Tag: Upfest

883. Upfest 2016 (150)

I have a terrible feeling of being rushed to get these Upfest 2016 posts published, because at the time of writing this one, there are only about two weeks to go before 2017’s festival gets underway. I popped into the Upfest shop today and picked up my map. Very exciting indeed. This year there is going to be a very long wall (fifty or so artists) at Ashton Gate.

Back to this pair of works that I photographed together because of the interesting contrast between them. On the left is a piece by Von Grey, a psychedelic offering that has undertones of Sgt Pepper about it, which is no surprise as his biography states that his work is heavily influenced by 1970s album covers, ancient artefacts and modern subculture.

Von Grey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Von Grey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The piece on the right is a fabulous gorilla by Daub who judging from his Facebook and Instagram accounts appears to be remarkably fond of this gorilla, and why not, it is a magnificent beast. It is interesting that the gorilla is superimposed on a background that appears to tell its own story and I fear it is somehow not all good news.

Daub, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Daub, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Nice works by both of these artists.

882. Upfest 2016 (149)

Guts is a graffiti artist I have only recently been posting about on this blog, and when I took this picture at last year’s Upfest, He hadn’t crossed my radar at all.

Guts, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Guts, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

His Upfest catalogue entry reads ‘Guts is a Bristolian artist who makes lowbrow weirdness for people who like that sort of thing. He mainly works in spray paint, acrylic and posca on canvases and other stuff he finds lying around’. Reading this reminds me that so many street artists are incredibly modest about their talents, and I think that Guts is among them.

 

881. Upfest 2016 (148)

Hey, there’s a whole bunch of not very scary monsters in this work from Nol, and I think Edo Rath. Michael Nol is a rather tall Dutch artist (not that you can see from these images) and Edo Rath enjoys painting clean lines and happy characters. Together the pair have formed a collective called Noodle Inc.

Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I was able to take a couple of snaps while this piece was in progress, and it is interesting to see how the piece is constructed, with a full outline, and then systematic filling from left to right.

Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I have touched on this in a previous post, and I am intrigued by artists go about their business in such different ways. some add layers, some freestyle completely, some use templates, some work from the centre outwards and so on. All interesting.

Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Nol and Edo Rath, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I think these guys will be making a return for Upfest 2017. Watch out for more scary monsters.

880. Upfest 2016 (147)

Bees are very much the central focus of this Upfest piece by That Bloke Wilson, a self-taught artist who has been drawing all his life. He has been part of the Birmingham street art scene for a few years and has appeared at several local events there.

That Bloke Wilson, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
That Bloke Wilson, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I’m not too sure what the story is that’s going on in this piece, but that is one big fat bee making off with the pot of nectar.

879. Upfest 2016 (146)

This colourful piece is by a graffiti artist turned tattooist, Cize one. An artist for more than thirty years, Cize one has produced an accomplished piece here. Having read that he designs tattoos, one can see that he pays a lot of attention to detail, and has clear lines which are filled with colour. It is an unusual, almost comic-book style that he uses. Very nice.

Cize One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Cize One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

878. Upfest 2016 (145)

An unusual and rather unsettling piece from ‘1743’. Ambulances and crows are perhaps not the bringers of joy, and this is a hard-hitting piece, in spite of its small size.

1743, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
1743, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The Upfest programme biography reads:

‘UK artist based in Leeds. I paint stuff because I can and it’s fun. Mostly with a spray can and stencils. Inspired by life and what I see around me.’

877. Upfest 2017 (144)

I don’t know a great deal about this artist, but her name is Brooke Ashley. This is a really engaging piece that I feel would lend itself well to illustration, and I would guess that her background may be in illustration.

Brooke Ashley, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Brooke Ashley, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

One of the more modest pieces from the festival, but beautiful none the less.

876. Upfest 2016 (143)

This is a really interesting piece by the Dutch street artist Pronk-Stukken, not only for its unusual and captivating subject, but also because it was sprayed at Dean Lane skate park, which is not an official site for Upfest artists, and one that gets sprayed numerous times over during Upfest. My guess is that he had another piece somewhere at the frstival, which I don’t appear to have photographed.

Pronk-Stukken, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Pronk-Stukken, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This piece reminds me of a camel, but that is just what I see. I loved this piece the first time I saw it, and still like it now. One of my favourites of the festival. Regrettably it looks like Pronk-Stukken will not be returning this year.

Pronk-Stukken, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Pronk-Stukken, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

875. Upfest 2016 (142)

I love stencils and I love cats…this then is simply heaven. The work is from the self-taught Bizzy (Izolda Lautner) who turned he hand to artwork only some 5-6 years ago. Without any formal training, she gives great hope for street art wannabes (like me?).

Bizzy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Bizzy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This was her first piece in front of a live audience, and I think it turned out fantastically well. I wish I had seen her in the process of spraying it. I will be keeping an eye out for her work, although it looks like she won’t be at Upfest 2017, which is a great shame. You can read more about her on her Stencil Art Prize website profile.

874. Upfest 2016 (141)

When blogging about street art, one increasingly becomes reliant on others for information about artists or new pieces and so on. I am grateful to ‘The Art Blogger 54’ for posting this piece recently. Until then, this photograph had been sitting in my pending file, waiting for the artist’s identity. I hadn’t seen the finished piece at Upfest, and so had no signature to go on. I cannot recommend highly enough The Art Blogger 54’s blog, especially if you are into wildlife art and sculpture.

Freshmess, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Freshmess, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

It is by FreshMess, a collaboration between two artists, one of whose style is clean and fresh and the other whose style is erratic and messy. These two have combined beautifully to produce one of the most striking pieces of Upfest 2016.

Freshmess, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Freshmess, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Unfortunately, I don’t think they will be at Upfest 2017, but maybe they’ll visit again another time.