Month: September 2018

1717. Frogmore Street (7)

I had no idea this was here. Unheralded, unannounced and not picked up on Instagram, this wonderful new piece from 3Dom is in Frogmore Street where there used to be a collaboration by RichT and 45RPM (you can just see the remains of it in the doorway) which seems to have been here forever.

3Dom, Frogmore Street, Bristol, August 2018
3Dom, Frogmore Street, Bristol, August 2018

We are used to seeing rather surreal work and dream-like characters from the brilliant mind of 3Dom, but occasionally he also creates these wonderful abstract concentric designs, and this one really hits the spot.

3Dom, Frogmore Street, Bristol, August 2018
3Dom, Frogmore Street, Bristol, August 2018

I hope he returns to finish up in the doorway, because as it stands it looks a little untidy. Maybe he has already done it, I don’t know as I’ve not returned since I took the pictures. The colours and shapes are reminiscent of some kind of organic life, almost like a coral reef. The shading and highlights are really clever, giving the whole piece a sort of 3D effect. Lovely work.

1716. Turbo Island

I became aware of this piece of work when I saw an Instagram post from Tasha Bee describing a collaboration on Turbo Island, Stokes Croft with Mr Draws. I decided to walk home…I usually get the bus because I don’t feel as fresh as in the mornings…and what a good decision that was.

Mr Draws and Tasha Bee, Turbo Island, Bristol, August 2018
Mr Draws and Tasha Bee, Turbo Island, Bristol, August 2018

By the time I got to Turbo Island I had already found two new pieces in roads I don’t often visit, which was a great start, and Mr Draws and Tasha Bee were just finishing off and tidying up.

Mr Draws and Tasha Bee, Turbo Island, Bristol, August 2018
Mr Draws and Tasha Bee, Turbo Island, Bristol, August 2018

This wall hasn’t been sprayed for a long time, and a collection of artists supported by the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PSRC) are trying to resurrect it as a ‘legal’ wall with a regular turnover. This is a risk, because the site is prone to impromptu parties and gatherings and often gets pretty messed up.

Mr Draws and Tasha Bee, Turbo Island, Bristol, August 2018
Mr Draws and Tasha Bee, Turbo Island, Bristol, August 2018

The collaboration itself is rather lovely, with Mr Draws’ multicoloured mountains and two figures by Tasha Bee and the message in both Latin and English ‘All things are in common’, which expresses the idea that the world belongs to everyone, rather than the way society is organised where the disposessed and dominated are overlooked to the benefit of the few.

Sadly the piece was tagged less than 24 hours later – predictable but annoying really.

Thursday doors

Doors 44 – Citta di Castello – part 2

This is the second instalment of doors from Citta di Castello in Umbria and a nice reminder for me of our recent summer break  – I must try to hang on to that holiday feeling for as long as possible to see me through the winter. Some nice ones here, I hope you enjoy them.

OK, so it's a window pretending to be a door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
OK, so it’s a window pretending to be a door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Graffiti and tags door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Graffiti and tags door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Door with plenty of character, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Door with plenty of character, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Main door of the Cathedral of St Florido and Amanzio, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Main door of the Cathedral of St Florido and Amanzio, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy

by Scooj

More doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0

Natural adventures

 

Love for Mother Earth;

was there any other way

for the nature boy?

 

by Scooj

1715. Upfest 2018 (40)

This is an outstanding large mural by Sicilian duo Rosk and Loste and one of the finest of the larger pieces at this year’s festival. Unfortunately I am unable to tell you anything more about the artists, because I can’t find anything about them on the Interweb.

Rosk and Lost, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Rosk and Loste, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This massive wall is slightly set apart from the main concentration of Upfest artwork, and probably receives fewer visitors during the festival weekend which is highly unfortunate, because this piece is really impressive.

Rosk and Lost, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Rosk and Loste, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I didn’t actually get to see it until a few weeks after Upfest, because it is in a part of town I rarely visit and I had to wait until I was passing by to get these pictures. The photorealistic style is so impressive as is the scale. Worth the journey.

1714. Upfest 2018 (39)

The artist for this piece is Rosie McLay, not to be confused with Muffin Mclay the old English sheepdog in the brilliant book ‘Hairy Mclary from Donaldson’s Dairy’ by Lynley Dodd. I digress. Rosie is a graduate of UWE in Bristol where she studied drawing and applied arts. There is more about her in this interesting short interview on the ‘Sky Light Rain’ website

Rosie McLay, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Rosie McLay, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Her piece for Upfest of course appeals to me because it is centered on a fish, and some readers might know that fish hold considerable significance for me. I love her sketch style and there are some interesting concepts to the piece, the bones in the mouth of the fish and a hand emerging by the tail and a skyline along the base of the piece, I would love to know the back-story to this one. Great work from Rosie McLay.

1713. Upfest 2018 (38)

The forecast for Upfest this year had been pretty dreadful, which was disappointing as the rain came in the middle of a heat wave and prolonged spell of dry weather. The impact on many artists was that they made hay while the sun shined and finished their pieces early on Saturday. The upshot to this is that there were several artists I would have liked to catch up with that were long gone by the time I found their work.

Decay, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Decay, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Decay has long been a favourite of mine, and it is great to see that in 2018 he has really started to grow his style while keeping the basic elements of his colour pallette and curvy lines. This is a 10 year celebration piece and has a nice little dedication to Emma and Steve, the masterminds behind Upfest in the top right. If I am not mistaken, there is a Bowie lyric in there too. This is a nice splash of colour and a lovely nod to the festival itself.

1712. Upfest 2018 (37)

John Curtis is a well-known Bristol artist who specialises in urban landscapes and whose work is recognisable from his use of colours and long lines. I have only seen studio pieces by this artist before, so it was interesting to see how his work translated to a large wall. If I am honest it is exactly the same, only bigger. Brilliant really.

John Curtis, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
John Curtis, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I think that this is a picture of Park Street in Bristol looking up at the Wills Memorial building up on the right hand side, although it might be somewhere else altogether. I love the night-time atmosphere that is brought to life in this piece. Highly accomplished and highly recommended to look at in the flesh It is in the passage way into the courtyard of the Steam Crane pub at the end of North Street.

Bass fishing in Lantic Bay

.

Standing sentry still

hook baited, rod presented;

hunter gatherer.

.

by Scooj

1711. Upfest 2018 (36)

There is a very clear message in this excellent piece by Sophie Long, ‘save the bees’, a most noble message and one that most sensible people can subscribe to. It is common knowledge that globally and locally we are losing our pollinators at an alarming rate and most of the decline is due to pesticides because…guess what…they are designed to kill insects. A classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Sophie Long, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Sophie Long, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

There is a nice interview with the artist on the excellent Auntie G website which I can recommend – it is only a couple of minutes long, but it is nice to see the artist explain her work.

Sophie Long, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Sophie Long, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Now onto the artwork itself. I am definitely a fan of Sophie’s work and have featured several pieces in Natural Adventures in the past. Her studies of wildlife are magnificent and her rather etherial style gives her subjects a sense of movement. Her trademark though probably has to be those drips…such wonderful drips. This was one of the special pieces at Upfest this year.