Results matching “paint”

Spanish-based street artist Sr. X is currently in the UK with some of his artwork exhibiting in the Delerium Art Exhibition in Dalston. The artist has painted several times in London previously and uses an illustration style with vintage characters and plays with showing their emotional states through art and also uses vintage advertising and graphic design styles. His most recent piece appeared over the weekend on scaffolding near "Bull in a China Shop" under the Shoreditch High Street bridge. It is titled "The Back of Your Mind."

The work shows a vintage-style illustration of a smiling man whose first layer of face has come off to reveal another man hidden inside. The man on the outside looks smiling, but the alter-ego inside has a somewhat sinister-looking expression hidden in the shadows of the mind. It's another wonderful piece from a street artist whose work I appreciate.

Other artwork by Sr. X (Senor X) on this blog can be seen in the below posts:

Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Sr. X (Señor X) "The Rapture" Street Art on the Village Underground
Sr. X (Señor X) "The Itching" Street Art off Brick Lane
New Sr X Octopus on Hackney Road
Sr.X Paints Village Underground Wall
Sr.X "Buy Shit!" Sign on Village Underground
Sr X Collaborates with Zabou

Last summer, street artist Pez created a mural on Sclater Street, a high profile street for art near Shoreditch High Street station. The artwork is still in place at the time of writing because the street art doesn't change over as much as it used to here. Pez is a street artist from Barcelona and has often painted in London, sometimes collaborating with the other street artists. The mural "Smiling Since 1999" coincided with the Stolenspace Gallery exhibition by the artist, "PEZ: 20 Years Smiling with Friends". It features his colourful, smiling, fish-like characters. 

Pez has been painting since 1999 with his fish-like character making its way on walls around the world. The Stolenspace Gallery exhibit also featured the work of many other street artists, many of which were collaborators on Pez's work.

Additional work below appeared over the summer months in 2019, but I never posted them. None of these currently exist.

More street art by Pez can be seen by reading the posts on this blog below:

Street Art by Vova Zomb and Pez (Colour the Capital)

I've always loved history, and the story of "The Iliad" was one of my favourite classic works that I read at university. Classic western history has always been a favourite of mine, and the stories of the Greeks and the Romans and mythology always fascinated me. This exhibition explores the story as told by Homer (but probably re-told through the ages by great story-tellers before being written down by Homer) to the war between Greece and Troy. It tries to separate myth from reality. The exhibition seem to be accept that Troy did exist but attempts to look into the aspects of the suspected location and archeological findings. 

Two of the items near the beginning of the exhibition were a bust of Homer (obviously, no one knows what he would have looked like or even if he did exist) and a decorative vase with Achilles killing an Amazonian woman.

Achilles defeats an Amazon; a bust of Homer

The Trojan war starts off with Discord tossing in a golden apple and Paris of Troy picking Aphrodite as the most beautiful between the goddesses (Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite). Aphrodite promised Paris the most beautiful women in the world, Helen of Sparta. This conflict between the gods caused the gods to choose their own sides in the war to help in the battle between the humans. 

Paris judges the goddesses

The story of the war is depicted on decorative vases, room murals/mosaics, and carvings. Stories or parts of stories are often illustrated or produced in artwork. Many of the decorative items featured the judgement of Paris and the removal of Helen. The relationship between Helen and Paris is told through the artwork. It's sometimes depicted that Helen was upset at being used as a bargaining chip and forced to board the boat to Troy. It's always the gods and their interference depicted in the artwork. In the image below, Paris falls in love with Helen who admirers herself in the mirror, with the gods playing a role in the relationship.

In the below vase, the two meet but Aphrodite is there to ensure success. An image of a dog chasing a goose at the bottom of the drawing probably depicts how the gods see humans as pets/playthings.

Other vases and artwork depicts scenes from the story, such as an upset Achilles who refuses to fight after he has to give his trophy girl Briseis (yes, these stories depict women as gifts) to Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek army, requests. Odysseus is sent in an attempt to get Achilles to fight by making promises of gifts and the return of Briseis, but it fails; the army are not doing too well without him.

Achilles returns to battle and is spurred by the death of his friend Petroculs. To prepare for battle, Achilles is fitted with new armour as depicted below. 

To avenge the death of his friend, Achilles kills the man who killed him, Hector. He then drags the body around the grounds, which causes a lot of anger with the gods. The body is undamaged, however. The below image depicts the chariot dragging the body, and the left image depicts King Priam pleading Achilles for his son's body.

The Trojan horse signals the downfall of Troy. The Greek warriors hide inside the horse as it is pulled into the city walls of Troy. 

Cassandra, a priestess and daughter of King Priam, warns of the danger but is not listened to (in another common theme of women not being listened to). When the soldiers exit the wooden horse, they open up the gates of Troy and the city is seiged. The below image shows Cassandra being attacked as she tries to hold onto a statue of the goddess Athena in the temple. King Priam is also killed, marking the end of Troy.

Spin-off story Aeneas is also shown in the exhibition as the family that flees the burning of the city of Troy. They flee to Italy and are the mythological founders of Rome and depicted where Rome was to be founded with the suckling wolf and Romulus and Remus.

Another part of the exhibition mentions "The Odyssey" and the adventures of Odysseus showing scenes from the journey, such as the sirens in the sea, the witch Circe, and the cyclops. "The Odyssey" is the story of the warrior who wishes to return to his home in Greece, but the gods are upset with the Greeks after the city of Troy is seiged and how they sacrificed Polyxena (youngest daughter of King Priam) like an animal, so the winds required to sail are made quiet by the gods due to this. This also means that many years pass before Odysseus can return to his family and be reuinted with them.

Another part of the exhibition showed some of the earlier books of the stories. After this, the exhibition explored the location of Troy, which is thought to be called Ilois (located near Bounarbashi). The map shows some of the key players of the war and where the Greeks sailed to Troy on the coast of modern-day Turkey.

The settlement at Ilois is escavated after finding some artefacts. There is also evidence that the city had burnt, but this was before the time frame mentioned in the Homer story. The discovered settlement was also thought to be smaller than Troy should have been, and some of the artefacts possibly came from other places to make the discovery have greater appeal, such as some gold items known as "Priam's treasure".

Some of the items found were double-handed cups and vases with three-legs. These date from the time that the Trojan war was said to have taken place. Some of the jars feature animals, and others are thought to feature the goddess Athena.

There were several different versions of the discovered settlement of Troy, and these were examined and given a time period. Earthquake and fire were though to have destroyed the city at some point, and the only time frame that the Trojan war could have happened with the height of Mycenae in Greece was from 1400-1200BC. This places the version of Troy from 1750-1180BC to be a likely period where the war was fought; 1300BC marked an earthquake in which the city was rebuilt, so it could have been before or after this occured. The next version of Troy follows from 1180-900BC and marked a new wave of people from Europe settling here and moving across the Mediterranian area; there is evidence of a fire and war that happened before this phase of the city.

The above images depict examples of pottery found at the Greek city of Mycennae, a very rich and war-like city. Tablets were found with information mentioning Wilusa, a kingdom in western Turkey, and a leader Alaksandu who ruled from 1295-1272BC. These name closely matches an alternative name for Paris. 

The Trojan Horse

The remainder of the exhibit depicts how the stories were told in more modern times and how they inspired other works, such as a story by Shakespeare and modern films. Parts of the story were also illustrated, painted, sculptued, and created. 

Helen of Troy by Antonio Canova

The Judgement of Paris by William Blake

Another section focuses on the women of the story, such as Cassandra and Helen.

The golden jewellery was said to have been found in Troy and is part of Priam's treasure.

The exhibition of Troy: Myth and Reality was held at the British Museum from the 21st of November until the 8th of March. I finally managed to see the exhibition on the last day of it because it seemed to be a very popular exhibition and was booked full on the weekends and other peak times.

Brazilian-based street artist Cranio returned to London last month and painted a few walls. Cranio's last major visit to London was a few years ago now, and his work is always fun as his blue indigenous people interact with the surroundings. Cranio is inspired by environmental and social concerns in his artwork, but his characters appeal to a sense of humor in their surroundings. During his visit, he collaborated with London-based street artist Fanakapan and also painted a few walls himself; all of these exist on or near Brick Lane. 

The first that I came across is located at the end of Pedley Street and near the community gardens. One of the blue men carries a bag of money with a placard "I want to buy trees" attached to his person.

Further down Brick Lane, one of Cranio's blue characters points an arrow across the street.

In Star Yard off Brick Lane, I caught this fun drawing (above) of the blue man appearing as a Lego head from the popular plastic toy brick.

However, the largest mural by Cranio during his London visit is a collaboration with street artist Fanakapan. Fanakapan and Cranio have collaborated before, and you can see that work from the link at the bottom of this post. In this mural, Fanakapan has painted a chrome heart in time for Valentine's Day. On either side of the heart, two of Cranio's blue characters point an arrow at it. Perhaps they are taking the place of Cupid.

Previous artwork by Cranio on this blog can be seen by following the below links:

Collaboration Street Art: Cranio & Fanakapan
Cranio - Collaborations with Himbad, Zadok, & Kazz
Cranio's Newest Mural on Pedley Street: Blue Natives 
Cranio Repaints His Wall on Brick Lane
Cranio's Mural on Great Eastern Street
Recent Street Art in Early 2014
Street Art: Cranio, Senna, HIN, and Mo
Street Art: Cranio

Street artist calligrapher Said Dokins has painted in London a few times and painted a mural called "Alive" a few years ago on the same wall: Street Art by Said Dokins & Oliver Switch. Dokins is from Mexico, and he uses calligraphy to create his artwork with a society and destruction theme. The wall on Hanbury Street is the location of his most recent London work, and it appeared in 2019.

The mural is titled "Poisioned Seed" and has a poem:

"How should I go?
Will I leave nothing after me on Earth?
How should my heart act?
Are we in vain come to live,
to sprout on the ground?
Lets leave at least flowers
Lets leave at least song"

For more posts about Said Dokins, see:

Street Art by Said Dokins & Oliver Switch

A pizza restaurant on Brick Lane (near Star Yard) has become then mural for new Fanakapan street art. A couple years ago, Fanakapan painted the same walls here with a giant astronaut (you can see it from the link at the bottom of this post). This year, a pizza shop occupies the restaurant. According to the artist on his Instagram page, the artwork was inspired by the creator of PacMan, Toru Iwatani, who was inspired by seeing a pizza with a slice removed.

Like many of his other artwork, it is stylised as if it were a foil balloon floating above. In this case, the balloon covers the corner of the building.

Fanakapan also created another mural recently in collaboration with Brazilian-based street artist Cranio, featuring his little blue men.

Below are a few older pieces from Fanakapan that I don't think I ever posted or posted in another post.

Below are two that were heavily tagged over in a short amount of time, before I could capture a good photograph. So, I took them from the artist's Instagram. They're a little more rushed than the other work.

More street art by Fanakapan is located here:

Fanakapan Star Yard MagnaDonuts Mural
"Follow the Leader" by Fanakapan
Peace for Manchester
Fanakapan Paints Shoreditch Clowns
Chrome Balloon Dog in Star Yard
Fanakapan Paints "Power Tools" on Village Underground Wall
Fanakapan Paints "Drunk Glass Elephants"
Fanakapan, Horror Crew, & Jerry Rugg
Louis Masai and Fanakapan: "Freedom?"
New Chrome Street Art Mask by Fanakapan
Balloon Animal Street Art
Cranio & Fanakapan
Fanakapan and Horror Crew
Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Halloween Street Art (2018 and 2019)

Every now and then, I find myself at Waterloo or South Bank and decide to take a diversion to the Leake Street tunnel under Waterloo station where the street art and grafitti changes daily. Until fairly recently, one of my company's offices was located on South Bank by the Thames, and the nearest tube for me was the Jubilee Line, which exits not far from Leake Street. It's an area of London that I had not explored too much until then, though I rarely went to the office here. I captured some art work from some of those visits, so here you go.

The favourite piece is by Olivier Roubieu, and the artist paints a lot here. His speciality subject is realistic portraiture. You can read more about his work here: Olivier Roubieu Paints on Pedley Street. The above and below piece are painted on the ceiling.

Street artist 8Bit created the mosaic, a common medium and subject for the artist whose work has been spotted across London.

Sky High (5kyh1gh) creates a lot of grafitti style tags with colourful birds. More about the artist can be read here: Street Art: 5kyh1gh Kingfisher.

It appears that Cardboard Skeleton has been here too, and his work was amongst the first street art that I recognised in east London. More about the artist Cardboard Skeleton can be read here: Donk and Cardboard Skeleton Pitifield Street Collaboration

Olivier Roubieu seems to paint a lot in Leake Street.

There is also a piece dedicated to the late street artist Robbo.

And Enzo (Meeting of Styles 2018), famous for the witty illustrations.

I also captured a view of the majority of the Leake Street tunnel, shown below. The tunnel's artwork is changed often and is always a busy place. The tunnel extends a little further and around a corner in the open. It is continuously an area of creativity with some people offering workshops in street art and others experimenting with styles.

There's always something to see in Leake Street tunnel, but the work changes so often that many pieces (especially the great ones) are painted over very quickly. This is a place to go to visit on the day to see what has changed and to see if there are any gems. Weekends are probably a good time to visit.

Today, I've come across street art by Bambi that I took a few years ago and forgot to post. Since then, the street art no longer exists, but it used to be in Seven Dials at the start of the alleyway (on the Monmouth Street side) into a little mall not far from Neal's Yard. Today, this alleyway marks one of the entrances to Seven Dials Market. The artwork was painted in the summer of 2017 to mark the anniversary of Princess Diana's death. 

"Be As Naughty As You Want" shows Diana as the fictional Mary Poppins with a Harrods skirt, her umbrella opened and being watched by Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The text reads: "Be As Naughty As You Want, Just Don't Get Caught".

Winter Lights at Canary Wharf is celebrating its sixth year and has become an annual event in the London calendar for the middle of January. This was my fifth year visiting the Winter Lights festival at Canary Wharf; I never made it to the first year. Compared to the previous years, the event is slightly shorter this year, lasting only just over a week as opposed to two weeks. This year was the busiest that I have ever seen it, which may be due to the event being shorter (opening on a Thursday instead of a Tuesday), increased marketing from the previous year when numbers soared for the first time, and an increase in workforce in the area. 

Improved signage and volunteers helped keep the event organised, which was lacking the first four years, however, getting lost in those initial years actually allowed me to understand the layout of Canary Wharf so that it is no longer a maze for me). Some installations from previous years were included this year, but there were also many new installations too. Also, the Winter Lights bites street food stalls returned for their second year in a row but located in different areas this year and with more options. Another difference was that the trail covered a wider area of Canary Wharf than in previous years. Many of the light installations were colourful and interactive, and I managed to see them all this year without wind or operation issues. Continue reading to see what is on display this year.

Montgomery Square hosted one of the larger interactive installations again this year but left plenty of room for several street food trucks. One of these sold marshmallows for toasting in the cold January evening. I had the blueberry and gin marshmallow.

At the end of the night, I had a crumble with vanilla custard from a street food seller "Humble Crumble", and it was delicious.

I also had the wood-fired pizza, but it was different to last year's pizza, which was really tasty. This one was "Barney and the Pizza" and was good but did not quite hit the spot. This was located in the same place as last year along with four or five other vendors by Cabot Circus. 

AFFINITY BY AMIGO & AMIGO AND S1T2

This large scale illuminated artwork mimics how neurons send messages to the brain; the orbs near the ground send different colours up the chain of orbs above when they have been touched by viewers. Due to its large scale and ability to walk around and underneath the installation, it encourages viewer interaction, which also allows its colour and brightness to be transformed.

POOLS OF LIGHT

Thousands of plastic balls have been spilled inside the Jubilee Park decorative ponds, and colours of light are projected onto these white plastic balls. The colours change and reflect onto the ball-filled pools, giving them a glow.

CHROMATIC PLAY BY TINE BECH STUDIO

These alien-like creatures with "antennae" change colour when they sense movement near them, and they interact accordingly. These sculptures were inspired by the sense of personal space and how humans interact with one another in this "personal space".

16 BITS BY PARKER HEYL

Inside the shopping mall below Jubilee Park is another interactive installation. It is comprised of several blocks that move when visitors switch a series of levers in front of the installation; these move the blocks to create a unique installation piece using motion and light. The artist of this installation uses elements of mechanical engineering to create this interactive artwork.

SQUIGGLE BY ANGUS MUIR DESIGN

"Squiggle" is a sculpture with a series of glowing lights around it. The artwork's light change colour and pattern and seem to emit from the central sculpture. At times, the light moves like a wave; other times, the light is solid but changing in colour and intensity.

MI-E DOR DE TINE BY DAISLER ASSOCIATION

This phrase in this artwork is roughly translated from Romanian to English as "I miss you". However, the phrase is not an equal translation because it has a deeper feeling than the English phrase conveys. This installation hangs over the dock to reflect on the water and is an exchange with "Lights on Romania" art festival.

SASHA TREES BY ADAM DECOLIGHT

These illuminated and colour-changing trees are back for a second time at Winter Lights in Canary Wharf; they made an impact last year and look beautiful in this new square. The artwork appears to be pine trees, which are lit with colourful lights in blocks. The lights transform gradually between a series of colours on each block, creating a unique glowing artwork.

SHISH-KA-BUOY BY ANGUS MUIR DESIGN

These towering sculptures change and glow with different colours, absorbing the light to give off a glow during the day. They are constructed out of marine buoys. 

STRATUM BY STUDIO CHEVALVERT

This interactive installation is made from 92 metal totems, an the light from these change pattern and shape depending on how the user interacts with it using a sensor panel in front of the artwork. The lights pulsate, appear like water droplets, or completely illuminate and change pattern depending on how the visitor's hand is waved in front of a sensor. This is also set to a soundscape.

LACTOLIGHT BY LACTOLIGHT

Constructed out of used milk bottles in a giant circle, this unique artwork uses light and soundscape to charm viewers. This installation highlights the importance of recycling plastics. The artwork has colours projected onto it on which patterns were created and change.

TIME & TIDE BY PAUL & PUTE

This installation was on display last year and highlights the issues with plastic pollution. The item is constructed out of biodegradable material. The sculpture illuminates into an hourglass shape, which is meant to suggest that time is limited or that the planet is up against time.

SKY ON EARTH BY UAII STUDIO

This installation simulates being in the clouds in the middle of a storm. Crashes of thunder, wind sound, and flashes of bright light mimic a storm. Wind is also emitted, which sometimes lifts up the foam into the air. The installation is from a sky or cloud view.

DITTO BY ITHACA STUDIO

This chamber of light is decorated with mirrors on the floor and ceiling and bright orbs of light and colour. The visitor can interact with it by going inside the sculpture where there are benches to sit on to enjoy the surrounding of the changing colour, patterns, and to enjoy the accompanying soundscape.

ABSORBED BY LIGHT BY GALI MAY LUCAS

This light sculpture offers a social message about people being "glued" to their phones, which emit a glow. The light sculpture also encourages visitors to have a seat to pose for photographs as there is a free seat between the figures on the bench. 

LIQUID SOUND BY ENTERTAINMENT EFFECTS

As last year, the fountain in Cabot Square has become an installation set to light and music. The fountains move and create patterns with the beat of the song, and the lights of the fountain change colour.

MOUNTAIN OF LIGHT BY ANGUS MUIR DESIGN

This illuminated mountain of colourful blocks can be manipulated by the viewer in order to create their own colour or patterns. The colours are similar shades at first, then it is built up through interaction to be brighter and bolder multi-coloured elements. 

THE CLEW BY OTTOTTO

This installation is created using 100 circles of red light and is inspired by the architecture of the bridge and the glow of sunset reflecting on the water.

BIT.FALL BY JULIUS POPP

This year, the installation was broken and kept repeating the phrases "subscribe" and "access", which I think means that the installation failed to contact the news service feeds in order to gather the words from them that it uses to display as droplets of water and light and instead displays the generic subscription message. Although this installation is a permanent one and features every year at Winter Lights, I enjoyed seeing the words from the news that would surface on the water.

THE BRA TREE

This tree is covered in bras and then illuminated with light. It raises awareness of breast cancer and aims to raise money to support breast cancer charities.

NEON TREE BY HAWTHORN

This tree has been decorated with neon strings of light, and it really brightens up the square.

LIGHTBENCH BY LBO LICHTBANK

These light benches are part of the permanent collection and have been in place for three years now after having been showcased previously as temporary artworks at Winter Lights. The benches are illuminated and change colour, and they can be seen all year.

SEED OF LIFE BY AMBERLIGHTS

This installation or a similar one by the same company was on display a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, its current location inside the shopping mall isn't dark enough to highlight the real beauty of this object. The different colours of panel create a light and metallic effect.

CONSTELLATIONS BY STUDIO JOANIE LEMERCIER

"Constellations" is a production created using water mist, light, and sound. The image is projected onto a spray of water or mist from the dock below. This then shows animations of the sky, such as the moon at eclipse, black hole, and stars. With the water mist and light, shapes and patterns are formed.

DESIRE BY UXU STUDIO

This installation is created with a soundscape and pulsating red lights. On one side, it appears to be a pair of lips, and the side appears to be a heart. The lights pulsate, and this is a very photographic artwork.

LUMA PAINT LIGHT GRAFFITI BY LICHTFAKTOR AND BOMBER GRAFFITI

This interactive artwork was so popular that it returns again, and there was a long queue to participate in it. The creator of the artwork also becomes part of the artwork with an illuminated photograph of themselves taken to appear as part of the graffiti. They also "paint" light onto the canvas to create their own unique designs.

AQUATICS BY PHILIPP ARTUS

This artwork is similar to last year's parade of animals, but the artist is different. The installation mimics sea life swimming around. This is another interactive piece where the viewer can decide the shapes of the creatures.

Some of the permanent installations were not included this year, such as the lit-up trees in the sky garden, glowing reeds below the Crossrail station, and the illuminated walk-way to the Crossrail station. This is the first time in the six years that "WE COULD MEET BY MARTIN RICHMAN" (the reeds) were not included as one of the items in the trail, but it is a permanent installation.

Previous visits to the Winter Lights at Canary Wharf can be seen below:

Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2019
Winter Lights @ Canary Wharf 2018
Canary Wharf Winter Lights (2017)
Winter Lights @ Canary Wharf (2016)

London-based street artist Jim Vision always has a wall painted with his artwork somewhere in London. I've managed to accumulate a lot of photographs of his work over the past several months that I have not posted. The pieces range from a tribute to the "Avengers: Endgame" film, an environmental-message film advertising a programme "Our Planet", a series of dragons, and feminine faces. 

The most recent artwork appeared on Pedley Street off of Brick Lane and is a collaboration with Fanakapan and ThisOne, two other street artists who paint in London a lot. It was painted during the final days of the community gardens at the end of the street here. 

The below group of orange girls was painted at least two years ago, but I never got around to uploading it. It looks like a collaboration. 

The series of dragons appeared on Wheler Street near Shoreditch High Street tube.

The below image highlights the planet and the dangers that humans are causing to contribute to the demise of our planet home.

Lastly, I have photographed a lot of the mural on Hanbury Street. It was hard to photograph this wall because it is so large, and a sunny day can take away the detail. All of the popular characters from the "Avengers: Endgame" film are portrayed on the wall.

That's all of the photographs I got so far, but keep checking back for more street art.

Jim Vision's Street Art Tribute to Stan Lee
Street Art: 2Square, CodeFC, Jim Vision, Mr. Cenz, Peter Drew, Zadok
Jim Vision "Battlechasers" Street Art
Jim Vision "Lost Paradise" and Other Street Art
Jim Vision Adds to Tagged ROA Hedgehog and New Work
HumanNature Endangered13 Street Art Paint Jam, Day 2
New 'Star Wars' Street Art in Shoreditch