Once a fine manor
then a school for young ladies
soon to become flats.
by Scooj
1033. Jamaica Street (12)
I am spending a little time trawling through my archives and posting some pictures that I always intended to post, but just never got round to. It is one of the major problems with writing about street art…there is always too much to cover. Even writing two posts a day only really scratches the surface.
This piece by Sweet Toof has been on the high wall by the PRSC outdoor gallery for years – even when I took the picture it was long in the tooth (pun intended). His style is one of the most distinctive of all, and I strongly recommend that you take a look at his Instagram feed which is just brilliant and always entertaining. Sweet Toof is based in London, but seems to spend a lot of time in mainland Europe, he even has his own Wikipedia entry.
1032. Upfest 2017 (60)
I chalk up my sixtieth post from Upfest 2017 with this beautiful design from, Mary Rouncefield, a local Bristol-based artist who is building up a body of work concerned with human rights issues.
The symmetrical central patterns in white are decorated with simple leaves and four bright red humming birds, all set on a black background. I am not sure, but I would guess that there is a lot of symbolism going on here. It is certainly an unusual and striking piece. The artist’s biography notres continue:
‘Exhibitions in the past year have included ‘Alienation’ with Art Number 23 at galleries in New York, Philadelphia and London. I was very pleased to have been awarded Highly Commended by Red Line Art Works, for my art work commenting on the growing prevalence of firearms worldwide in crimes of violence against children attending school. Alongside this though, I have been experimenting with spray paint and produced ‘a series of canvases with a tropical theme.’
I think this piece s one of those with a tropical theme.
Fog
.
Caterpillar train
cocooned in a yellow mist;
countryside obscured.
.
by Scooj
Grey day
Damp air invades me
extinguishing any fire
or optimism.
by Scooj
- I’m fine by the way…just wanted to capture a mood.
1031. Upfest 2017 (59)
Another set of three paste ups from the prolific Jimzina at Upfest this year. The first was the largest I saw and was A2 size roughly. The girl in glasses, clutching a ring doughnut can still be found on North Street just by the hoardings near the Standard.
All of Jimzina’s pieces carried the same theme, a young lady presented on the front of a menu or drinks list – very distinctive. The next one looks rather different to most of them, in that the girl doesn’t have black hair, instead she is wearing a pink flower to go with her pink lips.
The final one of these three looks a bit like what I would call ‘saucy-sophisticated’. Is that too much of a label seen through the lens of a middle-aged man?
More from this wheatpaster to come.
1030. Upfest 2017 (58)
It takes a little while to get to grips with this piece by Pref ID, but it is a really clever piece of writing. A quick look at his website indicates how he likes to disguise slogans by conflating all the words into one, creating something of a letter puzzle.
In this piece just off North Street Pref ID has written the words ‘Mind Bending’ – the blue letters say MIND and the white ones BENDING. It is a sophisticated work and has been really skilfully executed. Quite a different kind of piece.
My attempt to chat with the artist was not overly successful. I approached him and asked him who he was (a not unreasonable question at a street art festival), to which he replied “who the f*ck are you!” – so I told him who I was. He didn’t speak again. Maybe he was just having a bad hair day, or maybe he just took an instant dislike to me, who knows? It is a first though. I have met cagey artists and exuberant ones, modest ones, happy and sad ones, but this is the first time I have encountered such grumpiness. None of this however detracts from just how good this piece is.
I shall be more careful in future if I see Pref ID in town.
1029. Upfest 2017 (57)
I met Falko One in East Street on the Sunday of Upfest. It was early in the morning and showers were threatening. He had already started on the first of three commissioned elephants he was planning to complete in the day, but was doubtful because of the rain. This is a man who likes to paint elephants, and he does it really well.
Falko One it turns out is one of the most well known street artists in South Africa and has been working for almost thirty years inspiring others and growing the graffiti culture there. He is best known for his elephants.
As with several other pieces at Upfest, it was great to see the artist in action and how he went about creating his piece. I think what you see here is someone very much at ease with the subject. He has a great understanding of the proportions, shape and movement of elephants and can create these amazing pieces in no time at all.
The colours and shading, also bring a unique aspect to his art. I mean who ever saw a pink elephant before…hic?
1028. Upfest 2017 (56)
On the hoardings in Raleigh Road, there were some really high quality pieces, including this rather posh whale by Boaster. His Upfest profile reads:
‘Hailing from Nottingham,graffiti artist Boaster brings his own style to his quirky, gritty and sometimes macarbe characters. Part of crews The Shrunken Heads(SH) and In Living Colour(ILC), this long standing painter continues to ruin peoples walls up and down the country!!!’
Which all sounds rather fun.
There is a nice story here of a rather grumpy looking, well-heeled whale, and it is difficult not to admire the pipe, top hat and monocle. I am not familiar at all with Boaster’s work, but you can see more on this Global Street Art page.
No-see-um
The damn so-and-so
took a fancy to my wrist;
swollen legacy.
by Scooj
Natural adventures 