Month: October 2017

1095. Upfest 2017 (88)

This is a small piece by an artist I have not come across before. Sigil is a Norwich-based paste up artist who appears to have a very strong story to tell about the environment, an observation made by looking at his/her Instagram feed.  This would seem to be confirmed by reading the biography notes from this year’s festival which includes the following:

‘By using the visual language of animals & plants, combined with themes of ideography, science and faith, SIGIL connects with the public directly within the urban environment, encouraging attitudes of environmental stewardship.’

Sigil, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Sigil, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I like artists that promote environmental issues through their art, such as Louis Masai and ATM, as this is partly what I do at work…connecting people with the environment through communication. So I have an immediate soft spot for this piece, which highlights the perils facing the vaquita, a small porpoise and currently the most endangered cetacean in the world.

The artwork looks a little bit rushed, which it might have been, due to the rain, but it is a nice piece. I would like to see more of Sigil’s work, particularly paste ups.

1094. Upfest 2017 (87)

This is an interesting piece from Dice 67 at Upfest this year, where we see the artist continuing to experiment with his freehand spraying, having spent most of his street art career to date stencilling.

Dice67, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dice67, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

To my shame, I have to confess that I walked past Dice 67 while he was spraying this piece, but didn’t recognise him or the style of painting. I even took a couple of pictures, but didn’t make the connection. It was only later, when I met Dice 67 and his family in the Steam Crane, that I realised I had goofed.

Dice67, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dice67, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I went back to South Street Park later during the festival and found the completed piece, but at that point it hadn’t been signed. I later found Andy (Dice 67) again and advised that he ought to sign it, as other people like me might be expecting to see a stencil. In the feature picture, you will notice that the piece was signed in the end.

Dice67, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dice67, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The work itself is a self-portrait, and I wonder how much the pretend ears were influenced by his children. I really like it that Dice 67 is making this big step in the art he creates, and I am looking forward to seeing more of it in the future.

Dice67, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dice67, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

It is also worth mentioning that Dice 67 organised the highly successful Cheltenham Paint Festival in September, which I was unable to visit, but some of the pictures I have seen on Instagram were utterly awesome.

1093. Stapleton Road, Masala Bazaar (2)

I think I have been saving this one up for a while, because I like to hold back some of the really good pieces I come across. This is of course by Louis Masai and has been around for about eighteen months or so I would think.

Louis Masai, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017
Louis Masai, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017

Is is on a wall in Stapleton road, opposite the Andy Council spider. Louis Masai’s work is at the forefront of using street art to highlight the danger our magnificent wildlife faces, and he does it in an engaging and welcoming way. He is not protesting, rather he is educating.

Louis Masai, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017
Louis Masai, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017

This pangolin piece I think is my favourite of his in Bristol, probably because I am very fond of these bizarre creatures, and he has captured it in an interesting pose.

Louis Masai, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017
Louis Masai, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017

The patchwork quilt effect that Louis Masai achieves in his work is quite remarkable, and you could spend hours just looking at the detail in each section of the ‘material’. In this particular piece, the pebble dash wall adds another level of texture to the overall work…although it must be a nightmare to spray on. All good. Now to save the planet.

1092. Dean Lane skate park (83)

OK, so I’ve got a bit of an Elvs thing going on at the moment, but that is alright isn’t it? I mean it is my blog after all, and if I rather like something I feel it is the right thing to do to share it. Elvs really is a fabulous wildstyle writer, and I’m sure that even if you don’t like graffiti art, you can appreciate the great technical qualities of great writing.

Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2016
Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2016
I don’t know what the oriental characters across the top say, if indeed they say anything at all, but Elvs tagged this picture on Instagram with a geotag of Japan, so I guess it is Japanese. As with his other pieces, the top of the E and S share the same design. More great stuff from Elvs.

1091. St Werburghs tunnel (15)

Having recently posted about Elvs, I thought I would dig out more of his work from my files, and this beautiful piece was in St Werburghs tunnel back in May 2016. He really does have a wonderfully ornate style, but he keeps his lettering even in height, so the whole piece could fit into a rectangular surround.

Elvs, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, May 2016
Elvs, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, May 2016

I really like the way that he has replicated the pattern in the top part of the ‘e’ and the top part of the ‘s’, which I think is a trademark feature of his work. There is also a cheeky little one-eyed pyramid poking out of the top of the piece. This is really superb wildstyle writing.

Elvs, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, May 2016
Elvs, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, May 2016

1090. Stokes Croft

I have had this piece sitting on my ready to publish file for several months, but just never got round to posting about it. It has long since gone now, but was on this door, next to the Matchbox Gallery for quite some time. It is by Drew Copus, an artist who lives in Hastings, Sussex. It would seem that he has visited Bristol on a few occasions, and I have more of his art somewhere in my files.

Drew Copus, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2016
Drew Copus, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2016

Although this piece might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I have to say I rather like it. It is cheeky and rude and has three random cockroaches, which kind of appeals to me. It has a bit of edge to it, and I like the way the eyes of the lady are obscured deliberately by the tagging. More from Drew, when I can find it.

1089. M32 roundabout J3 (52)

Writing about street/graffiti art in Bristol is a fun thing to do. Sure it is time consuming and can become a little obsessive, but like any pursuit it brings happiness. When the happiness stops, then I will stop doing it.

One of the rewards of doing what I do, is when you can put names to pieces that you see or have seen in the past. It is about observation and recall. It is about knowing things intimately. It is about connecting with your environment. There are parallels with being a nature boy too. Observation and connection.

Jaksta, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2016
Jaksta, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2016

I first saw this piece in May 2016, but didn’t know the artist (it is by Jaksta), so the pictures remained in my archives. Then, while doing some research for the RAW Upfest wall, I came across Jaksta’s Instagram account, and in his images was this piece at the M32 roundabout. Although I still know precious little about the artist, I do know what to look for in his art and how to recognise it. I also know I have more of his work in my archives. The point is I now feel comfortable posting his work.

Jaksta, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2016
Jaksta, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2016

The piece makes reference to the film scarface, and is a brilliant charicature, although every time I look at it I see Peter Beardsley, former Everton and England footballer. Is that bad of me? More to come from Jaksta.

1088. M32 Spot (11)

It’s ok to not be ok is the message at the bottom left hand side of this superb piece by Sepr. I don’t think it is his message, but I like it that he has left it there. I haven’t seen much about this piece on Instagram, but maybe I’m just not looking in the right places.

Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017
Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017

Sepr has injected a lot of humour into this fox and hound duo making music together on a guitar and banjo. The whole piece has a feel of southern states of America, out on the porch kind of thing. These guys seem to be enjoying themselves, and the bottle of spirits rounds off the piece beautifully.

Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017
Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017

Sepr’s technique is instantly recognisable, and I love his two-tone pieces set on a coloured background. Sepr is a bit of a polymath, his street art is complemented by his tattooing and his bands Olanza and Fuk for which he is the drummer. Music certainly crosses over with his art, and many of his pieces I have written about on this blog feature characters with musical instruments.

Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017
Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017

Sepr always leaves me wanting more.

1087. Dean Lane skate park (82)

This piece is a wonderful example of Sled One wildstyle writing at it’s very best, I only wish I could say the same about my photography. There is a lot of glare, which obscures the piece a bit.

Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017
Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017

Sled One has an amazing ability to create fabulous elaborate letter shapes which are hugely complex in the shading and filling. Trying to follow all the folds and overlays is a tricky business. There is a nice little nod to Soker at the bottom of the piece too.

Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017
Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017