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.

992. Dean Lane skate park (75)

This is another fine piece of wildstyle writing from Soge on the long wall at Dean Lane. I believe that Soge is a friend and neighbour to Hire, and is another of the Polish contingent of artists that is making a big impression on the Bristol graffiti art scene at the moment.

Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

It is interesting that both Soge and Hire have a style that feels rather gothic and jagged – it is different from most of what you see from the established Bristol artists. This piece is vibrant and colourful and fun too – there is a boar’s head lurking between the S and O.

Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

I expect to see more from Soge – probably at Dean Lane, which seems to be a favoured spot for these artists.

991. North Street Green (9)

Not long after Upfest was over, and just as the dust was settling, this wonderful piece from Bristol’s Cheo appeared in North Street Green. It is a very strong piece, and in my view, far superior to the Morph characters he produced for Upfest.

Cheo, North Street Green, Bristol, August 2017
Cheo, North Street Green, Bristol, August 2017

In this piece he has sprayed a couple of very cool frogs appearently chewing the fat and puffing away on a cigar and cigarette. It is an incredibly neat and crisp piece and in my view shows Cheo at his absolute best.

Cheo, North Street Green, Bristol, August 2017
Cheo, North Street Green, Bristol, August 2017

I’m not too sure how long this would have taken him, but it looks like he took care with it. Yet another great piece from the master.

Street raging

 

Anger on the streets

as domestic argument

spills out; I look on.

 

by Scooj

990. Dean Lane skate park (74)

It is not often that this ramp at Dean Lane gets a single piece sprayed over it, so this is a real gem from Bristol-based street artist Feek. It took me a little while to establish the artist, but if you look very carefully at one of the teeth, you can see his signature and in other teeth the word Dom – a tribute to a young man who skated and played basketball here and tragically died last year – and the letters DLH which stands for Dean Lane Hardcore, an annual skating event. This piece is featured in the video from the sidewalk website – well worth a click and view.

Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

Dean Lane Hardcore Funday is a big event for Bristol skaters and brings together skate boarding and graffiti art seamlessly. Feek has done a great job here to make the day just that bit more special.

Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

The more observant viewers might have spotted the NEVERGIVEUP rabbit design in the foreground and Hire piece behind the ramp. Give yourself a pat on the back if you did.

989. M32 Roundabout J3 (45)

What a wonderful bit of creative painting that works towards urban regeneration and cohesion. Three drab utility boxes on the M32 roundabout were recently given a makeover by the Sheffield artist Color.

Color, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017
Color, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017

I met Color when he was spraying some pillars in East Street for Upfest and we had a chat about the work he does with incorporating the surrounding street furniture into his work and transforming the ‘drab’ into the ‘vibrant’ and the social benefits this brings about. I can say with some certainty that these cheese houses and mouse have brought a smile to many faces in an area that can at times be quite intimidating. Upfest work to follow sometime soon…I hope.

Web

 

Water beadlets lie

long after the rain has passed

suspended in time.

 

by Scooj

988. The Bearpit (87)

On the north steps dropping down into The Bearpit there is this wonderful new piece from Lemak. It is a wheatpaste of a complex multi-layered stencil. I love the original work Lemak is producing at the moment, confining partial images within geometric shapes, with much of the image hidden beyond the confines of the boundaries, leaving much to the imagination.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

It is a piece that is in a similar vein to the one he produced for Upfest this year (to follow). I am sure that many busy pedestrians miss this, as they trundle into The Bearpit buried in their thoughts or mobile phones. It is a little bit camouflaged by all the scrawls and tags around it, and only seems to jump out at you once you have spotted it.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

Another fine piece from the brilliant Lemak.

987. Upfest 2017 (40)

Researching this piece has revealed more than I might have expected, which is always most fulfilling. The chimpanzee, so full of expression, was sprayed by Skie One, and the leaves and portrait (to follow) on the right by Nesr both from High Pressure Murals. The discovery was to put names to a piece that I photographed at Upfest 2016, and one which I can post when I do a bit of a catchn up of left-overs from last year.

Skie One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Skie One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is a fine mural (I guess I can safely call it that) and has a stencil-like look about it, although it is freestyled. I am interested by just how many apes and monkeys are painted by street artists, Parrots have a pretty high head-count too. I guess they are groups of animals/birds that are close to us and therefor of interest.

Skie One and Nesr, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Skie One and Nesr, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Once again it is great to see the artists at work to see how they create the piece, here it looks like a process of adding layers, maybe in a more conventional fine art way…not that I really have any idea what I’m talking about. I do know I like this piece though.

 

 

986. Upfest 2017 (39)

Tucked away in the garden of The Rising Sun was this rather provocative and surreal piece by EdF*ck. I can’t find out much about the artist, so I include his Upfest programme biography:

‘Hi my name is Edf*ck, my work mainly consists of spray paint and de-collage but extends to illustration and character design, often encapsulating dark imagery captioned with playful slogans and vicious characters.’

EdF*ck, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
EdF*ck, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
So my first impression of this artist and the style is that I rather like it. It reminds me of the kind of magazine cut-out collages I used to make as a kid, creating disturbing distortions of reality from pictures. One major difference…this is considered, cleverly worked and artistic. I’m glad I ventured into this corner of the pub garden, because I missed it on the Saturday of the festival.

985. Upfest 2017 (38)

This great piece which was located at The Rising Sun pub, is by Mind Control who was probably the youngest artist at Upfest this year at a youthful 16. He has been spraying since he was 12 and has already found himself on the festival circuit. A precocious talent indeed, and one to look out for.

Mind Control, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mind Control, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Before Upfest this year he was interviewed by Auntie G,  you can read what he says on her excellent blog here. The piece itself is ambitious and captivating. I’m not sure I would have guessed it was by a young artist when I first saw it, but now I’m in posession of the facts it does have a naive quality to it. I look forward to seeing more work from Mind Control and hope he returns to Bristol soon.