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Water beadlets lie

long after the rain has passed

suspended in time.

 

by Scooj

988. The Bearpit (87)

On the north steps dropping down into The Bearpit there is this wonderful new piece from Lemak. It is a wheatpaste of a complex multi-layered stencil. I love the original work Lemak is producing at the moment, confining partial images within geometric shapes, with much of the image hidden beyond the confines of the boundaries, leaving much to the imagination.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

It is a piece that is in a similar vein to the one he produced for Upfest this year (to follow). I am sure that many busy pedestrians miss this, as they trundle into The Bearpit buried in their thoughts or mobile phones. It is a little bit camouflaged by all the scrawls and tags around it, and only seems to jump out at you once you have spotted it.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

Another fine piece from the brilliant Lemak.

987. Upfest 2017 (40)

Researching this piece has revealed more than I might have expected, which is always most fulfilling. The chimpanzee, so full of expression, was sprayed by Skie One, and the leaves and portrait (to follow) on the right by Nesr both from High Pressure Murals. The discovery was to put names to a piece that I photographed at Upfest 2016, and one which I can post when I do a bit of a catchn up of left-overs from last year.

Skie One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Skie One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is a fine mural (I guess I can safely call it that) and has a stencil-like look about it, although it is freestyled. I am interested by just how many apes and monkeys are painted by street artists, Parrots have a pretty high head-count too. I guess they are groups of animals/birds that are close to us and therefor of interest.

Skie One and Nesr, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Skie One and Nesr, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Once again it is great to see the artists at work to see how they create the piece, here it looks like a process of adding layers, maybe in a more conventional fine art way…not that I really have any idea what I’m talking about. I do know I like this piece though.

 

 

986. Upfest 2017 (39)

Tucked away in the garden of The Rising Sun was this rather provocative and surreal piece by EdF*ck. I can’t find out much about the artist, so I include his Upfest programme biography:

‘Hi my name is Edf*ck, my work mainly consists of spray paint and de-collage but extends to illustration and character design, often encapsulating dark imagery captioned with playful slogans and vicious characters.’

EdF*ck, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
EdF*ck, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
So my first impression of this artist and the style is that I rather like it. It reminds me of the kind of magazine cut-out collages I used to make as a kid, creating disturbing distortions of reality from pictures. One major difference…this is considered, cleverly worked and artistic. I’m glad I ventured into this corner of the pub garden, because I missed it on the Saturday of the festival.

985. Upfest 2017 (38)

This great piece which was located at The Rising Sun pub, is by Mind Control who was probably the youngest artist at Upfest this year at a youthful 16. He has been spraying since he was 12 and has already found himself on the festival circuit. A precocious talent indeed, and one to look out for.

Mind Control, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mind Control, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Before Upfest this year he was interviewed by Auntie G,  you can read what he says on her excellent blog here. The piece itself is ambitious and captivating. I’m not sure I would have guessed it was by a young artist when I first saw it, but now I’m in posession of the facts it does have a naive quality to it. I look forward to seeing more work from Mind Control and hope he returns to Bristol soon.

Perfect day

.

A stroll all alone

talking to those departed;

no longer alone. 

.

by Scooj

  • Roughly once a year I visit Bracklesham in West Sussex and spend a couple of hours finding peace, looking for fossil shark teeth and remembering departed loved ones. The perfect way to recharge my batteries. Ready for the long slog to Christmas now. 

984. Upfest 2017 (37)

One of my favourite artists from Upfest 2016 was DinDin who produced this official piece and left a couple of wheatpastes in the Moon Street area of Stokes Croft before she left Bristol. This year she excelled with this beautiful stencil featuring a street dancer in what looks like a fairly stark wasteland.

DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This piece really stands out and catches the eye. What I found interesting as well was how different the piece looked in the overcast conditions and then in the bright sunlight. Maybe this is an artifact of how cameras work, but the difference is remarkable.

DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
DinDin, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I think that DinDin got her work done quickly this year – I think she must have seen the forecast – so I didn’t get to meet her, which is a pity because I realy do like her work very much.

 

983. Upfest 2017 (36)

Watching the evolution of this piece by Ebee was fascinating. I don’t think the weather was very helpful, and it probably took a lot longer to complete than the artist might have originally envisaged.

Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee is from London and has been painting since the 1980s, which puts him in great company, and even from this piece you can see that his work is influenced by the early New York graffiti.

Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I like taking these ‘in progress’ shots because it is interesting to see how the artist sets about their work and the sequencing of how they lay down the composition.

Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This is a really accomplished piece of wildstyle writing that incorporates an element of 3D style to the letters, although they are contorted and in differing planes, which makes this different from more conventional 3D art. The piece spells out ‘Ebee’ although it takes a while to get your ‘eye in’. A lovely piece of writing.

981. M32 roundabout J3 (44)

It is great when visiting artists come to Bristol for Upfest, and then decide to remain  a short while in the City adding one or two more pieces. On this occasion, Helen Bur was accompanied to one of Bristol’s great spots by Kid Crayon, where she sprayed this lovely piece.

Helen Bur, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017
Helen Bur, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017

I like these letters and especially the HB pencil which appears to be a signature icon, if her website is anything to go by. As an aside, it is interesting that she uses a pencil and was spraying with Kid Crayon, who always used to feature a crayon in his work although recently he seems to have dropped it. Artists featuring the tools of their trade.

This is a good piece, and as a resident of Bristol, it is always pleasant to see visiting artists enjoying our streets.

 

 

Autumn

 

A new month begins

bringing with it a season

colourful and cold.

 

by Scooj