Obvious Pop

It was a great opening night to Horace Panter, bassist of The Specials', exhibition in the cool location of the The Square Gallery last Thursday.

Curated by 1loveart, the exhibition had a very apt name; Obvious pop. With pieces that included the iconic McDonalds and Coca-Cola branding the show had an anti-capitalist feel. There was also a strong musical influence to Panter’s work, with images of cassettes and montages dedicated to musicians such as BB King and Bo Diddley.

Panter describes himself as the luckiest guy in the world; a touring musician and an artist when he’s home, something I’d have to agree with.

DJ Derek accompanied the opening night which was a real treat.
The Square Gallery is open daily from 11am - 10pm. Obvious Pop will run until September 2013.

The Big Park Draw 2013

This is not the luckiest project of the summer with some strong winds during their first Saturday draw and some pretty heavy showers during the second!

This didn't stop the fun however...I'd forgotten how relaxing it is to sit and draw in the great outdoors. A big thank you to the team who run this event. There were people from young to old having a go at putting on paper the sights of the park or anything else that came into their minds.

Fingers crossed for some calmer weather for the third big park draw on 6 July 10.30 - 5pm. You'll find the event in the gazebo next to Mrs Brown's Cafe.

(Photos by local photographer David Smith)

My attempt!

Intricate Insects

UWE student, Rosie McLay, has some intricate lino prints with gold leafing on show at the Victoria Park pub this month. Rosie’s subject matter is insects and the portrayal of death as an event that unites us all / shouldn't be shied away from. I particularly like Rosie’s grotesque skeletal sculptures of insects (£50 each).

Rosie’s work is juxtaposed alongside Cordelia Hutchinson’s idyllic oil paintings which I've previously blogged about.

Rosie has also recently exhibited at The Parlour Rooms in the show By Natural Causes.

...mentioning UWE just reminded me that the degree show is currently on at the Bower Ashton Campus and Spike Island until 13 June.

Colourful Illusion

“If we choose, we can live in a world of colourful illusion”

3Dom’s take on Noam Chomsky’s quote is exactly what he paints; colourful illusion. I like the out of this world, sense of fun that his work brings. It certainly livened up the M32 Underpass in the rain this morning! This smoking man, done with spore and macism, has some pretty cool details like the smoke from his mouth and the light from his eyes.

If you’re from the Bristol area the chances are you’ll recognise some of the other pieces 3Dom has worked on.

More local art

What big eyes you have

These are some haunting eyes, found heading through the M32 underpass - St Agnes side. It really does feel as though you could see into her soul. This piece and others below are the work of Irish street artist, Eoin, who decorates landscapes with eyes intended to bring you to the point of reflection - a spiritual place. I've included Eoin's recent work from Upfest urban paint festival.

Upfest 2013

More local art

Suffolk

I renewed my love of Suffolk last week on holiday by the coast and spotted a few artists that I wanted to share…

The first of which is Suffolk’s Maggi Hambling, often pictured with her customary fag-in-mouth. Hambling’s wild wave paintings are everything I love about the sea; full of colour and ferocity. Her enormous steel sculpture of a scallop on Aldeburgh beach is a piece to stop and sit by. The sculpture was made in honour of Suffolk composer, Benjamin Britten, and is inscribed with the words "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" from Britton’s opera Peter Grimes which he wrote for life partner, Peter Pears. I lay on the pebbles to take in the enormity of this powerful and romantic sea sculpture.

Peter Grimes will be performed on the beach as part of the Aldeburgh music festival beginning 7 June.

Another artist whose work I spotted in several venues during my stay in Suffolk was that of David Kirk. His pop arty graphic style depicts some of the well-loved scenes of the county.

The third artist I wanted to mention is Suffolk-based Theronda Hoffman, whose work I spotted in the art Gallery at the Suffolk county show. Hoffman is owner of Kesgrave Arts in Ipswich and works in a variety of mediums. I love the sense of freedom her loose sketchy style brings.

C215

There's some new graffiti in progress on the side of the Masonic Pub on North Street this morning by Christian Guemy aka C215. The Parisian street artist uses his work to bring attention to groups forgotten or marginalised by society - I've included some of his other work. It's amazing to see huge street art in progress and there'll be plenty more to see this weekend throughout Upfest. This is Europe's largest live urban art festival taking place at these locations along North Street so don't miss out!

More local art

Moon Rabbit

I often fall in love with the illustration in children’s books, like Eric Carle's The Hungry Caterpillar and Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, to name but a few. Moon Rabbit by Natalie Russell is another absolute beauty. The Dundee based author, illustrator, and printmaker has used some simple and imaginative screen-prints to bring this tale to life. Perfect for a dreamy bedtime story, and I believe the original prints are still available to buy.

Andrew Varcoe

Bridging the gap between trendy North Sreet and Bedminster High Street, Cafe Atlas is supporting local artists with space to display and sell their work. This month there are some epic Bristol shots from Andrew Varcoe, an employee at the Grant Bradley Gallery. Pop in to see his work and sample the ostrich burger, I kid you not!

More local art

Cottage on North Street

This is such a great way to turn a rundown shop front into a fairy tale cottage.

Nautical Knitting

What an amazing knitted, crocheted and needle-felted underwater scene in the Paper Village shop window. This stopped me in my tracks as I wandered along North Street this morning! Paper village, an artist led shop, organised this great community project, giving away free patterns in return for homemade fish, sea creatures, weed, sea anemones, urchins and coral. The display will be up for the Southbank Arts trail this weekend.

More local art

St Werburghs Graffiti

I snapped these two pieces of street art on my cycle home through St Werburghs and across the M32 today.

M32 Subway

Giant mural by KTF crew (2010)

Lawrence Westland

Some brilliant photo manipulations of Windmill Hill by Bristol based Lawrence Westland. These really amused me.