Anticipation
of snow, too much to bear; still
the child is in me.
by Scooj
Tag: Urban
566. Upfest 2016 (77)
This rather nice large, clean piece by 45RPM, one of Bristol’s finest street artists, captures the theme of the festival ‘Mr Men’ (and little Miss) with a new addition of Mr Paint? I’m not sure what he is called, but it is a witty piece painted in the spirit of the event.
The wall though is a complete bugger to photograph. It would seem that the parking bay in front of it is reserved 24/7 for white van man (although in this case a Range Rover)! I can’t count how many times I have been to north street to photograph this piece, and there it is…some bloody van. So I will calm down, and you will just have to put up with van pollution in my pictures. To help me retain my poise, I offer two other pieces by 45RPM – an owl, and an anteater…ahhhh that’s better.
565. Upfest 2016 (76)
2016 was a highly charged year on the political front, and many artists who came to Upfest presented various viewpoints and commentaries on the major issues of our time. One of the most compelling was this incredible portrait of Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition.
‘When you cut out a man’s TONGUE, you are not proving him a LIAR, you’re telling the world that you FEAR what he might say’
This was a view supported by many on the left of the Labour Party, and is a nice quote. The portrait itself is really stunning, and captures the man extremely well. right down to the beige suit.
564. Picton Lane (8)
This is a little spot in a very narrow lane where Aspire likes to paint his birds. I recently posted a work from here of a couple of house sparrows. This, according to Aspire’s website is a coconut lorikeet. So very beautiful and nicely painted, as one would expect from Aspire.
The lane itself is so narrow, that taking decent pictures is really difficult. One note I would make though is that the pictures look ever so slightly out of focus. This is not in fact the case – Aspire manages to create a hint of soft focus on some of his pieces, and you can see this on both the lorikeet and the sparrows.
I will never tire of finding and reporting on Aspire’s work. I tried to find some in London’s Leake Street recently, but failed.
563. Raleigh Road, Vector (4)
Alongside works by Voyder, Deamze and Soker sits this unusual and rather good collaboration by two great graffiti artists – Beastie and Decay. The Decay element is easy to identify, displaying all his concentric shapes and tones although this time in blues, rather than the usual reds, greys, whites and blacks that are his favoured colours.
Had the piece not been signed, it would have taken me a little while to identify Beastie’s contribution on the left. Some will remember his mischievous cat in Stokes Croft that had been tagged, but has now been resurrected. Because I only see occasional works by Beastie, I haven’t properly ‘got my eye in’ with his stuff, and his style is rather more broad than some other artists.
This is an interesting collaboration with a rather solemn message, but i think they have carried it off really well. Such a pity about the black line through the piece, but you have to be quick these days.
562. Richmond Road (2)
I took a stroll in Montpelier a little while ago and visited some streets I have not been to before, and some others that I haven’t been to for a long while. I was very pleased to find this Tom Miller piece on Richmond Road, and although it has been quite heavily tagged, it still conveys loads of movement and emotion in the world of Miller’s ‘imaginite’.
561. Ashley Road (10)
Although Face F1st’s work is, on first viewing, not as spectacular or striking as some of the other local street artists, there is something very cultured and empathetic about his work. The familiar technique of incorporating a girl’s portrait into the word ‘face’ combined with the soft colour schemes marks out Face F1st’s pieces as something rather special.
Grey sky sailing
.
Masters of the air
gulls soaring effortlessly
and pigeons dancing.
.
by Scooj
560. Armada Place (9)
Well this pair is a rather good collaboration of wildstyle writing from Whysayit and Nero. Whysayit’s work can be found dotted all over Bristol, and as well as these more elaborate burners, he does his fair share of tagging too. The colours are very easy on the eye and the translucent effect really clever.
559. St Werburghs tunnel (4)
I have really grown to like the work of OHMS as it is markedly different from anything else on the Bristol graffiti art scene. I still haven’t tracked down the artist or crew, but will find something before too long I hope.
The work of OHMS usually appears to have an artistic theme based around the letters OHMS. They range from a ‘jungle‘ theme to a ‘cartoon space‘ theme for exmple. Always the filling of the lettering is ornate and colourful, and often includes artistic motifs. In this work an ancient Egyptian theme runs through it.
As the pictures were taken in a tunnel, they don’t really convey the vibrancy of this piece, but is is very good. Looking forward to loads more from OHMS as 2017 unfolds.
Natural adventures 