Winter sails
closer to our shores
glancing blows
so bitter;
there is nothing we can do
but sit tight and wait.
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.
1154. Dean Lane skate park (90)
There are some unusual colour selections in this nice collaborative pairing of Soge and Hire down at Deaners.The deep blue and maroon backdrop certainly lift the wildstyle writing of Soge, but Hire’s rabbit on the right is a little disguised.
I have said it before on this blog that Soge has an incredibly elaborate Gothic style of wildstyle writing which is quite unusual. I have absolutely no idea what the writing says in this piece, it might be ‘SOGEJEDEN’ which is his Instagram tag. I don’t know.
Always I have to like Hire’s rabbits wherever they appear – which is usually Dean Lane these days. Cheeky and mischievous.
1153. Upfest 2017 (105)
Another really high quality piece at this year’s Upfest, this one is by local artist Jody. I think that this piece eclipses his wonderful work from last year, and this wall is really a very special wall.
Fin Dac had the privilege of painting this wall last year and it is fitting that Jody should continue where Fin Dac left off. This was a labout of love for Jody, and long after all the other artists had packed up and left, Jody was still at it, for several more days…maybe even a week or two.
I went back a lot, hoping each time that the piece would be complete, but I think Jody was hit by the changeable weather, and possibly the sheer ambition of the wall. On the upside, I have quite a few ‘in progress’ pictures.
There is so much to love and marvel at in this captivating piece. The beautiful profile portrait, the cut out birds reminiscent of Henri Matisse and the extraordinary pink folds of material in the woman’s hair and neckline. This is a master work.
In looking at the ‘in progress’pictures, it is interesting to see how Jody appeard to work in strips and patches, where other artists might come at a piece in layers. I guess the scale and scaffolding constraints dictate to some degree how a piece will be painted.
Along with Nomad Clan’s piece and one or two others, this really shows off the ‘high end’ of what street artists are capable of doing, and in doing it, bringing so much pleasure to so many people. I love this.
1152. Upfest 2017 (104)
I was very taken by Rocket01’s piece at leat year’s Upfest, and equally so by this magnificent overture to wildlife and conservation. I love the green backwash that he uses for his work and the synthesis of nature with technology and futuristic scenarios.
There is something solemn and touching in his work let alone the fine artistry in his execution. I missed talking with him this year, I think he just wasn’t there when I was passing each time. Another really strong piece racked up for this year’s festival.
1151. Upfest 2017 (103)
This extraordinary piece by Nomad Clan is just sensational and very probably my favourite from Upfest 2017. I have visited this wall many times, both during its creation and since, but have failed so far to get a clean shot of it withoug something in the way. I will keep trying.
Nomad Clan are a phenomenally talented duo, of CBLOXX and AYLO bosed in Manchester. They tend to work on large murals and have painted some of the largest murals in England.
The subject matter of the piece is captivating, and there is some deliberate reflection between the octopus and the old fisherman. Both are painted with tenderness and delicacy, and they have created a story, a dialogue between these two characters. Very powerful stuff.
I stopped for a chat with the artists on the Friday before Upfest…they had started a bit early, which given the weather over the weekend, was probably a wise decision… and they were happy to take a bit of time out to talk, particularly AYLO who was very smiley and chatty.
I have not seen any of their work in the flesh before, but was really so impressed with this piece. It oozes class and competence and absolutely stands out.
The close ups of the two characters may give you a feel for what I mean, and take a good look at the fishing boat tattoo on the fishenman’s head, brilliant attention to detail.
I sincerely hope they are invited back next year.
1150. Upfest 2017 (102)
This is a different kind of piece for upfest, by Bristol-based Italian-English illustrator Lisa Rose. In her website biography, she says the following: Inspired by a million things but especially femme experiences and bodies, sexuality, and empowerment. It says it all really. Her website illustrations are very interesting and worth a look.
It is an unusual piece for a street art festival and represents the crossover between design/illustration and street work. Her strong lines and solid fill make this piece appear to be almost like a digital creation. This piece with the third eye is similar to one on her website and I would guess it a theme she explores. I didn’t get a chance to see her at the festival, but will look out for her if she is there in 2018.
Thursday doors
Door eight.
Danger door.
The truth about this door is that I can’t quite remember where it was. Somewhere in Bristol – possibly Hill Street.
by Scooj
Branch line
.
Sleepy commuters
update their Facebook pages
and their Twitter feeds.
.
by Scooj
1149. Upfest 2017 (101)
Maldito Mono is a street artist originally from the Canary Islands but who is now living in London in search of new experiences and to expand his work. His piece for Upfest is a bright and colourful bat with a bucket hat. Of course, the bat is holding a spray can, the tool of the trade.
What is interesting to me about this piece is the eyes – they are vacant, and at first I wondered if the piece was complete, but the subtle shading in the eyes suggests that they are meant to be like this. I guess bats are blind, so this might be a nod to that. A nice piece.
1148. Dean Lane skate park (89)
A pairing that I have seen a number of times over the last couple of years is that of Laic217 and Cort. An interesting aspect of this is that while I have seen numerous solo Laic217 pieces, I can’t recall ever seeing solo Cort work, but maybe I’m just not seeing them.
This is the first piece to cover over the amazing work of Apset and Ionas from Upfest in July this year. To be honest, I am amazed it has taken so long, but finally the piece had been dogged and then covered over by this new collaboration. We see in this piece the familiar skeleton work of Laic217, this time in a monochrome red with purple accent.
The Cort writing is great to look at and plays with a few styles and techniques. All in all this is a nice collaboration, but one which I expect to be far shorted lived than it’s predecessor.
Natural adventures 