1936. Shoreditch, London (16)

I think I timed my November trip to Shoreditch really well as it seemed that there were a whole load of fairly recent pieces, one of which is this extraordinary chrome rabbit underlit with pink light by Fanakapan. Better know for his helium balloon-style paintings, Fanakapan has in this instance gone for a solid chrome piece and shares some techniques with artists such as Bonsai.

Fanakapan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Fanakapan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

At first when I saw this I wasn’t entirely sure it was by Fanakapan, because it is a bit different from other pieces I have seen by him. The face of the rabbit is brilliantly worked and as for the neon crown…doers it get any better than this?

1934. Shoreditch, London (14)

A magnificent celebration of the written word by Nomad Clan, depicting a letter and a pigeon, both methods of carrying written messages, to align with the theme of this large wall in Shoreditch on ‘connectivity’.

Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

I am a huge fan of this talented duo, who have visited Bristol for Upfest in each of the last two years. This is a masterful work with many elements to focus on, but it is the feathers on the right hand side of the piece that I find most appealing…they have such a lightness about them.

Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

Nomad Clan are known for their big walls and this one is big. Their concepts and ideas are so beautifully illustrated with a softness of tone that many artists appear to struggle with. I was very happy to find this piece.

1933. Shoreditch, London (13)

Bonzai is yet another artist I am unfamiliar with, but what a pleasure it was to discover him for the first time. This was one of two recent pieces, as described by the brilliant London Calling blog.

Bonzai, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Bonzai, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

The effect of molten chrome is simply outstanding, and yet if you look at the piece carefully is reasonably simply constructed with colours that trick your eyes. I absolutely love this kind of work and will definitely be on the look out for more from this artist on future London trips.

1932. Shoreditch, London (12)

I have seen so much of his work on the Interweb, but I think this is the first piece by C215 that I have seen in the flesh. I don’t think it is a particularly new piece, but being only an occasional visitor to Shoreditch, it is new to me.

C215, Shoreditch, London, November, 2018
C215, Shoreditch, London, November, 2018

There is so much to like about his work, with the simple lines and scatter of colours combining to give an astonishingly clear portrait. The style has some similarities with the work of Dzia, where the constituent elements combine magnificently to create a perfect whole. Love this piece.

1931. Shoreditch, London (11)

This is the first of several more Shoreditch pieces from my visit there back in November to see the old year out and the new one in. What joy to spot this trio of Madonna stencils by the flamboyant and vibrant Pegasus, whose work has appeared in Natural Adventures a few times over the last four years.

Pegasus, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Pegasus, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

These images capture Madonna beautifully, in what looks like her Desperately Seeking Susan period, sporting crosses on her ears and large quantities of bangles. It is interesting to note that in the two right hand side stencils, there are extra squares obscuring part of the piece, this in addition to the colour changes leaves us with three different stencils together. Lovely piece.

Thursday doors

Doors 55

Just a quick selection of graffiti/street art doors from a recent trip to Shoreditch in London. Enjoy!

Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018

by Scooj

Loads more amazing doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0

1892. Shoreditch, London (10)

In a little side street/yard off Brick Lane there is a derelict area which is a bit of a street art oasis. On the passageway into the area is this magnificent piece by Envol, which is quite different from anything else there.

Envol, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Envol, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

I have come across Envol a couple of times at Upfest in Bristol, so it was great to see something by him outside of the festival context. His highly designed ‘classical’ pieces are simply presented but nicely framed with strong shapes and colours.

Envol, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Envol, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

When I first saw this piece I thought it had been dogged at the base of the skull, but on closer inspection and a quick squint at the Artist’s Instagram it seems that this is a deliberate technique that he adopts from time to time. It is a good feeling once again to stumble upon art in unfamiliar surroundings that I am familiar with.

1891. Shoreditch, London (9)

I really did get lucky on my recent trip to Shoreditch with fresh pieces, and this is a lovely new one from Osch. The artist is known for two main presentations of his art, this theme of orange circles with silhouetted scenes, usually with a clever take, and his characters (often animals) created from ribbons (not real ribbons you understand).

Osch, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Osch, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

In this piece it seems the crows are having some kind of revenge moment as a drone is contained within a cage. This is a thoughtful and distinctive piece and so wonderfully crisp, sharp and fresh. I love his work…I think he needs to come to Bristol again.

Osch, the Stables, Camden Town, September 2016
Osch, the Stables, Camden Town, September 2016
Osch, Hawley Street, Camden, September 2016
Osch, Hawley Street, Camden, September 2016

 

1890. Shoreditch, London (8)

One of the things I love most about seeing street art in other cities is when I see a piece by an I am familiar with – it gives me that warm glow of conceit, and so it was when I saw this lovely burner by Bristol’s Voyder.

Voyder, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Voyder, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

The last piece I saw by Voyder was at Upfest back in July, so to find this one in Shoreditch was definitely a special moment. This is such a clever piece, I cannot really do it justice in any explanation, but I will try. Everything you see is utterly deliberate – the blurring of the letters and the drips and splashes, what makes this extra special is how Voyder has created this with extreme skill in blending the colours through the piece and making the whole thing look a bit amateurish. To the trained eye, this is utterly brilliant, to others it might just look a bit rubbish.

1889. Shoreditch, London (7)

Wowzer, this is a wonderful piece by Sr.X in Shoreditch on the wall of the Village Underground. I have seen work by the artist before in London, but didn’t know that he was Spanish and the Sr stands for Senor. I found this out by reading the informative blog by Jenikya, which features this and other pieces I will need to know about for my own posts, which is most helpful.

Sr.X, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Sr.X, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

It would appear that I got lucky as the piece was reasonably new and only painted at the beginning of November. This has humour and a strong retro feel to it. I think I would include the word ‘zany’ and perhaps even reference Terry Gilliam, the illustrator and animator (and film director) from Monty Python as a possible influence.

Sr.X, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Sr.X, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

This is a huge piece, an impressive wall and for a day-tripper a wholly satisfying work that would have been worth the trip to London on its own.

Sr. X, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Sr. X, Camden Town, London, November 2017