Unbothered by my
hanging, dragonfly alights
on the whiligig.
by Scooj
Month: August 2018
1638. The Bearpit (155)
Well what can I say about Nevla? Well the first thing I can say is that I met him at Upfest and had a good long chat with him…and what a decent fellow he is, just like so many of the street/graff artists in Bristol. I’ll keep my powder dry about our conversation for when I post his Upfest piece.
This is a lovely piece, that can be easily missed, on the ramp down into The Bearpit on the north side of the roundabout. The fun cartoon character is accompanied by the words ‘stay fresh’, and I think this piece certainly manages to do this. I am really enjoying witnessing the progress of this artist, who tells me he has been spraying walls for about a year now.
1637. St Werburghs tunnel (35)
It would appear that when Inuk came to visit Bristol recently he may have painted two or three pieces. This is the second that I am posting, and the first that I found. I didn’t write about it straight away because at the time of taking the picture I didn’t know the artist.
The writing is big and bold and spells out INUcK, which I guess is a variation on his name. I very much like the little character at the right hand end of the piece, who offers a little additional interest and decoration on the work.
The Cheesewring
A competition
between giants and christians;
Cheesewring legacy.
by Scooj
- extract taken from Wikipedia:
A local legend says that the Cheesewring is the result of a contest between a man and a giant. When Christianity had just been introduced to the British Islands, the giants who lived at the top of the mountains were not happy about it. The saints had invaded their land and were declaring their wells as sacred. One of the larger giants, Uther, was given the task of ridding their land of the saints. He confronted the frail Saint Tue, who proposed a rock throwing contest. If Uther won, the saints would leave Cornwall. If Saint Tue won, then the giants would convert to Christianity.
Uther took his turn first and easily threw a small rock to the top of nearby Stowe’s Hill. Tue prayed for assistance, and picking up a huge slab found it was very light. One after the other, they threw their rocks, stacking them up in perfect piles. When the score was twelve stones each, Uther threw a thirteenth stone, but it rolled down the hill. Tue picked up this fallen stone, and as he lifted it, an angel appeared to carry it to the top of the pile of rocks. Seeing this, Uther conceded, and most of the giants decided to follow Christianity after that.
1636. M32 Roundabout J3 (90)
This is the second of two recent pieces by the marvelous Tasha Bee. Regulars will know that I admire her work a great deal, and this piece is no exception to that. One of the things I love about her art is that I rarely go looking for it, tending to find it instead when I am out on one of my little expeditions.
In this one, which is just outside the roundabout on the St Pauls side, there are two serene figures in purple and blue facing each other. Consistent with her work, both have closed eyes and a calmness about them. I rather like the ear decorations, one is a yin yang symbol and the other a peace symbol. A lovely find.
1635. New Stadium Road (5)
This spot is always impossible to photograph – I think the only solution is to come down at dusk and use a flash, and if I am honest I’m not sure I am fanatical enough to do that. The piece is, of course, by Deamze and shows off his angular puzzle-like wildstyle writing really well.
As is often the case, I am not at all sure who the character is, and think it might possibly be a figment of his fertile imagination. It feels strange, but of all the most productive Bristol artists painting at the moment, I still have yet to meet Deamze – our paths just haven’t crossed. I have a feeling he likes to keep himself to himself. Yet another consistently good piece.
Kleiner Shames
A collection of street art by Kleiner Shames (formerly of Bristol and a frequent visitor)
All photographs taken by Scooj
1634. St Werburghs tunnel (34)
It feels like a while since I saw anything by Soge, so this writing in St Werburghs tunnel recently was a nice surprise. I think it was created during the paint jam which included a lot of PWA artists.
Soge, like Hire, uses a rather gothic style in his writing, which may be something they have brought with them from Poland, as it is not a style I see much of from any of the local artists. The letters SOGE are easy to pick out, although the lighting in the tunnel doesn’t really do the piece justice. Strangely I haven’t yet met Soge and so can’t really tell you too much about him.
Minions
Ancient monoliths
weathered survivors of time;
the stories they tell.
by Scooj
1633. Belle Vue Road
This is the second of a pair of pieces by Dabuten Tronko in Easton which I came across recently. The wall had previously had a rather unattractive throw up on it and the improvement brought about by this work is immeasurable.
I am very fond of these deconstructed rowing boat pieces by Dabuten Tronko, and it is great that he has visited Bristol on a couple of occasions in the last year – I wonder if he has contacts here as it is quite unusual for visitors to paint in Easton, they tend to go to the more common spots at the M32 or Dean Lane. I hope he returns again before too long.
Natural adventures 