Boom! This is a banging piece of graffiti writing from Oust. Full of movement and positive vibes. Parts of the writing feel like they are reaching out from the wall, thanks to the depth of the 3D drop shadow and letter fills.
Set on a grey buffed wall, the blue and red colours are perfectly matched, with the fill variations of blue looking wonderful. The subtle grey and white bubbles around the perimeter of the piece accentuate the energy of the letters. A fine piece from Oust.
I believe Vermo to be one of the most unusual graffiti writers I have come across. His letters are separated by space and appear as hovering ‘bubbles’ which are connected only by the void between them.
This technique lends itself very well to being slapped onto any wall, regardless of what already exists there, without the need to prep the wall or buff it. In this combination piece, the letters are accompanied by a little character pointing, in the bottom left-hand corner. There is white plasma bolt running across the piece, which at first glance might look a bit like the piece has been dogged, but it is definitely part of the composition. Something different from Vermo.
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Swifts circle the air
screeching fair their arrival
for now all is well
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by Scooj
Minto has been out and about quite a lot this year, which is great to see, and recently he has turned out a couple of pieces on a black background, of which this is one, that introduce a whole new aspect to his work, bringing in all sorts of opportunities for contrasting colours.
The letters, heavily disguised, spell MINTO, and they are heavily augmented with colours, lines and shapes that almost give a ‘firework’ appearance to the piece. I can see at least two ephemeral characters in the piece, a bird’s head in the centre, and a head at the top right. There is so much to look at and discover i this fine piece of graffiti writing.
There are several names that this artist goes under; Jest Soubriquet, Jest Likes and Likes Wan Tu. I tend to stick with the first one because it is the first name I used in this blog, and if nothing else, I do like a bit of consistency. This is a wonderful wildlife piece, painted during a paint jam alongside the River Avon.
The characters look familiar, probably based on Disney’s Lion King characters. The colourful one on the left (Mufasa?) is definitely a better rendition than the one on the right, where the nose doesn’t seem quite right. Excellent stuff from this regular visitor. Note to self – time for a gallery?
Doors 355 – Doors of Shrewsbury (part V) – April 2025
It is my wife’s birthday today, which is a special family moment and means that I will be necessarily brief for today’s post.
After a brief hiatus last week, when I ran out of time to prepare some Shrewbury doors, the series continues with a mixed selection this week, from the town steeped in history. I hope you enjoy this selection of doors and views:
When I took the photographs of the bridge, I hadn’t realised until afterwards that a lost soul was being talked away from sitting on the edge of the bridge by a police officer. In my original image (much higher resolution than here) I can see the pair. I am happy to report that the ‘jumper’ was safely talked away from the bridge, and I hope received the care and attention he needed.
More to come next time. Have a great, and in the UK, Bank Holiday weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
Here we have another classic combination collaboration from Dibz and Fade. Both artists will have been involved in the whole piece, but Dibz leading on the writing and Fade on the alligator characters.
The alligators are called Brutus and Nero and are taken from the Disney cartoon film, The Rescuers. This piece reflects the technical skill of the two artists in every aspect of its presentation, and it all feels so easy when these two get together, but it takes years of practice and abundant raw talent to be this good.
This particular spot, a bricked up window recess, has hosted some wonderful Upfest pieces over the years, and this time it is the turn of a mosaic artist from London called Florist.
The mosaic was installed in about five or six prepared sections and the shoes, part of the installation, were attached with adhesive to the window sill. The outcome is a beautiful scene, with a man sitting on a bench with some flowers. What is the story behind the piece? Perhaps only Florist knows. Something a little different for the festival.
Over the years the format of Upfest has evolved, in part to accommodate so many artists descending on the city, and to manage the spike in crowds that visit. The new format has spread the festival over three weekends, and a focus on new large feature walls. Each weekend, there is an opportunity for artists, many of whom are new to Upfest, to showcase their work on small 1m x 1m boards at the Tobacco Factory. I will try to include some of these in my Upfest posts, starting with these three.
First up is a piece by an artist whose signature I can’t read and have tried lots of variants on Instagram and Google searches, but with no positive result. This is a fabulous illustration piece with a cartoon-style girl drawing and colouring animals, examples of which are distributed about the piece. A wonderful and fun creative idea.
Next up is a vibrant portrait by Ryan Gajda, of a woman sitting in a cross-legged position, and the sun at her back. An interesting style, with a combination of presence and absence of detail.
Finally, a busy portrait piece by Andy Downes, celebrating Upfest and Bristol, incorporated in the glasses. The artwork is superb, with the portrait composed of flashes of light and dark colour creating light and shade and consequently depth. Some pink and black lines frame the piece nicely.
Three excellent boards.
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Twenty-two long years
monkey on our back climbs down
no longer bridesmaids
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by Scooj
Natural adventures 