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Just another day
and another year older
inevitable
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by Scooj
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Just another day
and another year older
inevitable
.
by Scooj

Arguably, the most eye-catching piece from the Minto birthday paint jam was this extraordinary portrait by Jenks. The session coincided with Halloween, and this menacing horror piece certainly dined out on the spooky festival.

The technique used to generate the reflections in the mask is of the highest quality, incorporating loads of colour tones to create the effect. Furthermore, the distortions in the screaming girl figure and the scene around her create the illusion of a world we can’t see from this side of the mask.

It takes a great deal of skill and experience to produce a piece like this one, but the effort is worth it because of the impression it leaves behind. This is a wonderful piece from the visiting artist Jenks.

More from the Minto birthday paint jam, this time from Noise, and what very classy piece of writing it is too. I think I can safely say that this is the best attended birthday paint jam I have seen in Bristol, with both walls of the tunnel occupied.

Noise has used the tried and tested combination of gold (yellow) and red, and fancied up his letters a bit, and slimmed them down fractionally too. I like the ‘wire fence’ effect around the outside of the piece, not something I have seen before – most original.

There is still plenty more to share with you from Minto’s birthday paint jam in the tunnel, which was so incredibly well attended. This is a fine contribution from Hire, which was near the entrance to the tunnel.

Hire has written MINTO, which, although difficult to see, becomes more obvious each time you look at it. His distinctive spiky letters appear to emanate from a bright light, like a golden sun, with a central vanishing point above the piece. The piece is nicely finished with a some softer curls of green decoration. A great piece from Hire.

A quick one today, written late last night because we are on our way to Milton Keynes today for a family gathering. This superb Halloween collaboration from Andy Council and Ulow was part of the celebration paint jam for Minto’s birthday.

To the left is an amazing wizard hat by Andy Council, made up of a spooky graveyard scene. There is so much detail in this piece, but it is suffering a little from the low light levels in the tunnel. Next to the hat is a menacing pumpkin character by Ulow, which is the perfect Halloween monster. Both pieces are outstanding and a fitting tribute to Minto.

Now it is the turn of The Art of Sok to celebrate Minto’s birthday with this outstanding piece in the tunnel. The Art of Sok is one of the best cartoon-style character artists out there, creating near-perfection with each piece he paints.

I am guessing that the character in this piece is a werewolf, given that there was a Halloween theme happening in this paint jam, and he has a full moon on the back of his jacket. The cheeky character is holding a thick marker pen and appears to be having a lot of fun. Behind is a wonderful silhouetted spooky landscape, which ran through several pieces on this side of the wall. Beautiful artwork and a fun design.

The fun part of birthday paint jams is that it forces some of the participants out of their comfort zones by painting the letters of the birthday boy/girl rather than their own familiar letters. This is an exercise that appears to be easier for some than for others. Donz seems to have coped just fine with this delightful piece for Minto.

The letters art typically colourful and upbeat. No need for a signature here. Donz’ work is usually quite flat, without drop shadows, which is no bad thing, it is part of his style and presentation. Everything here is neat and tidy, and he has set the letters on an interesting light blue wash with a kind of cityscape silhouette along the top.

You’ll have cottoned on by now that Minto’s birthday paint jam in St Werburghs tunnel was very well attended indeed. This piece is a fine tribute by Hypo, who often paints alongside Minto these days, so it has extra relevance and potency.

Hypo has painted the letters MINTO, but entirely in his recognisable style. What is interesting is that, while HYPO is a word that can have some bilateral symmetry, MINTO is not, so this Hypo piece does look quite different in shape from his customary pieces. There is lots to admire in this graffiti writing, and we see the continuation of using little spheres to help decorate the work, something Hypo appears to be enjoying these days. A lovely piece from a friend to a friend.

Feek rarely paints our streets these days, so seeing this piece in the tunnel for Minto’s birthday was a particular joy. His zany cartoon style lends itself so well to the street scene, offering mini stories and curiosities for those lucky enough to see his work.

In this humorous character piece, a rather fed-up brain is taking leave of the skull it belongs to, declaring ‘that’s it, I’m off’ while the hapless skull utters the word ‘wuh?’. An amusing story perfectly portrayed with clarity and detail. This is a lovely piece by Feek and a reminder of what we are missing.

Minto’s birthday paint jam in the tunnel is the gift that keeps on giving, and I continue the series with this beauty from Rusk, who has had a little burst of activity this Autumn. The combination piece includes a Frankenstein’s monster character in keeping with the Halloween theme for the paint jam.

Rusk has presented his letters beautifully spelling out MINTO with the monster in place of the ‘i’. The neat and tidy letters with a drop shadow disappearing into the centre is set on a spooky background, which was common to a few pieces in the tunnel. I am loving this Rusk phase, as he doesn’t paint as often as he used to.