I’m up with the larks
or should I say with the barks?
dog needs letting out.
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.
1264. Ashley Road (17)
You might have noticed that I am posting quite a few old pieces at the moment. I tend to do this from time to time when I look through my files and see some wonderful stuff that I never got round to sharing. Sometimes I have been holding onto pictures where I didn’t know who the artist was, but that was not the case here. Somehow this wonderful Laic217 piece just got through the net.
A spider with a skull and an Adidas logo (disguising the word Laic) – it is all here and a bit weird, but brilliant and such a striking combination of colours. The biologist in me feels I should point out that spiders have eight legs, but that is probably splitting hairs. A Fine piece from July 2017.
1263. Dean Lane skate park (103)
Biers is a really friendly artist who I have met on several occasions now. This was a piece from back in July 2017 which has been in my archive because Upfest posts tend to dominate my July/August time, and other street art snapped up around Upfest tend to get a little overlooked. But enough is enough, I am liberating a few images taken during last July since they are too good to ignore.
Biers, I think, is connected with the No Frills crew, although my understanding of crews is patchy at best. He often writes No Frills on his pieces or NFS. I managed to find him working on this piece, and was lucky enough to return a few days later and see it in its finished state. Sometimes work on these walls can last only a day or two, especially in the summer.
This is a nice clean piece that spells out Biers which once you get your graff goggles on you can easily read. I still find it interesting the way the layers go on in these pieces, with the fill going up first and the borders and finer lines last. Great skill required.
Sorting
Four piles in the house
keep, sell, donate and dispose;
what weekends are for.
by Scooj
1262. The Bearpit (116)
I haven’t posted anything by J.Dior for quite a while now, mainly due to the fact that he appears to have left town almost as suddenly as he arrived. I still have several of his works in my archive, of which this was one, and will post them in good time. I get a feeling that he was not very much liked in the graffiti community because he appeared to disregard any of the ‘rules’. This is tricky territory, because the rules are so complicated that nobody I’ve spoken to can clearly explain them. Anyhow, obviously he upset a few people, and this piece has a note saying ‘how about respect Diore’ on it.
As with all his work, this mural in The Bearpit tells a story and is executed in his typically naive style. I have to say that as part of the full spectrum of graffiti/street art in Bristol I am quite fond of J.Dior’s work. It all seems like a bit of a flash in the pan now, but his influence during the summer of 2017 was definitely felt in The Bearpit.
1261. Upfest 2017 (125)
Funnily enough, this is another piece that I don’t recall very well from the festival itself – there were so many works at Ashton Gate that it has been impossible to recollect them all. However, looking at the images on my computer, this one really stands out as a beautiful and colourful piece.
To my shame, Onga hasn’t really crossed my radar before, despite having lived in Bristol for a few years, and contributing regularly to Upfest in the past. Maybe it is because he doesn’t spray on the walls I visit, I don’t know. I know from a biography I read that he enjoys festivals, and since I have only been to Upfest for the last two years and no other festivals at all, it might explain why our paths haven’t crossed before.
This is a fine piece that probably needs a little bit of scrutiny and unpicking as there is a story there somewhere.
1260. Upfest 2017 (124)
I don’t know an awful lot about Gee street art and the Interweb and his Instagram profile are not particularly enlightening, although I do believe he has been about for some time. One thing is clear from his social media presence is that Gee street art is available for commissions and willing to travel.
This upfest piece itself is probably an expression that many of us can identify with. The character is nicely conveyed in a moment of fed-upness or maybe discombobulation or something not quite reaching despair. Interestingly I don’t really remember this piece very well from my walks around the festival, and only really picked it out from the thumbnails on my computer.
Saying
‘There’s enough blue sky
to make a pair of sailor’s
trousers’, gran would say.
by Scooj
Seventeenth coffee
I exaggerate
although decaffeinated
doesn’t really count.
by Scooj
1259. Upfest 2017 (123)
I first came across these two artists, Caro Pepe and Age Age at Upfest 2016 when they had adjacent pieces on North Street. Since then (and possibly before, I don’t know) they have collaborated quite a lot at festivals around Europe.
It was so good to see them at Upfest 2017 collaborating not only on their ‘official’ wall, but also on this shutter and another wall (yet to be posted). This particular shutter has been home to some amazing artwork previously, and Caro Pepe and Age Age have continued that tradition.
The pair have once again used muted shades for their Upfest experience which gives this piece a subtle feel. It is amazing that their work blends so well because their styles and subject matter are quite different – maybe their success comes from blending these. Anyhow, this was a real treat and many visitors would have missed it, as I think it was sprayed in the days following the main festival. Thank you both.
Natural adventures 