Horrible wet day;
sustenance and life, I must
learn to love the rain.
by Scooj
1237. Stokes Croft, the carriageworks (31)
I don’t think I will ever tire of the work of Mr Draws. I love the variety of ways that he can conjure up the word DRAW. Some are very quick pieces, some influenced by alcohol, some working on clever creative ideas and some containing more complexity that first meets the eye.
This is a particularly pleasing piece by Mr Draws, and his colour selections and patterns are exquisite. A real ray of sunshine on this wall. I like to think of his work as a diamond in the rough, but that would ignore the sophistication of some of his work. Always a favourite.
Lucky charm
One…two…five…seven…
nine goldfinches together
in our silver birch.
by Scooj
1236. Upfest 2017 (120)
I love seeing the work of Alex Lucas wherever it crops up, but it is especially nice to see her work at Upfest, when it isn’t tied to a commission. Alex Lucas has made a huge impression on the city of Bristol and her work is dotted all around the city – I have featured much of it on this blog.
This piece was a bit tucked away, and incredibly difficult to photograph with the crowds and the lighting. Even so, it is possible to see that this is a classy illustration of a cat who is thinking about a mouse. Yum.
Extraordinary comfort
.
Saturday haircut
in the Arches Barbershop;
‘me time’ tradition.
.
by Scooj
1235. Upfest 2017 (119)
At the Ashton Gate Upfest site, which was opened up for the first time in 2017, there was a very long wall running down the entire side of the stadium. Certain sections of this wall were allocated to crews, who sprayed together to create their pieces. This one is by Kid Crayon who was joining up with the Lost Souls crew and Eat.
I am a big fan of Kid Crayon’s work, and it was his wheatpastes that originally stoked my interest in Bristol street art in the first place, so I have a lot to thank him for. This is a wonderful and colourful piece of a big fish in a sardine can. I don’t know the meaning of the piece, but I know I like it a lot.
Anything to do with fish tends to tick my box, so street art with a fish is a bit of a bonanza.
1234. Upfest 2017 (118)
Upfest simply wouldn’t feel the same without all the ‘unofficial’ wheatpasters making their mark along North Street and other parts of town. One of the most notable wheatpasters over the last two years has been Losthills and his Jake the Dog pieces.
This one is a little different from his usual cut outs, and is a full size poster of ‘Jake World’ a parody poster of the recent remake of ‘West World’. Jake plays the lead role (in the original film I think it was played by Yul Brynner), with his face mask revealing electronics behind and confirming his robot status. I love this paste up – once again confirming Losthills as a fun-loving witty artist.
1233. Upfest 2017 (117)
Dzia was a featured artists at Upfest 2017 and as such he was afforded this magnificent wall at the climbing centre. Dzia was among a very strong Belgian contingent at the festival who really livened things up with their creativity and skill.
I didn’t manage to get to this site during the festival itself, and returned some time later when I was in the area to take these shots. The squirrel is absolutely magnificent, although possibly dwarfed a little by the size of the white wall.
Once you zoom in close though you get a real feel for this extraordinary piece from Dzia. His style is unmistakable, and his subject matter pretty much always from the natural world. He is a great advocate for wildlife street art.
I am constantly amazed at how the mish mash of lines and colours, which on their own seem directionless, come together to produce a perfect whole. Dzia is a hugely accomplished artist and it was a real treat to have him here in Bristol for Upfest.
Birthday
The older I get
the less certain I become
about anything;
a condition my young self
would struggle to understand.
by Scooj
1232. Upfest 2017 (116)
Will Coles certainly left his mark at Upfest 2017, with a number of different ‘installations’ dotted around the festival site and in other parts of Bristol too. This particular one chimes for a great many people in the UK, and I guess across the world, and links to the catastrophic decline in honey bee and other insect pollinator populations.
I would like to think that this is somewhat less controversial than many of his works, but it is nonetheless quite challenging politically. There are some who advocate the use of neonicotinoids and other pesticides to sustain high crop yields and guarantee food production for the nation.
Each of these honey bees were carefully placed. It was fun hunting them down.
Natural adventures 