In its grey coat it
came, eyeing up the neighbours
fishpond, then vanished.
by Scooj
Tag: bird
194. Gloucester Road, Metropolis
This stylised owl seems to have occupied this little corner for ever – I can’t remember it not being here, but having said that my skills of ‘street art awareness’ have only been in full operation for about a year now, so it might not be all that old.
It is a work by 45RPM, the very same who created the corporate commission for the Body Shop in Hotwell Road. This owl is special, and you will note, completely unmarked by taggers. A lovely work that could do with a bit of a wash.
183. Moon Street (9)
Another wonderful bird piece by Aspire, from a few weeks ago. I’m not too sure what species this one is, and I can’t find any reference to it on his Instagram feed. It maintains the high quality I would expect from Aspire, and many of the common features in his work.
I very much like the way he still chooses to spray these masterful pieces on ‘illegal’ albeit tolerated walls, as he could so easily go down the commission-only route.
I guess the best thing about Bristol street artists is that they all choose their own paths, but coexist in apparent harmony. It is about the full spectrum of street art and we are very lucky indeed.
Dawn chorus
Compensation for
an early start; sweet singing
and unfettered joy.
by Scooj
169. West Street
I am still coming across street art that was created during Upfest 2015, and on my walk yesterday I found this wonderful piece by Gemma Compton.
Compton is an artist and fashion designer who is based in Bristol, and another graduate from UWE (University of the West of England). A lot of her work incorporates wildlife and birds in particular. She has an interesting website that shows off her extensive work. Street art is clearly not her main focus, which is a pity, as this is rather good.
7/10
155. The Bearpit (7)
Tuesday this week was a bit of a red letter day. I managed to see some wonderful new works walking in to work via Stokes Croft and The Bearpit. It has been very frustrating, because I have been in training since then, and not been able to post anything, so I have a bit of a backlog.
This is yet another very recent bird by Aspire, and there are more to come. Although Aspire calls this bird a saffron headed marsh squawker (his joke?) it is actually a yellow-headed blackbird, found in Mexico and central North America.
Another triumph from Aspire
8/10
151. Ashley Road (2)
This hoarding, on the corner of Ashley Road and Picton Street is a favourite of mine; the pieces here never last long, but they command attention due to the great location. The first time I ever saw one of Tom Miller’s works was here. Regrettably I didn’t photograph it and then it was gone. Right now the hoarding belongs to Aspire.
This piece appeared earlier this week, and in my view, is one of Aspire’s best so far. I am not sure what species the bird is, but it doesn’t look like a British one.
With the improving weather, the turnover of street art is on the up, and I really look forward to Monday mornings to see what has changed.
8/10
Classy birds
Collared doves in love;
modest country cousins to
the streetwise pigeon.
by Scooj
150. Armada Place (2)
It seems hard to believe that I have notched up 150 posts of Bristol street art already. It wasn’t meant to become a ‘thing’ but it has somehow crept under my skin. Mrs Scooj is underwhelmed by my interest in urban art, but I have the bug, and it gives me great pleasure.
This is one of two new pieces by Bristol artist Aspire. His works, mostly of birds, are truly beautiful and at this time of year entirely appropriate and the Spring gets a foothold and lightens out hearts. This is a ‘tui bird‘ an endemic bird of New Zealand – not something we usually see in the Stokes Croft area.
I have featured two other Aspire works previously, a robin (and who doesn’t love robins?) and another bird (I’m not sure what species).
Just wonderful. 8/10
143. Leonard Lane (7)
Inspired by Frankie Beane’s recent post featuring ATM I thought I would share some wildlife street art by the artist in the wonderful Leonard Lane. This thin lane that follows the boundary of the old city wall is festooned with natural history street art instigated by a project called ‘Human Nature‘. Some 18 artists including ATM and Stewy took part, and I have posted several works already in this blog.
My challenge was to demonstrate that ATM, although a specialist in painting birds, has also painted some stunning creatures, including this moth and beetle.
I stroll down Leonard Lane about once a week, hoping to see something new. Some of the works have been tagged and are getting a little ragged…maybe time for a revamp?
8/10
