Tag: Urban

1112. Upfest 2017 (93)

At upfest many of the artists get paired up on neighbouring boards, and because of the portrait nature of these it is much easier for me to post about them as a pair. These two pieces are by Lea Gudrich and Dan Pritchard.

Lea Gudrich, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Lea Gudrich, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Lea Gudrich is German-based artist living in Cologne. This piece was hashtagged with ‘childhood memories’ on her instagram account so I guess there is a story there. Most of the work she produces features wildlife largely in black and white with some incorporation of bright colours. Beautiful illustrations mostly.

Dan Pritchard, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dan Pritchard, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Dan Pritchard, by contrast is an illustrator with a rather more brash and colourful style. Based in Bristol, his Upfest profile says his work is inspired by humour found in the British way of life, the hum drum of the 9-5 commute and the films and television of the 80s and 90s. I guess this one is drawn directly from ‘Ghostbusters’.

1111. Upfest 2017 (92)

Post 1111 – this would have David Shepherd hopping in his grave (an oblique reference to one of England’s finest cricket umpires). This small wheatpaste is a collaboration between d7606 and PDX artist Voxx Romana, Phoebe New York, and Twiglet boy, although I am baffled how such a small piece can be a collaboration between four artists. Maybe I have misunderstood D7606’s Instagram description of this piece.

D7606, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
D7606, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

So we have Albert Einstein wearing a colander on his head and a fine pair of spectacles with the face of somebody reflected in the lenses. I have no idea what this is all about, and I’m not too sure I want to know, but I do know that I like this eye-catching paste up.

 

 

1110. Upfest 2017 (91)

A truly awe-inspiring collaboration from Upfest this year was by the magnificent My Dog Sighs and Snub23. There is so much to like about this piece, starting with the wall itself, which played host to this fabulous piece by Sokar Uno in 2016.

My Dog Sighs and Snub23, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
My Dog Sighs and Snub23, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The eye and the water drops which provide the focus for the piece is by My Dog Sighs, and there is a whole story going on in the reflected figure in the eye itself. I am a big fan of his work, and it just seems to be getting better and better.

My Dog Sighs and Snub23, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
My Dog Sighs and Snub23, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Snub23 has been to Upfest for the last three years now, and his geometric patterns are becoming more of a feature of his work. You may recall he created similar patterns on the side of the bus at Upfest 2016.

My Dog Sighs and Snub23, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
My Dog Sighs and Snub23, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is an absolutely outstanding collaboration and one that will go down as a highlight of this year’s festival for many visitors, including myself.

1106. The Bearpit (104)

Here we have another Bearpit piece by the irrepressible NEVERGIVEUP, whose monsters just keep on giving. In this piece there is an inclusion of the Clifton suspension bridge, but I am not certain that he sprayed this or whether it was a part of an existing mural. Somehow the style doesn’t look like his.

NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

As with all his monsters, NEVERGIVEUP creates a textured effect on the skin using concentric contours, in this case in red and yellow, dotted around the skin of the creature. I always like it when characters are themselves spraying. An archetypal piece from this artist.

1105. The Bearpit (103)

Without doubt, this is one of my favourite pieces of recent weeks. Bright and garish, I first saw this when driving around The Bearpit roundabout, and made a mental note to take a closer look next time I walked into work. Fortunately this large wheatpaste was still there, and I was able to look at it more carefully and find out who it was by.

Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

The artist is Christian Hooker who judging from his Instagram account handle is from New York (@nychooker). Quite what he was doing here I don’t know but I am really pleased that he visited the city and even more pleased that he left us a couple of gifts.

Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

The pasteup itself is mocking Trump (I guess) and he posted it on Instagram under the heading ‘subvertising’ which is a term new to me, but I really rather like it. It is, a little like Lemak’s work, a stencil piece that has been printed off and pasted up. I simply love it. Having just visited NYC, I was a little disappointed not to see any of his work. Maybe next time.

1103. Raleigh Road, Vector (15)

This was a truly sublime piece that went up in Raleigh Road back in July this year, a little while before Upfest. It is always great to see dog street art, and this piece is a real treat. It is by Nilko White, a french artist from Paris, who I guess was taking a trip to the UK and teamed up with some local artists, maybe Hempster (the writing to the right of the dog) and found this hoarding to decorate.

Nilko White, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2017
Nilko White, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2017

It is a really great piece and quite different from much of the stuff we see in Bristol. It took me a while to find out who the artist was but Instagram (as is so often the case) came to the rescue. I’m not too sure what the Staffordshire terrier is about, but there is a story here. Maybe these are dogs the artist knows. A refreshing piece.

1101. The Bearpit (101)

On Friday 28 July, the day before Upfest, I strolled to work via The Bearpit, which I like to do as often as I can. Clearly one of the Wheatpasters who regularly visit Bristol for Upfest, Losthills, had been hard at work, and this was the first of many of his pieces that I saw this year.

Losthills, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

It is a cheeky little paste up (which of his isn’t a little cheeky?) of Jake the Dog, living the dream as an Empire soldier from the Star Wars films. The piece is full of humour and is a cheerful thing to see on my pedestrian commute to work.

1100. Dean Lane skate park (85)

A familiar piece in a familiar place from a familiar artist. This is a beautiful abstract piece by Shab, sprayed in one of his favourite spots in Dean Lane skate park. I do like it when artists kind of ‘claim’ a spot, although it is not so good when they guard it jealously.

Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017

Always pleasing on the eye, Shab’s work holds a kind of mystery for the viewer, and a fascination too. Of course, the eye usually plays a part in his work, and adds some realism to this abstract world. Such subtle colours in the eye, set against the black and white surround.

Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017

I have always liked and probably always like the work of this highly respected Bristol master.

1099. Dean Lane skate park (84)

I have grown so accustomed to seeing NEVERGIVEUP’s work dominating The Bearpit, that it was a pleasant surprise recently to see one of his monsters turn up in Dean Lane. In the short space of time that he has been living in Bristol, he has really let his presence be known. He is prolific and unappologetic…when he sees a wall he paints it.

NEVERGIVEUP, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
NEVERGIVEUP, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017

I haven’t yet seen his work at the M32 or in Stokes Croft yet, but I guess it is just a matter of time. Another fine monster from this young Polish master.

NEVERGIVEUP, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
NEVERGIVEUP, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017

1098. The Bearpit (100)

The light in these images is a bit wishy washy, and doesn’t do this lovely mural by Meghan O’Malley justice at all. The mural wasn’t up for long, before it was overpainted, so I am pleased to have been able to see it, especially as it features three magnificent fish.

Meghan O'Malley, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Meghan O’Malley, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

I had to do a little research to find out more about the artist, and it turns out she is a murallist living in Bristol. A quick glance at her website should convince you that she is a highly accomplished artist who has an eye for the surreal. This fish piece however is simply beautiful.

Meghan O'Malley, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Meghan O’Malley, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

Having recently graduated in Drawing and Applied Arts from the University of the West of England (UWE), I very much hope to see more of her work on the streets in the near future. Definitely one to look out for.

I have just attended a communications conference in Bristol, at which I found out that this piece and two others in The Bearpit were part of a campaign organised by Wild Walls (part of Wildscreen) and that these three fish mimic the recycling icon. All good, except that I found this out by chance. My feeling is that campaign pieces need better calls to action, or they risk being lost in the white noise.