Another rather lovely piece from Decay. It is funny how you can look at things and yet not see them. It wasn’t until I was preparing this post that I noticed the big DECAY in black on red in the background of this piece. I saw what I wanted to see, but not what was actually in front of me.
I do like the ephemeral nature of this piece of writing, almost as though it is made out of a mist or fog, with a very bright yellow ‘Chuck’ character the ‘e’ of Decay. Another nice one chalked up for 2020.
Opposing forces
wrestle with tricky issues
seeking good outcomes
by Scooj
Never seek to be seen to be doing the right thing. Do the right thing and you will be seen.
Pre postscript- sometimes you can get things so wrong, and try to read more into a piece than is going on. Everything below is my own speculation and assumptions going into overdrive. The word is XODUS and not FOIS. It was painted opposite Kleiner Shames and Subtle hence the recognition. I’m not sure who XODUS is, but I feel a bit stoopid. Never mind, I don’t expect anyone will read this nonsense anyway…
Aah, the genius of two brilliant artists conjuring up this amazing and highly unusual piece. It would seem that a Kleiner Shames visited Bristol over the Christmas period and hooked up with his old mate Subtle. The pair both produced pieces in the St Werburghs tunnel, and obviously had a bit of time left over to turn out this stunner.
Signed FoiSubtle, the collaboration presents with two distinct styles. My guess is that the letters FOIS are by Kleiner Shames, he always writes these letters but never quite like this, and the characters, a wolf holding a rabbit by the ears are by Subtle, in a bit of a departure from his writing. There is a message on the piece written backwards that says ‘one tin wonders’. I would think this refers to the two colours (plus black) that were used for the piece.
I cannot tell you how much I love this. It is quirky and retro, the characters look like early Disney creations. As I always say when Kleiner Shames comes to town, come back soon.
A stencil artist whose work I have always admired is London’s Unify. Unify’s work, for me has a real human touch, grabbing the viewer’s attention through an emotional draw. These works are more than illustrations they are stories, sometimes political, sometimes satirical, sometimes child-like and they are all pretty powerful.
This beautiful small stencil depicts a young girl painting some little red hearts that collectively form a peace symbol, something that is used a lot in Unify’s work. It is a touching piece full of hope, and beautifully presented between these two flowerpots.
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Autum’s crisp discards
laced with sugar frosting dust
winter has arrived
.
by Scooj
The Nomadic Community Garden just off Brick Lane is an extraordinary place. A labyrinth of sheds and raised beds made from old railway sleepers. It is kind of untidy but un an organised way. At the far end of the garden is a large wall and it is covered in ‘high-end’ pieces from established artists.
I think I read somewhere that the garden was being cleared out. I’m not sure if this is the case, but it would be a pity. Cities need these eccentric spaces, without them we are all impoverished.
This fabulous piece is by Irony, whose work really is unparalleled. The mural was painted as part of the Meeting of Styles street art festival in May 2018. So, so cool.
I wish I had posted this piece when it was still politically relevant back in November 2018. It is of course an anti-Brexit piece with the words ‘leaving is the easy way out’, by New York artist BKFoxx.
This is a magnificent photorealistic piece irrespective of the message, and fits the wall perfectly. I love it when artists use the space well. There is more about this piece from the excellent London Calling blog.
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Where did the day go?
And where did the weekend go?
acceleration.
.
by Scooj
Continuing with some pictures from a (not so recent) visit to Shoreditch, I thought I’d share this rather atypical piece by SkyHigh. Regular readers will be familiar with his exceptional graffiti art pieces where each letter in the word SKYHIGH has its own unique font and style. This however is something completely different.
SkyHigh’s command of his craft is clear when he can paint something like this amazing kingfisher, which at first glance I thought might have been by Aspire. I’d love to know what it is about kingfishers that so many artists depict them… note to self, do a ‘kingfisher special’ some day. This is a magnificent piece by a magnificent artist of a magnificent bird.
I was inspired by a recent post from Dosenkunst to go back through some old folders and pull out these amazing wheatpastes by Sten and Oli from a trip to Shoreditch in London back in November 2018. I have already shared some of their paste ups in two previous posts and still have more on file (watch this space).
The rather forlorn characters remind me of childhood toys who have long since been forgotten by their owners, and have grown up sad, bitter or resentful – there is something unsettling about them, but also very endearing. I guess the word I am looking for is ‘outcasts’. These little characters are outcasts.
Each wheatpaste is so beautifully crafted and carefully cut out before finding the perfect spot to paste them. This one looks like he has just discarded the orange peel, or maybe is just about to pick it up… who knows?
I know nothing about the artists, or is it just one artist? And there is very little information on the Interweb, so we’ll just have to wonder who they are.
All of the characters in this set are wearing crowns (a symbol used a lot in street art), and this last one is having a bit of fun exposing himself.
Natural adventures 