A perfect vee cuts
across seamless clear blue skies;
autumn migration.
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.
1795. St Werburghs tunnel (45)
St Werburghs tunnel has been a happy hunting ground for me in recent weeks and it seems that Bristol street artists are spraying there more often. Part of this higher turnover might be due to the reduction in activity in Stokes Croft and in particular in The Bearpit, which since the Council’s crack down on street art is looking grottier than ever, with tatty fly posters hanging off every surface where decent art used to be, and tagging appearing on every wall the council paints. Well, we told you so.
Meanwhile The Bearpit’s loss is St Werburghs’ gain, and the PWA crew in particular have been having a ball there. This is a lovely piece by Soap featuring a whole load of mouths squished together and his crossed bones motif. Love this one.
1794. Upfest 2018 (70)
I know that I am not alone when I say that at Upfest there are some pieces simply don’t remember seeing and yet here they are in full colour in my photographs. This is in no way to discredit any of the artists, but rather an acknowledgment of visual overload. It happens. This incredible piece by Darry Perier has been a wonderful surprise and gift when trawling through my photographs. It is such a striking piece it seems a bit weird that I don’t remember it.
This piece is where cubism meets street art and I love it. It is the kind of piece that would sit equally comfortably on a street wall or in a gallery, a fantastic crossover piece. There is a lot going on to tease the eye and the use of colours in those tight stripes creates a wonderful effect. I wish I had spent more time admiring it in the flesh.
1793. Upfest 2018 (69)
One of the things I really like about Upfest is that it draws artists from all around the world which in turn gives us a chance to see a spectrum of differing styles influenced by native cultures…and there is a real difference not just an imagined one.
This is a beautiful piece by Moscow artist Antionia Lev who cites amongst her influences feminism, comic books and Henri Matisse. The latter of those influences is apparent in the colours and some of the shapes in this work. Coincidentally this is the second post in a row to contain a Swiss cheese plant leaf…what are the chances of that? I am very drawn to this piece whuich can be found in the back yard of The Hen and Chicken.
1792. Upfest 2018 (68)
On the long car park wall of The Tobacco Factory one of the most eye-catching pieces is what I would describe as a still life study by the talented Envol. I first became aware of the artist at last year’s Upfest and his style is so very distinct.
There is something rather pleasing about this assemblage of recognisable things, the hand and the Swiss cheese plant leaf together with rather more abstract shapes. The painting draws the eye from one side to the other (in my case from left to right) before settling on the whole.
During the festival this area is a real squeeze, and it can be rather difficult stopping to take pictures without getting nudged in the back or caught up in the tide of human impatience sweeping towards the street food area. Last year’s piece is shown below.
Taxi
It’s an old cliché
and today I lived the dream
cab driver for kids.
by Scooj
1791. Upfest 2018 (67)
Probably not seen by many visitors to Upfest because of its location, this magnificent piece by Dan Kitchener was sited on yet another of this year’s new walls. It has to be said that the Upfest organisers, led by Steve and Emma have done an incredible job with finding new locations for artists to paint.
Although I had a map of where all the artists would be, I kind of stumbled upon Dan Kitchener at work. There were very few other visitors watching on, unlike some of the more central venues.
I went back to the site a week or two after Upfest to be sure that the scaffolding was down and only then could really appreciate the magnitude of this piece. I love Dan Kitchener’s work, and although the style is familiar, it is the little details in his pieces that I find so compelling.
The night sky alight with neon signs in a Tokyoesque city and rain falling on the road and pavements that reflect the signs so beautifully. The whole thing is heaving with atmosphere, bustle, dampness and nighttime.
For me though, my favourite bits are the individual characters under their umbrellas, and Dan Kitchener usually positions one of these closer to the foreground to provide a focal point for the scene. An absolute masterpiece.
1790. Upfest 2018 (66)
Often humorous and always tinged with a bit of edge, John D’oh’s stencils can be found on walls all around Bristol (and Cheltenham) and of course at Upfest. This year’s ‘official’ piece was a double-header, the first part of which was a witty corruption of the Infinite Monkey Theory.
The second board is another pithy pop at Brexit, featuring Noel Edmond’s Deal or no Deal as its headline. I absolutely love these topical political stencils, and look forward to his injects about the place.
Coincidentally, his new book arrived yesterday and I can’t recommend highly it enough, it is one of the best graffiti/street art books that I have read in a while, intelligently written and full of photographs and commentary on his own work. Brilliant.
Toadstools
In death we find life
nothing ever goes to waste;
a new beginning.
by Scooj
1789. Upfest 2018 (65)
What a wonderful clean and colourful piece by Bristol-based Zase. There is rather a nice little story going on in this piece, and I love the sketch on the floor of the 3D writing of the artist’s name that appears on the right hand side of the piece.
Zase has been painting solo for a little bit as his collaborator Dekor returned to his homeland for a while. It looks like this is by both of them, or at least it is signed by both on the bottom left-hand side of the piece, so maybe Dekor is back on the scene again. There is a serenity and maybe sadness about the piece, which is certainly one of my favourites of the festival. Oh yeah, and if you wanted evidence of the rain we had, the picture above is a little on the watery side…grrrrr.
Natural adventures 