I have mentioned before that until relatively recently Turoe One has been a little off my radar, but that situation is being rectified. I am puzzled though, has my blind spot been because I simply didn’t see his work, or has he been much more active on the streets over the last six months or so? Either way, I am enjoying his work.
Turoe One, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
This recent piece in the tunnel carries all the hallmarks of a confident and experienced artist at ease with his skills. Great letter shapes, colour selections and fills, and although not my favourite piece by Turoe One, it is an accomplished work.
So here he is again, this time turning up in ‘crack alley’ or Hepburn Road as it is formally known. I am of course talking about Slakarts, an artist that I can’t seem to keep off the pages of Natural Adventures at the moment, and there are more in the pipeline.
Slakarts, Hepburn Road, Bristol, January 2020
This piece is a little different from most of the work we see by this artist, because the face is in semi-profile, where normally his subjects are seen from the front. The piece is nice and clean with strong outlines and solid fills, and there is a little bit of movement going on with the double lines near the nose and cheek. I don’t remember ever seeing a piece by Slakarts down here before and it is good to see him moving about the place.
Wowzer! I first saw this on Paul Harrison’s @bristolstreetartandgraffiti Instagram account and instantly fell in love with it. I am a child of Star Wars and although never had any of the toys and stuff I have been a big fan of the films, even the bad ones. The saga has spanned much of my lifetime and has offered a series of enjoyable landmarks in a sometimes choppy sea.
Dasco, Brunel Way Bridge, Bristol, January 2020
Dasco is still very much an artist whose work I am acquainnting myself with and everything I have seen so far I really like. His style is extremely versatile and in addition to his obvious talent for graffiti writing, he shows us here just how good he is at character pieces too. The yellow shading on Darth Vader’s helmet cleverly lifts the whole piece and brings about a 3D effect. An outstanding and memorable piece from Dasco. Note to self… must do a Star Wars special (after I have done a kingfisher special).
I love this. An old signboard, neglected and unloved, brought back to life through the skill of a talented artist. The artist in question is Kid Crayon, and he did this little ‘extra’ piece while painting a collaboration with SPZero76 on the wall opposite (coming soon).
Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2020
I love the idea of inanimate objects being given personalities, a little bit like the engines in Thomas the Tank Engine stories. It doesn’t happen nearly enough in Bristol. Perhaps this could be the start of something new although finding the objects in the first place could be problematic. The simple face was probably spray painted pretty quickly and although a bit ‘rough and ready’ is absolutely perfect. More of these please KC.
Another rather lovely piece from Decay. It is funny how you can look at things and yet not see them. It wasn’t until I was preparing this post that I noticed the big DECAY in black on red in the background of this piece. I saw what I wanted to see, but not what was actually in front of me.
Decay, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2020
I do like the ephemeral nature of this piece of writing, almost as though it is made out of a mist or fog, with a very bright yellow ‘Chuck’ character the ‘e’ of Decay. Another nice one chalked up for 2020.
Pre postscript- sometimes you can get things so wrong, and try to read more into a piece than is going on. Everything below is my own speculation and assumptions going into overdrive. The word is XODUS and not FOIS. It was painted opposite Kleiner Shames and Subtle hence the recognition. I’m not sure who XODUS is, but I feel a bit stoopid. Never mind, I don’t expect anyone will read this nonsense anyway…
Aah, the genius of two brilliant artists conjuring up this amazing and highly unusual piece. It would seem that a Kleiner Shames visited Bristol over the Christmas period and hooked up with his old mate Subtle. The pair both produced pieces in the St Werburghs tunnel, and obviously had a bit of time left over to turn out this stunner.
Kleiner Shames and Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Signed FoiSubtle, the collaboration presents with two distinct styles. My guess is that the letters FOIS are by Kleiner Shames, he always writes these letters but never quite like this, and the characters, a wolf holding a rabbit by the ears are by Subtle, in a bit of a departure from his writing. There is a message on the piece written backwards that says ‘one tin wonders’. I would think this refers to the two colours (plus black) that were used for the piece.
I cannot tell you how much I love this. It is quirky and retro, the characters look like early Disney creations. As I always say when Kleiner Shames comes to town, come back soon.
A stencil artist whose work I have always admired is London’s Unify. Unify’s work, for me has a real human touch, grabbing the viewer’s attention through an emotional draw. These works are more than illustrations they are stories, sometimes political, sometimes satirical, sometimes child-like and they are all pretty powerful.
Unify, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
This beautiful small stencil depicts a young girl painting some little red hearts that collectively form a peace symbol, something that is used a lot in Unify’s work. It is a touching piece full of hope, and beautifully presented between these two flowerpots.
The Nomadic Community Garden just off Brick Lane is an extraordinary place. A labyrinth of sheds and raised beds made from old railway sleepers. It is kind of untidy but un an organised way. At the far end of the garden is a large wall and it is covered in ‘high-end’ pieces from established artists.
Irony, Nomadic Community Garden, London, November 2018
I think I read somewhere that the garden was being cleared out. I’m not sure if this is the case, but it would be a pity. Cities need these eccentric spaces, without them we are all impoverished.
This fabulous piece is by Irony, whose work really is unparalleled. The mural was painted as part of the Meeting of Styles street art festival in May 2018. So, so cool.
I wish I had posted this piece when it was still politically relevant back in November 2018. It is of course an anti-Brexit piece with the words ‘leaving is the easy way out’, by New York artist BKFoxx.
BKFoxx, Hanbury Street, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
This is a magnificent photorealistic piece irrespective of the message, and fits the wall perfectly. I love it when artists use the space well. There is more about this piece from the excellent London Calling blog.
Continuing with some pictures from a (not so recent) visit to Shoreditch, I thought I’d share this rather atypical piece by SkyHigh. Regular readers will be familiar with his exceptional graffiti art pieces where each letter in the word SKYHIGH has its own unique font and style. This however is something completely different.
SkyHigh, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
SkyHigh’s command of his craft is clear when he can paint something like this amazing kingfisher, which at first glance I thought might have been by Aspire. I’d love to know what it is about kingfishers that so many artists depict them… note to self, do a ‘kingfisher special’ some day. This is a magnificent piece by a magnificent artist of a magnificent bird.
Natural adventures 