I am Stephen. I live in Bristol, UK. I decided to shorten my profile...to this: Wildlife, haiku, travel, streetart, psychogeography and my family. Not necessarily in that order.
This large and impressive wall in Rivington Street is by KaNO. Such a magnificent cartoon character in a very distinctive style, it should come as no surprise that KaNO freelances as a character designer for such studios as Warner Bros, Cartoon Network, and Hasbro.
Kano, Rivington Street, New York, October 2017
KaNO was born and raised on the streets of New York and was influenced by cartoon characters on the TV. He then went on to study art and design and animation. His full biography can be found on his website, along with some fabulous galleries of studio and street art.
Kano, Rivington Street, New York, October 2017
This really is a wonderful piece from a greatly talented artist.
This is another stunner from Tristan Eaton entitled Big City of Dreams which rises high above a car park, you know, one of those funny little ones in New York that must charge the most extortionate fees, and stack cars in a way we are not accustomed to seeing in the UK.
Tristan Eaton, Broome Street, New York, October 2017
Tristan Eaton reminds me of an amalgamation of different styles that has elements of PichiAvo and Louis Masai about it, which is of course a great compliment. I think that his work is exceptional and love the piece I posted before of his Audrey Hepburn in SoHo.
Tristan Eaton, Broome Street, New York, October 2017
I still have a great many pictures from my trip to New York in October 2017, but have had some difficulty finding the names of artists, and the locations of some of the pieces. These difficulties act as a bit of a barrier to writing these posts, as I have limited time to do the research required. The emergence of Street Art Cities, a website and app, has been an absolute godsend in that respect. Street Art Cities allows local street art ‘hunters’ (people like me) to upload street and graffiti art onto a map-based platform with descriptions of the work. I am one of two such approved hunters in Bristol, and in New York, a recent upload extravaganza by the four hunters there is making my job of posting my holiday snaps so much easier. Maybe if they ever visit Bristol they will benefit from the work I have done for Street Art Cities.
John Matos, Bower Street, New York, October 2017
Now I can tell you that this stunning piece of Yosemite Sam in Broome Street is by John ‘Crash’ Matos, an artist brought up in the Bronx in the 1960s and 70s. He tends to feature a cartoon character combined with the word CRASH in many of his pieces, a long way from bombing trains in train yards as a teenager. His nickname ‘Crash’ was coined after he accidentally crashed a computer in school…something that was much easier to do back in the old days I can assure you. This is a brilliant piece from a brilliant artist.
I see an awful lot of Face F1st’s work dotted around the Stokes Croft area and at the M32 roundabout, but this is the first piece I have seen where he has a message for us all. And the message is quite clear – ‘no ads on free walls’. What he is referring to is the increase in street art in this area that is advertising events in the local area. I have to say I have quite a lot of sympathy with him.
Face F1st, Stokes Croft, Bristol, November 2017
The face is angry, which again is quite unusual for this artist. The rest of the piece is colourful and bright and the word Face can be made out in the writing. An artist whose work I continue to enjoy, especially when it has this bit of edge to it.
I love this door which I walk past most days on my way to work. It is not so much the door, but the door frame that attracts me. It has that ‘distressed’ look. Many years worth of different colour paints have been roughly exposed, intentionally I think, to produce this colour burst and polite nod to the passing of time.
Door, Stokes Croft, Bristol
Thursday doors has given me the platform to talk about this lovely door.
You have to keep your eyes open in this game, looking for anything that might be different or new. This was a tiny little piece in Dean Lane by Diff, which was rather well camouflaged on a colourful background and not the easiest to spot.
Diff, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Diff is a local artist who creates occasional pieces in the area and this one is a nice little surprise. It is a three colour stencil of a Buddha wearing glasses. I am not sure of the significance or background to the piece, but I know that I am pleased to have found it.
I love this. Here we see John D’oh at his most hard-hitting, exposing two of the easiest targets on earth and keeping the debate alive. Never one to hide from political comment, he produces topical pieces with alarming speed, unlike me who seems to take an eternity to publish posts.
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2017
These single layer stencils are part of the furniture in The Bearpit and in other parts of Bristol, and John D’oh a permanent presence, reminding us to search our conscience and get fired up. So much more to come.
Natural adventures 