Something magical
when a dog looks at the stars
in complete darkness
does he share my sense of awe,
feel our insignificance?
by Scooj
Tag: Night
1791. Upfest 2018 (67)
Probably not seen by many visitors to Upfest because of its location, this magnificent piece by Dan Kitchener was sited on yet another of this year’s new walls. It has to be said that the Upfest organisers, led by Steve and Emma have done an incredible job with finding new locations for artists to paint.
Although I had a map of where all the artists would be, I kind of stumbled upon Dan Kitchener at work. There were very few other visitors watching on, unlike some of the more central venues.
I went back to the site a week or two after Upfest to be sure that the scaffolding was down and only then could really appreciate the magnitude of this piece. I love Dan Kitchener’s work, and although the style is familiar, it is the little details in his pieces that I find so compelling.
The night sky alight with neon signs in a Tokyoesque city and rain falling on the road and pavements that reflect the signs so beautifully. The whole thing is heaving with atmosphere, bustle, dampness and nighttime.
For me though, my favourite bits are the individual characters under their umbrellas, and Dan Kitchener usually positions one of these closer to the foreground to provide a focal point for the scene. An absolute masterpiece.
Night visitors
Vagabonds and thieves
shady felons of the night;
clothes hang from a door.
by Scooj
* Guess who didn’t sleep too well last night?
Night visitor
At four forty nine
the stairs creak and I wake up
a nightmare enters.
by Scooj
Nature calling
In the early hours
I rise from my bed; sublime
bird song surrounds me.
by Scooj
Day end
Sky blue turns to gold
to orange to red to black
this winter nightfall.
by Scooj
458. Upfest 2016 (55)
My favourite piece of the 2015 Upfest was the incredible geisha by Dan Kitchener on the wall of the Salvation Army shop. It was fantastic then to have DanK return to Bristol this year. His spot was slightly off the beaten track, and I didn’t find him until the Sunday when it was all a bit drizzly.
Dan Kitchener had pretty much stopped spraying for a while and was leaning over the lift and chatting to a friend when I took a couple of the pictures. He really wasn’t too impressed with the weather.
The piece, once it was revealed, turned out to be something of a reflection of the weather in which it was produced. In fact much of Dan Kitchener’s work creates the effect of wet night time scenes viewed through a car windscreen…or that is how it feels to me.
Looking closely at the woman with the umbrella, allows you to see that part of the picture away from all the distraction around it, and it is just beautiful. Step back and add in all the bright lights and you have the most vibrant scene.
I am always so impressed with his work, and I could look at these scenes he creates for hours, studying all the details and effects. It is hard to believe that he paints these things with spray cans. Yet another artist at the very top of his game.
Natural adventures 