Door five.
Dean Lane, Bristol
Artist: Angus
by Scooj
Thursday doors
Tag: Angus
1071. Upfest 2017 (77)
This is what you get when two mischievous artists collaborate, each with their own inimitable style. When Chinagirl Tile and Angus got together at Upfest this year, they produced this rather special piece which arguably was the most controversial of the festival, causing offence to some.
The raccoons are by Chinagirl Tile and the mosaic hand gesture is by Angus. Unfortunately the piece in its original state didn’t last too long at all before it was ‘redacted’ with some black tape.
Not long after that, the hand was completely replaced by yellow tiles, and the piece has really lost something. I will leave you to judge which version of this you prefer. For my part, this work challenges the ‘sanitised’ art you tend to get at festivals by being provocative and edgy, which is where most street art and graffiti art has its roots. Some really interesting perspectives being played out here.
I like the original, but I would wouldn’t I.
770. The Bearpit (66)
Street art and graffiti can often tell a story about the ever-evolving scene. The original piece by Angus, which is one of his favourite stencil concepts was sprayed as part of the paint jam in the Bearpit over Easter.
Angus had completed the work by the time I got down there, but it was still in pristine condition. Now, I understand that taggers really have very little time for stencil art, and don’t take long to spoil it, or ‘add’ to it with their own scrawlings and witticisms. By the time I went back the next day there were already quite a few tags on the piece.
How brilliant then, that Dice 67 went the extra mile and augmented the piece with a fabulous stencil of his daughter spraying the words ‘I must not write on the walls’. How brilliant is that – a living piece that takes a pop at taggers, but in a really clever way, and sets the piece off beautifully. Evolution.
537. Dean Lane skate park (30)
This is a piece from back in July, and one that was probably overlooked by many. It is by the fabulous Angus and was sprayed at about the same time as his ‘Purple Rain’ tribute to Prince. It would seem that Angus was experimenting with 3D circles/spheres at the time, and I think they work rather well.
444. North Street, butchers
It has been quite some time since I posted anything by Angus and I have had this witty piece by him on the shutter of a butcher’s shop in my ‘to do’ folder for an age.
The ‘Shaun the Sheep’ character was all the rage a couple of years ago in Bristol, with a trail of painted statues across the city, and this humorous piece embraces and reflects that focus. I like it because it is just plain funny on a butcher’s shop. Eat more beef!
343. Upfest 2016 (2)
I still haven’t worked out how I am going to present all of the works that I captured and admired during Upfest over the last few days, but I have to get cracking because there is so much wonderful stuff to share.
This post has four works produced by Bristol street artist Angus over the duration of the weekend. It was a pity that I didn’t get to meet Angus, it just seemed that we were in different places at different times. I’m sure we will catch up soon. The first image is his ‘showcase’ piece that was on his designated board and is quite stunning.
Another couple of pieces sit either side of a large wall by Inkie (coming soon) at the Southbank Club on Dean Lane. On the left is a great face in reds and blacks…
Angus, Dean Lane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Angus, Dean Lane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
…and on the right is a door that says it all really.
His fourth piece was in one of his favourite spots on Raleigh Road, where this recent work which I wrote about, resided.
I like this work a lot, with Muttley from Whacky Races, a message that he has been working with for a while, and some great colours and design. His work just gets better and better.
330. Dean Lane Skate Park (14)
I saw this on Angus’ Instagram feed recently…knew where it was and felt I just had to go and photograph it. This is his ‘Purple Rain’ tribute piece, and a rather beautiful one too. Simple and somewhat experimental I would suggest. I say that because there is another similar work nearby using the same ‘dimple effect’ technique.
When I saw this on Instagram I totally liked it. Now that I have seen it for myself in the flesh, I really totally like it. I am really enjoying Angus’ work at the moment, and given that he seems to be rather prolific, I think I’ll be seeing quite a lot more over the coming weeks and months.
For Prince.
306. Raleigh Road (2)
This is a really fun piece by the great Bristol artist Angus, who is becoming more prominent on the scene. He tends to concentrate his works in the centre and south of Bristol, and this piece is in Raleigh Road, just off North Street, at the Tobacco Factory. Cosmic Traveller did a lovely piece not so long ago about Stewy and Angus working together at this same spot.
I like the title of the piece, ‘lazy art’ but I suspect it is anything but. It is fun to see how others have contributed to the piece, adding to the fun. I have several other Angus pieces in my folders and need to get on with publishing them. His work pretty much always brings a smile to my face. Looking forward to seeing him at Upfest.
205. The Bearpit (14)
In the South East tunnel of the Bearpit you may this wonderful and very typical work by Angus (although nothing lasts very long there). It is a fun piece featuring Meg Griffin from the Family Guy, a TV cartoon I don’t watch so can’t explain any more about the work. Over the last few years Angus has burst onto the Bristol graffiti scene, and being a local street artist, he has had many great influences all around him.
If you want to know more about Angus, there is a lovely interview with him on the Best of Bristol website, which I thoroughly recommend reading. I rather hope to bump into him at some time, because he seems like a really decent bloke. I like the familiarity and crispness of his work.
Angus is also a member of The Secret Society of Super Villain Artists (SSOSVA) – you will see more artists from this group in future posts.
Natural adventures 