Category: 5. Street Art

2547. M32 Cycle path (35)

How fantastic to see these two PWA artists hooking up again after what feels like way too long. Soap and Face 1st have been painting buddies for a long time, but lately have been doing their own thing. I was beginning to think that they might have fallen out and may maybe they had, so it was with some relief  that I came across this fine collaboration on the M32 cycle path.

Soap and Face 1st, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2019
Soap and Face 1st, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2019

The collaboration itself is a lovely crisp piece, which is tapping into Face 1st’s recent theme of a crying face, which I interpret as a metaphor for the desperate state of our nation. This collaboration is really tight and one of my favourites that this pair have produced. The yellow boundary contains the two elements into a ‘proper’ collaboration of shared paint and merged ideas rather than the loose collaboration of when artists paint different things together.

2546. St Werburghs tunnel (108)

Another day, another Fiva piece in St Werburghs tunnel. This piece is perhaps a little less elaborate than some we have seen recently and there is no accompanying character, but it retains all the great hallmarks of Fiva’s fabulous work.

Five, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Five, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019

Brick walls in street art are something of a ‘thing’ and are painted as a backdrop by many Bristol (and other) artist to great effect. Fiva’s large full caps letters stand out from the brick background and are beautifully filled with a graded colour scheme and spots. All in all a lovely addition to this artist’s growing catalogue of pieces.

2545. North Street

I’m on a roll now with another wheatpaste to share with you, this one from a session about a month ago is by Jimmer Willmott who went out on a spree with Kid Crayon. Jimmer’s surreal style is instantly recognisable and obviously influenced by great artists such as Magritte.

Jimmer Wilmott, North Street, Bristol, October 2019
Jimmer Wilmott, North Street, Bristol, October 2019

I think that this might be an original hand drawing that he has pasted up, rather than a print which is what many wheatpasters do. If it is, it makes the piece all the more valuable to me at least. Earlier on in the year at a small art event I remember talking to Jimmer Willmott and Kid Crayon expressing my thoughts that there was not enough wheatpaste work in Bristol and that it was a bit of a neglected art. I would like to think that in my small way I might have in part influenced this paste up session. I probably didn’t though.

2544. Dean Lane skate park (261)

Recently there has been a little bit of an increase in the number and variety of wheatpastes that have been appearing in Bristol from a few different artists. This, of course, pleases me because I am very fond of this form of street art.

Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

This couple of paste ups by Georgie are quite small and hidden away and could easily be overlooked, but they are little gems. The print shows a heart being set upon by a group of ants, set on a dotted background. One in in pink base colours, the other in blue.

Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

Georgie is a wonderfully talented artist who works in a range of different media and is equally happy with studio or street work. There are more paste ups from Georgie to come soon, so watch this space. Great stuff, and fun to find.

2543. M32 roundabout J3 (175)

There is something about Morny’s naive style of street art that I find really appealing and it reminds me a little of an artist we had in Bristol a year or two back called J. Dior. These pieces are not clean or sharp but nor are they contrived, they simply tell stories that we can relate to.

Morny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019
Morny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019

In this piece, Morny has a policeman or perhaps I should say cop with his arm out saying ‘stop that’. We could read a hundred different meanings into this, but my immediate conclusion is this is an anti-graff cop. Whatever the story, I like the piece very much. It is vibrant and fun and that works for me.

J. Dior, The Bearpit, Bristol, May 2017
J. Dior, The Bearpit, Bristol, May 2017

2542. Dean Lane skate park (260)

Slim Pickings (a name for this artist I got from I know not where) or Tes has consistently turned out pieces (most of them in Dean Lane) this year each to a really high standard as one would expect from this perfectionist. Over the year there have been subtle changes to his general design that keep his work interesting and alive.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

These letters have been painted over another piece which sadly I missed, as it looks rather unusual with Mc Scrooge or whatever his name is sitting in an arm chair. Slim Pickings’ piece once again demonstrates his great talent for finding the right colour combinations to bring out the best in his work. I’ll be interested to see how much he changes his standard letters over time.

 

 

2541. St Werburghs tunnel (107)

One of the great things about Kleiner Shames is that he keeps coming back to Bristol and when he does he usually drops one of his stunning pieces which are always most welcome. The light in St Werburghs tunnel really doesn’t do the piece justice and it would be nice to see his next piece somewhere with more natural light.

Kleiner Shames, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Kleiner Shames, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019

Kleiner Shames was one of the first writers that I really appreciated and his work led me gently into the world of graffiti writing, which I had previously not engaged with much. It is definitely an acquired taste and takes some getting used to, but it requires as much skill and technique as other forms of street art. Kleiner Shames is a master of introducing a mature designed feel into his street work. Such a shame he doesn’t still live in Bristol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2540. M32 roundabout J3 (174)

Having only recently ‘discovered’ Lobe, it seems that I am finding her work all over the place (and still have some to find). This is a lovely sunny piece at the M32 roundabout, with a rather unfortunate bit of graffiti just above it ‘viagra’ – I sometimes wonder what gets into people’s minds when they scrawl something like that.

Lobe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019
Lobe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019

Once again Lobe hits us with bold colours and strong lines and shading which is very much her style. Placing the bright yellow piece on a spotty pink background works really well. Another fine piece from Lobe.

2539. Dean Lane skate park (259)

Oh what a fabulous day – deep blue skies after what feels like a month of constant rain and a new Laic217 piece on the curved wall in Dean Lane – it just doesn’t get much better than this. Laic217 just keeps on doing it and with each piece his technique improves. This piece looks like it has been lifted straight off a sketchbook and the tones he gets in this greyscale piece are to be admired. The overall composition is really interesting and has some resemblance to a piece he painted on this wall in March last year with the words ‘Ice Ice Baby’.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

Making an appearance, a feature of so many street works, are some ‘Hello, my name is’ stickers. Now can somebody please tell me the significance of these – why do they appear so often? On these, one says Laic217, another says CortOne (one of his painting pals) and the third I’m not too sure about.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018

2538. St Werburghs tunnel (106)

An unusual piece by Face 1st in St Werburghs tunnel, unusual because it is writing without a character. I think this is the first time I have seen this from him although he quite often does character pieces without writing.

Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019

Simple in its construction and tidy in his use of fills this is a rather fun piece, and it has lasted well in the tunnel where the turnover is often quite rapid. I particularly like the orange and red stripes on the ‘A’  – something for me to go away and practice. Also you might notice one of his girl faces at the base of the ‘F’. Always good to see Face 1st breaking boundaries.