programme as follows:

Samo is a Portsmouth based trans artist, public speaker, and activist who focuses on intersectional gender identity and community. Highlights include painting at World Pride 2019, producing I EXIST (a trans bodies art book), founding an LGBTQ+ safe space scheme, and having his works collected by people across the world.

Mister Samo, Upfest 22, Bristol, Bristol, May 2022
Mister Samo, Upfest 22, Bristol, Bristol, May 2022

There is something very appealing about the piece and without doubt it demands to be looked at. The stylised yellow figure set on the blue and pink background stands out a mile, but as well as the bold colours, the finer details are what make the piece rather special, such as the hand and the beautifully drafted flowers. A very nice piece from Mister Samo.

4591. Upfest 2022 (31)

This was the first completed piece from Upfest 2022 that I saw this year and was the piece that alerted me to the fact that many artists were already out and about in Bedminster painting static walls as a precursor to the main event in Greville Smyth Park at the end of May.

Squirl, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Squirl, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The large mural is by Squirl, who has painted a few times in Bristol, mostly at Upfest, but also in collaboration with SPZero76 as part of the Gums and Tongue crew. This is a beautifully designed landscape scene in a highly stylised and colourful form. A stunner, and as fortune would have it, the roadworks in front of it made it easier to photograph as there are usually cars permanently parked in front of this wall. Great piece from Squirl.

Georgie

A gallery of fabulous street and festival art from Bristol artist Georgie

Instagram: @georgieartist

Website: Georgie

All photographs by Scooj

Georgie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Georgie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

 

Georgie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Georgie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

 

Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

 

Georgie, Jamaica Street, Bristol, February 2020
Georgie, Jamaica Street, Bristol, February 2020

 

Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

 

Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

 

Georgie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Georgie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

 

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018

 

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018

 

Georgie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Georgie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

 

Georgie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Georgie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

 

Georgie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Georgie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

 

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

 

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

 

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

 

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

 

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016

 

4572. Upfest 2022 (30)

At Upfest you get to see work from so many artists that you have never encountered before, and in some cases may never encounter again. Always, though, there will be some pieces that stand out or stick in the memory, for whatever reason, and this curious piece by Rinascimento Punk is one of those.

Rinascimento punk, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Rinascimento punk, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The character in the piece is all a little surreal, with unfamiliar limbs attached (or in the case of the hand, unattached) to a torso and face. The hand is holding a planet (Saturn?) and I am guessing the head is in a space helmet, because the piece is entitled ‘Woman in Space’. This is an intriguing piece with loads of texture in the artwork. Great stuff.

4571. Upfest 2022 (29)

You couldn’t want to meet two nicer, albeit slightly bonkers, artists than Jimmer Willmott and Guts, who don’t paint the streets all that often, but when they do really bring things to life with their imaginative work.

Jimmer Willmott and Guts, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Jimmer Willmott and Guts, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

It was genuinely a real pleasure to catch up with them just as they were finishing off the piece, and we chatted for a while, and they asked me to take the obligatory ‘artist selfies’ in front of the finished work, which was great fun. Unfortunately, the pictures were on their phone and not mine. On the left of the piece is a rather curious, and slightly disturbing character, looking a bit like Mr Potato Head given some Picasso treatment.

Jimmer Willmott and Guts, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Jimmer Willmott and Guts, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

To the right is a busy gathering of monsters and things, with a bit of slime thrown in, so typical of the bright and ‘happening’ pieces that Guts paints. I am not even going to try and interpret the piece, to do so would be foolish. The collaborative effort as a whole is so full of energy, joy and creativity, and it is such a pleasure to see more of their street work.

4570. Upfest 2022 (28)

Skor85 is a wonderful artist, living in Bristol, although I believe she is one of a number of artists in the city originally from Poland. It has been a very long time since I last saw any of her work, so managing to catch up with her, albeit briefly, at Upfest was a real bonus.

Skor85, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Skor85, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Her work often contains studies of the human form, although it might be contorted or in some way agonised, not unlike the work of Object…. I am pretty sure that there is some kind of narrative in this piece, but I am not quite sure that I can pin it down. I wonder if there is an anti-war theme to it.

Skor85, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Skor85, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The tortured character, an alien perhaps, appears to be fending off shells or satellites containing concepts such as television or money. A complex piece with plenty to think about together with a rich combination of a beautifully worked character and catastrophic scenes in the background, make this a real Upfesst winner.