Tag: Upfest

2880. Upfest 2016 (175)

I think that my favourite festival artist at Upfest 2016 was this gentleman, Feoflip. I managed to catch him working on his ‘official’ piece although never saw it completed, which is a real pity and possibly the reason I never posted this before.

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The reason I liked him so much was probably down to the unofficial ‘extras’ that he painted during his stay all over the city. The style is so different from anything we are used to seeing and he truly entered into the spirit of the Bristol street art scene. I would love to see him return and bless us with more of his outstanding work. Some of the pieces he painted are shown below:

Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, November 2017
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, November 2017
Feoflip, Little Paradise, Bristol July 2017
Feoflip, Little Paradise, Bristol July 2017
Feoflip, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, Welsh Back, Bristol, October 2016
Feoflip, Welsh Back, Bristol, October 2016
Feoflip, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, City Road, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, City Road, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Feoflip, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

2879. Upfest 2016 (174)

Another throwback to Upfest 2016 and this lovely Minion piece by The Agent. Not only is The Agent a street artist and regular at Upfest, but he is also a central part of the ‘on the ground’ logistics team for the event and can be seen pretty much everywhere at the festival checking things are going smoothly.

The Agent, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
The Agent, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

Known for his Minion pieces (from the film Despicable Me), he is also the father of another prominent Bristol street artist. This piece typifies his strong links with the festival and screams out fun. A nice piece.

2878. Upfest 2016 (173)

Like many of these archive posts from Upfests passim, it is hard to understand why I haven’t posted this one from SkyHigh and Roo before. I can only think that it is because I never got a clean shot of the finished collaboration.

SkyHigh and Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
SkyHigh and Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

These two London-based artists collaborate often, and where you find a SkyHigh piece, there is usually a Roo piece nearby. I took these pictures just as Roo (who previously I have assigned a male gender – dammit) was putting the finishing touches to her work. I suspect the lower right hand quadrant is not quite finished in these pictures.

SkyHigh, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
SkyHigh, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

The SkyHigh half of the collaboration spells out SKY in his characteristic variety of block letters, each different from the next, and the colours used here are incredibly bright and cheerful. This is first class graffiti writing.

Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

Roo has painted what I think is a dog, but looks a lot like a moose without antlers to me. The mischievous character has been spraying the letters Roo in magenta paint on the wall behind – a nice idea executed really well. This is a fine collaboration and I can only apologise for not sharing it before. (lots more apologies to come as I continue to scour the archives).

2877. Upfest 2016 (172)

Somehow, since the lock down I have a lot less free time than I had before, which feels rather counter-intuitive. I am still working full time, only at home and mostly on Covid-19 communications. The kids are at home all the time and there is no respite from looking after them 24/7. The dog still needs walks. My wife too is working full time at home and occupies the study to work, which is where our main computer resides, and all my associated street art files etc.

The upshot is that I am writing these posts in the few minutes I can when my wife takes a shower in the morning. I am on leave next week, and might be able to write a whole bunch of posts to get a little bit ahead. I don’t like flying by the seat of my pants.

Rusk, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
Rusk, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

This is a stunning piece from the perfectionist Rusk on the RAW wall at Upfest 2016. I consider this to be an outstanding piece of writing and somehow Rusk, using highlights, has managed to create a metallic effect, so the whole thing looks like the side of a car or something like that. I can’t understand why I’ve not posted this before. Worth the wait.

2876. Upfest 2016 (171)

The Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent UK lock down has unsurprisingly seen a dramatic decrease in new street work. This, while disappointing especially given the spell of gorgeous weather we have been having, is not all bad news, as it is giving me the opportunity to unearth some not-seen-before on Natural Adventures pieces from the archives. Starting with this spray can bin stencil from John D’oh at Upfest 2016.

John D'oh, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
John D’oh, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

The organisers of Upfest had provided these drums for artists to dispose of their spray cans in an orderly fashion, and in true Upfest style, selected a few artists to decorate the bins, This one by John D’oh. I have to say I am not entirely sure who the people on the bin are, but I love the stencils in any case. In Bristolian he has written ‘John D’oh’s bin yer’, which tickled me. More Upfest 2016 work to come.

2764. Upfest 2018 (175)

One of the most stunning collaborations of Upfest 2018 was this magnificent piece by Nuno Viegas and Tymon De Laat on the side of the Coopers Arms, where the polar bear piece by Andrew Burns Colwill was painted the year before.

Nuno Viegas and Tymon De Laat, Upfest, Bristol, September 2018
Nuno Viegas and Tymon De Laat, Upfest, Bristol, September 2018

This piece was painted in two halves separated by a horizontal strip, a feature of the wall which was put to good use by the artists. The bottom half which features the gloved hand of the character tossing a spray can fat cap is by Nuno Viegas. The detail in the latex glove with paint on it is simply breathtaking.

Tymon De Laat, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Tymon De Laat, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

The top half of the collaboration is by Tymon De Laat and presents us with one of his superb trademark portraits, where the face is divided up into different shaded areas in a symmetrical pattern almost as if the subject is wearing face paint. This is such a strong design idea and makes his work istantly recognisable.

Tymon De Laat, Upfest, Bristol, September 2018
Tymon De Laat, Upfest, Bristol, September 2018

This was truly one of the best pieces of the whole festival, and if you don’t believe me go down and take a look while you still have a chance and check out the detail.

2763. Upfest 2018 (174)

Dibz is a Bristol graffiti writer whose work is always first class and beautifully tight. It is unusual to see his writing outside the confines of Dean Lane skate park, but at Upfest 2018 he ventured a little further afield and sprayed the side of the mock railway carriage with one of his beguiling pieces.

Dibz, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Dibz, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Dibz tends to keep quite a low profile with his work, which is often unannounced, and hey presto he works his magic. This upfest piece, by his high standards, I would say is not his best work and I suspect it might have been somewhat comprimised by the changeable weather experienced during the festival. It is however a great piece.

2582. Upfest 2018 (173)

Emily Joy Rich is a Bristol-based graphic designer and lettering artist. For anyone interested in letters and typeface art, I strongly recommend a quick squiz at her Instagram feed @emilyjoyrich – you will be in for a treat.

Emily Joy Rich, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Emily Joy Rich, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This Upfest 2018 piece is a good example of her typeface skills and she has combined them with an uplifting design and some cloudy kind of things. All that was really needed to set this piece off perfectly was a nice sunny day, but these were in short supply during the 2018 festival.

2581. Upfest 2018 (172)

Another look back to Upfest 2018 with this magnificent mural by The London Police. I know little about The London Police and have only seen their work on social media, but is appears that they have been an outfit since 2002, and comprise two central artists with othhers joining and leaving the collective over time. Ther is more about them in their Biography on their website.

The London Police, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The London Police, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I take my hat off to them for tackling this wall, because in my view, this is one of the trickiest walls and most annoying to photograph at Upfest. The best shots are from the roof opposite or from a drone, and guess what, I don’t have one of those.

The London Police, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The London Police, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

The design is reasonably simple and clean which makes it easy to look at and enjoy. It is consistent with their work over many years and I believe the character is called LADS who forms the central part of all of their work. A fine piece.

2580. Upfest 2018 (171)

Well I don’t know about you, but I am getting rather excited about the return of Upfest which will be running in Bristol from 29 to 31 May, although some of the premium walls will be painted during the week before the festival, to make sure they are completed when the main pulse of visitors come.

Sake One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Sake One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

So (I hate anyone who begins sentences with so) just to whet your appetite I thought I’d take a little look back at Upfest 2018 and some pieces I haven’t yet got round to posting, starting with this beauty from Sake One. In the WIP photograph the artist was taking a break with his (I assume) family, which was lovely to see. Quite a lot of artists had their families and children buzzing around which made the whole thing feel a bit more inclusive.

Sake One, Upfest, Bristol, September 2018
Sake One, Upfest, Bristol, September 2018

I didn’t get to see the completed piece until some while after the festival, mainly because I think he finished it after I had left. Alas, this is another one of those spots that seems to have a car permanently parked in front of it, so you’ll just have to make do with these pictures. A fabulous piece from a fabulous artist.