I think that this is the fifth stencil/wheatpaste by About Ponny that I have posted from Upfest 2018 and in my mind every single one of them is a belter. In each it is both the skill of the work and positioning and the extraordinary content that makes these outstanding wheatpastes.
About Ponny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
About Ponny has a knack of portraying human pain and suffering without sentiment or compassion. These are raw pieces which strike at your heart and made even more effective by their low-key sitings. I had not been aware of About Ponny’s work before Upfest 2018, but on the back of these have become a big fan.
I felt it was probably time to pick up on a few more Upfest 2018 pieces starting with this beautiful Whale and Gannet work with a very strong environmental message from Adelle Gough. The text says “You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop”.
Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
I like the style Adelle has used for this piece very much, and it has quite an illustrative feel to it, like it could be the cover of a children’s book on plastic waste or something like that. There is a narrative in the piece that is clear to see, with tin can plastic binding caught around the gannet’s neck.
Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Adelle likes to call Stroud her home, but appers to do quite a lot of travelling around the country. She has a fine website Green Bow Tie Works that houses a gallery of her works and there is an interesting profile/biography of the artist which outlines her love for nature and the natural world. Whale pieces always go down well with me.
Another piece form an artist unknown to me, and I am guessing that it might be something to do with Upfest Summer Editions because this is an Upfest spot, previously occupied by a Jody piece. It is a colourful and styalised piece by Amy Vik who I think is from Mexico, although my Google searches aren’t throwing up too much information about the artist.
Amy Vik, Lime Road, Bristol, July 2019
The art itself does have a central/south American feel about it and it is certainly very different from anything else I have seen in Bristol for a while. It is always good to see overseas artists visiting the city.
Another wonderful piece painted as part of the Upfest Summer Editions celebrations outside the Hen and Chickens. This one is by Upfest stalwart Karl Read. The very large stencil is beautifully proportioned to fit this space and has a serene look about it.
Karl Read, Greville Road, Bristol, July 2019
The stencil is interesting because it has some simplicity to it, with large areas of single colours, but also in other parts it has complexity. I have seen Karl Read at work before and he uses large sheets of paper for his stencils that look quite unwieldy, but somehow he makes it all work.
Karl Read, Greville Road, Bristol, July 2019
The jewel in the crown of the piece is the girl’s hair which, if you look closely, is in the style of a Hokusai wave. The result is most effective, and the whole piece a triumph. Karl Read has absolutely nailed this blend of simplicity and complexity. I fully expect him to return for Upfest 2020.
There are many hazards and obstacles to taking street art picures. This was in fact the second visit I had made to photograph this lovely eye by My Dog Sighs (his second Summer Editions piece for Upfest). On the first visit, there was a shadow cast right across the middle of the piece, and in this one I managed to capture a customer at the North Street Standard, and being alone he obviously had to be texting someone to give the illusion that he wasn’t in fact alone… but he was, so there.
My Dog Sighs, North Street, Bristol, July 2019
The eye is everything you might expect from My Dog Sighs, and is beautifully presented. It would be easy to fall in to the trap of saying that he is a one-trick pony and indeed I know some people who think that, I happen to disagree with that particular assertion. He has certainly nailed his technique for painting eyes, but it doesn’t stop there, he still works on the background and the silhouette in the eye and creates an atmosphere or story individual to each piece. Here he has used some stencils with Japanese characters falling like a digital rain around the eye.
You might spot a slight ‘blemish’ on the eye which is caused by a little vent pipe in the wall – My Dog Sighs has concealed it brilliantly. Well done Upfest for organising yet another triumphant Summer Editions piece.
Some pieces are good, others, very good, and just ocassionally you get lucky enough to see something outstanding. This stunning piece ‘self-portrait 2019’ is by Irony and has been 10 years in the making, after he created his first screen print in 2009 with a version of this work.
Irony, Greville Road, Bristol, July 2019
I managed to have a quick chat with Irony as he was painting it, but at the time I didn’t know who he was, nor did I recognise his style (obviously not from round these parts). I asked him who he was, but he said I’d have to wait until he’d finished before he would reveal who he was. Fair do’s I suppose, although perhaps I should have been a little more attentive to the line ups for Upfest’s Summer Editions, which might have given me a clue.
Irony, Greville Road, Bristol, July 2019
The concept of a piece of art creating itself is a tried and tested theme, but rarely is it executed with such passion, skill and emotion. This piece is awe-inspiring and would sit comfortably in the company of any of the great Italian renaissance artists. I can imagine this piece adorning the wall of a side chapel of any of the great Italian cathedrals (although I think the Catholic church might have a word or to to say about that).
Irony, Greville Road, Bristol, July 2019
This is not my favourite wall to photograph, because there is a wide expanse of white light behind it. If I were a proper photographer I would be able to accommodate for that, but I am just a ‘point and shooter’.
Irony, Greville Road, Bristol, July 2019
The closer you get to this picture, the more beautiful the angel becomes. It really is quite incredible that such a fine piece can be created with spray cans. If I could be just one tenth as good as this, I would be happy. Many years of hard graft and study ahead of me, but I fear I lack the raw talent bit that Irony has in spades. A brilliant piece, worth a trip to see it.
My oh my! Nick Harvey, who paints his street art under the name Kin Dose, has created something very special indeed for Upfest’s Summer Editions project. Although it is a pity that there is no festival this year, there has been ample compensation in the form of these ‘special’ pieces spread across the city, with more to come over the summer.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
I knew that Kin Dose was painting a piece, so took the opportunity to go down and watch him work for a while. I have been an admirer of his work for a few years now, ever since I first became aware of him – it was his cat with black eyes at the Carriageworks that first captivated me. It is so good to be able to watch an artist at work and Kin Dose was sketching out the piece the first time I saw it. I asked him quite a few questions (probably too many) and was able to find out quite a lot about him and his work.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
He came to Bristol a few years ago and had been known as both Kin and Dose, so combined both to give him his current street name. He used to do a lot of stencils, but said he has become a bit tired of them and no longer enjoys the fiddly cutting element of the technique. Recently he has been doing a lot more photorealistic stuff, and this one must surely be the jewel in the crown.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
He explained that he perfected his technique through using air brushes to create these photorealistic pieces, and he also uses a lot of cardboard cut out shapes to mask areas and create sharp, clean lines. I asked if that was cheating and he said absolutely not, which made me feel a lot better, because I have been using card to create straight lines on my own rudimentary efforts.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
The piece took about five or six days to complete, and it is amazing to see how a sketched out blur can turn into something quite magnificent. The piece is almost two paintings in one, the girl’s face and the tiger brought together on a cosmic backdrop.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
I’m not too sure what the piece is telling us, but I suspect it is something to do with a connection with nature. The tiger’s head is really stunning and holds a captivating expression. His technique is remarkable, it is almost impossible to understand how he gets such fine detail into the fur and whiskers.
Kin Dose, Hebron Road, Bristol, June 2019
Another triumph for Upfest, and anotherr great addition to Kin Dose’s impressive portfolio.
We live in curious times. In the UK we have been enduring an insane paralysis brought about by Brexit, something that has irreversibly divided the nation. In the United States, the most powerful man in the world, President Donald Trump, sets an uneasy tone which resonates globally as his uncompromising ‘business man’ approach to politics destabilises all around him in his efforts to deliver an America first agenda. And yet all this pales into insignificance in the light of two of the most pressing issues in human history… climate change and biodiversity loss.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019
In such moments unlikely heroes arise, and none more unlikely than sixteen year-old Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg. This incredible painting by Bristol’s Jody, part of Upfest’s Summer Editions programme, is a worthy tribute to a young girl whose voice speaks for millions and whose direct messages have contributed to a change in how governments listen to this narrative. Of course listening and acting are two different things, but Greta seems to be in no mood to stop campaigning just yet.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019
Jody spent a couple of weeks creating this piece and I saw him on a few occasions while he was painting it. We chatted briefly, and I was rather pleased to find out that he has read some of my posts on Natural Adventures. He said that my reviews of his work were kind, and I rather foolishly said that I was kind to everyone, which then made me feel like I was saying that his work was not special. Well let’s put that straight right now… his work is exceptional and of the highest quality and this will I’m sure become an Iconic image of Greta. I believe that pictures and stories about it have already gone global.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019
It is funny how Greta Thunberg has become a world leader in taking these issues to governments and citizens and bringing climate change up the agenda. Of course, other campaigners have been banging on about this for decades, but somehow her arrival and campaigning came just at the right time, following huge public opinion shifts around the issue of single use plastics, themselves probably prompted by the amazing work of the BBC and Blue Planet 2 and of course Sir David Attenborough.
We have reached a crossroads, and nations must decide how they are going to meet the challenges of Climate change and biodiversity loss. I would say at this point (and I apologise for pointing this out) that there is a strong correlation between Brexiteers and Trumpists (small ‘c’ conservatives) and climate change denial/apathy or even charges of conspiracy. What these people have not registered or acknowledged is that climate change and biodiversity loss will not discriminate against those people they impact upon, nobody will be immune.
We will all lose unless something is done. Large businesses and their shareholders will lose money and maybe collapse; coastal cities and towns will become battered by increasing frequency of storms and rising sea levels; insurance companies will struggle to operate models that can cope with the claims made; more people will go hungry as crops ruin, trade collapses and selfishness protects the rich.
A bleak future for all of us, and the ‘flat earthers’ who don’t want to face up to these challenges put all of us at risk by their deliberating and self-protection. Fools. Look no further than the man-made islands in Dubai and the most fantastic monuments to human folly – built on funds from fossil fuels, these islands will inundate as sea levels rise. You couldn’t make it up.
Here endeth the rant.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, June 2019
I thank Upfest for making this happen. I thank Jody for choosing to paint this outstanding piece. I thank Greta Thunberg for giving me hope and inspiration. I have dedicated my life to the environment personally and professionally and at last I feel we might be approaching a tipping point where public opinion influences public policy.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, June 2019
Let’s hope that this iconic piece and iconic young woman continue to inspire us all (even those who disagree with their message, in fact especially those who disagree with their message).
Iain MacArthur is an artist and illustrator based in London who only occasionally paints street art pieces, mostly focussing his efforts on designs for t-shirts and skateboards etc. (so his Upfest biography tells me).
Iain MacArthur, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
This is a really interesting and somewhat challenging piece that shows a cut-away black and white face with a host of colourful strands bursting out like ideas or thoughts. The whole piece has a distinctive illustrative style, and the circles with the little motif inside them are particularly striking. I’d be interested in seeing more from Iain MacArthur.
I love wheatpastes (in case you hadn’t noticed) and at Upfest 2018 we were blessed with a series of poignant and thought provoking stencil paste ups by About Ponny. I was particularly moved by these small scenes, each one depicting the marginalised or forgotten, the vulnerable or neglected.
About Ponny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
This one, produced in sepia tones, shows two small children sheltering under a small basket, and has overtones of iconic images from the Vietnam or Cambodian conflicts. There is so much emotion and sadness and pity captured in this image. Really, truly this is an outstanding piece of art.
Natural adventures 