4031. City Road (10)

Recently, at the top end of City Road, there has been a whole bunch of new painting going on for the launch of Stoked Food, an ethical food outlet in Stokes Croft. Among the wonderful fresh new pieces is this quirky piece from one of my favourite artists, Maesyhook.

Maesyhook, City Road, Bristol, October 2021
Maesyhook, City Road, Bristol, October 2021

Perhaps better known for her Kawaii style, this is something altogether a little more surreal from Maesyhook. The portrait, in black and white, looking like a giant stencil, is overshadowed by a large cloud with an eye and shedding pink raindrops and fork lightening. The purple heart choker just adds an element of interest. Unusual, quirky and fun.

4030. River Avon (21)

I happened to meet Eman (Werm) yesterday down by the river, under Brunel Way, and mentioned to him that I had lined this piece up to publish today. We spent a while discussing his array of styles, but he said he has moved away from this spiky, complex writing to something a bit more blocky.

Eman, River Avon, Bristol, October 2021
Eman, River Avon, Bristol, October 2021

I am always full of admiration for writers who produce such complex work, it seems utterly baffling how they go about it, but I guess that is where the hours and hours of practice come in. The main body of writing spells out WERM, which is the name Eman is now painting under, and to the right are the letters LRS, which is the crew Eman belongs to. All very nicely executed and a great addition to his incredibly varied portfolio.

Great spotted woodpecker

.

Spotted visitor

in the Paulowonia tree

a sight for sore eyes.

.

by Scooj

4029. Stokes Croft

This outstanding Frankenstein’s monster piece is definitely a Halloween contribution from Kosc, an artist on fire at the moment. Look at how the piece stands out and demands to be looked at against the dreary backdrop of hoardings and buffed wall outside the Blue Mountain.

Kosc, Stokes Croft, Bristol, October 2021
Kosc, Stokes Croft, Bristol, October 2021

This series of greyscale pieces set on an orange background is becoming a bit of a strong theme in Kosc’s portfolio, and a thoroughly enjoyable one at that. There is great use of tone in this piece, providing depth and facial contours that lift the features on the monster’s face so well.

Kosc, Stokes Croft, Bristol, October 2021
Kosc, Stokes Croft, Bristol, October 2021

I first came across this artist’s work in Moon Street, which runs parallel with Stokes Croft at the back of Blue Mountain, and it would seem that this is a spot favoured by Kosc. This is good news indeed, because few artists seem to bother with the area these days, compared to a few years ago. Great stuff, and enjoy a spooky evening.

4028. Sparke Evans Park (16)

A bit of a scary monster piece from Tack Jucker, or is it a hippopotamus kind of creature? I prefer to plump for the former, because it is Halloween today, and it is always nice to mark the occasion. Generally speaking the Halloween pieces that have been painted this week won’t appear on Natural Adventures for a little while, so I am simply cheating a little.

Tack Jucker, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, October 2021
Tack Jucker, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, October 2021

Tack has really entered the Bristol stage with a bit of a bang, and his character pieces add another little something special to the array of artistic talent in the city. There is a lot of expression in this piece, and it is achieved with the minimum of paint colours – four that I can see (black, red, and two shades of light grey-green). A nice, quick one that is helping this young artist make his mark.

Dune

.

The worm is the spice

Dune an absolute epic

the spice is the worm

.

by Scooj

4027. Upfest 2021 75×75 (71)

We have been so spoiled this year with the Upfest 75 walls in 75 days event, and in particular with some extraordinary pieces by Irony. This is the second Irony piece from the event, and is an absolutely extraordinary portrait.

Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21
Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21

Irony is known for his female portraits that it is difficult to keep your eyes off. The photorealistic detail and depth is beyond astonishing, and puts this artist right up into the world top league alongside other artists like Bubblegum in Barcelona.

Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21
Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21

Looking deep into those eyes, it is impossible to know what the girl is thinking, and as with many of his portraits, her emotions are not easy to read, inert almost, and yet she is wonderfully animated. I think the blue hair is a touch of genius that works so well with this wall and this spot.

Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21
Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21

I made several attempts at photographing this wall, but it is not easy as the immediate front yard has become a bit of a building site and there are two rather unhelpful black wheely bins that are totally in the way most of the time.

In my view, this is one of the best pieces to appear in Bristol in 2021.

4026. M32 roundabout J3 (356)

This is the first of a swathe of wonderful pieces by Logoe, who seems to have sparked into life with at least five pieces in a little over a week. It took me a moment to recognise the artist, because it is such a long time since I last saw any of his work.

Logoe, M32 roundabut, Bristol, October 2021
Logoe, M32 roundabut, Bristol, October 2021

The script-style writing spells out Logoe and the vertical fill autumn colours in the letters is truly exceptional, looking like huge paint drips on the wall. Many of Logoe’s pieces have some philosophical or song writing in them, scrawled over his work, and here it says ‘I sware on my muver’s life’. A lovely piece, and watch this space for a whole lot more.

Rossini do

.

Opera outing

to The Barber of Seville

short back and sides please

.

by Scooj

4025. Brunel Way (128)

I am a little annoyed with myself, because I was actually very close to Pekoe while she was painting this piece, but was having a long conversation with Tack Jucker at the time. When, finally, I walked under the bridge to see who was painting, I saw that it was Pekoe, but she had gone, and I missed her by minutes. Such a pity as it is a while since I last spoke with her.

Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021

Notwithstanding my irritation, the piece she painted is a good ‘un. A classic Pekoe portrait in a vibrant red with decorated big white hair. The tears are there, which always makes me a little sad, because it projects a sadness in the character, and maybe in the artist too. Great to see another piece from this prolific Bristol portrait painter.