There was so much street art on offer at Upfest, that if you blinked you could miss something. I am so glad I had my camera with me, although on the day I took this photograph, my camera ran out of battery (aaaaargh what an idiot!) so I had to use my phone camera, and the results don’t really do the art justice. This was one of those pieces that was better ‘in the flesh’ but still looks pretty good in this photograph.
Mutiny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The artist is Mutiny (Jane Laurie), a British, London-based, wildlife illustrator, fine art painter and street artist. Clearly very talented and driven with a desire to raise awareness about endangered wildlife; she uses the hashtag #lovewildlife and signature anatomical heart on all her street art work. Oh! so much great stuff at Upfest.
Towards the end of North Street (the West end) there are a lovely pair of garage doors that constitute a desirable spot for local street artists. At Upfest 2016 the honour was given to Rocket01 to work his magic.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
When I got to his pitch, he was rather concerned about the inconsiderate car drivers who were impatiently tooting street enthusiasts as they photographed his work. An irritation shared by many who were trying to admire his work on this tight corner. I chatted with him for a short while and told him I would write about his work in my blog…so here it is.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This is a striking piece by Rocket01 who originally comers from Sheffield and tours the country as a street artist. This was the first time I have seen his work, and I was really impressed. I like this kind of thing.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
In his bio from the Upfest programme, he talks of his work with the following quote:
“I have visions of a post-apocalyptic world where mankind has finally embraced nature and immersed himself within it. He swims with the fishes, he flies with the birds, chlorophyll runs through his veins and his eyes photosyntesize.”
I rather like this, but that is no surprise coming from a ‘nature boy’.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
There is detail in this work that hints at sustainable energy, peace, nature…visions of hope. Another great Upfest piece.
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
It was not my intention to post two Upfest entries by the same artist so close together, but I am approaching all of this in a rather random way. So here we have the second wonderful offering from Caro Pepe in a rather short space of time.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This incredible work carries the overall theme of Mr. Men/Little Miss and presents us with Little Miss Sunshine. Once again, we see the single eye and flowing hair, but in this instance in a styalised form to fit the theme. It is funny, but this piece, more than many other Upfest works, just blends in so perfectly into the North Street ‘thing’ and feels like it has been here forever.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I do hope we can encourage Caro Pepe to visit us in Bristol again from her native Argentina.
Lemak had said that he was planning something spectacular for Upfest this year and with this piece ‘love’ he surely didn’t disappoint. I have been hugely impressed with Bristol-based Lemak’s stencil work that I have seen, in particular his tribute to DJ Derek and his tattooed girl.
Lemak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This piece is an absolute masterclass in stencil work, and I think my favourite piece of Upfest 2016. In addition to the great composition and technical work, Lemak has introduced some innovation to the piece.
Lemak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The heart stands proud of the rest of the picture, giving it a 3D aspect. His use of chemical formulae also brings an interesting dimension to the work, but most of all it is telling a story, and the best works usually have a story to tell. I don’t think I can express how good I think this is.
Lemak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I returned to this piece several times over the three days, but wasn’t lucky enough to catch up with Lemack…perhaps next time. Utterly brilliant.
Fake is a brilliant self-taught Dutch stencil artist from Amsterdam whose work at this year’s Upfest is one of the outstanding pieces. Who can forget the image of a comic character (is it Skeletor? I’m not much cop at this kind of thing) riding a banana?
Fake, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The clean lines and framing of the piece on a white wall is what really makes this something different and special. Once again Upfest brings in talent like this for Bristolians to enjoy and appreciate for at least a year, and makes us all hungry for more.
Fake, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I was very struck by this piece by Fake, and it is in my ‘top ten’ (figurative, not literal, because that would be impossible) from the festival. His website is well worth a gander too.
Only a few yards away from the wonderful Hannah Adamaszek piece is this striking work by one of my old favourites ATM. His works of wildlife can be found all over Bristol, and now in the very special playground of Ashton Gate school. It looks like I might only have missed him by slim moment as his step ladder is still next to the wall, but I think the work was completed.
ATM, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
As a naturalist, I really ought to know what bird this is, but I am not sure. Scratch that…I have just checked out his Instagram account and it is a wood warbler. His bird works are really exceptional and I wonder if he has been approached by the Audubon Mural Project, if not, he should be. A superb work, and an outstanding artist at this year’s festival.
This is a chimp by Matti. It is absolutely fantastic and one of my ‘best in show’ pieces from Upfest 2016. Matti is an artist who is based in Bristol, and works in the design, media and print industry. I don’t think he does much street work, which is a pity really.
Matti, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Matti has a fabulous website, very professionally put together, and ideal for a client base. For me though, I like to keep things simple (reading my blog should confirm that), and some of the descriptions on his bio leave me a little cold – probably because I am not from the world of art and design – maybe I should study more…
Matti, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
…anyway this is a chimp by Matti. It is in Ashton Gate School. It is brilliant.
This is an extraordinary and eye catching piece by yet another female artist at Upfest this year. I love this piece very much. The more you look at it, the more it can unsettle. The out-of-proportion eye, and absence of the other eye ‘obscured’ by hair looks a little strange. What emotions are being expressed? Other works by the artist share similar features.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I saw this piece in various stages of its development, and the final result is really stunning. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to speak with the artist Caro Pepe, from Argentina…she had enough trouble on the pavement with people squeezed between her and the parked car. It must have been very difficult to concentrate.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The previous incumbent at this address, number 74 North Street, was the wonderful N4T4 piece from last year’s festival. Two portraits, two very different styles, both excellent.
Caro Pepe, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I will definitely be looking out for more of Pepe’s work, although I expect to see it on the world stage rather than the local Bristol one. Thank you Upfest! There is a fine interview with Caro Pepe on the Street Art Bio website which is well worth a read.
Miss Wah was definitely one of the most colourful artists at Upfest 2016, not only in her work but also in personality. She was very happy to talk about her work, in spite of me breaking her concentration and musical experience. I wrote a post recently about her work at Upfest 2015, and this reads as a bit of an extension to that.
Miss Wah, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I managed to photograph Miss Wah at work on the Saturday while she was using her Uni Posca pen to draw in detail, and then photographed the finished piece on the Sunday. I happened to notice that Miss Wah had been quite busy with stickers on lamp posts on the Saturday evening too!
Miss Wah, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Miss Wah’s work is in the Kawaii style and is a real winner for anyone into cute and cuddly art.
This is an interesting piece by one of the more enigmatic Bristol street artists, Tuco. He is both an artist and an appreciator of the art of others and his Instagram feed is full of pieces by other artists. He likes to paint with green, and for Upfest he created a great image of Gilbert – a children’s television character from a programme called ‘Get Fresh‘ from the mid 1980s. It is interesting that he started to paint in 1984 and appears still to be influenced in his work by the period.
Tuco, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I rather like his Instagram profile that reads ‘Some of the stuff is by me. Some of the stuff isn’t by me. I like sausages and booze. You can like want you want! I’M FRIGHTENED OF BATS. #graffiti‘. I will be looking out for more of his work…if I can find it.
Natural adventures 