Tag: Bee eater

5315. Upfest 2022 (73)

Jack Lack, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Jack Lack, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Jack Lack is an artist who is based in Stuttgart, and was one of the international artists who made the trip over to Bristol to paint at Upfest 22. This portrait piece is a beauty and requires a little bit of time to pause and take it all in.

Jack Lack, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Jack Lack, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The blurred background is a great technique that helps to bring focus to certain aspects of the piece, which also gives the viewer a bit of a challenge in ‘filling in the gaps’ that are not crystal clear. The bird on the subject’s shoulder looks like a bee eater of some kind to me, and once again the blurring, in a curious way, draws attention to the bird. Does the baseball cap belong to the bird, or is it blowing about in the distance?

Jack Lack, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Jack Lack, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

This is a fine piece from Jack Lack, who I don’t recall seeing at Upfest before. I would be more than happy to see him return some time in the future though.

2663. Dean Lane

I have been aware of this piece for a little while, but it is only when I changed my walking pattern in the Dean Lane area that I found it. It was such a wonderful surprise to find an enormous mural like this when I wasn’t actually looking for it.

Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019
Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019

The artist Xenz is an absolute master at painting this kind of fantastical scene. In this piece he has painted a conventional countryside view at dawn (I think) with his trademark bee eaters (although these might be parakeets) strung out along a telegraph wire. I imagine that this was a commission, or a very nice gift from Xenz to a friend. It is sure to go down as a classic Bristol mural and one for me to upload onto the Street Art Cities app when I have a moment.

Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019
Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019

This piece is bound to turn a few heads as it is on a corner in the road where people will be driving slowly – it will be particularly prominent for those driving North. Xenz has a strong relationship with Bristol, I think he used to live here, so it is always a real pleasure to see his work, especially one as large and prominent as this. I am sure this will become a local landmark and is one for the street art tour circuit.

1969. Shoreditch, London (21)

Now living and working in London, Xenz used to live in Bristol and there are plenty of his pieces documented in Natural Adventures, and more to come. This is the first of his works that I have seen outside Bristol and it is a bit of a cracker.

Xenz, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Xenz, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

These boards are really fabulous and a magnet for some seriously classy street art. This piece showcases one of Xenz’s favoured themes, a sort of futuristic ruin scene set against moody skies.

Xenz, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Xenz, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

Of course none of his works are complete without some little birds, these look like bee eaters to me. Dramatic and fantastical work.