Author: scooj

I am Stephen. I live in Bristol, UK. I decided to shorten my profile...to this: Wildlife, haiku, travel, streetart, psychogeography and my family. Not necessarily in that order.

125. The Bearpit (2)

A little while ago I puzzled over a rather surreal piece that had been painted at the Carriageworks in Stokes Croft. After some internet searches I found out it was by Tom Miller, a young graduate from the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016

He now has two new works in The Bearpit. This one is called ‘Portin‘. Common to all his works, this piece adheres to his style of ‘imaginite’, a word coined by Miller to describe what metaphysical imagination would look like in solid form.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016

I look forward to seeing more of his work in Bristol, and will look out for his art exhibited in local galleries.

8/10

 

 

Abandoned

 

Long since forgotten,

neglected and unloved; your

ship will not come in.

 

by Scooj

124. The Bearpit (1)

Variously called The Bearpit, Bearpit, Bear Pit or Bear-pit…I will stick with the first.

This space has recently undergone something of a transformation, thanks largely to The Bearpit Improvement Group, and provides some excellent permitted gallery space to upcoming and established street artists in Bristol. Once something of a ‘no-go’ area it is fast becoming a ‘somewhere to go’ place, especially for me…expect lots of blogs from here.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015

I’ll start with a piece by one of my favourite Bristol artists – Kid Crayon. I saw this vibrant piece earlier this week walking in to work and was chuffed to bits to see it. It was not so long ago one of his wheatpastes, that I have featured before, was cleared away and I have missed it, but this new work more than makes up for it.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015

I’ll be looking out for more of KCs work, but more often than not it finds me.

8/10

Sunshine

 

The unforgiving

cruelty of Winter breaks

hearts with false promise.

 

by Scooj

123. North Street, Standard (1)

This seasonal piece by Cheo is quite a contrast from its political predecessor that adorned this wall during Upfest 2015. I am constantly excited by the range of subjects and styles that the street art scene is capable of producing in Bristol.

Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016

This is a cheerful and fun cartoonesque piece so typical of Cheo who must be one of Bristol’s most prolific artists. I will try to dig out the piece that was on this same wall before. Watch this space.

Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016

7/10

Pink

 

Snooker’s six-point ball

an engine knock, hunting garb;

a versatile word.

 

by Scooj

122. Dean Lane (4)

I love Dean Lane. It is a road that joins Coronation Road, which runs alongside the New Cut, with North Street, and at its southern end plays host to some of the most creative street art in the area. There is a public swimming pool and skate park on Dean Lane, and both are plastered with graffiti and street art.

Beastie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016
Beastie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016

This piece by Beastie is curious. It is a wheatpaste of an Ordnance Survey map that has a sketchy drawing and some spray work on it. Just to add to its quirkiness, somebody has subsequently added a pink sticker.

Beastie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016
Beastie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016

I make no secret of the fact that I am particularly fond of wheatpastes, and this one is a beauty.

8/10

121. Soldeu, Andorra (3)

This is the last of three short blogs about graffiti/street art in Soldeu. I had a little time to kill on our last day before heading home, so I went for a short walk from the top to the bottom of the village. At the lower end I discovered this small work that was more complex than graffiti and appeared to be a an abstract mural. There is nothing else like it in the village.

Unknown artist, Soldeu, Andorra, February 2016
Unknown artist, Soldeu, Andorra, February 2016

I like that it has been sprayed on a rather utilitarian electricity building, to brighten it up a little.

On the coach journey to Barcelona Airport I was treated to hundreds of burners under road bridges and on industrial buildings. I will have to return for a weekend break.

4/10

Spring margins

 

Sheer cathedral walls

plunge deep underground, forcing

daffodils skywards.

 

by Scooj

Return to work

 

Back down with a bump;

mountains of emails replace

the snow covered peaks.

 

by Scooj