Varo has really hit on something that totally chimes with me – painting the same basic mega-tag of a bull in a variety of forms in different places. A simple idea that lends itself to the conditions of the spot chosen to paint and the amount of time available. To take this approach one step higher would be to paint them in the style of different artists, for example David Hockney, Matisse or Dali. That could be a lot of fun.
Varo, Leonard Lane, Bristol, September 2020
This particular bull, tucked away in a doorway in Leonard Lane is the full beast, including a tail rather than just the head, which we are more used to seeing. This is quite a raw piece, but is of interest because one knows that the artist is capable of doing much tighter work when the environment permits. A decent throw up.
It is becoming more and more difficult to seek out new doors. The combined forces of coronavirus, the worsening weather and shortening days makes doorscursions particularly difficult at the moment, so I head straight for my comfort blanket and present you with some more archived doors this week, these ones mostly from last year.
Enjoy.
DNT, Grosvenor Road, Bristol, July 2019Cheo, Elton Road, Bristol, July 2019Dale Grimshaw, North Street, Bristol, July 2019
Nevergiveup, North Street Green, Bristol, July 2019Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, June 2019DNT, Moon Street, Bristol, March 20193Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, July 2019
And that’s it I’m afraid this week, I am having to ration these out a bit because before you know it I will have run out of archive material and will be resorting to photographs of my kitchen cabinets and cupboard doors.
Have a great weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors and you really ought to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
And so on to the ninth archway in the John Street open-air gallery and this magnificent portrait piece by Hazard. My understanding is that this was her second attempt after she had had to buff over her first one for being controversial. This disappoints me a little because art is an expression and reflection of our lives and times and we shouldn’t hide away from difficult issues, otherwise where would we be? China? North Korea? On the upside however, Hazard has rewarded us with this outstanding portrait of Jeff Knight, a Big Issue vendor and big character in Stokes Croft.
Hazard, John Street, Bristol, September 2020
I love Jeff. He is one of the brilliant things about living in Bristol. He greets everyone in the street with a big smile and kind words irrespective of who they are or what they look like. This piece is not the first piece of street art to feature Jeff, John D’oh sprayed a fabulous stencil of him a few years ago. Hazard’s portrait is an honest representation and skillfully painted. In this one archway we have two legends of Bristol street culture.
Immediately after lockdown, Laic217 was on fire. I am guessing that he was not working and so was able to paint the streets without restraint. In recent weeks he has slowed down considerably, so it was great to see this quick one on one of the ramps in the skate park.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
This stop-start nature of activity from street artists is common and probably reflects the employment model they adopt. Self-employed artists seem to have a bit more flexibility around when they can paint where as those with 9-5 jobs probably find it all a little more challenging. Of course coronavirus and Furlough have played havoc with these regimes.
The piece itself is straightforward, a skull with a woolly hat bearing the letters PAD, a crew name. Even in these quick pieces, Laic217 still manages to achieve a high standard of artwork. I hope he gets some leave soon, I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
There is no stopping Nevergiveup, AKA Followmyrabbits, AKA Eldey (is that LD?), and that is a very, very good thing. I think that the tireless painting of rabbits all over the city over the last two to three years has added to Bristol’s character and amplified it’s rich street art culture, making it more accessible to more people. Some people (other than people like me) actually collect rabbits.
Nevergiveup, Brunel Way, Bristool, October 2020
It is always fun to find another rabbit, although there are so many it can be difficult sometimes to remember if you have seen it before. I am pretty certain that I haven’t posted this one before, and I can tell it is a recent one, because he hasn’t been writing Eldey on his rabbits for all that long. As always perfectly executed, and potential for a Thursday doors post too..
As I see it, Slim Pickings (TES) creates his pieces in two forms; a high-end version of his letters with immaculate fills and clean lines and considered colour schemes and his throw-up versions that are a little bit more ‘street’ if you get my meaning. This one falls ever so slightly more into the second category.
Slim Pickings, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020
I have to say that I am not too keen on the salmon pink colour and I think the ‘stitch’ lines on the edge of the letters make the piece a little untidy in my opinion. I ought to add that I might be overthinking this and being slightly picky. I always welcome Slim Pickings’ letters in whatever shape or form they come in.
Natural adventures 