1872. Upfest 2018 (91)

Whoops! a slightly wonkey picture of a beautiful shutter piece by Vanesa Longchamp on North Street. This was one of two Upfest pieces by the artist that I had not come across before the festival. Looking at digital social media, you can see how popular her work is and it is easy to understand why.

Vanesa Longchamp, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Vanesa Longchamp, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I love it when artists do more than one piece at the festival, especially when one of them is likely to have some permanence. Like her other piece, this is a beauty which oozes class. While the lines and concept are straightforward, the execution and USP are stamped all over it. We wwere lucky to see two of her works this year.

Vanesa Longchamp, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Vanesa Longchamp, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

1871. St Werburghs tunnel (53)

It is often the way with photographing street art that you can go for long periods without seeing anything from an artist, and then all of a sudden a rush of pieces all come along at once. This has as much to do with the habits of the viewer (me) as it does with the painter.

Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2018
Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2018

This is a fine piece in the middle of the tunnel at St Werburghs by Rusk from RAW (Read and Weep). Unfortunately the colours are dulled by the orange lighting in the tunnel, but you can see the metallic sheen on the writing, cleverly enhanced with the white accent dots. In case you haven’t worked it out, the letters spell RUSK. Two things I like here…the first is the piece hanging above by Corupt and the second is the Read and Weep label on the right hand side. Rusk rarely disappoints.

1870. M32 Spot (34)

Sadly I didn’t get to this lovely piece by Tasha Bee quickly enough before it had been tagged. Hers was not the only piece on this column that had been tagged, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying. I really do wonder what goes on in some people’s heads that they think it is ok to spoil deliberately other people’s work. I guess I’ll never really fully understand.

Tasha Bee, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018
Tasha Bee, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018

Here we have two of her serene characters, one atop the other, almost as if they are in a moment of meditation. A decent column piece from this prolific artist.

Thursday doors

Doors 53

Well, I have taken a couple of weeks off from Thursday doors for two key reasons. 1) I had run out of door pictures and 2) is irrelevant because of 1).

Last Sunday I found myself in London with some time to kill, so I took off down to Shoreditch to hunt down some street art. Over the course of 4 hours or so, I took just shy of 500 pictures and walked 15 miles. While I was there I managed to find a few doors, and I am sharing the first of them here. There is, rather predictably, a strong street/graffiti art connection.

Shoreditch door, November 2018
Thursday Doors, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

These doors are in a street heavily patronised by wheatpasters – it is worth taking a moment to look at the artworks as there is a real spectrum from poor to excellent.

Shoreditch door, November 2018
Shoreditch door, November 2018

There is hardly a square inch of un-pasted door/wall and looking at it is almost like looking at an archeological dig, with different eras exposed. To many this is just a mess, to me it is individual expression in a space where freedom is tolerated/permitted.

Shoreditch door, November 2018
Shoreditch door, November 2018

by Scooj

More amazing doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0

Recycling quartet

 

A clatter of cans

bottles clink, plastic crackles

and the food waste hums.

 

by Scooj

1869. M32 roundabout J3 (107)

Sometimes words aren’t really enough to describe how good a piece of graffiti writing is, and this is a case in point. This is Deamze’s contribution to the recent paint jam by ASK and friends on the M32 roundabout, and it really leaves me speechless.

Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018

There is so much to like about this piece over and above the technical execution, for example the exquisite colour selections that match the other works on this wall, but not only that, the way Deamze uses the colours, especially the greens, lifts the piece from the wall. The leafy design within his letters is also really beautiful. In all this is a masterful piece.

1868. Star and Garter (2)

A new wall (for me) and a new artist (for me) is a rare and pleasurable thing in documenting the spectrum of opportunity and talent in Bristol’s street/graffiti art community. This unusual and interesting piece (there is a story unfolding here) is, I think, by Rosalita of PWA (Pirate Wall Art). The reason I believe this, is because Rosalita was tagged in an Instagram post by Soap (also PWA) who had been painting the wall on the same day and which I posted a few days ago.

Rosalita, Star and Garter, Bristol, November 2018
Rosalita, Star and Garter, Bristol, November 2018

I love the Russian doll idea and the two halves exposing a heart. The doll’s lips are stitched together suggesting some frustration perhaps. Like I said before, there is a story here…perhaps one of heartbreak. For sure though it is an unusual piece.

Heavy shower

 

A stair-rod downpour

gutters momentarily

fast flowing torrents.

 

by Scooj

1867. Brighton Street (2)

This is another piece that is a little old now, but only recently found during one of my not-so-regular walks through St Pauls. It was sprayed by Mr Sleven as part of the celebrations for the St Pauls carnival which was resurrected in 2018 after a few years off.

Mr Sleven, Brighton Street, Bristol, November 2018
Mr Sleven, Brighton Street, Bristol, November 2018

The piece is an interesting one, with themed colours peculiar to the carnival and a naive style that almost looks like the whole thing has been coloured in with felt-tips. This work reminds me a little of Pekoe’s style which is interesting as I believe the two have worked together in the past.

1866. M32 roundabout J3 (106)

Consistency. A word that comes to mind when I think about graffiti writing by Soker. His work is always immaculate, beautifully conceived and generally just brilliant in every way.

Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018

This piece is the third that I have posted from this magnificent paint jam earlier in the month, featuring mainly artists from ASK plus one or two guests…more on them later. The crew have really raised the bar this time.