Street artist Attai (also known as Butch Attai) lives in London and has a fondness for painting houses on stilts. His artwork is typically found on shutters and scaffolding around the city. The houses are colourful and bring colour to the grey walls.
For more information about the artist, see his Twitter page here: https://twitter.com/butch_attai
This summer, London and Bristol hosted sculpture trails 'Shaun in the City', and I spent time trekking around London and around Bristol in order to find all of the sculptures. I went to Bristol in August. A couple of years ago, Bristol hosted 'Gromit Unleashed' (here and here) and one of the Gromit statues was in front of a wall near the waterfront. Behind the sculpture, local Bristol street artist Cheo painted a wall with a very hip-looking Wallace and Gromit.
This summer, Cheo painted Shaun the Sheep with the dog Bitzer on a wall next to the original mural.
No sculptures of Shaun were placed in front of the wall this year, but both could be seen and photographed side-by-side in this prime location in Bristol.
The murals are still on display in Bristol and are located near the waterfront. My photographs do not really do them justice as the day was quite sunny with sun and shade from the trees obscuring the photograph.
When I first saw work appear by ALO in London in early 2013 (my first post can be read here), I instantly fell in love with this unique style. The artist has built up the technique since, and I've covered his work in the following posts 'ALO Part 2', 'ALO part 3', and 'ALO Part 4'. The artist had not been around London for a little while until earlier this summer. I noticed that several new portraits had popped up across the city, so I photographed all of the new work that I could find to include in this blog post.
I love finding a new painting by ALO. Happy hunting.
I took out an annual subscription of beauty and skin-care subscription box 'Love Me Beauty'. When I took out the subscription, the product allowed you to select one of four pre-made beauty boxes. However, on my third month, they changed the format so that you could select your items. I preferred the old format, and I received more items than being able to select all items that I wanted. I also found several months to be lacking to find items that I really wanted to try as all of the items were the same (mainly all lip stick or mainly all nail polish). I was not happy with the subscription service, so I made sure that my subscription did not renew after the year. If I would have known that they were going to bring in these changes when I signed up, I would not have signed up for an annual subscription.
Reviews of the products that I tried are below and I hope that this will help you determine the selection of products available each month.
June
I felt that this month were a little more on track with the different types of products that I could pick up, but I have tried a lot of the products before.
Green People Gentle Cleanse & Makeup Remover: This product promises to cleanse and remove make-up, and it is an organic product for those who are conscious about too many chemicals. The product did the trick for me.
Lord & Berry Velluto Liner 'Steel Grey': This is a dark grey eyeliner, and I've got a similar pencil in a slightly lighter colour. I love the way this looks on me.
Lord & Berry 20100 Shiny Lip Crayon 'Replay': I do like Lord & Berry products, and I opted for this brown lip crayon shade, which is a colour that is wearable for me and not too bright. I also love that it's not too clumpy.
Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish in 'Hyde Park Place': I like the colour of this off-grey/natural nail polish, but it does take a little while to dry.
This month, I opted for more lip products as there's plenty on the website, and I also selected a mascara.
OFRA Long Lasting liquid lipstick in 'Hollywood': This is a brighter shade than the same product that I purchased last month. Because the colours on the website images are not accurate, I had no idea what the shade would be like when it arrived. This is a little too bright for me, but I like the brand.
Mirenesse Mattifinity Lip Rogue in 'Rome': This is a lovely tan-brown matte shade, and I loved this product. I felt the colour suited me, and I liked the fact that it was a matte instead of high gloss.
Mirenesse iCurl Secret Weapon 24 He Mascara 'Black': I liked the brush on this product because it contours to my lashes, so it's easy to apply and isn't lumpy like some other mascara products that I've used in the past.
This month's box turned up with three products that were all a similar colour, even though they did not really look similar in the photographs. I opted for two lip products and a blusher.
OFRA Long Lasting liquid lipstick in 'Laguna Beach': The lipstick is a matte colour and I would consider trying out other products in the brand.
ModelCo Creme Rouge Blush in 'Just Peachy': This is a nice shade and I have no issues with the product.
ModelCo Lip Laquer Lip Gloss in 'Morocco': The shade suits me, and I like the matte effect of this lip gloss. It's also not sticky.
Cailyn Dizzolv'It cleansing balm: This product was able to remove make-up and dirt without too much hassle, and I would use it again. It feels better on my skin than wiping away with soap and water.
Organis Surge face mask: This facial mask made my skin feel refreshed and firmer after using it. I did enjoy using this product.
Nails Inc special effect polish: This is a high-glitter blue nail polish. I thought that it looked especially pretty, but overall, I was disappointed with the product because it did not last long before it started to chip away. It was also very lumpy, so I would not purchase it again.
Cailyn mineral eye polish: I really wanted the bronze shade, but it was unavailable when I placed my order (typical it was back in stock the following day). I purchased the pink shade instead. Pink isn't my colour. I like the idea of the product and the shimmer; it's just a pity that this is the wrong shade for me.
I struggled to find new products this month that I have not tried before. I ended up spending my credits on Nailberry nail polish, which I have not used before, but I liked the packaging design. These turned out to be really nice and all three dried quickly and were easy to apply with the brush.
Nailberry polish in 'Baby Blue': This is a light blue-green shade, and it's trending at the moment. This was my favourite colour out of the three that I used.
Nailberry polish in 'Groseille': This is a light pink shade.
Nailberry polish in 'Strawberry Jam': This is a dark reddish-purple shade that does remind me of strawberry jam and summer.
I-Tech liquid liner in 'Aesthetic': I really enjoyed the torquoise shade of this product that I picked up last month. This is a brown liner that is a liquid-based and easy to use to line the lids of the eyes. I'm not sure the brown colour is really my style, but there was nothing else that I liked the look of, so I was stuck with this one.
BB Highlighting Pen (Almo): This is a decent highlighting pen and is a little thick to use, but it does the job.
Jessica nail polish in 'A La Mode': I expected this colour to be a grey shade, but it's actually a nude shade. The product glides on and it dries quickly.
Radiance Cream Eye Shadow in 'Velvet': This is a liner-shadow, and it's a nice colour, but I found it difficult to apply as the product seemed to be really dry inside. It almost seems that the product is faulty.
Color Perfect Duo Eye Shadow: These two shades compliment each other to be blended, and this is the perfect size of product to carry away for application on the go.
I had some additional trouble with Love Me Beauty this month. According to the website, my items were different and my box was not as ordered. Also, my box never arrived so they had to send out a new one with my items, and I only received it just in time for Christmas. I am hoping that this is the last of my issues with Love Me Beauty now as it has been something every month.
S5 Balance Fluid: This is an anti-aging moisturiser. It is absorbed into the skin and does not feel greasy. I am not sure of the results because this would need to be monitored over some time.
OPI nail lacquer in 'My Little Petunia': This is a purple colour, and I like OPI polishes, so I decided to get this to replace a similar OPI shade that I have since thrown away because it was drying out.
Jamma Kidd eye liner in 'abstract': This is a pale turquoise colour, and I really like the product and do not have anything quite like it. The brush is a little too long, in my opinion, and it was a little difficult to apply.
Anatomicals 'never lose your cherry' lip balm: I love the packaging design for this brand. The brand always include witty sentences on their packaging. This cherry lip balm tastes like sweets. It's slightly sticky on my lips, but it's also nourishing. The lip balm also contains sun protection.
This was not a great month for Love Me Beauty, with the exception of a lot of new products added to their website that I was dying to try. My November order from Love Me Beauty was screwed up. Firstly, they did not send the complete order, and I had to contact them. I finally received my box at the beginning of December. Secondly, I did not get one of the products (a blush) that I had ordered, and they gave me a product that I will never use (a tanning remover sponge) in its place. As time goes on, I get less and less impressed with this subscription service. In June, I signed up for a year. Two months after signing up, they changed their subscription format to enable users to select the items that they wish to receive. It has gone downhill from there with products that I am not keen on and an over-abundance of nail polish products and the same brands month-on-month but little else.
Anatomicals Spray Misty for Me Facial Spritz: This facial spritz makes my skin feel refreshed. This is the ideal product to take on holidays to use after a long plane flight as traveling on a plane dehydrates the skin. The spritz has a slight fruity fragrance.
Ciate Velvet Manicure (in Blue Suede): This nail polish uses velvet fabric pieces over the top of the nails to create unique nail art. This is a little fiddly and messy to apply the loose velvet to nails once they have been painted, and the hard work does not last too long before it wears off. This is a unique idea but it seems impractical to me.
Revitale Royal Jelly and Collagen Face Mask: This facial mask is slightly fiddly to put on. The mask comes in one piece and should be peeled off the packaging and placed on the face. There are holes for the eyes and nose area. The instructions inform that the product should be left on for approximately 15 minutes, but I left it on a little longer. This made my skin feel cleaner, but it was a little too fiddly for me.
Revitale Nose Strips: Similar to the face mask above, I found these strips to be fiddly to pull off the packaging. Charcoal and magnets are used to remove skin impurities around the nose area. Despite being initially fiddly, I liked the results. The product cleared my pores. I would use these again.
Bronze Buffer: Love Me Beauty messed up my order. Instead of the blusher that I was meant to receive, I received this tanning remover sponge. I do not use tanning cream, so this buffer sponge is useless to me. It can possibly be used for something else, but I am not sure what I will do with it. Perhaps it will be given to a friend.
I had an issue with my box not arriving this month, and I think that they had delays in sending the boxes out. They added two credits to my account as a result, so I will have an additional two credits to use next month!
Percy & Reed Hair Shine & Fragrance Spray: This product promises to give hair shine and leave it scented. This hair fragrance has a floral scent, but I do not think that the scent lingered in my hair for too long. It did seem to give my hair a little bit of a shine, but I was not overly impressed with the product.
Weleda Calendula Massage Oil: This product claims to aid in the rebuilding of the protecive layer of skin. This is to be massaged into the skin and it left my skin with a slight fragrance.
Malin+Goetz Mojito Lip Balm: On the first use, the balm tasted like Mojito. After the product had been opened and after about three uses, the flavour completely disappeared. The product made my lips feel nourished, although it is sticky. I would not buy it again.
Street artist Martin Ron has a new mural in Ely's Yard off of Brick Lane. The artist, originally from Argentina, has visited London before (last summer) and created some stunning artwork, including the break-dancing Royal Guard on Hanbury Street and a badger 'Badgergate' mural on the Village Underground wall. This summer, he was back in the city and painted a smaller wall in Ely's Yard.
The mural features a man with burning hair, holding up a burning finger.
Next to Martin Ron's mural is another mural by Jiant. The mural features a bear.
The artists also collaborated on a mural together in Hackney. I have not yet been able to check this out for myself, but photographs and a write-up of this mural can be read here: http://www.streetartnews.net/2015/08/martin-ron-jiant-collaborate-on-new.html
Joan Miró was a painter and sculpture from Spain. The sculptures he created were from objects that he discovered, and he was also fond of using natural objects and sensual shapes. These were nearly always cast in bronze, but some of them have been painted in bright colours. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam currently has twenty of these sculptures on display around its gardens, and they are on display until the end of September.
The two largest sculptures are located in the fountain in a prime view in front of the Rijksmuseum. They are actually by artist KAWS.
Miro's sculptures are abstract, and he used a lot of circular and feminine shapes. In some cases, such as the above sculptures, the objects can look like a bird or a woman.
The above sculpture consists of objects that Miro discovered on walks: an ironing board, donkey's straw sunhat, a turtle shell, and a toilet seat. These were assembled to have a feminine appearance and painted in bright colours.
Miro would often use objects discovered to create artwork. In the case of the sculpture above, the bottom part was created from an almond shell, which he enlarged and created with plaster. The 'head' is made from a pebble, which was similarly enlarged. These were then covered in bronze.
The below sculpture was created with mannequin legs and a tap.
The sculptures can be on display until the end of September around the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Earlier this year, street artist NEVER, (also known as "Mr. Never Satisfied") from the US visited London and painted a couple walls in the city. The artist is from Atlanta and is known for creating images of owls, but he now lives in New York City. The murals are titled "Nothing to lose / nothing to gain / nothing to prove" and "they made me do it".
The street artist took his name "Mr. Never Satisfied" based on the fact that he was not happy with his work and overly-critical of it. He doesn't need to be, because I think the work is brilliant.
In addition to the two pieces I was able to photograph, the artist had also painted another wall on Hanbury Street in London, but it was quickly painted over.
For more information about the artist, visit https://www.facebook.com/joyfulowls
Street artist Don Smith has been exceptionally busy with creating and painting new street art around the streets of London this year. His work is always noticeable as he uses stencils to create vibrant pieces, which mainly feature portraits. Over the spring, I saw several new pieces pop up around Brick Lane, which I covered here and here. The artist has continued painting a new piece regularly, and the latest new piece is the largest that I've seen the artist create.
The new piece is located on a high profile wall on Hanbury Street, just off of Brick Lane. The mural is an advertisement for the film "Legend". The film is about the Kray Twins, who were notorious criminals in east London. Luckily, this area of London was quiet when I visited on Saturday morning, so I managed to get an unobscured photograph.
Close-ups of the mural are below.
In addition to this new mural, I also discovered a few new murals by Paul "Don" Smith around east London. I've included these below along with others that I photographed earlier in the summer.
Juliette Lewis and the Licks
The Rock
Alexander and Buephalus
Wall on Hanbury Street
Mary Poppins
The Avengers
The Banker
Lewis Collins
Gary Little, Rest in Peace - TerrySue and Patt
'We are your friends' - Max Joseph & Emily
Harry Potter
Aragorn, the King - Lord of the Rings
Blanchett 'Galadriel' and Aragorn - Lord of the Rings
Gary Little; Zac Efron 'Max Joseph'
RIP Terry Sue Patt
'London Road' Hardy
DeNiro
Martin Luther King
The Vision
The Kiss, Poison
Malala
Don and the Banker
The artist is having a busy year this year when compared with the previous couple of years, so I expect to see more of his work appear. His work will certainly define London's ever-changing street art of the year this year.
Over the later part of the summer, twenty-one sculptures of the DNA double helix were scattered across London. These were on display until the 6th of September, and I managed to see a few of them before they were taken off the streets. The trail is titled "What's in your DNA" and it aims to raise money for Cancer Research charity to build a new research centre.
Thierry Noir
Several artists participated in the designs of the individual sculptures, and artist Thierry Noir was one of those to contribute. Thierry Noir was one of the first graffiti artists; he painted his colourful faces on the Berlin Wall. I've covered his work several times, including here and here.
Michael Howells
Darren Baker
Jane Morgan
Pilar Enrich
Ian Callum
I wish I could have seen all of them before they were taken off the streets to be auctioned as some of them looked very good.
Dutch collaborative art group Telmo Miel recently painted at Upfest in Bristol before going to London to paint up a high profile wall on Pedley Street at the corner of Brick Lane. The artwork, titled "Glove Loves" features a hybrid panda and human girl with a giant blue glove around them. The actual names of the artists are Telmo Pieper and Miel Krutzmann, and they met and started to collaborate on their creative endeavours in 2007.
Their work is characterised by hybrid-subjects and gloves. Plastic gloves feature prominently in their work, and they have created a series of artworks based on them. The piece on Brick Lane is a fantastic addition to London's street art scene, and I'd love to see the duo create larger and more-detailed pieces.
For more information about the artists, visit their website (http://www.telmomiel.com) or their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TelmoMiel
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