Tag: Stucley Place

6887. Stucley Place Camden Town, London

Drake, Stucley Place, Camden Town, London, April 2025
Drake, Stucley Place, Camden Town, London, April 2025

Wandering around without a set route is quite the best way to find street art in my experience. Following a map or guide only takes you to specific places, and it is by turning down a back street, or catching a glimpse of something in your peripheral vision and going to investigate it that makes exploring places so much fun. I see too many people navigating their way around the place with their head down looking a little screen and Google Maps or some other way finder and missing all the incredible people, architecture, events or nature that surrounds us. That’s enough sanctimonious nonsense. I found this superb Drake piece while wandering about aimlessly with my head and eyes up.

Drake, Stucley Place, Camden Town, London, April 2025
Drake, Stucley Place, Camden Town, London, April 2025

This is an outstanding greyscale portrait piece by Drake, an artist whose work I have seen in Bristol, but that I don’t know much about him. The piece has a commercial element to it in so much as it is promoting Nemesis, a tattoo parlour – perhaps a friend of Drake’s. Certainly a superb piece.

1219. Stucley Place, London (3)

Immediately adjacent to Gnasher’s chimpanzee in Stucley Place there is a door with a couple of wheatpastes on it. The higher of the two is by Face the Strange and features four brightly coloured suited gentlemen with half fruits or vegetables for faces. I am guessing that this has been around for a while. The piece is actually made up of four individual strips.

Face the Strange, Stucley Place, London, November 2017
Face the Strange, Stucley Place, London, November 2017

The lower pasteup is by Codefc featuring one of his characters with a camera head. Both pieces have similar themes and yet the individual style of the artists shines through.

Face the Strange and Codefc, Stucley Place, London, November 2017ERA PICTURES
Face the Strange and Codefc, Stucley Place, London, November 2017ERA PICTURES

I posted a piece by Codefc from Upfest 2016, but it seems that more recently he has favoured freestyle spraying, judging by his Instagram feed. I enjoy seeing artists moving through different techniques and expressing their work in different ways. This is a nice door.

1218. Stucley Place, London (2)

I was lucky enough to pass by this wonderful abstract piece while it was being sprayed by Mr Jiver, a London artist who told me he had his roots in wildstyle writing and that there are echoes of that in his current abstract works.

Mr Jiver, Stucley Place, London, November 2017
Mr Jiver, Stucley Place, London, November 2017

The intention for this piece was that it was meant to be a collaboration, but there was a ‘no show’ from the other artist which accounts for the gaps that have been left.

Mr Jiver, Stucley Place, London, November 2017
Mr Jiver, Stucley Place, London, November 2017

I would guess that artwork like this is at risk of being criticised in the same way that art by Jackson Pollock has been criticised…that old chestnut ‘I could probably do that with my eyes shut’ kind of thing. The retort might be ‘well go ahead then’. Mr Jiver has created a thought out piece with deliberate colour selections, shapes and shading and I celebrate it.

Mr Jiver, Stucley Place, London, November 2017
Mr Jiver, Stucley Place, London, November 2017

I enjoy meeting artists when they are at work and trying to understand a little bit more about what motivates them. Insight certainly helps with interpretation. Mr Jiver – nice bloke, great work.

1217. Stucley Place, London (1)

Not too far away from Camden Town tube station and in the direction of Camden Lock Market is an absolute jewel of a street – Stucley Place. There are a few walls here that have some lovely work, and this is the first of three posts from my visit to Camden Town in November.

Gnasher, Stucley Place, London, November 2017
Gnasher, Stucley Place, London, November 2017

Gnasher (David Nash) is an extraordinary artist who seems to be able to produce amazing photorealistic pieces with consummate ease. Last July I posted a work he produced in Leake Street tunnel featuring Guardians of the Galaxy characters. In this piece he has produced a stunning portrait of a chimpanzee that conveys a sadness and wisdom that seems to be nature’s lot in today’s world.

Gnasher, Stucley Place, London, November 2017
Gnasher, Stucley Place, London, November 2017

It is a difficult piece to photograph because of the glare, but even with these slightly dodgy pictures it is possible to see what a truly classy piece this is. So definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in the area.