Dog – Page 4 – Natural adventures

5321. Upfest 2022 (79)

Elvs and Smak, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

I don’t think that I would have predicted that Smak and Elvs would have teamed up to paint an Upfest collaboration, and yet that is exactly what they did. What I really like about the piece is that it is an integrated collaboration, with elements from each artist woven into the whole.

I had a little chat with Elvs, just as he was finishing packing up, and rather irritatingly (for him) I pointed out a little mistake, which he then felt obliged to correct. It was only a small thing, but once seen, it couldn’t be unseen. In the picture above, the mistake is that the yellow body of the character didn’t quite align behind the blue triangle. The image below shows Elvs making the necessary alteration.

The whole piece is brilliantly painted, with some fine blue and pink letters (the perfect colour combo) by Smak and a dog/cat character playing around behind the writing. This is a fun piece that really captured the atmosphere and vibe of the festival.

5257. Upfest 2022 (67)

An occasional visitor to Bristol for Upfest, Woskerski is an outstanding artist who operates out of London. I have posted pieces by him a few times in Natural Adventures, but because I don’t visit London much these days, his appearances have been few and far between.

This extraordinary piece, depicting some sort of alien interaction in a future vision of Earth, was painted over a couple of days, and the work in progress shot provides a little insight into Woskerski’s method. It looks like he sketches up the elements of the piece and then ‘colours them in’ which is quite an unusual way of going about things, but he is wonderfully successful at it.

There is such a sense of movement created by the dogs, which have been so accurately captured, but the star of the show for me is the serene face belonging to the girl wearing a hoody/space helmet to the right of the piece. Woskerski is such a massive talent, and it was a real privilege to welcome him to Bristol for Upfest 2022.

Reminiscence II

Adored companion

poised on heather-clad cliffs

long walks in Cornwall

by Scooj

5148. Stokes Croft

I was walking home from town a week or two back, after a leaving do for a very dear friend and colleague who I have known for about 30 years. I took the opportunity to take a couple of snaps of this wonderful piece by Haka, which I have known about for a while, but just haven’t been able to photograph. For nighttime photographs, I think they have come out pretty well – it is amazing how good mobile phone cameras are these days (sounding like the old man I am).

The message is a great observation and commentary on the current cost of living crisis, with inflation at over 10% and pay offers typically under 5%, meaning a cut in salaries for most people (a situation I have been living with for more than 10 years, being about 20% worse off in real terms than I was before Tory austerity measures). This Government think it is fine to cut thee taxes of the richest, but restrain pay for everyone else. The sooner they go, the better.

I’m familiar with the character Haka has painted – a right old meanie – but I can’t quite place what cartoon series/book he is from. Fabulous to see a political piece from Haka.

Wet

That wet kind of rain

the dog smelling of wet dog

a proper drenching

by Scooj

5088. Purdown (54)

Sam Brentall, Purdown, Bristol, March 2023 — Sam Brentnall, Purdown, Bristol, March 2023

This piece seems to benefit from being framed by the snow and the heavy grey sky. It is by an artist I haven’t come across before, Sam Brentnall, and my first impression is a good one.

The stylised dog heads stacked on top of each other create a strong and colourful pattern, and the whole unusual composition is fun to look at. It looks like the black outlines have been painted using marker pens rather than spray cans, and this seems very much like the work of a studio artist who is exploring possibilities with street art. I sincerely hope to find more street work from Sam Brentnall this year.

5085. Cumberland Basin

Roo, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, March 2023

Naturally, whenever SkyHigh comes to town, Roo will be with him, as they are partners as well as painting partners. This ensures that we receive a double hit of great artwork from two wonderfully talented artists, each time they come to Bristol.

This is a beautifully executed and framed piece from Roo, featuring a dog with a spray can. What I love about Roo’s work is that everything is perfectly finished. There are no rough or blurry edges, no see-through fills, and the composition is always first-class. The cartoon style is perfect for her animal characters, and there is always a sense of fun in her work.

On this occasion, Roo left behind some extras, one of them a few yards away from this piece, another in Dean Lane and a small cat piece in the middle of the M32 roundabout. She and her other half can come back any time they like!

Roo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023

5055. Coach and Horses.

3Dom and Sepr, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2023

I really haven’t seen enough from these two of late. I guess that both of them are pretty busy with real life, and that happens, but it means that the class they both bring to the streets of Bristol is missed. This collaboration from 3Dom and Sepr also included the beautiful FOIS writing from Kleiner Shames (already posted).

3Dom, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2023

On the left is a superb example of 3Dom’s superb writing style, including an eye character that looks to have dropped from the sky. There is a fluidity and confidence that oozes from 3Dom’s work, and just by looking at it, you can tell that it has been crafted by a master at the top of his game.

Sepr, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2023

Sepr brings with his some of the best character work in the city/country. His unique style is instantly recognisable and more often than not humorous. In this piece, a skeleton is out walking his skeleton dog, who has run off, pulling his forearm away with him. Great fun. A measure of the quality of this piece is the care and attention given to the bead lead, which in close-up is meticulously painted. What a great collaborative wall, well worth a look.

5052. M32 roundabout J3 (454)

Kool Hand, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

Kool Hand is another artist who has been keeping things ticking over nicely pretty much for the last year. His characters have been diversifying a little over that time and new favourites have emerges, like the dog in this piece. There was a time when his work was almost entirely confined to orangutans and crocodiles.

The letters KH are book-ended with two characters, his trusty orangutan wearing a cap on the left and a toothy dog on the right. Both characters have wings, although I am not sure of the significance of this addition. The colour scheme has focussed on blues, and works really rather nicely. The piece was painted as part of a larger paint jam a few weeks back.

Routine

The way I do things

some say I’m set in my ways

me and the dog, both

by Scooj

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