Month: October 2017

1059. Upfest 2017 (71)

There is a lot of fun in this piece by Mas972, and I enjoyed watching it progress over the Upfest weekend. I managed to grab a little time chatting with the artist and told him I remembered his piece from last year. What I didn’t say to him though was that I thought this piece was much better, but that is just a personal opinion.

Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I was interested to see how Mas972 went about this piece and by the time I first visited he had already completed the background and begun work on the characters.

Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I have huge admiration for these artists and the way the approach their work. They have vision, talent and experience which they apply adeptly to create these marvels.

Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The characters in this piece are beautifully crafted and so full of mischief. I like the way the yellow eyes and teeth really stand out, bringing them alive.

Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

A nice touch is that these cheerleading characters are wearing bibs which carry the letters M A S. I do very much hope Mas972 returns next year.

 

 

1058. Armada Place (13)

Moon Street remains one of my favourite graffiti spots in Bristol, but it has to be said that lately turnover there has been pretty slow, and some of the works not even worth photographing. This is an exception from a little while back by Thelochnessmonster.

Thelochnessmonster, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2017
Thelochnessmonster, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2017

I’m never too sure what is going on in Thelochnessmonster’s pieces, but they are always colourful and very different from most of the stuff you see on the streets. I have a feeling this has something to do with the nuclear industry and the consequences of it, some of which might be mutations of an interesting sort.

Thelochnessmonster, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2017
Thelochnessmonster, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2017

Always good to see these unusual pieces.

1057. Bristol Museum

For a short while, this incredible piece by Banksy, could be viewed in Bristol Museum. For a shorter time still (hours) it could be viewed in Clement Street, on a door where it was sprayed. The ownership of the work was hotly disputed between Bristol City Council and Broad Plains Boys’ Club and the furore that it caused (see this BBC news story), not uncommon with Banksy pieces, somewhat overshadowed the utter brilliance of the the work, entitled ‘Mobile Lovers’.

Banksy, Bristol Museum, Bristol, May 2014
Banksy, Bristol Museum, Bristol, May 2014

I saw this piece in the museum sometime before I started posting about street art, and sadly I only have this single iPhone image (is there something ironic there?). The title has a double meaning and the piece, not only brilliantly executed, is a fabulous commentary on our modern lifestyle and love-affair with mobile technology. This is absolutely one of my favourite pieces by Banksy, and it is such a pity that it now sits on the wall of somebody who can afford it. I firmly believe street art is for all, but when it carries such a high value as Banksy pieces do, this is what happens.

Futile

 

To hope against hope

is an unhappy pursuit

which will end in tears.

 

by Scooj

1056. Dean Lane skate park (80)

This is a lovely sharp piece of wildstyle writing from visiting artist Mario Messina (MM.Pat). I believe that this Sicilian artist is a tattoo apprentice, who must have been passing through Bristol sometime this summer.

Mario Messina, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017
Mario Messina, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017

The letters are beautifully picked out in chrome over a colourful cloudy background. This particular spot is behind a set of high railings, and anything that is sprayed here tends to stay a while because it is a bit of a fag to scale the railings with all your gear. I passed by today, and it is still there. A lovely piece.

1055. The Bearpit (95)

Sirens has this great way of combining the natural world with hard-edged urban landscapes. The result is the creation of beautiful pieces, often full of colour and strangely optimistic. Often, these kinds of urban landscapes can be dull depressing affairs, but Sirens brings out the best from these imagined environments.

Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

In this piece the eye is drawn past a crimson sky to a crane (Sirens loves cranes – or so he says on his Instagram). On the cab of the crane is a reference to Team Robbo, which would appear to be a tribute to a friend. His Instagram feed says “you might be gone but your work will live on with us it touched, we miss you king Robbo”.

Sirens just keeps those sunsets coming.

Layers

 

Peel back the layers.

We are the sum of our parts

there is beauty here.

 

by Scooj

1054. M32 roundabout J3 (49)

The once highly productive Laic217 seems to have taken his foot off the gas a little recently, which has allowed me a bit of a breather. Maybe he has a new job or maybe he has been away, either way it is good to see him hitting the streets again. This is a reasonably recent piece on the M32 roundabout in which he reverts to his format of writing his name and incorporating a character.

Laic217, M32 junction 3, Bristol, September 2017
Laic217, M32 junction 3, Bristol, September 2017

This is a nicely sprayed piece, and shows just how far this artist has come since some of his work I posted about eighteen months or so ago. The colour selection works well with the rather ghoulish subject matter.

Laic217, M32 junction 3, Bristol, September 2017
Laic217, M32 junction 3, Bristol, September 2017

On my way to work this morning I saw another brand new piece, so keep your eyes peeled for this in the coming days.

1053. The Bearpit (94)

I am really enjoying the direction that Lemak is taking his work in at the moment, and even better, he is pasting up his fragmented stencils in The Bearpit. I am not sure exactly how he produces these works, but I think they start with stencil work followed by a printing process before finally being pasted up.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

This particular magnificent piece can be found on one of the staircases leading down into The Bearpit from the northern side. It is a sophisticated portrait of a girl wearing a native North American headdress, part in sepia and part in colour. The segments are arranged on the wall, and our brain fills in the gaps so that we see the full piece when we look at it.

Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
Lemak, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

I cannot really express how much I like this piece and the original art Lemak is turning out at the moment. Well worth a trip to The Bearpit.

1052. Upfest 2017 (70)

The light rays cascading across this piece catch me out every time I look at it…they feel real. This is a lovely small piece by Emily Donald, an artist based in Newquay, Cornwall – the coolest county in England. She works with inks and creates wonderful layered pictures, usually incorporating birds and flowers. You can see more of her artwork on this website.

Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

In this piece two hummingbirds are busy collecting nectar from beautiful flowers. The whole work has a feeling of tranquility and peace, but it is the light rays that set the whole thing off for me. A wonderful work. I hope we get to see her again next year.