5. Street Art – Page 491 – Natural adventures

2915. Hereford Street (1)

What an absolutely gorgeous sunny morning it is in Bristol today, deep blue skies and optimism in the air. This is an old photograph (consistent with all my recent lock down posts) of an even older piece by Smak. It is on a curious hoarding on the southern edge of Bedminster that leads to a tunnel under the railway.

Smak, Hereford Street, Bristol, April 2019

It is all too easy to run out of superlatives when describing Smak’s work, and it is a rare thing indeed to find anything to be critical of. This is a thing of beauty, and I rather like the juxtaposition of urban graffiti writing set against greenery on the other side of the hoarding, like a scene from the Terry Gilliam film Brazil. Did I ever mention that my dad was the stage manager for Monty Python during their Drury Lane shows?

2914. Stokes Croft

Another archive piece, this time from #DFTE, on the famous wall on the corner of Stokes Croft and City Road. This is one of #DFTE’s framed pieces, and if I am honest, I’m not entirely certain that it is still there.

#DFTE, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2019

The words ‘We are all in this together‘ have a certain poignancy about them today as we sit in the midst of a global pandemic. I like the sentiment, but I dislike the way our government have rolled out this slogan (as if it was their invention) to try and inject some patriotism and collective responsibility for the fallout of coronavirus. I feel a monumental rant cominng on, so I will end the post now before I bore the living daylights out of you. In cheerier times I would appreciate the words more. I am a big fan of the artist and his alternative style.

2913. M32 cycle path (58)

This is a gorgeous piece of block lettering on the M32 cycle path from Dott Rotten. I took the photograph on 30 March 2019, and the photo label is ‘Brexit Day’. How my heart still bleeds about the unbelievably bad decision our country has taken, now amplified by the need to work together following the coronavirus outbreak. I suspect our folly (or otherwise) will be scrutinised by our grandchildren, by which time we might have recovered from the economic shock.

Dot Rotten, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2019

Meanwhile, this beautiful piece is expertly sprayed and demonstrates the crossover between graphic design and spray painting. Dott Rotten has used the brick lines to get the proportions of his letters correct, but this piece excels in its 3D letter depth off to the bottom right and the block letter shadow off to the bottom left. Take a good long look to see how this works. A nice clean piece and something a little different.

2912. The Bearpit (187)

Looking back to May last year when The Bearpit was nearing its end as a street art spot, (shame on Bristol City Council) and the visiting French wheatpaster Tian, left us several fabulous pieces in Stokes Croft and the roundabout.

This fabulous piece, printed from a stencil, is of a boxer, I have no idea who, and is one of his larger paste ups at about three-quarters life size. The yellow tones work really well on the red background and the piece is full of life and movement. If and when Tian returns to Bristol he may struggle to find as many spots to paste his work as he has been used to on previous visits as the pace of gentrification accelerates.

2911. Dean Lane skate park (306)

There is no order or plan with which I am going through my archive (during lock down) I am simply skipping from monthly folder to folder, spotting something and thinking, ‘ah yes, this needs posting’. This exact process has happened several times with Slim Pickings (TES) and each time I put the moment back to be returned to another time. Well, enough is enough. Here is a rather lovely TES from March last year, that didn’t get posted first time round.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2019

As I would always expect from Slim Pickings, this is a really tight and clean piece, painted in pillar box red set on a dull bronze background with some green gunge and drips for good measure. The white highlight lines are just enough to give the letters a 3D feel. Clever and consistent. Note to self… high time I did a gallery.

2910. M32 Spot (65)

Another piece from January last year, released from the archive, this one is by Minto. My knowledge of Minto is a little bit patchy but I think he used to live in Bristol and then, like so many street artists/designers, moved to London, so pieces here are few and far between.

This is an unusual piece of writing, unlike anything I have seen before really, and I am not certain it is necessarily in Minto’s usual style either. Not really my cup of tea, but it is always great to have a spectrum of art in the city.

2909. Waterloo Street (2)

The journey through my archives continues with this amazing (yes another one) cartoon piece by Deamze. A short while ago I wrote about the Asterix piece on this wall by the same artist, which I photographed in 2018. This one photographed in January 2018 features a similar wildstyle writing mash up of Scooby Doo.

Deamze, Waterloo Street, Bristol, January 2019

Those pesky kids appear in the writing (spelling out DEAMZ) as recognisable body parts. From left to right we have Velma Dinkley and Shaggy Rogers (is there a hidden adult gag in his name?).

Next in line we have Scooby Doo and thank goodness without the dreadful spin-off Scrappy Doo, with the ’70s hunk Fred Jones next in line – what was that red scarf all about?

Finally the lovely but slightly boring Daphne Blake and to her right the iconic Mystery Machine. As a group the characters were known as Mystery Incorporated. Scooby Doo was required viewing for my generation, and the cartoon series appears to have had an extraordinarily long shelf-life. Amazing really for a story line that is pretty much identical in every episode.

Deamze is utterly amazing in the way he creates these composite pieces with such accuracy and style. An outstanding piece, which might still be there, I haven’t been that way for a while.

2908. Shoreditch, London

The last of this sequence of five pieces from a trip to Shoreditch in November 2018 is this magnificent dorway work by Stik (who else). The simplicity of his work tells stories far greater than many more complex pieces and certainly backs up the saying ‘less is more’.

There is something very human about these two stick figures and although the only features they have are eyes, we understand what the piece is saying and for that alone it should be admired. Stik has hit upon a style that taps into our core senses and feelings at the most basic level and elicits emotions in ways that sophisticated pieces sometimes fail to do. I love this.

2907. Shoreditch, London

I’m not entirely certain that this wonderful piece by Zabou is strictly speaking in Shoreditch, but it was certainly on the way on a very long walk I took back in November 2018. It is on Kingsland Road on the wall of the By the Bridge café beside the Regent’s Canal, I think the area is called Haggerston.

Zabou, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

Zabou’s protrait pieces are rarely matched by anyone in both scale and quality, she really is a street artist at the top of her game, and finding her work is always such an exciting thrill. I think the piece was painted in April 2018 and features the model Yara Shahidi. Beautiful.

Pekoe

A gallery of beautiful and colourful faces from Bristol’s Pekoe, member of the RBF crew.

Instagram: @sneakpekoe

All photographs by Scooj

	Laura Newhampshire on Thursday Doors – 7 May…
	restlessjo on Thursday Doors – 7 May…
	Sheree on Thursday Doors – 7 May…
	Sheree on 7630. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday Doors – 7 May…

	Laura Newhampshire on Thursday Doors – 7 May…
	restlessjo on Thursday Doors – 7 May…
	Sheree on Thursday Doors – 7 May…
	Sheree on 7630. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday Doors – 7 May…

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