In ancient woodland
ferns unfurl and bluebells thrive;
late afternoon sun.
by Scooj
Month: May 2018
1463. Upfest 2017 (162)
This gorgeous piece by Olivier Roubieu was definitely a hit with critics and visitors to Upfest 2017, receiving a lot ov coverage immediately after the event. It is a classy sophisticated piece beautifully painted, and something quite unusual for the walls of Bristol.
I note from his excellent website that Olivier Roubieu paints a lot of nudes, and I wonder if he toned this piece down for the conservative British audience. In general, it is rare to see nudes in street art in the UK and yet, it seems to be quite common on the continent. I don’t really know what is at the root of it – is it the people or the authorities?
The dancers caught in an instant are full of movement and poise and stand out from the ethrial background ‘noise’. Difficult to believe that this has been created with spray cans. A fabulous contributiion to Upfest 2017.
Funeral planning
.
My sister and I
over a cup of coffee;
time to reminisce.
.
by Scooj
1462. Upfest 2017 (161)
Back to some more pieces from Upfest 2017 starting with the third collaboration from Caro Pepe and Age Age. I love the work that these two do together, and their different subject matter and styles complement each other so well and in this piece fuse together perfectly.
At last year’s Upfest they definitely went for this subtle colour scheme of mauves and browns, which is actually very effective. These are not brash ‘in your face’ works, rather they are gentle comforting studies.
Age Age’s contribution begins on the left and Caro Pepe’s on the right. The central panel is where they come together creating a robot girl whose right eye is covered over under the face mask. Of their three contributions, this is my favourite. I think they are returning this year and it will be interesting to see if they work together again.
1461. Hepburn Road (6)
Whichever way you look at it, this end of Hepburn Road is one of the dingiest roads in Bristol, but it is a bit of a Mecca for graffiti. Occasionally there are some good pieces that appear here, usually at this top end.
This is a quick one from Smak, who is now firmly established as a writer in the pages of this blog. Not as elaborate as some of his work, it is nonetheless clean and tidy and oozes quality.
May fair
.
Entranced by music
as I weave between the stalls;
community day.
.
by Scooj
1460. The Bearpit (142)
I have said it many times, it is always a real pleasure when artists from out of town come to Bristol and leave us a gift, and what a gift this was from London artist Tommy Fiendish.
I don’t know too much about the artist other than that he is at art college in London and he enjoys Hip Hop. I did however find this brilliant post on his Instagram feed which I highly recommend taking a look at – it features this piece and the throw up that went over the top of it. What a way to fight back!
A highly detailed and technically strong piece, it was most eyecatching and on the morning I was photographing it, it had really attracted quite a crowd of admirers. Welcome back anytime.
1459. The Bearpit (141)
Many will instantly recognise this pair of rabbits as the work of NEVERGIVEUP. I’m not quite sure why I always put his name in full caps, I think it might be because he uses them on his Instagram account. He tends to sign his work NGU Familia or in this case #GGUFam. I tend to get locked into conventions, so it is difficult for me to change what I have been calling him from the start.
I recently found out a little bit more about the artist, and he told me he works as a restaurant manager in the Harbourside – the flexible hours probably suit his insatiable appetite for street art. He hopes to ‘go pro’ on the art side of things, and I think with his determination he’ll make it.
These crazy goofy rabbits are brilliant as always, and seem to be getting better and better.
1458. The Bearpit (140)
This is the second piece I have posted by Daz Cat and interestingly this time it is a dog. I’m not sure what the slogan ‘Without a pack the dog days are back’ is all about, but it has a nice ring to it.
My initial reaction to this piece is that it looks a bit rough and ready, but actually I think that might just be an artifact of the style Daz Cat uses. If you look closely, the shading and shapes used in crafting the dog’s head are sophisticated and cleverly done, giving an appearance in places almost of a stencil (for example around the nose). I like his work, and I am pleased to see a proliferation of it at the moment. It is always nice to see new work about the place. This piece was created for the Spring paint jam.
Orange tip
.
Frenetic flight path
grabs my attention and then
those orange wing tips.
.
by Scooj
Natural adventures 