Tag: Upfest

987. Upfest 2017 (40)

Researching this piece has revealed more than I might have expected, which is always most fulfilling. The chimpanzee, so full of expression, was sprayed by Skie One, and the leaves and portrait (to follow) on the right by Nesr both from High Pressure Murals. The discovery was to put names to a piece that I photographed at Upfest 2016, and one which I can post when I do a bit of a catchn up of left-overs from last year.

Skie One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Skie One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is a fine mural (I guess I can safely call it that) and has a stencil-like look about it, although it is freestyled. I am interested by just how many apes and monkeys are painted by street artists, Parrots have a pretty high head-count too. I guess they are groups of animals/birds that are close to us and therefor of interest.

Skie One and Nesr, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Skie One and Nesr, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Once again it is great to see the artists at work to see how they create the piece, here it looks like a process of adding layers, maybe in a more conventional fine art way…not that I really have any idea what I’m talking about. I do know I like this piece though.

 

 

986. Upfest 2017 (39)

Tucked away in the garden of The Rising Sun was this rather provocative and surreal piece by EdF*ck. I can’t find out much about the artist, so I include his Upfest programme biography:

‘Hi my name is Edf*ck, my work mainly consists of spray paint and de-collage but extends to illustration and character design, often encapsulating dark imagery captioned with playful slogans and vicious characters.’

EdF*ck, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
EdF*ck, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
So my first impression of this artist and the style is that I rather like it. It reminds me of the kind of magazine cut-out collages I used to make as a kid, creating disturbing distortions of reality from pictures. One major difference…this is considered, cleverly worked and artistic. I’m glad I ventured into this corner of the pub garden, because I missed it on the Saturday of the festival.

985. Upfest 2017 (38)

This great piece which was located at The Rising Sun pub, is by Mind Control who was probably the youngest artist at Upfest this year at a youthful 16. He has been spraying since he was 12 and has already found himself on the festival circuit. A precocious talent indeed, and one to look out for.

Mind Control, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mind Control, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Before Upfest this year he was interviewed by Auntie G,  you can read what he says on her excellent blog here. The piece itself is ambitious and captivating. I’m not sure I would have guessed it was by a young artist when I first saw it, but now I’m in posession of the facts it does have a naive quality to it. I look forward to seeing more work from Mind Control and hope he returns to Bristol soon.

984. Upfest 2017 (37)

One of my favourite artists from Upfest 2016 was DinDin who produced this official piece and left a couple of wheatpastes in the Moon Street area of Stokes Croft before she left Bristol. This year she excelled with this beautiful stencil featuring a street dancer in what looks like a fairly stark wasteland.

DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This piece really stands out and catches the eye. What I found interesting as well was how different the piece looked in the overcast conditions and then in the bright sunlight. Maybe this is an artifact of how cameras work, but the difference is remarkable.

DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I think that DinDin got her work done quickly this year – I think she must have seen the forecast – so I didn’t get to meet her, which is a pity because I realy do like her work very much.

 

983. Upfest 2017 (36)

Watching the evolution of this piece by Ebee was fascinating. I don’t think the weather was very helpful, and it probably took a lot longer to complete than the artist might have originally envisaged.

Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee is from London and has been painting since the 1980s, which puts him in great company, and even from this piece you can see that his work is influenced by the early New York graffiti.

Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I like taking these ‘in progress’ shots because it is interesting to see how the artist sets about their work and the sequencing of how they lay down the composition.

Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This is a really accomplished piece of wildstyle writing that incorporates an element of 3D style to the letters, although they are contorted and in differing planes, which makes this different from more conventional 3D art. The piece spells out ‘Ebee’ although it takes a while to get your ‘eye in’. A lovely piece of writing.

975. Upfest 2017 (35)

I spoke to many people after Upfest and this incredible macaw was considered to be one of the best pieces of the festival, and it is easy to se why. The composition is perfect, filling the awkward panels with consumate ease, the colours and flow of the feathers is magical, the piece is full of movement and spectacle. Taking a closer look, the work is composed of triangles that come together to create the whole. I love this kind of artistry, and the whole thing shows a creator at the top of their game.

Mehsos, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mehsos, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The artist, Mehsos, is from Belgium – something special seems to be going on in Belgium, with Bisser and Dzia also producing outstanding pieces – and generally works with portraiture. It is interesting to read from the UPfest programme notes that Mehsos ‘deconstructs emotions and highlights contrasts both in terms of colour and message level’ I’m not entirely certain what this means, but I like it. One for the top ten.

974. Upfest 2017 (34)

I know practically nothing about Jimzina other than that loads of her(?) pasteups appeared on virtually every piece of street furniture at Upfest this year. This is the first of many posts of her work, due to her prolific few days in Bristol.

Jimzina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jimzina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I can only think that Jimzina prepared dozens of wheatpastes prior to Upfest, and spent an evening or two having a lot of fun pasting them up.

Jimzina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jimzina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Most of Jimzina’s work seems to be drawn onto menus and other similar posters and is instantly recognisable from other wheatpasters. As far as I can make out, all the subjects of the pieces are young women striking slightly naughty poses…eye catching certainly.

Jimzina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jimzina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
There will be more to follow, amnd in the mean time I’ll try to find out more about this mysterious artist.

 

 

973. Upfest 2017 (33)

I have recently become well acquainted with the work of Guts, a Bristol artist, and am enjoying it more and more with each exposure. His style has something of a doodler’s look about it, with lots of little characters and shapes filled in with bright colours. There is a real skill here though, because this could just end up as a messy sprawl, but look carefully and there is a story in this piece.

Guts, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Guts, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
There is a skater in the central role with a skateboard showering flames from the black. The skater appears to have lost his head, with a bone sticking out from the neck…a bit weird. Some of this looks like it has been inspired by tyhe comic style (and I mean British comics, not the Marvel-type ones).

Guts, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Guts, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This is a good colourful piece which adds to the overall breadth of styles meeting at Upfest. Nice one Guts.

972. Upfest 2017 (32)

It is great to be able to post yet another incredible work by another Bristol Artist. This one is by Shab, and stands head and shoulders above many of then other abstract pieces at Upfest this year. His use of the brilliant white an black outlines on a slightly off-white background works a treat, and the match and flame are something to behold.

Shab, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Shab, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is a thoughtful piece which had some scratching their heads. An acquired taste maybe, but actually technically really good. As always with his pieces an eye is incorporated too.

Shab, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Shab, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I do really like his work, but missed the opportunity to meet him. He had finished by the time I made it this far on the first day. This one makes it into my top 10 for the festival.

971. Upfest 2017 (31)

This is a wonderful compisite piece stitched together perfectly by Kid 30 on the hoardings in Raleigh Road. Kid 30 is an artist based in the midlands and member of the highly regarded Oxygen Thievez, of which Deamze is one too. His style is always clean and bold, and this piece is pretty awesome really.

Kid 30, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Kid 30, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The dogs I can identify are Snoopy, Pluto, Scooby and Slinky…I think. This piece was favourite of many who attended the festival. You’ve got to love a dog, of four.