Tag: Upfest

568. Upfest 2016 (79)

It is always really nice when artists who come to Upfest leave additional works dotted around Bristol. These ‘extras’ range from commissions to ‘naughty’ pieces, but as far as I am concerned they are always welcome.

Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This amazing owl by Angerami will have been missed by most visitors to Upfest, and indeed to North Street, because it is in an alleyway with a huge iron gate in front of it. I didn’t notice it at first, but of course, I am always on the look out for such things.

Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The owl is beautiful, but I can’t help thinking it was done as a special request, because it really isn’t very accessible for anyone other than the owner of the alleyway. You might recall from an earlier post his incredible fish. I love street artists who paint wildlife and Angerami is right up there with the best.

567. Upfest 2016 (78)

This was one of the larger pieces from Upfest, and I have just spent 20 minutes looking for some other pictures that I took of it once it was completed, but can I find them…? It is quite an unusual piece by Fin DAC, and I have to say I think it is brilliant.

Fin DAC, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Fin DAC, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I particularly like the way the chimney stack has been incorporated into the work (which of course, you can’t see from these crappy pics) – I love it when street artists use the environment they are painting in to enhance the work. Fin DAC is an artist from Ireland but who now resides in London. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like this before, but it has some real overtones of Japanese culture in it, which I don’t think is common to his other work. Maybe that is just me. Really nice piece.

Fin DAC, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Fin DAC, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

566. Upfest 2016 (77)

This rather nice large, clean piece by 45RPM, one of Bristol’s finest street artists, captures the theme of the festival ‘Mr Men’ (and little Miss) with a new addition of Mr Paint? I’m not sure what he is called, but it is a witty piece painted in the spirit of the event.

45 RPM, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
45 RPM, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The wall though is a complete bugger to photograph. It would seem that the parking bay in front of it is reserved 24/7 for white van man (although in this case a Range Rover)! I can’t count how many times I have been to north street to photograph this piece, and there it is…some bloody van. So I will calm down, and you will just have to put up with van pollution in my pictures. To help me retain my poise, I offer two other pieces by 45RPM – an owl, and an anteater…ahhhh that’s better.

565. Upfest 2016 (76)

2016 was a highly charged year on the political front, and many artists who came to Upfest presented various viewpoints and commentaries on the major issues of our time. One of the most compelling was this incredible portrait of Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition.

Andy O'Rourke, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Andy O’Rourke, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The quote next to the portrait reads:

‘When you cut out a man’s TONGUE, you are not proving him a LIAR, you’re telling the world that you FEAR what he might say’

This was a view supported by many on the left of the Labour Party, and is a nice quote. The portrait itself is really stunning, and captures the man extremely well. right down to the beige suit.

Andy O'Rourke, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Andy O’Rourke, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I like O’Rourke’s entry in the Upfest programme which reads…‘Born to dabble. Wannabe polymath. Jack of all trades, master of nuns. Photorealism, anamorphic illusions, trompe l’oeil, cartoons, calligraphy, digital stuff, itchy feet.’ Great biog.

535. Upfest 2016 (74)

A little while back I posted an amazing wall painting by Andrew Burns Colwill from Upfest 2015. It was the goldfish leaping out of a bowl piece in the Tobacco Factory car park. Well, Andrew was back again this year, and this time I managed to get some pictures of him at work.

Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This work looks to be a little more cryptic, it appears to be full of symbolism and I am not too sure what it all means. The balloons have faces on them and a sea of paperwork is disappearing down a plughole…or something.

Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Whilst I am not as keen on this as the goldfish, I am drawn to it every time I walk past it. I guess I will have to try and find out more about it.

Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I have recently become aware of another of his works very near my work, on the side of a container near the back of Bristol aquarium. I will try and get a photograph soon. It has been there for a while…I just never ventured to take a look. Unusual for me.

Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

534. Upfest 2016 (73)

An interesting commentary piece at this year’s Upfest by MAS972, and artist based in Tel Aviv. I don’t know if it reflects his experiences in the UK, but we certainly are a nation awash with CCTV cameras.

MAS972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
MAS972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Another visiting artist I know little about, but you can see more of his work at this London street art design website.  think the text is a reference to the slogan from Candid Camera, which was ‘smile, you’re on TV’, if I remember correctly.

533. Upfest 2016 (72)

This energetic and rather curious looking tiger is by the artist Lewis Campbell who paints under the name of Lost Monkey. Lewis Campbell, who comes from London is an illustrator story board artist who turns his hand to street murals and larger canvasses from time to time.

Lost Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Lost Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This work has loads of energy and an element of menace about it, but also seems to have something of the child about it. The name ‘Lost Monkey’ is (according to his website) a symbol of the potential ideas and imaginings that fill an artist’s head – just bubbling under the radar of the subconscious. As he is a native Londoner, I’m not sure we’ll be seeing a lot of Lost Monkey in Bristol – maybe at Upfest 2017.

Lost Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Lost Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

532. Upfest 2016 (71)

This was a lively piece created for Upfest by the curiously named Francois GotBuffed, who is based in Belfast. He works mostly with stickers and paste ups, creating playful cartoon characters.

Francois GotBuffed, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Francois GotBuffed, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I don’t have much more information on this artist/sticker maker, but you can see his Facebook page here.

513. Upfest 2016 (70)

I have long admired the work of Annatomix from the comfort of my PC or mobile phone through Instagram and other digital social media. It was a real pleasure then to see her at work at this year’s Upfest.

Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Annatomix is a self-taught artist from Birmingham who seems equally at home with fine art work as she does with street art or graffiti art. Her geometric folded paper characters are very distinctive, and her pieces certainly stand out from the crowd.

Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
She has a lovely website and you can read more about her here. There are also some great examples of her street art work on this Global Street Art page.

Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
As with many pieces I saw at Upfest, I never saw the final work, but I love the simple peace (anti-war) message and symbolism. I want to find more of her work, but I think I might have to go to London to see it.

 

512. Upfest 2016 (69)

I have said on a number of occasions that one of the great privileges of Upfest is that we get to see so many artists from all over the country and beyond. This amazingly moving stencil is by Mister Feeney who is a spray paint artist and maker of stupid videos, so his Facebook profile says.

Mister Feeney, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Mister Feeney, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something haunting about this stencil, or familiar, I’m not sure which. It reminds me of the famous National Geographic cover of the woman with the headscarf and amazing eyes.

Mister Feeney has been a stencil art prize finalist for the last three years and it is easy to see why. His Facebook stream is well worth a visit, and you get to see first hand just how accomplished he is. This is a fabulous piece.