Gulls over Bristol;
eyes shut, I am transported
to a summer shore.
by Scooj
Tag: bird
705. Upfest 2016 (109)
The international presence comes across very strongly at Upfest. This lovely piece by Scandinavian artist Salla Ikonen really shows how different styles, colours, subjects and influences come in to play to give a distinctiveness to work that has its origins outside the UK. Even within the UK, different parts of the country appear to have localised flavours.
I love the softness of this piece, and the calm colours, both the pink of the subject and the purples and greens in the background. There is something very appealing about this work, and it is so different to most of the street art we see in Bristol.
Nature calling
In the early hours
I rise from my bed; sublime
bird song surrounds me.
by Scooj
Gone
Trees and hedges clipped
nowhere for the birds to perch
miss the joy they bring.
by Scooj
Valentine robins
Flowerpot showers,
frantic feather ruffling,
Spring is in the air.
by Scooj
Wake up from work
Blue tits flit about
in branches before me, a
welcome distraction.
by Scooj
600. North Street No. 173
A turkey isn’t just for Christmas…or on second thoughts a turkey is just for Christmas, apart from this one by Andy Council on North Street in Bedminster.
This colourful shutter piece gives us what we expect from Andy Council; an animal form created from architectural ‘blocks’ and local icons, in this example Concord forming the crest of the bird. Instantly recognisable, his works encourage close inspection to figure out all the micro-stories going on in the piece.
Sorry about the bins in this one – I guess I should have moved the one on the right of the picture, but I feel it is good to see these things in their context sometimes.
On College Green
Crows strutting their stuff;
I am suspicious of their
murderous intent.
by Scooj
564. Picton Lane (8)
This is a little spot in a very narrow lane where Aspire likes to paint his birds. I recently posted a work from here of a couple of house sparrows. This, according to Aspire’s website is a coconut lorikeet. So very beautiful and nicely painted, as one would expect from Aspire.
The lane itself is so narrow, that taking decent pictures is really difficult. One note I would make though is that the pictures look ever so slightly out of focus. This is not in fact the case – Aspire manages to create a hint of soft focus on some of his pieces, and you can see this on both the lorikeet and the sparrows.
I will never tire of finding and reporting on Aspire’s work. I tried to find some in London’s Leake Street recently, but failed.
540. Picton Lane (6)
This is another beautiful bird creation by Aspire in Picton Lane, a little alleyway tucked away in Montpelier. I think these are house sparrows, which were so common when I was a youngster, but are something of a rarity these days.
I am full of admiration for the way that Aspire can just turn up to a wall and within a few hours transform it into something of beauty. His talent is as rare as the birds he paints.
I am filled with horror to learn that he has recently moved to London. Our loss is most certainly London’s gain. I wish him all the very best…the streets are lined with gold don’t you know.
I am sure that he will come back occasionally to his native Bristol, lest we forget (an unlikely scenario). Bon voyage.
Natural adventures 