Well I said two posts ago that I would start to feature more of Shab’s work, and here I am, true to my promise. This is a really nice piece down a back street with a very low footfall. I doubt many people have had a chance to see this piece, and indeed I am not sure if it is still there.
Shab, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016
Once again the signature eye features prominently, together with another of Shab’s motifs, a crow. I like his work, and particularly like the patterns in black and white he makes to in-fill the piece. More soon.
It has been a little while since I last posted a Deamze piece, and somehow that just doesn’t seem right for this blog. It is possible that I have posted more of his pieces than any of the other Bristol street artists…but I am not counting.
Deamze, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2017
This wonderful piece in greens and browns is on the hoardings next to the recent Voyder bones work. The wildstyle writing is as intricate and clean as you’d expect from a Deamze piece, and on the right hand side he features a cartoon hog (?) holding a little creature in its grip.
Deamze, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2017
I’m sure I ought to know who the cartoon character is, but on this occasion I am stumped. Many of the cartoon characters that Deamze chooses to paint are from 1980s TV cartoons, but I was doing other more important things, and missed out on this TV toon culture. Perhaps somebody knows who it is.
Deamze, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2017
I like always to photograph the D at the start of his lettering, just to compare the style from one to the next.
Another piece by an artist I have not come across before. This is by Skor85, who sprayed this as part of a paint jam in The Bearpit. Judging from his Facebook wall it would seem that he is a Bristol artist, and I think I might recall one of his pieces from Dean Lane.
Skor85, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
This is a nice piece, in a really poorly lit tunnel, hence the rather hopeless quality of the pictures. I’m not sure how prolific the artist is, but I’ll be on the look out for more. Bunny, dog or kangaroo? My money is on a dog.
Every time I hear the Government trot out the words that the Brexit is the will of the British people, they are excluding the 48% who voted to remain. Are we not British people? This lot will never carry me with them as long as they use this bullying kind of coercive language.
Shab was one of the first wave of Bristol graffiti/street artists along with the likes of Cheo, FLX, Inkie, 3D and Jody to name just a few. It is curious then that this is my first post about Shab’s work. It is of a very recent piece that went up in Dean Lane. I didn’t post it immediately, because I didn’t know the artist, but serendipitously he followed me on Instagram the same day, and that was that. I am a little ashamed that I hadn’t made the connection myself before, but I am still learning…every day. I have several other pieces by him in the archive so I will start posting them.
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2017
This abstract piece is fairly typical of his work and features an amazing eye, one of his ‘signatures’. The piece brings together two contrasting elements, the rounded white shapes bound with black outlines, and a multi-coloured jagged pattern – the two complementing each other perfectly. It looks like a spaceship, but probably isn’t one.
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2017
The eye is really beautiful. Looking forward to finding and posting more from this master.
In The Bearpit, there are four premium spots, each one is at the end of each of the four tunnels. These are the places that are most sought after, but also the ones most frequently tagged, so anything sprayed here is always going to be reasonably short lived.
Pure Evil, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
It was lucky then that I came across this piece by the London-based artist Pure Evil while it was still fresh and unmarked. Pure Evil is an artist I knew nothing about until I started researching this post, and realised that perhaps I should have known a little more. His biography on his website is well worth a read – he has covered a lot of ground.
Pure Evil, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
I note also, that he is selling prints of his Bristol Bearpit piece for cool £2,000 on his website. I am guessing from that kind of price tag that he must be strongly established in the art world. Obviously I prefer the freebies he leaves on our city walls. I rather like this work, and will be more vigilant when I visit London to see if I can find any more. Let’s hear it for more scary bunnies.
Pure Evil, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
“My enemies are in power – and my heroes are dead” – that speaks for a lot of us.
More from the incredibly prolific Laic217. This time the piece is in a major ‘hotspot’ where it can be seen by a great many cars and passers-by. He returns to one of his favoured motifs, the distorted/disfigured face with hat and references to acid. Also he has incorporated his liking for brick walls, which works really well here.
Laic217, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2017
Another feature of this work is the reference to the test card transmission – something that TV viewers over a certain age will be very familiar with. One of the most pleasing things about this particular site is that the rather officious notice that was plastered over one of Aspire’s pieces here has been completely sprayed over – a victory for graffiti art.
Laic217, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2017
It doesn’t stop here, still more to come from this artist who is really beginning to make his mark.
I love surprises, and this was one hell of a surprise. I took a lunchtime stroll down North Street, because I knew there were some new pieces, but only caught sight of this one on my way back. What a find.
China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017
Of course, it is a bunny with a grenade by the amazing Chinagirl Tile – I have always wanted to find one of these, but to have one in Bristol is simply amazing. The new piece is only a street away from the amazing foxes and soup tin she installed for Upfest 2016.
China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017
Chinagirl Tile is always a very welcome visitor to Bristol, and I hope very much she will be returning soon. Let’s hear it for the wabbits.
Natural adventures 