Dune

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The worm is the spice

Dune an absolute epic

the spice is the worm

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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

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Opera outing

to The Barber of Seville

short back and sides please

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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.

4024. Dean Lane skate park (435)

` There is something rather nice about finding Tuco pieces. They don’t appear all that often and never seem to hang around for too long, often on account of the fact that the walls he chooses to paint have a high turnover.

Tuco, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Tuco, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

I love this picture. A deep blue sky, one of my favourite walls, a nicely buffed grey background and the bright ‘Tuco-green’ he seems to favour, shouting out TUCO! Nothing pretentious or showy, just a banging shout. The smiley just rounds off the whole thing perfectly. More of your joy please Tuco.

4023. M32 roundabout J3 (355)

Stivs has been working overtime of late, painting pretty much every week, and each time turning out something of great interest and style. This recent one, whilst visually attractive, might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021

Spelling out DogShit, I suppose what this piece does is challenge us to accept the word through the beauty of the writing, and believe me, this is a very classy piece of writing. Stivs just seems to be getting better and better, and he switches up his writing style all the time, keeping things fresh. The vibrant colour selections work really well, and there is still a touch of calligraphic strokes to the letters. A very nice piece indeed.

A new beginning

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Too much momentum

ministers are out of touch

power in people

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by Scooj

4022. River Avon (20)

One of the most overlooked artists in Bristol, whose work rarely appears on social media, is Cort. It might be that his low profile and reluctance to chat and engage contribute to this situation, but in my view, his work is worthy of being noticed and written about.

Cort, River Avon, Bristol, September 2021
Cort, River Avon, Bristol, September 2021

This bright piece on the River Avon cycle path is unusually regularly proportioned, aided undoubtedly by the brick course. The thin, angular letters, so distinctive of Cort’s work and beautifully filled with a nice palette of blues, and a hint of green accents. I like this piece a lot from the PAD crew artist.

4021. Brunel Way (127)

Tick tock, tick tock – the beating heart and soul of Bristol street art and graffiti writing, Mr Draws continues to paint his pieces, reliable and faithful, providing us all with a sensation that all is well with the world (even though it isn’t, of course).

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021

I have followed Mr Draws pretty much from the day I first started writing about this stuff and have enjoyed his unwavering determination to just keep going, even through the hard times. This is a nice piece spelling out Draws and with horizontal colour slices running through. Always great to see his work and the sense of comfort it brings.