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.
Thelochnessmonster specialises in these large rectangular line drawing pieces. In this case it s a white line on a blue background. There are several of the motifs that Thelochnessmonster uses in this piece, such as the yin yang icon, peace symbol and a crystal.
Thelochnessmonster, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
As is often the case with this artist, there is a story going on in this picture. It would be great to get into his head a little mor and start to unpick some of his work. Another nice piece from this artist with a quite unique atyle and approach to street art.
This is my favourite wall in Bristol. It is small and self contained, and has been shared by a wide variety of artists over the last couple of years. The latest resident is Deamze with one of his tight angular wildstyle pieces – no characters on this one.
Deamze, Moon Street, Bristol, November 2017
To the untrained eye, this might appear to be just a random bunch of lines and jags. It actally spells out DEAM, and it has a little ASK, the crew name, to the left of the piece. Deamze just keeps on churning out his excellent work.
The board has been nicely grey washed, making it a perfect backdrop for this superb clean piece of wildstyle writing from Subtle. It has been a little while since I saw anything by him, but this is one of at least two recent works I know about.
Subtle, Armada Place, Bristol, November 2017
It is always nice to se his work on the streets, it keeps things fresh. In my view, this is a very classy piece of writing. I hope it is the beginning of many more pieces from another one of bristol’s talented pool of graffiti writers.
On an environmental leave day a couple of weeks back I was litter picking down on the New Cut, the diverted course of the tidal River Avon in Bristol. During the litter pick, one of my colleagues asked whether I had looked at a piece of street art she has been telling me about for a little while. During the lunch break, I took a short walk into Bedminster where the mural was, not far from the New Cut.
Anderw Burns Colwill, Upper Perry Hill, Bristol, November 2017
I found the piece, and instantly saw that it was by Andrew Burns Colwill, his style is so distinctive. This piece has breathed new life into what was previously a bland wall and brought with it an exotic feel – street art for a local community. It is beautiful.
Anderw Burns Colwill, Upper Perry Hill, Bristol, November 2017
This work has a lovely watercolour quality to it. The details of the piece poke through a misty haze, and the derelict archway give it a classical feel, the whole thing being soulful, peaceful and romantic. I’m not sure if the church is based on a real one or whether it is from Burns Colwill’s mind, probably the latter.
Anderw Burns Colwill, Upper Perry Hill, Bristol, November 2017
I am a big fan of Andrew Burns Colwill’s work, and have found him great company on the few occasions I have met him. One day I will go for that drink with him and get that interview he agreed to some months ago!
This is the second stunning piece that has recently been commissioned (I guess) on the hoardings outside the site where the library used to be. You can read more about my thoughts on this here. The shark here is absolutely amazing and Sophie’s trademark drips are to die for. I honestly think this is one of the best street pieces I have seen in a little while.
Sophie Long, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, November 2017
Sophie Long has captured the form and slow movement of the shark perfectly and the reflected light ripples across the dorsal surface. Of course, as someone with a marine biology training, I am particularly taken with this piece. Sophie Long is a local artist whose work I have seen before, but not posted yet. Her website gives you a good insight into some of her work.
This door belongs to the Hatchet Inn, the oldest pub in Bristol which dates back to 1606. It is said that the pub is haunted and that the door is made of human flesh, beneath the tar. Hmm.
Well here’s the ton up and it’s still only November…who knows I might actually complete my Upfest 2017 posts before Upfest 2018! This is a beautiful piece by Rory McCann who has used his art to help him overcome his childhood health problems with arthrtis. His passion for drawing in those early years has grown to larger scale murals.
Rory McCann, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Much of his work is about the environment and wildlife in the hope that it will help people to connect with nature. So far he has painted more than 80 large murals in schools, hospitals and public spaces, some of which you can see on his website. This Upfest lion is a stunner – those eyes! One of the truly memorable pieces this year – it was a pity it was a bit tucked away in the Ashton Gate stadium entrance as his work surely deserves more exposure.
Natural adventures 