Author: scooj

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.

900. The Bearpit (79)

This is described by Smak as a ‘quick after school dub down the bearpit’, which was sprayed round about mid June 2017. I believe the piece is still there. Smak belongs to the Read and Weep (RAW) crew which includes Rusk, Ryder and T Rex amongst others. This is the first of his pieces that I have posted  and other than this Bombing Science blog post, I don’t know much about him.

Smak, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2017
Smak, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2017

Of course with all things like this, having seen one of his works, I have started seeing them around the place and in my archives. Expect more from Smak on this blog. He is clearly an accomplished writer and has a nice style with his letters. I particularly like the way he has filled the letters here, with an almost cosmic feel. Great stuff.

899. Unity Street (6)

It has been a while since I posted anything by Thelochnessmonster, who in previous posts I had referred to as OHMS, because these were the letters he used in his pieces. Another feature of his pieces is mention of the ‘splab gang’ or ‘splab lads’. I don’t know if this is a crew who spray with him or whether he is simply referring to them.

Thelochnessmonster, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2017
Thelochnessmonster, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2017

Thelochnessmonster’s pieces are often very busy and unlike many of the Bristol (graphic) artists he specialises in wobbly lines and a distinct lack of clean finish.

Thelochnessmonster, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2017
Thelochnessmonster, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2017

In this piece, which looks to be a commentary on weapons and war, there are references to automatic rifles, to yin and yang, to peace and to love. definitely an interesting piece and also interesting selection of colours. Always unusual.

898. Dean Lane skate park (66)

A  colourful party is happening here. Over a backdrop of a rather splendid Face F1st piece Guts has sprayed one of his characteristic doodles. The colours he uses really bring things to life, and when I use the word doodle, it is not in a derogatory way, but more a descriptive term for the aggregation of characters and forms. In some ways it shares a resemblance with Loch Ness.

Guts, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017
Guts, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017

This spot is on a wall which is squeezed into a narrow stretch by the back of a skate ramp, and is therefore rather difficult to photograph. The more I see of Guts’ work, the more I like it. I haven’t seen too much of it around and will have to work harder to find it.

897. Dean Lane skate park (65)

When you see a really strong piece of writing like this and it says ASK, you can be pretty sure it is by Sled One, which indeed it is. This is a great work that the photograph fails to capture, there is some flaring on the lens, which is a bit annoying.

Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017
Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017

Although Sled One has been a little less active on the streets than he was, say a year ago, he is still capable of dazzling us with the quality of his pieces. He makes great choices with his colour selections and takes care with his shadings. I particularly like the eye sitting within the ‘A’, and the accent stars.

Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017
Sled One, Dean Lane, Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017Bristol, July 2017

A nice surprise down at the Deaner.

Once loved

 

Through the mist of time

thoughts of you evaporate

into the ether.

 

by Scooj

896. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (26)

This use to be one of the graffiti spots that I wrote about most frequently, but alas, the taggers have done their bit to deter a great many artists from spraying here. It is a pity, because these arches are probably the best feature walls in Bristol for street art.

Mr Draws, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Mr Draws, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

This piece is a quick one from Mr Draws, that although probably not one of his best, is eye-catching nonetheless. You can make out the word ‘draw’ arising from a vanishing point to the left of the piece. I like the way that Mr Draws is fairly fearless about where he places his work, knowing that it is all ephemeral and that his own will in time be overwritten.

895. The Bearpit (78)

So the most prolific Bristol street artist, Laic217, continues to spread his love all over the city. This one is at the bottom of the steps on the north west side of The Bearpit. The story here is not entirely clear, but the bug spray would appear to be killing the bugs inside the skeleton’s head.

Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

Laic217 is really perfecting these skull characters, and telling loads of stories on the way. There are emergent themes in his work: skulls and death generally; insects; bucket hats and spray cans. Few of his pieces don’t have two or more of these things.

Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

You won’t have to wait long for another Laic217 post – I have several waiting in the wings.

894. Little Paradise (1)

I was on the hunt for a new spot in Bedminster, wandering around an area I am not so familiar with, and would you believe it? I came across this fabulous Feoflip piece in the charmingly named Little Paradise.

Feoflip, Little Paradise, Bristol July 2017
Feoflip, Little Paradise, Bristol July 2017

This must have been yet another of his little surprises left behind for Bristolians to enjoy from last year’s Upfest. His work is just amazing, and this is a perfect example from him. What is amazing is that several other Bristol graff spotters also found this piece recently, even though it has been here for some time. Scarily, we obviously walk the same routes. I sometimes wonder if I have a doppelganger.

893. Lower Approach Road (5)

Another fine piece at this relatively new location at Temple Meads station. This is a lovely work from Kid Crayon featuring a group of people and their obsessions with their mobile phones. Possibly representative of the crowds of people departing from and arriving at the station each and every day.

Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017

I am not sure if any of these characters are based on real people, but the fellow on the right eating his phone has an uncanny resemblance to Paul Monsters (Paul Roberts) who painted a collaboration with Copyright just around the corner.

Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017

Somehow no Kid Crayon piece feels complete without purple or blue-faced people, and here he offers lashings of them. The young girl actually looks quite sinister, reminiscent of the character from The Addams Family played by Christina Ricci.

Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017

Quite who the pretty lady with the squinty eye at the centre of the picture is I don’t know, but I love the detail of her necklace and freckled nose. All in all this is a superb piece from Kid Crayon…full of stories and beautifully executed.

Kid Crayon, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017