Tag: bird

4521. Upfest 2022 (18)

One of Bristol’s biggest losses (in street art terms) in recent years was the departure of Aspire, who took up residence in the old smoke, making the opposite decision to the one I made many years ago. I definitely know where I’d rather live, and it is not in London. On the upside, Aspire does come to visit Bristol from time to time, and he always seems to dazzle us during Upfest.

Aspire, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Aspire, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Aspire specialises in creating the most beautiful pictures of birds and in this Upfest piece he has perfectly captured my favourite British bird, the Goldfinch. His work is never complete without his trademark pixelation, and it is interesting to see from this work in progress, that he adds the pixels at the end of the painting process.

Aspire, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Aspire, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

I love this piece, it feels very uncluttered, and the neutral skyline background serves to lift the goldfinch out from the boards. If you are interested in seeing more of Aspire’s work, I recommend you take a little look at a gallery I compiled in 2018, and updated today.

I leave you with three Haiku poems I wrote about goldfinches:

Charm

Goldfinches return

colours exaggerated

in bright winter sun

Lucky Charm

One…two…five…seven…

nine goldfinches together

in our silver birch.

Haiku 7

Vibrant tricolor

and flanking golden flashes

majestic goldfinch

Wren

.

Across the decking

like a bullet, a fledgling

It’s maiden voyage

.

by Scooj

4403. Greenbank (40)

Billy continues to utterly delight with her uncomplicated storytelling pieces. Her work is so accessible and has a deep connection with the viewer, and I imagine especially so with younger audiences. There is nothing pretentious or conceited about her work, it is full of fun and commentary that is pleasing to the eye and great for lifting the spirit.

Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

I particularly like this piece, I mean what’s not to like about dogs, birds, hats, flowers, a pencil and a lava lamp. I think that the grey background works really well with the overall presentation and the colour scheme is superb. A feast for the eyes and a triumph for Billy – one of my favourite pieces of hers so far.

If you build it…

.

Bird feeder installed

unseen, ignored for four days

and now the birds come

.

by Scooj

4314. Dean Lane skate park (474)

This was something of a red-letter day for me, turning up at Dean Lane to find Mudra painting alongside Kosc and Flava136 (who has now changed his moniker to Saor). Unfortunately, Flava136’s piece had been painted over by the time I returned to get pictures of the completed works, but Mudra and Kosc’s were intact.

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022

Mudra is an artist who, although he has only been painting in Bristol for a couple of years, has firmly established himself in the city and is definitely going from strength to strength. With each of his pieces, his confidence and dynamism grows, and I am thoroughly enjoying the ride.

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

This is a curious piece that, for once, doesn’t spell out Mudra, but instead incorporates the letters NTS, a crew name (I don’t yet know what it stands for). There is a typically stylised Mudra face with a giveaway coloured nose and for some utterly unknown reason a bird perching at a bird box. Great to see and great fun.

4263. Dean Lane skate park (465)

Well, blow me down with a feather. This lovely piece of writing from Xenz came as a complete unannounced surprise in Dean Lane, and is all the better for it. Finding a street art piece that you don’t know is there is like a palaeontologist uncovering a fossil never seen before, or something like that at least.

Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022

The piece spells out XENZ in a rock-like appearance with vines draped above and on the letters. The highlight, as is often the case with Xenz’s work, is the careful placement of little birds perching on the vines. Although we don’t get to see Xenz very frequently in Bristol, it is always noteworthy when he paints here. Fine work.

Round robin

.

Fluffy feather ball

partnered up and preparing

there’s work to be done

.

by Scooj

4084. M32 roundabout J3 (363)

Another fine piece that has been in The Natural Adventures ‘departure lounge’ for an eternity is this lovely bird by Aspire, reminding us of what we have missed since he moved to London a few years back.

Aspire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016
Aspire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016

Painted as part of a paint jam, you will notice a Kid Crayon character just to the right… what heady days those were. Pieces would stay intact for much longer back then. These days if you snooze you lose. I have had trouble identifying the blue and white bird, which troubles me as I consider myself quite good at identifying wildlife. It is beautifully painted with Aspire’s signature pixelated boxes. It was a sad day indeed, when he left Bristol.

Great spotted woodpecker

.

Spotted visitor

in the Paulowonia tree

a sight for sore eyes.

.

by Scooj

3929. Upfest 2021 75×75 (58)

Curtis Hylton is a superstar, and this mural confirms his status as a worldie and no mistake. He has been to Bristol a few times in recent years, both for Upfest events and for painting with his mates, he has also painted at the Cheltenham Paint Festival where a couple of his works are still on show.

Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

This piece, tucked away in one of the residential streets in Bedminster, is simply stunning. The owners of this property have been blessed with a magnificent piece of artwork to call their own and share with their local community.

Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

The mural features a little boy in a yellow raincoat feeding a collection of yellow birds that are partially composed of flowers – a theme that lies at the heart of Curtis Hylton pieces. This combination of petals and feathers is so effective and creates a wonderful connection with nature.

Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

Next to the front door is a cheeky little robin painted in slightly more russet tones, but well-matched with the rest of the piece. This photograph will undoubtedly be making an appearance in Thursday Doors sometime in the future – a fairly ordinary door enhanced by its surroundings.

Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

To the right of the piece is a beautiful finch with its wings spread out wide and its chest revealing a couple of roses and a magnolia flower. Amazing. This is a ‘must-visit’ mural from Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 years event, and I hope that it remains well beyond the usual one-year life cycle for these things.

Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Curtis Hylton, Chessel Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

All of this activity and the little boy watches on.