Tag: Upfest

703. Upfest 2016 (107)

We were treated to some wonderfully colourful pieces at Upfest last year, but right up there with the best of them was this lovely piece by KOB, aka Kobtropikal. Kob, originally from Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, started painting in 1999.

Kobtropical, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Kobtropical, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

KOB has a rather organic approach to his work and favours painting surreal imaginary animals or plants or combinations of the two. He has a Facebook page, and interestingly has selected this piece as his avatar, so he must have been pleased with it. This piece has stuck in my mind, when many others have drifted in and out. It must have some strong elements that make it so memorable. A fine piece.

702. Upfest 2016 (106)

I love the high-end quality of the work produced by Zase and Dekor. Always highly designed and thought out, their pieces always contain a story picture and a wildstyle ‘Zase’. This magnificent wall sprayed for Upfest is no exception.

Dekor, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dekor, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

It reminds me a little of a piece they did at Deaners a short while before Upfest, which might have been a fun practise run.

Zase, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Zase, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Dekor was rather quiet and focussed at Upfest, but Zase was happy to have a good chat while he was working. I asked whether he would be happy to do an interview for my blog, which he agreed to do, but of course I haven’t got round to it yet. Watch this space.

Zase and Dekor, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Zase and Dekor, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

There is something very clean about their work, and the stories contained in them really play a large part. Zase produces these amazing 3D wildstyle writing which are a little like puzzles to unravel, but once you get your eye in are really pleasing.

Zase and Dekor, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Zase and Dekor, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

They workm on a lot of commissions, which is why it is so good to see them at Upfest, and at Deaners during July.

Zase and Dekor, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Zase and Dekor, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES
SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

680. North Street Hoarding (7)

This is one I have held on to for a long time, and I did so because it is a really great piece. I hadn’t published it because the artist,  Shab, has only recently come onto my radar. Of course, I am now finding his work everywhere…that seems to be the way of things.

Shab, North Street, Bristol, September 2015
Shab, North Street, Bristol, September 2015

This piece was from Upfest 2015, and managed to remain for quite some time. There are still some remnants of it there today, just. I really love this piece and the way Shab captures the figures. There is a touch of what looks like an African influence going on. A firm favourite.

678. Upfest 2016 (105)

Some of the artists who painted at Upfest are a little elusive. This piece is by Rupertty, and there is very little I can find out about him…there wasn’t even a programme entry for him. He does have an Instagram account, but there is little there to go on other than some rather nice wildstyle pieces.

Rupertty, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Rupertty, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I guess some people keep a lower profile than others. I felt that this was a rather low-profile piece and that it feels unfinished, although I think this is it. I think this piece really shows off the diversity of styles that Upfest has to offer. Something for everyone.

677. Upfest 2016 (104)

Another large wall, this time a little out of the way on Dean Lane. This is one of the most awkward walls to photograph, let alone spray, but Inkie has done a commanding job of this one.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The large piece is on the side of the South Bank Club and features a trademark Inkie portrait. The whole thing is a Bristol as Bristol can be, with a rather nice reference to the Clifton Suspension Bridge on the left hand side.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I think the character at the top of the piece is a fairly effeminate looking Isambard Kindom Brunel.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The character at the bottom of the piece might be a self portrait, but I am not sure really. The whole thing is really impressive, and I was fortunate enough to catch up with Inkie while he was just finishing off the job. Inkie and Bristol are utterly interlinked, and we are lucky to have him around.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The observant will notice an Angus piece just to the bottom left of the picture.

676. Upfest 2016 (103)

This is one of the premium walls at Upfest, and last year was the proud home of this magnificent Martin Ron piece. This year it was the turn of one of the Godfathers of Bristol graffiti/street art – Cheo.

Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, August 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, August 2016

Sticking to the brief, or theme of Upfest 2016 Cheo’s piece features Mr Graff, an addition to the Roger Hargreaves community of Mr Men and Little Miss’.

Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, August 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, August 2016

My honest opinion on this piece is that I don’t think it was the right piece for this wall. This wall deserves a huge imposing and impressive piece and this feels like it does not fill the space properly. It is a very safe piece, and so I can see the appeal of having it in a supermarket car park, but to me the proportions just feel wrong.

Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a great piece, beautifully sprayed and full of incredible detail and characters that Cheo brings to life so well. I feel it would have been better on a different wall that you could get up close to.

Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The crazy worm and flowers at the bottom are wonderful, but seem detached from the main piece almost like a bonus afterthought. I concede that I may have got this completely wrong, but we all have a view.

675. Upfest 2016 (102)

I think I have said it before, but one of the great pleasures of Upfest is to see the work of artists from all over the world and from all kinds of disciplines descend on our little patch of South Bristol. One such artist, ‘Climber’ or Lee Nowell-Wilson from Baltimore left us with this beautiful portrait of a young child.

Climber, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Climber, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Climber graduated with a Batchelors in painting in 2011. According to her Upfest bio, she now works at bringing those traditional skills to the streets. With creating relationships as the main objective, she strives after levels of vulnerability within her work to encounter people in their everyday. She certainly achieves her objective with this piece.

674. Upfest 2016 (101)

There was an underlying theme to Upfest 2016 and that was the emergence of ‘Mr Graff’. This was a playful idea where Cheo was asked to create Mr Graff in the style of Roger Hargreaves ‘Mr Men’. Other artists were encouraged to play with the idea, and several did exactly that.

Loch Ness, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Loch Ness, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This piece ‘Mr Impossible’, is by the colourful and talented Loch Ness who specialises in psychedelic and surreal imagery. His pieces often have a host of playful characters sprayed in a multitude of great colours. Loch Ness also sprayed another piece at the school during the festival, but I don’t have a picture of the completed work, which was still behind scaffolding when I caught up with him for a chat. His work brightens up the dullness around us.

651. Upfest 2016 (100)

This is my 100th post about the amazing Upfest 2016 which happened during July in Bedminster, Bristol. At a guess I would say that I am only about half way through reporting on the pieces I photographed. Some of the remaining images probably won’t make the cut and anyway I only have a few months left to go before Upfest 2017 will be upon us.

Eins92, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Eins92, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is a really interesting stencil piece by Eins92 who specialises in micro stencils and who has already appeared in this blog for another piece he did at the festival. In this work he has created five micro stencils of the same subject but with different densities of paint and different layers. It is an interesting piece, but one that needed studying a little.

Eins92, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Eins92, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The fine detail in these tiny pictures is remarkable. I would hate to guess how long each of the stencils takes to cut. He must have the patience of angels.

650. Upfest 2016 (99)

It seems that everywhere I looked during Upfest, I was being stalked by this brilliant little creature, called Jake the dog, created by LostHills. In each of the paste ups, Jake the dog is striking a different pose with something different happening. I love this kind of themed approach to street art.

Losthills, Jake, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Losthills, Jake, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Although I don’t believe that Losthills was an official artist at Upfest, his wheatpastes brightened up every corner of Bedminster, and several still remain six months on.

Losthills, Jake, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Losthills, Jake, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Together with C3, 23 Magpies, Phoebe New York, Face the Strange, What have I done Now and D7606, paste up artists were very well represented at Upfest 2016, and I rather hope there will be more this year.

Losthills, Jake, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Losthills, Jake, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016