2623. M32 Spot (55)

On one of the ramps of the M32 DIY skatepark is this rather sombre looking face, unmistakably the work of Slakarts. This picture was taken way back in January, before I knew who the artist was, and it has been languishing in my archive ever since. This is liberation day. It is also election day and the results will map out our national journey for the next five years… I fear the worst.

Slakarts, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019
Slakarts, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019

Slakarts paints using broad black outlines with solid fills to create his trademark faces which are often coloured with muted tones. The works are modest, both in creation and design and there is often a sadness or strangeness in the faces – this piece in particular feels peculiar without an iris or pupil in the eye. More to come from Slakarts.

Thursday doors – 12 December 2019

Doors 91 – Llangorse Lake, Wales

Last weekend we made a trip across the Severn Estuary to see some friends who recently moved to Wales. This was our first visit, and I am sure not our last. After lunch we went for a walk along the southern bank of Llangorse Lake and, of course, I managed to turn the whole thing into a bit of a doorscursion. I hope you enjoy these doors as much as I did.

Side door, St Gastyn's Church, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Side door, St Gastyn’s Church, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Outer door, St Gastyn's Church, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Outer door, St Gastyn’s Church, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Ornate door surround, St Gastyn's Church, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Ornate door surround, St Gastyn’s Church, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Abandoned farmhouse doors, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Abandoned farmhouse doors, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Abandoned farm barn door, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Abandoned farm barn door, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Abandoned farm house out building door, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Abandoned farm house out building door, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Entrance door, Prince of Wales bird hide, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Entrance door, Prince of Wales bird hide, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Reedbeds, Prince of Wales bird hide, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019
Reedbeds, Prince of Wales bird hide, Llangorse Lake, Wales, December 2019

 

Next week I will probably do a round up of my favourite doors of 2019, but until then, I wish you all a fabulous week.

In the meantime, you might like to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.

 

by Scooj

The nightmare before Christmas

 

An election called

in the run up to Christmas

the work of a fool

 

by Scooj

 

I am dreading the result of the election. All forecasts have the Tories ahead. I am not sure how much more of Conservative values this country can stand. The poorest and disenfranchised have been conned into voting Tory (many for the first time) on the ‘get Brexit done’ agenda. A self-destructive act, like turkeys voting for Christmas.

How have these people become marginalised? How have they become poorer? How have they come to despise the established elite? One thing you can be pretty sure about is that it has been more to do with ten years of a Conservative government than it has been to do with 40 years in the EU. The cunning conflation of issues and deliberate anti-Europe narrative pushed by Farage and the ERG for many years has created a construct that people want to believe.

We have had decades of similar deceit from similar people on the issue of climate change. There was a time when climate change scepticism was trendy, particularly in Tory ranks, and these people were proud of that status. Where are they now? They were wrong then, they are wrong now.

2622. Lambeth High Street, London

Anyone who knows a little bit about street art might recognise this wonderful mosaic piece in Lambeth, London as the work of the French artist Space Invader. Finding this piece a couple of weeks ago was absolutely accidental. I was walking from Westminster to Lambeth with my manager for an early Christmas lunch and informal team meeting. On the walk we were chatting and I was talking about street art (inevitably) and how you can stumble across pieces just by keeping your eyes open. I had barely finished the point when we looked left, and there down Lambeth High Street was this magnificent beast. She was really chuffed that we had found something and seemed impressed that I knew who the artist was and other stuff. I had no idea that there was anything here, and had also been saying that the area looked a bit barren in street art terms.

Space Invader, Lambeth High Street, London, November 2019
Space Invader, Lambeth High Street, London, November 2019

I believe that this is quite an old piece dating back to 2013, but it is on a road I have never been to before and being in London it was utterly off my radar. I must say that I got a pretty warm glow finding it, especially as I haven’t seen all that many Space Invader pieces. I think that this is a Pac Man piece made with large tiles and you can see the scale from the bricks just to the right. A gratifying find.

2621. M32 roundabout J3 (181)

Meeting artists is pretty much always a real pleasure, and a couple of weeks back I got lucky when I met Warp for the first time while he was painting this piece. During the course of our conversation he explained that he has two street personas, Warp (his more commercial tag) and another name that he writes under. He explained that he had been somewhat forgetful and sprayed this Warp piece, when he had actualy intended to paint a different piece under his other name.

Warp, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2019
Warp, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2019

The writing here is seriously good. All the elements have been executed with care and precision. The fills in the letters, the deep 3D red fill, superb slim black lines outlining the letters and a clean yellow surround, all of it neat and crisp. I haven’t seen too many pieces by Warp, but those that I have seen are all of the highest quality. I hope to bump into him again sometime.

Oven ready

 

What is it that they

admire about Boris J

a sound-bite fraudster

 

by Scooj

 

Sorry for getting all political, but I am utterly baffled by the adulation Boris receives. He has an abysmal record in high-office and yet because he promises to deliver one policy item (something he has promised and failed to do before) he is winning hearts (and minds?), but there is no scrutiny of the man and the damage he has done in the past and the damage he might do over the next five years if he is returned as PM.

Cult of celebrity. Enough said.

2620. St Werburghs tunnel (117)

At the Farm end of St Werburghs tunnel a little while ago was this beautifully colourful piece by Corupt, in fact I think it is probably my favourite of his ever. The letter shapes are typical of his style, from the sloping ‘C’ to the ornate stem of the ‘T’, but it is the upbeat fills and childish colours that make this piece stand out from the crowd.

Corupt, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Corupt, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019

The whole piece looks like a child’s colouring-in book (in a good way) and has a lightness and joy about it. A magnificent work from this quiet and often overlooked artist. I have so much more of his work to share with you.

2619. Upper York Street (19)

A stunning piece by Ments on a great wall. This whole area is being redeveloped, and I fear that the wall may have already been demolished, which is a real pity because it has hosted some really spectacular art. The reduction in available walls to paint in this area is going to be a bit of a challenge for street/graffiti artists and is a pattern being replicated all over the city. It will be interesting to see if new areas become popular painting spots in the future.

Ments, Upper York Street, Bristol, October 2019
Ments, Upper York Street, Bristol, October 2019

The piece is so very typical of Ments’ organic style, and this one has a molten metallic feel about it. The letters spell out MENTS (although the T looks like it is missing). I also get a slight sense of the surrealist Yves Tanguy here, or at least the meltinng shapes and shadows reminnd me of his work. A classy and unusual piece.

Rally

.

Jeremy Corbyn

rouses the Bristol rabble

with a red red flag

.

by Scooj

2618. St Werburghs tunnel (116)

Within a matter of days of Fiva painting his blockbuster piece in St Werburghs tunnel, Zake gave us this fabulous piece contained within the F. Fiva’s large letters were just too good to resist, and his invitation to ‘paint over me’ was readily taken up by Zake.

Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2019
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2019

I am really taken with this curious piece by Zake which reminds me a lot of the incredible work in Winser McCay’s ‘Little Nemo’ cartoon strips. There is something a little creepy and fascinating about this moon character, an I’d like to see more like this.