2394. King Street

Mr Penfold is a designer who paints quite a few commissions in and around Bristol, and his characteristically colourful patterns are unmistakably his work. I think that his art tends to divide opinion a little, but I have to say that I am always rather pleased to find a piece by him.

Mr Penfold, King Street, Bristol, August 2019
Mr Penfold, King Street, Bristol, August 2019

This one on King Street is a favourite spot for the artist and is a replacement for a piece he painted there a while back. The most annoying thing about it is that the red wheelie bin is permanently parked right in front of it and it is very hard to get a clean shot (you can see I failed miserably). The colours that Mr Penfold selects always reminds me of confectionary, in particular liquorice allsorts, you can probably see why. There is an interesting feature on the wall just to the right of Mr Penfold’s piece, which is the letters St N P, carved into the stone wall of. I don’t know if this is some kind of stone mason marking or a signpost or something else… answers on a postcard please.

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2393. New Stadium Road (18)

This is the second part of a four-way collaboration in the foot underpass at New Stadium Road between T-Rex, Tasha Bee, Decay and Ryder. The first half (the boy’s end) was posted here. As I always say about this location, the light was not helpful for getting good photographs, but you can still see the quality of the work.

T-Rex, New Stadium Road, Bristol, August 2019
T-Rex, New Stadium Road, Bristol, August 2019

On the left is a beautifully colourful piece of writing from T-Rex with some wonderful and varied fills and her trademark dinosaur character rounding off the ‘X’.

Tasha Bee, New Stadium Road, Bristol, August 2019
Tasha Bee, New Stadium Road, Bristol, August 2019

On the right is a very nice piece by Tasha Bee (Keep it Colourful) which reaches the very high standard I am used to seeing from her. Tasha Bee’s work never disappoints, and although she pretty much always paintsthese soulful styalised portraits, each one is an absolute beauty. All in all, it looked like these four artists had a great day out.

2392. Brunel Way Bridge (16)

Wowzer… this is quite the best piece I have seen by Pekoe yet. It is beautiful and I truly believe that in this piece we are witnessing an artist reaching a new level, I see it as a really significant piece. The blue-faced portrait has something very special about it, the expression, the tone, the confidence and of course that amazing hair.

Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, August 2019
Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, August 2019

In this piece I feel that Pekoe’s naive style has transformed into something altogether more sophisticated and mature, and I love it. I would like to think that a lot of thought, care and effort went into this piece, it certainly looks really tight.

Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, August 2019
Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, August 2019

The patterns in the hair are so typically Pekoe, but the addition of three layers of base colour add an extra dimension. The eyes too work well with several dots in each creating a glassy effect, very clever. There is so much to like about this work. Bravo Pekoe!

2391. Dean Lane skate park (241)

Hurrah, it is that time of year again when Feek gets to work on the large ramp at Dean Lane skate park in preparation for the Dean Lane Hardcore (DLH) event. I don’t know if he takes it upon himself to decorate this ramp or whether he is invited to do it, but whatever the reason it is an annual August highlight at Dean Lane.

Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019

This year’s monster is painted in a dark blue colour, quite an unusual colour for street artists, and sports a fine row of sharp teeth and bloodshot eyes in yellow and pink… why not. Although the monster is quite fierce, it also has a warmth about it.

Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019

The observant among you will have noticed that the bloodshot eyes spell out Dean Lane Hardcore, so there is no mistaking that this was prepped for the event. I’m glad I got to see it in pretty much pristine condition, because the skaters scuff it up pretty quickly and after the event these pieces can look quite tired. More from Feek below:

Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

 

2390. St Werburghs tunnel (92)

It is good to see that Mr Draws is getting out a bit more again after a comparatively quiet period. This rather low-key piece in St Werburghs tunnel is a nice take on his DRAW lettering, with a reversal of the letter D. This is quite a common effect used by writers but is always fun and effective.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019

Rather strangely, the subtle colours used here by Mr Draws come out better in my photographs than some of the other more vibrant adjacent pieces. Usually the poor lighting in the tunnel brings out a lot of amber and orange colours, but this piece is mercifully spared from that fate. Mr Draws would seem to be enjoying his wobbly white outline, which he has used in several of his more recent pieces and is rather effective. I guess that getting a good wobbly line is probably as difficult as getting a good straight line.

2389. M32 Spot (46)

Daz Cat is knocking himself out with some really wonderful and creative work at the moment and this fine lion column piece at the M32 Spot is a prime example.  The quote at the bottom would have remained a mystery to me, but luckily Paulh121 wrote up this piece on his instagram feed and had this to say (sorry Paul for borrowing your words, I hope you don’t mind):

‘Ye Are Many They Are Few Ye Are Many’ and so says @dazcatgraff and indeed so did English poet Shelley back in 1819 when the poem ‘The Masque Of Anarchy’ from which this quote has been taken, although it wasn’t published until 1832.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2019
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2019

The piece itself is full of movement, emotion and I might say rage, perhaps a commentary about the terrible times we live in, and the catastrophic and selfish Prime Minister who will lead us to misery for the many and prosperity for the few. Even if the piece has nothing to do with that, it at least inspired me to say it.