Much needed although
unwelcome interruption;
the heavens open.
by Scooj
Tag: UK
780. Upfest 2016 (124)
Located slightly off the main drag of Upfest is this rather large wall with an advertising hoarding inconveniently taking up the top left hand corner. In 2015, the wall was admirably sprayed by Snub23. This year it was the turn of Gamma Gallery.
I’m afraid I don’t quite get the concept of Gamma Gallery. I’m not sure if it is one person or a collective, but irrespective of that I think this is a magnificent piece. There is something about the pigeons that I really like.
For the observant of you out there…I took this picture a short while after Upfest, and the picture on the bill board is different from the one at the time it was painted. I wish I knew more about this piece, but the Interweb wasn’t very fruitful, so I am just enjoying it for what it is.
779. Upfest 2016 (123)
Arguably the most stunning piece of the 2016 festival was this huge and very popular work by PichiAvo. These two artists, operating as a single entity, are from Valencia in Spain, but are busy working all over the world.
Their works, as far as I can make out are a synthesis of graffiti writing styles incorporated into classical statuesque images…or at least that is my take on it all. I expect there are scholarly descriptions out there, but however their work is categorised, it is undoubtedly beautiful and supremely well executed.
I know I have more pictures of this piece, but I’ll be damned if I can find them, so it’ll just have to be these three I’m afraid. Loads more on the Interweb if you want to see other magnificent works by this duo. They have a fine website too. Magnificent.
Bookshop
.
No satisfaction
thumbing through volumes of books
I will never read.
.
by Scooj
778. Upfest 2016 (122)
Mr June was one of the lead artists at Upfest 2016, and he had the privilege of painting a large wall, previously occupied by Dan Kitchener, on the side of the Salvation Army building in Church Street.
Trained as a graphic designer, Mr June took to the streets as a graffiti artist in 1985, and his preference for combining his love of typography, graffiti and abstract art come together beautifully in this mesmerising piece.
This is definitely one for the fans of large, bold designs that have an almost architectural feel to them. His use of colours is first rate, and the overall impression is impactful.
Growth
.
I’m in the greenhouse
That’s where you’ll find me, growing
As a human bean.
.
by Scooj
* With apologies.
777. Upfest 2016 (121)
This piece is tucked away in one of the parking bays in the Tobacco Factory car park, and is by Fats. Fats is an artist, so her Upfest biography goes, who is based between Dubai and Toronto and whose heavy black line work is in part influenced by Inuit art and Arabic calligraphy resulting in a hybrid style reflecting her own cultural confusion and ambiguity.
You can see more of her excellent work on her Instagram feed, and she also has an active Facebook page. It looks like she’ll be paying us another visit for the 2017 Upfest event, according to the Upfest artists page. Something to look forward to.
Based on this one piece, I think that I rather like her work. More so when I have checked out her stuff online. The colours, of course, are familiar to me through Decay’s fabulous work, and the abstract style is not too different either. Perhaps the two should collaborate…that could be pretty fun.
776. Lower Approach Road (1)
I had a recent tip-off via Instagram that Copyright and Paul Monsters were going to be collaborating again, this time on the slip road adjacent to Bristol Temple Meads station. I managed to wangle a moment of time and whizzed down to the station to see what was going on.
I arrived just as they were completing the piece, and it is another real beauty, just like their previous collaboration on North Street. Their styles really do work well together, with the geometric colour patterning of Monsters, providing a perfect foil for Copyright’s figures.
I spent a little while chatting with both artists and picking up on more of how the street/graffiti art scene works in Bristol, and a little about the work Paul Monsters does at Upfest. Such gents, and patient with my questions and observations.
What a wonderful welcome for visitors to Bristol and joyous sight for those coming home. I will post about the other two pieces at this location soon.
(why I don’t like) Ivy
Its relentless surge
strangling dispassionately
all it encounters
and the berries, destined to
paint my car in pigeon poop.
by Scooj
- I was going to leave this as a haiku, but had so much more to say, and the rage in me added the two extra lines to make the tanka. The first version used a different word to poop, but I moderated it a little. Feel free to use the original word if it makes it more impactful.
775. Kings Square Avenue (4)
There are several street/graffiti artists in Bristol who never seem to stop, and ranking high amongst those is Deamze. This compressed piece is from a few weeks ago and takes the format of his wildstyle lettering and a character.
I am guessing that the character is some kind of hog or pig – probably from a cartoon series that I never watched on TV.
The colours in this work, especially the dayglow pink and green set on a purple background create an eye-catching piece for passers by. Deamze has occupied this spot for as long as I have been blogging, and probably sometime longer than that.
Natural adventures 