The tube

 

Empty expressions

sad pale figures lined up like

lambs to the slaughter.

 

by Scooj

322. The Bearpit 23

There are some artists who are so very hard to trace, and that is all part of the game. One such artist is The Agent…or at least that is what I think his name is. Another member of SSOSVA and another stencil artist. The Agent has a liking for dressing up Minions in rather menacing costumes or personas – in this instance a banana toting Frankenstein’s monster.

The Agent, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016
The Agent, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016

I have only seen a couple of his works around the Bristol area, suggesting that he is perhaps a visitor. I will update this post as and when I find out more. Who can’t resist a Minion?

UPDATE – I met The Agent at Upfest 2016, and he is most definitely from Bristol, furthermore, he is the father of another great Bristol street artist. So it just shows how easy it is to get things wrong…and embarrassing at times too. All part of the game.

321. Old Bread Street (5)

Just a quick post this time of the very prolific Voyder. This piece was down on the hoardings with pieces by Sepr and Deamze and Sled One, so I guess it was part of an ASK get together.

Voyder, Old Bread Street, Bristol, June 2016
Voyder, Old Bread Street, Bristol, June 2016

This is so typical of the outstanding pieces Voyder produced in a style that is unmistakably his. Although prolific (I make that assumption from looking at his Instagram stream), I think some of his works are quite inaccessible. He seems to spend a lot of time in large derelict buildings, which are off the beaten track, and certainly not on my radar. I think I have a large enough territory without seeking out new places.

Where the bee sucks…

 

Interdependent

we and the pollinators

let’s look after them.

 

by Scooj

#beesneeds

320. Greville Road (3)

Inspired by this recent post by Frankie Beane, I went in search of some pictures I had in my archive by the same artist. Miss Wah is a street artist and designer from Worcester who loves to doodle (you’d never guess) and who’s art is in the Kawaii style. There is more about the artist on her website.

Miss Wah, Greville Road, Bristol, January 2016
Miss Wah, Greville Road, Bristol, January 2016

This piece sits in the garden/yard of the Hen and Chicken on Greville Road, and is in the very good company of a piece by My Dog Sighs – a favourite artist of mine. This was not so much a collaboration as a sharing of space at Upfest 2015.

My Dog Sighs, Greville Road, Bristol, January 2016
My Dog Sighs, Greville Road, Bristol, January 2016

The day I went photographing these was too bright, and unfortunately the pictures are not very good because of the sun/shade issues. This is part of the reason I hadn’t posted them, but thanks to Frankie Beane, here they are. I would expect this whole area of Greville Road to be repainted in less than two weeks when Upfest 2016 begins.

My Dog Sighs, Greville Road, Bristol, January 2016
My Dog Sighs, Greville Road, Bristol, January 2016

Windy day

 

Neither warm nor cold

this Summer breeze shakes green leaves;

sounds of ocean waves.

 

by Scooj

 

319. North Street, Coop Pharmacy

This is the first of many posts I will be making from an artist known as RIP. This is a ‘cheeky little one’ that RIP seems to be very fond of. He is a stencil artist based in Stoke-on-Trent, but obviously a frequent visitor to Bristol, and in particular North Street. The stencils are often, but not always, political and are sprayed in the ‘tolerated’ illegal spots.

RIP, North Street, Bristol, January 2016
RIP, North Street, Bristol, January 2016

RIP is an active member of SSOSVA (the Secret Society of Super Villain Artists) (or not so secret now…) an international collective of artists founded in 1921 by Silent Bill – or so it says on their website. Other members I have featured include Dice 67 and John D’oh.

I don’t know why I haven’t posted RIP’s work before because there is a lot of it around. Don’t be surprised to see a rash of posts in the coming weeks.

318. Leonard Lane (8)

A trip down memory/Leonard Lane. Some of my earliest posts were from this incredible little alleyway that defines the boundary line of the old City. It is full of little treasures, and this is one of them. A beautiful bear by Stewy. This bear has suffered the indignity of having several additions scribbled on it, but thankfully was given a bit of a makeover a couple of months ago. It is not in pristine condition, but then again very little of the street art in Leonard Lane is.

Stewy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, September 2015
Stewy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, September 2015

Stewy is a master stencil artist who specialises in creating stencils of well known people, and in this street is a work he did of DJ Derek before he went missing and passed away. The lane is also strewn with a menagerie of Stewy animals, perched and placed along its length.

Hope fading

 

The elves are leaving

Middle Earth never to come

back; my sad heart weeps.

 

by Scooj

317. Leake Street tunnel, London (2)

I think that most of the posts about the pieces I photographed in Leake Street on 4 July 2016 are going to be quite short. I say this because I am having difficulty researching the artists, and it is a world unfamiliar to me. I guess also, because I have a Bristol bias, I am lazier about finding out more about London-based artists. Is that a bad thing?

This rather charmingly grotesque piece is by Woskerski – I would guess a Polish immigrant, who like all Europeans, is most welcome in our country. I cannot express my shame at what our nation has decided to do, and how some sectors of our society think it is ok to behave in the way they have since the referendum. I will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Europe and seek greater integration, collaboration and understanding.

Woskerski, Leake Street tunnel, London, July 2016
Woskerski, Leake Street tunnel, London, July 2016

The piece was sprayed as part of the #do1cancer campaign to raise awareness and money for Colchester Hospitals Charity.