Tag: UK

1236. Upfest 2017 (120)

I love seeing the work of Alex Lucas wherever it crops up, but it is especially nice to see her work at Upfest, when it isn’t tied to a commission. Alex Lucas has made a huge impression on the city of Bristol and her work is dotted all around the city – I have featured much of it on this blog.

Alex Lucas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Alex Lucas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This piece was a bit tucked away, and incredibly difficult to photograph with the crowds and the lighting. Even so, it is possible to see that this is a classy illustration of a cat who is thinking about a mouse. Yum.

Extraordinary comfort

.

Saturday haircut

in the Arches Barbershop;

‘me time’ tradition.

.

by Scooj

1234. Upfest 2017 (118)

Upfest simply wouldn’t feel the same without all the ‘unofficial’ wheatpasters making their mark along North Street and other parts of town. One of the most notable wheatpasters over the last two years has been Losthills and his Jake the Dog pieces.

Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This one is a little different from his usual cut outs, and is a full size poster of ‘Jake World’ a parody poster of the recent remake of ‘West World’. Jake plays the lead role (in the original film I think it was played by Yul Brynner), with his face mask revealing electronics behind and confirming his robot status. I love this paste up – once again confirming Losthills as a fun-loving witty artist.

1233. Upfest 2017 (117)

Dzia was a featured artists at Upfest 2017 and as such he was afforded this magnificent wall at the climbing centre. Dzia was among a very strong Belgian contingent at the festival who really livened things up with their creativity and skill.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I didn’t manage to get to this site during the festival itself, and returned some time later when I was in the area to take these shots. The squirrel is absolutely magnificent, although possibly dwarfed a little by the size of the white wall.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Once you zoom in close though you get a real feel for this extraordinary piece from Dzia. His style is unmistakable, and his subject matter pretty much always from the natural world. He is a great advocate for wildlife street art.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I am constantly amazed at how the mish mash of lines and colours, which on their own seem directionless, come together to produce a perfect whole. Dzia is a hugely accomplished artist and it was a real treat to have him here in Bristol for Upfest.

Birthday

 

The older I get

the less certain I become

about anything;

a condition my young self

would struggle to understand.

 

by Scooj

1232. Upfest 2017 (116)

Will Coles certainly left his mark at Upfest 2017, with a number of different ‘installations’ dotted around the festival site and in other parts of Bristol too. This particular one chimes for a great many people in the UK, and I guess across the world, and links to the catastrophic decline in honey bee and other insect pollinator populations.

Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I would like to think that this is somewhat less controversial than many of his works, but it is nonetheless quite challenging politically. There are some who advocate the use of neonicotinoids and other pesticides to sustain high crop yields and guarantee food production for the nation.

Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Each of these honey bees were carefully placed. It was fun hunting them down.

Renewal

 

Deep winter decay

from which all life emerges;

faintest hint of spring.

 

by Scooj

1231. Leake Street tunnel, London (5)

One of the pleasures of writing about street/graffiti art and seeking out new sites is finding something there that you recognise. Feeling knowledgeable about something is very empowering and comforting, and we could all do with a bit of empowering and comfort from time to time.  For me this happened when I saw this Chinagirl Tile piece in Leake Street just before Christmas.

Chinagirl Tile, Leake Street, London, December 2017
Chinagirl Tile, Leake Street, London, December 2017

I have always had a soft spot for her work, and this very dangerous bunny is one of my favourite tiles she has produced. There is one in Bristol that I blogged about last year. I noticed that of the numerous ‘street art tourists’ who entered the tunnel from this entrance, none that I saw stopped or appeared to notice this rabbit, such was their eagerness to descend into the bowels of Leake Street. For me, street art is not just about the blindingly obvious, it is about subtlety, style, class and placement, much of which is lost on many people. This links to a theme I have mentioned many times in Natural Adventures, and that is that many of us look, but don’t see. Look harder and you might see a rabbit clutching a grenade. Watch out!

China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017
China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017

 

1230. Leake Street tunnel, London (4)

Over the Christmas break, I took a train from Waterloo to Woking to visit the inlaws. I allowed myself some extra time to take a quick look at the graffiti art in Leake Street tunnel which runs under Waterloo Station. There was a great deal of wildstyle writing which I was not familiar with – London art is still a bit of a mystery to me – but I did recognise a couple of pieces by Sky High, of which this is one.

Sky High, Leake Street, London, December 2017
Sky High, Leake Street, London, December 2017

I know his work from visits he has made to Bristol in the past to Moon Street, Magdalen Place and Dean Lane. The piece features his characteristic block lettering in multiple styles and a curious snake at the left hand end. I have to say I am not sure about the snake, it is incongruous and I think the piece would be better without it. Maybe that is just me though.

SkyHigh, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
SkyHigh, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
Sky High, Magdalene Place, Bristol, June 2016
Sky High, Magdalene Place, Bristol, June 2016
Sky High, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Sky High, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

1229. Brunel Way bridge (4)

Another piece from the ASK Halloween paint jam under Brunel Way. This is exceptional work from the exceptional Sled One with an interesting story woven into his wildstyle writing.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

On the left there appears to be a snail-like character and on the right a Grim Reaper figure that is making for the terrified looking snail (can a snail look terrified?). Meanwhile, Sled One has incorporated the letters SLED into the piece with artistry and skill.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

Once again we see this master sprayer at his very best, creating a whole world in a space 3m x 2m. Incredible really.