Tag: Upfest

385. Upfest 2016 (29)

On the Saturday of Upfest 2016 I was not sure who the artist was on this wall. He was high up on a scaffold tower, and seemed only to have started his piece.

Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The wall in Greville Road is one of the least photogenic ‘art walls’ in Bristol. It is high up and surrounded by bright skies with the sun during the day behind the wall and so the face is usually in shade. The previous occupant was a hand by Jody.

Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Even on the Sunday and the Monday the wall was only half done, so I was still in the dark about the artist. I returned a few days after the Festival and the full picture was revealed…a most fantastic work by Cosmo Sarson.

Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

His ‘Breakdancing Jesus’ remains one of the most celebrated pieces in Bristol, and this is equal to it. The colours of this work are wonderful as the figure floats under the multicoloured surface and his half-naked body is reflected in swirls. This really is one of the highlights of the festival and so worth waiting for.

Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cosmo Sarson, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

 

 

384. Upfest 2016 (28)

After seeing all of his wonderful wheatpastes in Stokes Croft whilst ‘on tour’ in the UK, it was a real treat to find this fabulous Tian work at Upfest this year. This time his work was not a paste up, but nevertheless unmistakably a Tian piece.

Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I love his work, and in this piece there is a continuation of his use of sepia tones for the main subject. The whole work shows how accomplished Tian is using different techniques and materials. I am not too sure who is in the picture, but I guess she is famous.

Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I was rather hoping that while Tian was in Bristol, he might do another series of wheatpastes, but so far I haven’t found anything. I very much look forward to his next visit.

Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Tian, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

383. Upfest 2016 (27)

I am a huge fan of China Girl Tile, and was so excited to hear that she would be at Upfest 2016. I had seen lots of her work on social media, but nothing in the flesh, so it was a real treat not only to see her at work, but to be able to say hello and stop for a quick chat.

China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I caught up with China Girl Tile while she was finishing off her work in the drizzle on the second day of the festival. The wall she was working on is in the back yard of the Hen and Chicken and in really great company (Fake, Cosmo Sarson…and others).

China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I am glad she chose foxes for this installation, because as many of you may know Bristol is famous for its urban foxes. In fact some research a few years ago showed that the most densely populated group of foxes on record were in and around my allotment. Their numbers fell due to mange and the introduction of wheelie bins with strong lids. I digress. I love foxes.

China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Her reference to the Campbells soup tin is not only witty but is incorporated so very well into the unfolding story.

China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Her work is unusual and refreshing and executed with such skill and dedication. The tiles are really beautiful and enchanting. Please can we get more China Girl Tile work in Bristol.

China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
China Girl Tile, Greville Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

 

382. Upfest 2016 (26)

Having recently posted a piece by Mr Sle7en, I thought it would be good to share his contribution to Upfest 2016. Again, Mr Sle7en incorporates the third eye into this piece and uses the strong colours associated with his work.

Mr Sle7en, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
Mr Sle7en, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

The writing says ‘Free Sesk’ which is a reference to the recent custodial sentence dished out to Jack Keeling, a well known tagger and graffiti writer in Bristol. I featured one of his throw ups on New Year’s Day this year. It seems a little unfair that he has been jailed, when there are so many other taggers in town, but I guess this happens from time to time and they all know the risks they are taking.

374. Upfest 2016 (25)

Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know that I am particularly fond of wheatpastes. First it was Kid Crayon that got me interested and then 23 Magpies. More recently I have discovered the magic of Phoebe New York. Always there though, has been the work of D7606 a recent convert to the world of street art. Take time to read this excellent interview with D7606 by London Graffiti Interviews, in which he explains his name and describes his transition into wheatpasting.

D7606, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
D7606, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July2016

When D7606 first pasted up this “Twiggy” post box, there was nothing else there, just a clean red box and his Twiggys. By the time I came to photograph it a day later, it was accompanied by no end of stickers…it would seem that a great many sticker enthusiasts enjoy the freedom that Upfest affords. You will spot also that some horns and glasses have been added to the left hand Twiggy.

D7606, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
D7606, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July2016

I really like D7606’s work, and have spotted it all over the place so look out for more posts about him coming soon.

373. Upfest 2016 (24)

Tucked away in the garden of St Francis Church on North Street were a collection of artists who had prepared their works on boards 1.2m x 1.2m. Lurking here in one of the festival ‘backwaters’ were some wonderful treasures.

Swilfa, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Swilfa, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This magnificent piece by Swilfa, a London artist, captures Bob Marley really beautifully. What is different about his pieces is that they are created using a combination of acrylic paints and old pieces of vinyl records. If you look carefully you will see that the hair is styled from some 40 vinyl records (according to Swilfa’s Facebook page).

372. Upfest 2016 (23)

Dan Doodies is a street artist, designer, illustrator and painter form the Slough/London area. His piece at Upfest 2016 was one of the most memorable of the whole event. There is a rush of colour in this psychadelic piece that has a whiff of the Beatles and in my mind ELO about it.

Dan Doodies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dan Doodies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I love this bold and striking piece and somehow it seems to represent all that is best about Upfest bringing artists together from all over the country/world to show off their works. I still feel with every passing day, what a privilege it is to live in Bristol and to have such a vibrant street art culture.

371. Upfest 2016 (22)

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
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.

363. Upfest 2016 (20)

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
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
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
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
Rocket01, North Street, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

362. Upfest 2016 (19)

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
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
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.