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.

3918. Upfest 2021 75×75 (55)

I think I am right in saying that Paul Monsters is the only artist at Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event to have painted more than one wall, although I still haven’t posted his first collaboration yet. This is his second collaboration, and this time he has combined delightfully with The Hass.

The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

The collaboration is painted on two sides of a building on Ashton Road, not far away from the Ashton Gate football stadium. The portrait, which looks a little bit like a self-portrait, is by The Hass, but the way it blends into the geometric patterns of Paul Monsters is what makes this a proper collaboration in my eyes.

The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

The Hass is a super-talented artist who writes under another name for his graffiti pieces. The portrait has such amazing depth, with perfect use of different tones and shading to bring out the features and highlight all the wrinkles and contours of the face. A masterful piece of wall art.

The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

It is quite unusual to see this colour combination used in the geometric work of Paul Monsters. More often he works with yellows, greens, browns, oranges and purples, but here he has gone for a rather more subtle colour palette which works really well on this particular space.

The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

I am not too sure about the significance of the owl, but The Hass has absolutely smashed it. The owl appears to be wearing a little red cap, shared by the self-portrait, and I wonder if The Hass is the owl. Who knows? I’ll have to ask him next time I see him.

All in all, another outstanding wall in this summer series. We citizens of Bristol are a lucky bunch really.

The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
The Hass and Paul Monsters, Ashton Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

Swan song

.

For one day only

a reminder of summer

that we never had

.

by Scooj

3917. Wilder Street (42)

Words cannot really describe how wonderful this enormous mural makes me feel. Hazard, or Harriet Wood to give you her proper name, has produced a landmark piece that launches her onto the world-class stage. It is not only the scale of the piece, but its stature that is so special. Somehow Hazard has found a new level and it is all very exciting.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2021
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2021

Wilder Street in St Paul’s has been at the heart of the Bristol street/graffiti art scene for many years, although recently, the amount of gentrification of the area has slowed things somewhat. This piece bucks that trend and makes a positive statement for beautiful public art in the area.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2021
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2021

The piece was supported by The Arts Council through its Developing your Creative Practice (DYPC) fund, and thank goodness for initiatives like this one that bring so much joy to so many people while supporting the work of our most creative people.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2021
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2021

Hazard, in going big, has not compromised on her ability to compose a piece fit for a particular space, and this colourful portrait, almost cubist in its presentation, has been worked perfectly into the fabric of the 20m high facade. With the magnificent colours bleeding off to the right, Hazard has created a shadow portrait just to the right of the main portrait adding emphasis and interest.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2021
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, August 2021

There have been so many extraordinary murals painted in Bristol this year, and the bar has been set very high. I feel however that Hazard, with this piece, has surpassed any other I have seen. I genuinely hope that this piece will launch Hazard onto the international stage that she clearly deserves. My favourite of the year so far.

3916. Cumberland Basin

It feels like I took this photograph an age ago, and in fact it was painted at the back end of July and photographed in early August. Where has this year gone? My life seems to have been travelling at light speed this year… probably a feature of getting older and trying to squeeze more into less time.

This wonderful piece by MoS was painted during Eman’s birthday paint jam at which so many good pieces were painted. It was an inspirational day.

MoS, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
MoS, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021

I believe that MoS typically paints hands or portraits, so this ‘weird’ (his own words) piece is rather unusual even for the artist. I’m not entirely sure what it all means, but it is certainly very striking and the light tan glow around the piece gives it an interesting aura. Nice work from yet another new artist to Natural Adventures.

The gathering

.

Starlings in a row

waiting for something, for dusk

building momentum

.

by Scooj

3915. Upfest 2021 75×75 (54)

You can always expect the unexpected from Diff, and this imaginative piece for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days summer event, is definitely on the creative end of the spectrum of amazing pieces we have witnessed over the last few months. The Tobacco Factory is always a central venue for Upfest, and this piece is set behind one of the gates at the side entrance alongside the car parking bays.

Diff, Raleigh Road, Bristol August 2021, Upfest 21
Diff, Raleigh Road, Bristol August 2021, Upfest 21

Diff has cleverly painted that most iconic of items, namely Scrabble letters, and stacked them to spell out RACISM.  The piece, set behind the gate, is chilling, powerful and impactful. It is funny how just the work can conjure up so many images, and when framed like this becomes a talking point. This commentary piece is one of the more thought-provoking from the event, but also one that might be hidden from the general passer-by. Excellent work from Diff, beautifully executed.

3914. Dean Lane skate park (425)

For the last year or so, there has been absolutely no stopping Dibz. I don’t know what happened (apart from the obvious pandemic impacts), but his occasional, sometimes rare, appearances turned into something approaching weekly. Of course this is simply great news for those of us who like his work.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021

There are several key hints that help to identify Dibz’ work and this piece illustrates them nicely. He usually preps his wall nicely so that everything is neat and tidy. The overall form of his writing is diamond shaped, starting and ending small with a fatter middle. His wildstyle letters usually spell out DIBZ but this can be tricky to make out sometimes. He usually adds depth to his letters with a well worked 3D shadow without a border.

So beautifully turned out, this piece is an archetypal Dibz work. Utterly brilliant.

3913. Brunel Way (120)

Aha! This is a brilliant piece from Daz Cat, with an awful lot more going on than the usual portrait of a cat that the artist usually serves up. Here we have a story ‘life’s not a race’ and it would seem that it was inspired by Daz Cat’s observations that some of the people around him are keen to grow up too quickly, or perhaps more quickly than he is. The tortoise is a common metaphor for such a commentary. Daz Cat considers this one of his best pieces to date, and I must say that I don’t disagree.

Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2021
Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2021

Larger than his more common portrait pieces, this story is framed nicely and contains an industrial (dark) backdrop, in front of which the cat (a self-portrait of sorts) sits contentedly and rather eccentrically on/in the back of a tortoise. The ski goggles are a nice touch and something Daz Cat has painted before. A classic piece from this young artist who recently has stepped up a level.

3912. Upfest 2021 75×75 (53)

I met Karl Read at the Cheltenham Paint Festival last year, and what a very nice bloke he is too. He is an artist who appears to enjoy painting at festivals, and he has certainly been to several Upfest events in the past, this is his 75 walls in 75 days contribution.

Karl Read, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Karl Read, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

This is a superb bright and vibrant piece that makes great use of this slightly awkward wall. The message, in large colourful letters, is clear for all to see and will resonate with all but the most miserable people. Karl Read has chosen to paint his characters, a boy and a girl at each end of the letters, in black and white, probably using a stencil. The characters contrast beautifully with the letters and somehow bring out the colour even more. An upbeat and positive piece from the Upfest veteran.

Community

.

Our first street party

in more than twenty five years

new community

.

by Scooj