.
Walk interrupted
film crew shooting at Purdown
safer kind of shot
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by Scooj
Month: June 2021
3761. Upfest 2021 75×75 (5)
Five down, and only another 70 to go. Upfest have absolutely nailed the festival in this most extraordinary of years by spreading the painting over a long period and thus avoiding the huge crowds that normally attend the long-weekend event. This piece by Hannah Edwards is on North Street, not too far away from the Upfest shop.
Hannah Edwards is an illustrator/window painter/mural artist/signwriter from Bristol, but I am not familiar with her work, so it is great to see this piece. The style is reminiscent of those GWR posters from the thirties and has a wonderful sense of motion. Unusual and fun, and yet another new artist for Natural Adventures.
3760. Cumberland Basin
A couple of weeks back there was a very special paint jam organised by the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective on the left-hand side of the long wall at Cumberland Basin, and in all there must have been nine or ten different artists taking part, many of whom I know and many I have not seen before. For most of these artists, painting walls is not their usual thing, so it was great to get a sense of their art and how it translates to the street.
This first piece from the paint jam is by Erviti, an artist I don’t think I have encountered before and who describes herself as a surreal oil painter. I chose this piece to post first, because of the striking subject and wonderful execution of it. The strawberry is beautifully painted and has a very three-dimensional look to it. Rather like Dali’s melting watch, the strawberry is disintegrating into a pool made up of the colours used to paint it. A creative and imaginative piece, and definitely different from the usual fare at this spot. Welcome Erviti.
3759. Frome side (10)
Slakarts is not only a talented street artist, but he is also a really decent bloke. I was walking through the tunnel a couple of weeks back, and he cycled past me, and then stopped to say hello. After a very brief chat, he said he had to dash, but I was rather touched that he had bothered to stop at all.
This piece next to the M32 Spot is a rather interesting take on his faces, and with the tooth missing has the appearance of a punk granny. It certainly made me smile when I saw it, although I have seen another like it elsewhere. Slakarts keeps churning out his very distinct style of portraits, and Bristol is all the better for them.
Grasshoppers
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Atomies gather
highly strung and highly sprung
Bumper hopper year
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by Scooj
3758. Upfest 2021 75×75 (4)
With this year’s Upfest being spread over 75 days on 75 different walls, it is quite a challenge to know what is being painted where and by whom. On the upside, you get to meet a lot of artists while they are working, but on the downside, there are some pieces that go under the radar and are quite easy to miss. The watch word here is vigilance combined with keeping your ear to the ground.
I found this outstanding mural by Bristol old-boy Kleiner Shames while looking for another piece nearby, and what a surprise. One of my absolute favourites so far. I actually have a couple of Kleiner Shames originals hanging up in my home which I bought from before he moved to London and I have a hugh soft spot for his work. Many of his pieces used to spell out FOIS, but I’m not sure if I can see it in this one but I do think there is writing in there somewhere. The shapes, colours and overall design are magnificent, and remind me of what we are missing since he moved away. Bravo!
3757. L Dub (27)
It can become confusing sometimes when you are on the hunt for a specific piece. When there are hundreds of images swirling around your head that you have seen on social media, it is easy to forget what pieces you have gone out to photograph, and this confusion very nearly led to me missing out on this magnificent piece by Laic217. I had walked past it, thinking that I had photographed it before, and it was only on my return journey that I realised it was new but not the new piece I was looking for… that was somewhere completely different.
Laic217 has been creating some amazing pieces recently, and he is definitely on an upward trajectory. This skeletal figure, puffing away on a joint, is another fine example of the artist’s work, once again showcasing his craft in painting materials and fabrics that his characters wear. More good work. I was fortunate enough to bump into Paul H on this trip, and it is surprising how often that happens, but here, miles away from our usual haunts on the same day at the same time, was quite bonkers. We stopped and chatted for a while before I had to scarpa back to work.
Social distance
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Infidelity
or breaking the COVID rules
which is more sinful?
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by Scooj
On the news today that Matthew Hancock, Health Secretary, has been caught on camera snogging an advisor he appointed into a senior role with the NHS. This at a time when he is advising the general public to maintain social distancing. All of this and little mention of his infidelity (it is a ‘private’ matter).
There is so much wrong with this whole episode on every level. Sadly we seem to just expect or accept this kind of behaviour from those in power and disregard it. For a country that is peddling itself as ‘Global Britain’ this is just another deeply embarrassing and damaging affair. No dignity. Shameful.
3756. Boiling Wells Lane
Rosalita has really taken the bull by the horns with this piece. Painted at the end of the tunnel after the St Werburghs tunnel on brickwork that previously had only been tagged, or painted by TOYs. With this piece not only has she created a fine piece of art, but she has legitimised this wall as a serious opportunity for other street/graffiti artists.
The carnival/show theme is a thread that runs through Rosalita’s work and is evident once again here with the face of a clown or jester. Many if not most of Rosalita’s characters are tinged with sadness or tragedy… there is something about the look, the hiding behind makeup. What is amazing about this piece, is not simply the portrait, but the fabulous decoration work around it. Another jewel from Rosalita.
3755. Cumberland Basin
I have known about this lovely piece by Rtiiika for a while, but until a recent extended walk didn’t quite know where it was. Finding it was a rather pleasant surprise and a bit of a bonus. It is great to see that Rtiiika seems to be doing more and more street art work and the larger format really lends itself to her designs.
In this piece, on the side of a storage unit, there are two figures created in her very stylistic design. Her figures are painted with long lines and tend to be very leggy, often with the top halves missing or hinted at. On a black background, the pink, white and green colours stand out clearly. Minimalist? Abstract? I’m not sure what the right words are, but this piece is is. I particularly like the plants in green that add another dimension and without which the piece probably wouldn’t work.
Natural adventures 