Upfest – Page 47 – Natural adventures

1352. Upfest 2017 (138)

Angus was a very busy fellow at Upfest last year. Not only did he create this magnificent mosaic, but he also found time to collaborate with Chinagirl Tile and also lay down several other mosaics dotted about the place. Added to all of that business, he still had time to schmooze and chat with visitors over the two days.

This piece will be familiar to anyone who has played Street Fighter – I do not count myself amongst this happy crew – specifically it is move called ‘hadouken’…now go and consider yourself educated. Writing about street art really does take you on many new discoveries, tapping into the popular culture that influences the artists.

More from Angus to follow at some point.

1351. Upfest 2017 (137)

The very first post I wrote from Upfest 2017 was this piece by Apset and Ionas, a couple of Greek artists who had arrived in Bristol but had not been allocated a wall. The sprayed a wall in Dean Lane skate park, but then got very lucky and managed to find a hoarding in South Street Park where they produced this fine piece.

Apset and Ionas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Both of their Upfest works incorporated an animal paired with a portrait. I think that the animals are by Ionas and portraits by Apset. Both works are great collaborations and something a bit different.

I hope that they are coming back this year, and that if they do, that they get allocated a spot, without having to agonise too much. A much needed little ray of Thessaloniki sunshine at a damp Bristol Upfest.

1350. Upfest 2017 (136)

Really, this is one of my favourite pieces from the whole of Upfest 2017, not only because of the quality of work, but because of the cheerful resilience of the artists in persevering with their work in spite if the inclement weather.

N4T4 and Philth, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

A fine collaboration between N4T4 and Philth which really brightened up the walk between North Street and Ashton Gate.

These two artists have painted together at the last three Upfests, and although not a true collaboration, their pieces complement each other perfectly.

I walked past these two a few times, and took my favourite picture of the festival (above) of them cheerfully painting in the rain. Such dedication.

The N4T4 piece on the left is a wonderful example of his portrait style, incorporating colours and shapes which combine to make the whole. A blast of exquisite colour and a stunning face.

Contrast this then with the grey scale portrait by Philth on the right. He is as well known for his floral designs as he is for his portraits and this piece is overflowing with flowers that lift the piece to another level.

i absolutely love this wall. Beautiful.

1325. Upfest 2017 (135)

This stunning piece was the second by Oze Arv at the festival and one of several astonishing pieces he sprayed in Bristol while he was visiting. On the basis of seeing only these few pieces, I can without any doubt say that I admire his work hugely and hope he returns for this year’s festival.

He uses a wonderful range of colours and combines an abstract form with superb wildlife illustrations, captured in a carefully balanced composition. In this piece it is a humming bird takes centre stage…in his other festival piece it was a ram. If I had the space and cash, I’d love to have a piece like this hanging on a wall at home. Classy stuff.

1324. Upfest 2017 (134)

This is a small section of a larger wall which was sprayed by the Lost Souls crew for Upfest 2017. The concept for this wall was for each of the artists to produce a kind of playing card with a character piece on it. Here we have a pairing of SPZero76 and Squirl.

SPZero76 has created an incredible skeleton figure, rather disturbingly holding a whole bunch of lollies and sweets. It would seem that he enjoys using these blues and purples in his work, as I have seen them in many many of his pieces.

The Squirl piece is also a skeleton but of something altogether different…a horse maybe or perhaps a dog (see the flying bones) but the dentition is all wrong. What is it with street artists and death? The horse/dog is interacting with the female skeleton, maybe he wants the sweets.

Both of these pieces combine well and are technically beautifully sprayed. More from the Lost Souls to come.

1323. Upfest 2017 (133)

Sophie Long is an established artist in Bristol whose wildlife pieces with stunning drips are well known to those who look out for such things. I recently posted her fabulous shark piece in Cheltenham road which I walk past pretty much every day.

This upright orangutan is rather beautiful and conveys so well the sombre disposition of these incredible creatures. we are reminded of our evolutionary closeness to them and our utter disregard for their environment. Orangutans have become an emblem of despair, but also of hope for the future. This fine piece would sit comfortably on any naturalists wall.

1322. Upfest 2017 (132)

At last year’s Upfest, 23 Magpies had a board all to herself, rather than her usual wheatpastes dotted around the place on utility boxes and lamp posts. I am a big fan of her work and am the proud owner of one of her small creations.

This work at Upfest is a clever piece of artwork purporting to be a National Geographic cover. A nice political message up front and lovely illustration, which chimes very much with the National Geographic house style. Packing a punch and an evocative image.

1321. Upfest 2017 (131)

What a remarkable collaboration this was for Upfest 2017 between Guy Denning and Yatika Fields. The work can be found on Dean Lane, in one of the more difficult spots to view. There is a tree a few yards in front of it, which presents the viewer and photographer (let alone the artist) with all sorts of light related challenges.

Guy Denning and Yatika Fields, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I don’t know if these two regularly collaborate, but their two distinct styles come together to create a fantastic whole. The central face is by Guy Denning which if inspected closely is made up of carefully stencilled letters and patterns to make up the composite face – brilliant work.

The patterning and abstract work either side of the face is by Yatika Fields, who has spent most of his time working on the East coast of the USA. On their own, neither of these pieces would carry the same impact as they do together.

The reference and portrait is of Tara Houska Zhaabowekwe (I had to look her up) who is the national campaigns director at ‘Honour the Earth’, and a native North American.

1296. Upfest 2017 (130)

John.Dot.S comes from Romania and sprays these figures dressed in aluminium. Often he includes an environmental theme, or encourages the viewer to see the piece and live in the moment. CCTV cameras are a popular motif or emblem for street artists and often represents a healthy dislike of overbearing societies, of ‘big brother’ states.

This is a beautifully executed work which I believe is a stencil in greyscale. It is rekarkable how many greyscale pieces there were at this year’s festival. A fine fine piece from an artist I have not seen before. It would be good to see a return visit from him this year.

1295. Upfest 2017 (129)

Unmistakable, this piece is from our very own street art mega-star, Inkie. In Bristol, he is pretty much a household name and is recognised not only for his amazing street art work, but also for the stunning designs he produces in his studio. Many of his prints hang on the walls of Bristol homes.

At Upfest, Inkie was supposed to have a different wall, but for some reason he didn’t take it, and Dzia did an extra piece (the robin) instead. This was where Inkie ended up, in a back yard that is fenced off. A few intrepid visitors found it and went round the back of the yard, and saw that the gate was open (probably for the festival only). There have not been many images of this piece, even though it is still there. A beautiful example of his work, so clean and an example of wildstyle writing at its best.

	hitandrun1964 on 7458. Greenbank (181)
	hitandrun1964 on 7459. Dean Lane skate park…
	cjsmissionaryministe… on Parrot or parakeet
	paulh121 on 7458. Greenbank (181)
	paulh121 on 7456. River Avon (109)

	hitandrun1964 on 7458. Greenbank (181)
	hitandrun1964 on 7459. Dean Lane skate park…
	cjsmissionaryministe… on Parrot or parakeet
	paulh121 on 7458. Greenbank (181)
	paulh121 on 7456. River Avon (109)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: