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.

1934. Shoreditch, London (14)

A magnificent celebration of the written word by Nomad Clan, depicting a letter and a pigeon, both methods of carrying written messages, to align with the theme of this large wall in Shoreditch on ‘connectivity’.

Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

I am a huge fan of this talented duo, who have visited Bristol for Upfest in each of the last two years. This is a masterful work with many elements to focus on, but it is the feathers on the right hand side of the piece that I find most appealing…they have such a lightness about them.

Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

Nomad Clan are known for their big walls and this one is big. Their concepts and ideas are so beautifully illustrated with a softness of tone that many artists appear to struggle with. I was very happy to find this piece.

1933. Shoreditch, London (13)

Bonzai is yet another artist I am unfamiliar with, but what a pleasure it was to discover him for the first time. This was one of two recent pieces, as described by the brilliant London Calling blog.

Bonzai, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Bonzai, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

The effect of molten chrome is simply outstanding, and yet if you look at the piece carefully is reasonably simply constructed with colours that trick your eyes. I absolutely love this kind of work and will definitely be on the look out for more from this artist on future London trips.

2018

.

For many reasons

a year not to celebrate;

time to look forward.

.

by Scooj

1932. Shoreditch, London (12)

I have seen so much of his work on the Interweb, but I think this is the first piece by C215 that I have seen in the flesh. I don’t think it is a particularly new piece, but being only an occasional visitor to Shoreditch, it is new to me.

C215, Shoreditch, London, November, 2018
C215, Shoreditch, London, November, 2018

There is so much to like about his work, with the simple lines and scatter of colours combining to give an astonishingly clear portrait. The style has some similarities with the work of Dzia, where the constituent elements combine magnificently to create a perfect whole. Love this piece.

1931. Shoreditch, London (11)

This is the first of several more Shoreditch pieces from my visit there back in November to see the old year out and the new one in. What joy to spot this trio of Madonna stencils by the flamboyant and vibrant Pegasus, whose work has appeared in Natural Adventures a few times over the last four years.

Pegasus, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Pegasus, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

These images capture Madonna beautifully, in what looks like her Desperately Seeking Susan period, sporting crosses on her ears and large quantities of bangles. It is interesting to note that in the two right hand side stencils, there are extra squares obscuring part of the piece, this in addition to the colour changes leaves us with three different stencils together. Lovely piece.

Home

 

Gentle emergence

from the mists of Bodmin Moor

to the streets of home.

My mind fixed on the former

though my body has returned.

 

by Scooj

1930. Wilder Street (25)

In my view, Sled One is the most inventive and creative artist working on the streets of Bristol at the moment, and this piece is an absolute master class. Sandwiched between writing from SMAK and Ments, this character piece acts as a focal point for this curated wall.

Sled One, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018 Sled One, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018

Many of Sled One’s pieces feature cat and mouse antics, and this one is a great example. The cat, a Samurai cat, is wearing a most glorious helmet onto which a mouse is clinging for dear life. I don’t know what it all means, but it is a visual marvel and so beautifully painted.

Smak, Sled One and Ments, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018 Smak, Sled One and Ments, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018

I love seeing Sled One’s work, but sadly it seems to be quite a rare occurrence these days. So, so good.

Seaton beach

 

Unexplainable

stench of hydrogen sulphide

assaults our senses.

 

by Scooj

1929. St Werburghs tunnel (57)

Another stunner from the re-vitalised Mr Klue, who is on a real roll at the moment. This one was at the farm end of the tunnel, which, from a photographic point of view is preferable to pieces in the middle.

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2018
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2018

The colours of this piece work nicely with the smoky texture of the patterns. If I work really hard I can see the letters KLUE, but this might be wishful thinking in overdrive. Yet another eye-catching and lovely piece from Klue Wone.

1928. M32 roundabout J3 (113)

This is a wall on the M32 roundabout that I rarely look at properly as it is something of a practice wall and most of the stuff there isn’t up to much. Something about this piece made me do a double-take though and I decided to take a closer look.

Unknown artist, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2018
Unknown artist, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2018

I’m not familiar with the artist, and can’t read the signature (Pegeau?), but I really like it. It is quite unconventional and has three abstract/cartoon faces on an interesting and well thought out background. I need to find out the who the artist is and see if I can find more of their work.