Category: 5. Street Art

3762. L Dub (28)

What a truly great surprise, on a recent trip to L Dub (Lawrence Weston), to see this old school collaboration from 2Keen and DJ Perks. It was especially nice to see as 2Keen doesn’t paint all that often and this is something of a rarity.

2 Keen, LDub, Bristol, June 2021
2 Keen, LDub, Bristol, June 2021

I have met 2Keen a number of times, particularly when he was painting the REDLAND piece (below) not far from where I live, a few years ago, and he is a very nice chap whose failing eyesight makes his painting achievements all the more impressive. His old school characters are very recognisable, having exaggerated cartoon-like features. This one is especially good.

DJPerks, LDub, Bristol, June 2021
DJPerks, LDub, Bristol, June 2021

The writing from DJ Perks is also very nicely done, with the shading in the green letters providing some real depth. It seems that DJ Perks is an absolute natural and continues to go from strength to strength.

All in all a very nice collaboration.

2Keen, Ryder and Aspire, Redland Court Road, Bristol, May 2017
2Keen, Ryder and Aspire, Redland Court Road, Bristol, May 2017

Acer One

A gallery of outstanding graffiti writing and cityscapes from Bristol artist Acer One.

All photographs by Scooj

Conrico and Acer One, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, May 2021
Conrico and Acer One, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, May 2021

Acer One, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, May 2021
Acer One, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, May 2021

Sepr an Acer One, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021
Sepr an Acer One, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One and Andy Council, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021
Acer One and Andy Council, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One, Bedminster, Bristol, April 2021
Acer One, Bedminster, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One, Bedminster, Bristol, April 2021
Acer One, Bedminster, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
Acer One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One, Temple Way, Bristol, September 2020
Acer One, Temple Way, Bristol, September 2020

Acer One, St Werburghs, Bristol February b2021
Acer One, St Werburghs, Bristol February b2021

Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021

Sepr and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Sepr and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

Awkward and Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Awkward and Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

AcerOne, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2019
AcerOne, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2019

3761. Upfest 2021 75×75 (5)

Five down, and only another 70 to go. Upfest have absolutely nailed the festival in this most extraordinary of years by spreading the painting over a long period and thus avoiding the huge crowds that normally attend the long-weekend event. This piece by Hannah Edwards is on North Street, not too far away from the Upfest shop.

Hannah Edwards, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Hannah Edwards, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Hannah Edwards is an illustrator/window painter/mural artist/signwriter from Bristol, but I am not familiar with her work, so it is great to see this piece. The style is reminiscent of those GWR posters from the thirties and has a wonderful sense of motion. Unusual and fun, and yet another new artist for Natural Adventures.

3760. Cumberland Basin

A couple of weeks back there was a very special paint jam organised by the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective on the left-hand side of the long wall at Cumberland Basin, and in all there must have been nine or ten different artists taking part, many of whom I know and many I have not seen before. For most of these artists, painting walls is not their usual thing, so it was great to get a sense of their art and how it translates to the street.

Erviti, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Erviti, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

This first piece from the paint jam is by Erviti, an artist I don’t think I have encountered before and who describes herself as a surreal oil painter. I chose this piece to post first, because of the striking subject and wonderful execution of it. The strawberry is beautifully painted and has a very three-dimensional look to it. Rather like Dali’s melting watch, the strawberry is disintegrating into a pool made up of the colours used to paint it. A creative and imaginative piece, and definitely different from the usual fare at this spot. Welcome Erviti.

3759. Frome side (10)

Slakarts is not only a talented street artist, but he is also a really decent bloke. I was walking through the tunnel a couple of weeks back, and he cycled past me, and then stopped to say hello. After a very brief chat, he said he had to dash, but I was rather touched that he had bothered to stop at all.

Slakarts, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021
Slakarts, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021

This piece next to the M32 Spot is a rather interesting take on his faces, and with the tooth missing has the appearance of a punk granny. It certainly made me smile when I saw it, although I have seen another like it elsewhere. Slakarts keeps churning out his very distinct style of portraits, and Bristol is all the better for them.

3758. Upfest 2021 75×75 (4)

With this year’s Upfest being spread over 75 days on 75 different walls, it is quite a challenge to know what is being painted where and by whom. On the upside, you get to meet a lot of artists while they are working, but on the downside, there are some pieces that go under the radar and are quite easy to miss. The watch word here is vigilance combined with keeping your ear to the ground.

Kleiner Shames, Argus Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Kleiner Shames, Argus Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

I found this outstanding mural by Bristol old-boy Kleiner Shames while looking for another piece nearby, and what a surprise. One of my absolute favourites so far. I actually have a couple of Kleiner Shames originals hanging up in my home which I bought from before he moved to London and I have a hugh soft spot for his work. Many of his pieces used to spell out FOIS, but I’m not sure if I can see it in this one but I do think there is writing in there somewhere. The shapes, colours and overall design are magnificent, and remind me of what we are missing since he moved away. Bravo!

3757. L Dub (27)

It can become confusing sometimes when you are on the hunt for a specific piece. When there are hundreds of images swirling around your head that you have seen on social media, it is easy to forget what pieces you have gone out to photograph, and this confusion very nearly led to me missing out on this magnificent piece by Laic217. I had walked past it, thinking that I had photographed it before, and it was only on my return journey that I realised it was new but not the new piece I was looking for… that was somewhere completely different.

Laic217, L Dub, Bristol, June 2021
Laic217, L Dub, Bristol, June 2021

Laic217 has been creating some amazing pieces recently, and he is definitely on an upward trajectory. This skeletal figure, puffing away on a joint, is another fine example of the artist’s work, once again showcasing his craft in painting materials and fabrics that his characters wear. More good work. I was fortunate enough to bump into Paul H on this trip, and it is surprising how often that happens, but here, miles away from our usual haunts on the same day at the same time, was quite bonkers. We stopped and chatted for a while before I had to scarpa back to work.

3756. Boiling Wells Lane

Rosalita has really taken the bull by the horns with this piece. Painted at the end of the tunnel after the St Werburghs tunnel on brickwork that previously had only been tagged, or painted by TOYs. With this piece not only has she created a fine piece of art, but she has legitimised this wall as a serious opportunity for other street/graffiti artists.

Rosalita, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, June 2021
Rosalita, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, June 2021

The carnival/show theme is a thread that runs through Rosalita’s work and is evident once again here with the face of a clown or jester. Many if not most of Rosalita’s characters are tinged with sadness or tragedy… there is something about the look, the hiding behind makeup. What is amazing about this piece, is not simply the portrait, but the fabulous decoration work around it. Another jewel from Rosalita.

3755. Cumberland Basin

I have known about this lovely piece by Rtiiika for a while, but until a recent extended walk didn’t quite know where it was. Finding it was a rather pleasant surprise and a bit of a bonus. It is great to see that Rtiiika seems to be doing more and more street art work and the larger format really lends itself to her designs.

Rtiiika, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Rtiiika, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

In this piece, on the side of a storage unit, there are two figures created in her very stylistic design. Her figures are painted with long lines and tend to be very leggy, often with the top halves missing or hinted at. On a black background, the pink, white and green colours stand out clearly. Minimalist? Abstract? I’m not sure what the right words are, but this piece is is. I particularly like the plants in green that add another dimension and without which the piece probably wouldn’t work.

3754. Waterloo Place (5)

This is a very special wall, indeed all the walls around the Sofa Project are special. A special wall deserves special treatment and this fabulous recent collaboration from Paul Monsters, Andy Council and Soker, is, I would say, very special.

Andy Council, Soker and Paul Monsters, Waterloo Place, Bristol, June 2021
Andy Council, Soker and Paul Monsters, Waterloo Place, Bristol, June 2021

To the left of the collaboration is a stunning nautilus or ammonite piece by Andy Council, who seems to have strayed from constructing his creatures from architecture to painting blocks that are ‘stitched’ together with bits of ‘chord’. The outcome is a very clever effect of life that is constrained from inanimate parts. Andy Council has been unbelievably busy on the streets over the last year, and I can’t remember a time when I have seen so much of his work. This is very good news.

Andy Council, Soker and Paul Monsters, Waterloo Place, Bristol, June 2021
Andy Council, Soker and Paul Monsters, Waterloo Place, Bristol, June 2021

To the right of the creature is a high-end piece of wildstyle writing from Soker painted in shades of blue with a white border/3D shadow. Spelling SOKEM, the whole thing is very easy on the eye and so obviously painted by a creative master. It is near perfect.

Andy Council, Soker and Paul Monsters, Waterloo Place, Bristol, June 2021
Andy Council, Soker and Paul Monsters, Waterloo Place, Bristol, June 2021

This collaboration just wouldn’t be anywhere near as good without the outstanding geometric pattern piece from the fabulous Paul Monsters acting as a backdrop, but contributing so much more than that. Paul Monsters pieces might just be the most recognisable in Bristol, and he has really carved out a niche for himself with this unique style and palette.

Overall an outstanding collaboration and a real treat.