Two innocent fawns
break cover in the lane, sweet
and vulnerable.
by Scooj
Tag: UK
1541. Upfest 2017 (174)
The unmistakable face of Johnny Rotten.
When I asked some artists from the RAW crew about who painted this they told me it was by the legendary Turoe (Turo). Now, I have come into this rather late, the last 3-4 years or so, and I find it quite difficult penetrating the street art world that predates my interest. Because of this, there are many gaps in my knowledge and this was the first time I had seen work from the artist.
The entry for Turoe in the Upfest programme simply reads “Old school Bristol graffiti legend”. Further reading in the book ‘Children of the Can’ (Bristol graffiti and street art) by Felix Braun confirms his standing as a major player in the Bristol graffiti and hip hop scene.
The work itself is beautifully done, which screams punk rock. It is interesting that before the eyes were completed the punk rocker is reasonably generic, but with the eyes it could only be Johnny Rotten. Nice piece.
1540. Upfest 2017 (173)
One of the more academic and mind-blowing pieces at Upfest 2017 was this absolutely stunning classical style piece by Mezla. I managed to catch up with him while he was painting this piece and he said that he was supposed to be using the boards down at Ashton Gate, but that he found the music just a little bit too loud for his liking, so he crossed over the road and found this wall.
I absolutely love the way he has combined abstract work with some life form, and the subtle shades and colours are perfect. This really is one of my favourites from Upfest 2017 and is so very different from pretty much everything else on display.
I don’t think I can praise this piece highly enough. His Upfest biography reveals how he started off as a writer but has moved on since.
1539. Upfest 2017 (172)
Well, well, well, the gifts just keep coming. Regular readers will know that I have only recently discovered the wonderful art of Pekoe and I have featured her work a couple of times in the last month. It turns out that while I was going through another batch of pictures from my Upfest 2017 archive, I found this piece by an ‘unknown’ artist who I now know is Pekoe. I love it when this kind of thing happens.
Her Upfest piece was definitely one that caught the eye and is rather more polished than some of her street work – it is a festival after all. She sticks with the female portrait formula that appears to be her preferred subject matter. I am reliably informed by Gary, the art blogger that this wea actually a collaboration piece with Mr Sleven and DNT.
Pekoe is a talented Bristol-based artist whose work I am just getting to grips with and I certainly want to see a whole load more. Looking forward to it. Worth a quick peek at her Linked-in page too.
Cornish air
It’s the Cornish air
grandma used to say, that’s why
I sleep like a log.
by Scooj
Clearance
.
It isn’t easy
sifting through another’s life;
once loved, discarded.
.
by Scooj
Exeter Racecourse
.
Swallows hug the turf
darting with great precision
past rails and fences.
.
by Scooj
1537. Dean Lane skate park (132)
One of the great joys of trawling through my archives is finding pieces that were never posted because the artist was unknown to me. Fast forward to the present day and I have since discovered the talent and feel like I know a little more. So it was with this old one from Tash Bee back in July 2017.
I liked the piece enough to photograph it, but then it sat dormant in my archive until now. Liberation. It is signed with a large B, but I didn’t know that was her signature back then. This is another serene piece beautifully put together by an artist who is fast rising up the tables of my Bristol faves. Same about the evening sun and shadow.
1536. M32 Spot (20)
Right underneath the M32 in the middle of the DIY skate Park which is used by skaters in Bristol when it rains, is this unusual piece by an artist I’ve not come across before, KiKi. At least I think the signature is KiKi, and until I know any better that is what I shall call her/him. As you can see I haven’t been able to research the artist at all yet.
I really love the piece, both the style of it and the subject matter. It looks like some kind of sea monster, although not too scary. What I especially like is how skilfully the artist has used the difficult space that the column affords. Stylistically the piece is also really interesting, almost seeming to have a native North American look to it (or maybe that is just me). Anyhow I am looking forward to seeing a lot more from this artist. Bravo.
1535. Dean Lane skate park (131)
This is an old one in Dean Lane skater park from Stupid Stupid Meathole, which I didn’t post at the time because I didn’t know who it was by. He creates these potentially sinister monsters, but takes away any menace by adding something comical to them. His characters actually become rather sweet really – it must be those big eyes.
I do like his work. He chooses his colours well and I like then way he scribbles his shading, for example on the teeth of this monster, which give ther whole thing a sense of animation. I’m always on the look out for his work and I think I have some in my archives which I’ll try and dig out.
Natural adventures 