A beautiful quick one by Sled One in Wilder Street. He has the incredible ability to animate whatever it is he paints, and in this case he has brought alive the word ASK (from the crew After School Klub, to which he belongs).
Great colours and patterns. At the time of writing this, I am aware of two more new pieces on this wall , curated by Where the Wall, which have appeared subsequently by other ASK crew members Sepr and 3Dom. Expect to see them here soon.
I don’t head up to Horfield skate park very often, as I consider the turnover of street art and graffiti there to be pretty low and it doesn’t seem to be a particularly favoured spot for many artists. I was delighted therefore to be rewarded on a rare trip on Good Friday with this magnificent stencil by John D’oh.
The stencil works for me so very very well. It shows the unspeakably toxic Jacob Rees-Mogg standing behind Theresa May who appears to be his ventriloquist’s dummy. Brilliantly funny but also it speaks volumes about how so many of us feel about the way the European Research Group (ERG – what kind of name is that anyway? Research? swap the word ‘research’ for ‘hating’ and you might get a sense of what they’re all about) have been holding May hostage throughout Brexit negotiations. Their hard-line and uncompromising Brexit desires, and her determination to hold the Conservative party together, mean that they have dictated the terms of the failed negotiations, along with the jaw-droppingly selfish DUP.
Rees-Mogg represents everything I dislike about self-interested politicians who do not serve their people, but rather manipulate narratives that appeal to under-represented groups. I would guess he also cares more about his income security (and growth) than he does about the pressing fate of our planet. I suspect he shares Owen Patterson’s loathing of the environmental movement that might, just might, interfere with their comfortable lives for the sake of trying to reverse the shocking state of carbon emissions and biodiversity loss.
Thank you John D’oh for giving us this fabulous visual reminder of just how disgraceful the political class (and indeed party politics in general) are in the UK.
Enthisiasm
turning over a new leaf
three-month secondment
by Scooj
DNT has a unique style that is difficult to describe sometimes. He has an interesting and thoughtful choice in colours in most of his work and the subject of his paintings often seem to be rather free and fluid, almost as if he created it on the spot. I’m not sure if that is how he works, but that is how it comes across to me.
This piece, on one of my favourite walls, is a striking lion’s head which kind of emerges from a background of about five strong colours. It is incredible how the face and mane stand out with all the busyness going on. While this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I am rather drawn to it. Certainly it is unusual. I met DNT for the first time last week and he seems to be a really nice guy, larger than life and interesting, and in the short conversation we had, I can certainly see where some of his creativity and difference come from.
I spotted this one a couple of days ago while searching out some of my favourite spots. I almost drove straight past without seeing it because it is a thin bit of one way road with double yellow lines that is difficult to be observant and drive properly. I just caught it out of the corner of my vision and parked up further on.
Ah what joy, Face 1st at his best with my favourite beautiful character. This is a large piece on a great wall which allows Face 1st to show us what he can do. The striking thing for me is the flowing pink hair that has been filled with pretty intricate patterns that give it something special. This kind of filling is a technique used by a few other Bristol artists such as Tasha Bee.
The other obvious feature of the piece is the skull being held by the woman. I have seen this before in Face 1st’s work and must remember to ask him what it symbolises next time I see him. I love this piece and am so glad I managed to see it in such good condition.
And here on Broad Drive
carpets of new bluebells bask
by ruddy Acers.
by Scooj
I love it when it happens, when an unannounced collaboration appears as if by magic. This sensational work from Smak and Hazard is one of those special pieces, and I think they have absolutely smashed it.
Smak has again gone for one of his double burners, where he has cleverly crafted two versions of his name into one piece. If you look carefully, there is one in blue and one in mostly orange. Such an accomplished thing to do from an artist who seems to be at the top of his game at the moment.
Then to Hazard’s fabulous frog, which I have to say has come as a huge surprise because I am more used to seeing her portrait pieces. I am a naturalist by training, and I have always had a bit of a soft spot for amphibians, especially frogs, so this piece really chimes with me.
Everything about this frog is good, the colours and the shading and the light reflecting off the body and the eye. Such an unusual piece to find on the streets of Bristol, but a wholly welcome one. More of this kind of thing please! A great collaboration on Upper York Street, so utterly well worth a look.
I think that perhaps I should have posted this yesterday, what with it being Easter Sunday and all that, but hindsight is a fickle fellow and treats us with a level of contempt. This beautiful bunny from Nevergiveup is in one of my favourite named streets in Bristol – Little Paradise. There are two bricked out windows in this alleyway, the other is occupies by a gorgeous Feoflip piece that has survived since Upfest 2017.
This bunny is a little dumpier than many but is no less charming, in fact I think that this is one of my faves. The pink background decoration sets the rabbit off really nicely, and the whole thing is full of good cheer. I am getting so far behind with the rabbits, I have seen at least seven newish ones all over Bristol, but not yet had a chance to photograph them. Nevergiveup has an Instagram account called @followmyrabbits, and you can see his full collection there.
I’m rather drawn to
civil disobedience
when the stakes are high.
by Scooj
I recently posted a collaboration piece by ‘Ware’ and Jaksta from Upfest 2016, and I stated then that I wasn’t very familiar with ‘Ware’s work. Well nothing has changed there except that I now know his Instagram moniker is @mickeyraw and I able to see when he has painted new work. I found this one down in Moon Street recently, and it is a fine piece of wildstyle writing by this RAW artist.
The colours work really well together and the execution of the piece is truly first class. I am looking forward to seeing more from ‘Ware’ or do I call him Mickeyraw? I started with Ware, so will continue until I know better.
Natural adventures 