.
That moment before
going out to meet some friends
just can’t be bothered.
.
by Scooj
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.
2502. M32 Cycle path (34)
It is a great feeling discovering an artist who is relatively new to the Bristol scene and finding their pieces dotted about the place. One such artist is Lobe and I get a little ping of excitement each time I find one of her stylised portraits, a feeling I get each time I find a piece by Laic217 – some artists have this effect on me more than others.
This piece looks like it is a tribute piece to Wayne. Such works often have a little touch of sadness about them, but that is ok, it is a fair reflection of life in general. Once again her bold colours and shadings demonstrate her distinctive style which is just as well as I have yet to see a signed piece by her. All good.
2501. Cheltenham 2018 (5)
On my first day in Cheltenham I walked from Cheltenham Spa station along the Honeybourne Line towards the centre of town and after dropping down from the disused railway the first major piece I saw was this sensational eye from My Dog Dighs painted for the 1028 Cheltenham Paint Festival (I think).
Good grief, this is a great piece in its overall impact, situated on a rather banal utilitarian building, bringing joy to all who see it. The child-like background of scribbles and doodles plays host to an enormous and dramatic eye.
This and all his other recent pieces speak of an artist at the absolute top of his game and whose signature eyes, large or small, each bear their own characteristics. The patterning on the iris is always so well observed and the scenes tell great stories, often of the local environment or people. World class piece.
One wall – many faces (1)
Looking at a single wall and how it changes over time.
1. Curved wall at Dean Lane, Bristol
Extracurricular
Unconventional
after-school club unfetters
their agile young minds
by Scooj
2500. Cheltenham 2019 (11)
One of the comforting things about the Cheltenham Paint Festival is that it is only a short distance away from Bristol and that I am familiar with a great many of the artists that make the short journey. One such artist is Lokey, whose 3D anamorphic lettering is out of the top drawer.
This piece has the appearance of being unfinished, but it is signed and I have not seen any photograhs of it in a more advanced state. It is a clever effect which keeps the mind wondering what might the bottom half look like and your brain trying to fill in the gaps. I ought to add that the little cat to the right of the piece was painted by his young daughter and will is worthy of its own post (to come).
2499. Cheltenham 2019 (10)
Miss Wah might be familiar to readers of Natural Adventures because she has made an occasional appearance with her Upfest pieces. This striking Kawaii style figure is beautifully painted with yellow and black bands that we might normally associate with bees and wasps and indeed Miss Wah has given this character wings.
Miss Wah’s simple and oh-so-easy-on-the-eye pieces are always a welcome addition to any festival and tend to be real crowd-pleasers. This fine piece in Cheltenham this year is no exception.
Persistent
Dog paws at my arm
again and again and a…
it’s time for a walk
by Scooj
2498. Cheltenham 2019 (9)
Well here’s a familiar sight for Bristolians, the wonderful, weird, quirky world of Guts. There is a lot of fun that goes on in Guts’ pieces, but the fun is juxtaposed with a slightly sinister or gruesome scene. I am not too sure of the story here, but there is a man with a smoking shot gun and a fox missing its tail… Oh my, literally as I am writing this the penny has dropped. This is the Roald Dahl story, ‘The Fantastic Mr Fox’ and Guts has stuck to the literature theme brief perfectly.
That moment of clarity has just elevated this piece because I can now completely ‘get’ the evil characters, so brilliantly portrayed and the unfortunate fox who loses his tail. A perfect illustration and one that I’m sure Roald himself would have approved of.
2497. Cheltenham 2018 (4)
Going to Cheltenham for the first time this September was such a treat, especially because so many pieces from last year (2018) were still intact, including this extraordinary and brilliant piece by SkyHigh.
I have seen SkyHigh’s work in London and in Bristol, but I think this piece in Cheltenham is as good as any other that I have seen. I can’t quite be sure that it isn’t a collaboration, because the jungle bookends don’t quite match his style that I am used to. As always SkyHigh spells out his letters with each one being distinct from the next to bring together an ecclectic whole that just seems to work. I have seen other artists try thisd technique, but in my view SkyHigh is top of the division. Sensational piece.
Natural adventures 