Tag: Upfest

4500. Upfest 2022 (12)

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
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
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.

4499. Upfest 2022 (11)

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
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.

4484. Upfest 2022 (10)

Shortly after painting this vibrant piece for Upfest, Rtiiika had a leaving paint jam on Cattle Market Road with her Bristol Womxn Mural Collective friends. I am not too sure where she is leaving to or how long for, but I am certain she will be back.

Rtiiika, Upfest22, Bristol, May 2022
Rtiiika, Upfest22, Bristol, May 2022

This is a beautifully designed piece with Rtiiika’s classic stylised figures all jumbled up together. A mash up of shoes, hats, legs, boobs and willies, some in outline and some in solid fill make this a dynamic and fun piece. Even though Rtiiika has left Bristol, I have several more of her pieces in my archive which I hope to find time to post. One of my favourite Rtiiika pieces.

4483. Upfest 2022 (9)

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
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, 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
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
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.

4482. Upfest 2022 (8)

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
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
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
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.

Dan Kitchener, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Dan Kitchener, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

4480. Upfest 2022 (6)

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
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.

Gretl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Gretl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Reacquaint

.

Meeting, re-meeting

some friends and acquaintances

after two long years

.

by Scooj

4463. Upfest 2022 (5)

This fabulous piece on one of my favourite Upfest walls is a great way to round off the first five pieces from Upfest 2022. As you can imagine, there will be hundreds of pieces to post by the time the festival ends, so please bear with me as I try to write about them in batches, alongside all the other wonderful street art that we are blessed to see in Bristol. This is by an artist I haven’t heard of before, Derm, and features what looks like a Vaughn Bode Lizard, an Iconic character in the world of street art.

Derm, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Derm, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The lizard in this piece is riding what looks like a half-track motor cycle, complete with flat tyres. A classic cartoon-style piece of urban culture street art that really stands out on this wall. One of the great pleasures of Upfest is being exposed to the talents of new artists from around the country, Europe and the world. A great piece of work.

4462. Upfest 2022 (4)

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, 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.

4461. Upfest 2022 (3)

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
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
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
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.