Summer’s last hurrah
tardy, tatty butterfly
pauses in the sun.
by Scooj
Tag: Nature
1075. Greville Road (7)
I am struggling a little about how to categorize this piece. It is by Sonic Oner, whose official Upfest piece I posted a little while back, but I think that this appeared a few days later, and so I am not classifying it as an Upfest piece, preferring to think of it as an extra gift to Bristol.
Located on a wall outside the Hen and Chicken, the piece is in great company, being next to a Pelmo piece. I love reptile street art, and this Iguana is really rather special. There is a lot of attention to detail in the scales, and the eye is beautifully worked.
I think he probably used the spray paints that he had used for his other piece, since the colour scheme is the same; green, white and black. It was a lovely surprise to find this after the main event of Upfest was over.
Spiny spider crab
Fine decorations
adorn a tough carapace;
king of camouflage.
by Scooj
Caterpillar
What you will become
far outweighs your current form;
a means to an end.
by Scooj
- This is the caterpillar of the elephant hawk moth, found on my allotment. Both caterpillar and adult are beautiful in my eyes, a view not shared by everyone.
Leaf litter
On the woodland floor
fallen from the canopy
sweet caterpillar.
by Scooj
Busy
Mind your own business
I have a great deal to do
I need to scurry.
by Scooj
962. Jamaica Street (11)
This wonderful group of radioactive deer is another ceramic delight from Chinagirl Tile that was left here on the eve of Upfest. I have said it many times before, but one of the biggest pleasures of Upfest for me is seeing an influx of new work from ‘out of town’ artists refreshing areas all over the city.
Chinagirl Tile told me about these deer at Upfest, and she said that the orange radioactive symbols on the deer rumps matched the wall, which was good fortune rather than design.
As always from her work we have an uneasy edge between nature and humanity. Radioactive deer are threatening, where deer are endearing. The galloping movement instills a feeling of panic or fear. In my view this is a very powerful piece.
Unfortunately some scoundrels had already tagged this piece by the time I got to it with blue markings on the deer faces. Annoying, but fortunately not so destructive that the piece is ruined. This is a ‘must see’ piece for anyone visiting Bristol.
958. Upfest 2017 (24)
One of the stars of Upfest 2017, and quite rightly so, was Dzia. This incredible artist has been brightening up streets all over the world with his beautifully drawn/sprayed animals with a style so unique and recognisable. We have been lucky enough to get this robin.
On the face of it, his pieces are constructed with lines, almost like doodles that, when brought together, create a magnificent whole. The pieces he creates look like they have come out of an A4 sketchpad and yet they are scaled-up significantly and work just as well. There is often a lot of white space in his work, but again this works in his favour.
This wall had been reserved for Inkie, but for whatever reason he didn’t fill the space, so Dzia got an extra wall and Bristol got this magnificent robin. This was actually his second piece and supplementary to his main piece which is at the Red Point climbing centre. I still haven’t gone there to photograph it yet, but when I do I will be posting it here.
I feel like it is a real privilege to have one of his pieces in Bristol, but to get two is simply being spoilt.
Rot
On the forest fringe
long decayed woody debris;
foundation for life.
by Scooj
941. Upfest 2017 (15)
Oze Arv was a very busy man during his short stay in Bristol for Upfest. This Portuguese artist from Lisbon uses patterns to mix expression and graphics. His style is instantly recognisable, as you will see as I post all of the work he left behind for Bristolians.
This is a lovely shutter piece on North Street, one of two ‘official’ pieces he sprayed for Upfest. Shutters are always hard, but he has been smart with this one, laying down a white background, which lifts the whole piece really well. I think most of his work tends to include the natural world.
I like the combination of the abstract and natural, I think it works well. I caught up with him for a few minutes, and he seemed like a really nice guy, happy to chat about his work. Lots more to come.
Natural adventures 