Category: 5. Street Art

2222. Moon Street (70)

Rezwonk is another street artist who seems to have found an extraordinary energy level this year, developing his writing in spots all over Bristol. This time he has produced a rather nice solo piece, but in recent weeks he has painted a lot in collaboration with Decay.

Rezwonk, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019
Rezwonk, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019

Here he spells out REZER, an obvious shortening of his ‘name’. It is an interesting moniker because the letters are quite harsh in capital form, lots of straight lines, in contrast for example with my own SCOOJ, which is much more curvy. I wonder if the names are directly or indirectly responsible for the development of a style… very probably.

This is a nice piece of writing, which sets me up nicely for a new piece of his that I photographed yesterday in Dean Lane that is outstanding, and which I will post in due course.

2221. Moon Street (69)

I don’t know much about DNT, and have met him only the one time, but recently he has been very busy on the streets indeed and this is just one of several new pieces decorating the Stokes Croft area. DNT appears to be a creature of habit and rarely seems to paint in some of the other popular spots around the city, instead seeming to prefer his own neighbourhood.

DNT, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019
DNT, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019

This face is in typical DNT style. Highly colourful, and the whole piece being made up of elements or segments which on their own don’t appear to be recognisable, but when presented as a whole make up a fine picture. I really rather like this piece which has plenty of interest, but also has something mysterious or even absent, if that makes any sense at all.

2220. North Street

Decay is totally excelling at the moment, and it seems to me that each new piece he produces is better than the last. In the last year he has entered into a world of colour selections that might at one time have been unimaginable. This new piece is on the hoardings in North Street, curated by Upfest.

Decay, North Street, Bristol, May 2019
Decay, North Street, Bristol, May 2019

Not the easiest piece in the world to photograph and looking at the hazards around it, probably not the easiest to paint either. I truly believe Decay has found a new level in his work, but he needs to slow down… I’m having difficulty keeping up!

2219. Sandbed Road

There is a rather fun thing going on in Bristol at the moment, and it is the rise of Reseau, a loose crew with Panskaribas at its heart. Reseau pulls together several artists who enjoy painting together, but each time the composition of the collaboration seems to shift around a little.

Stupid Stupid Meathole and Panskaribas, Sandbed Road, Bristol, May 2019
Stupid Stupid Meathole and Panskaribas, Sandbed Road, Bristol, May 2019

This collaboration is full of fun and positivity and on the left is a Stupid Stupid Meathole sandwich with a Panskaribas filling. The Panskaribas character holding a flower appears to be dancing and really ticks all my boxes, and the worms by Stupid Stupid Meathole have a rather cuddly and bemused appearance.

Stupid Stupid Meathole and Soap, Sandbed Road, Bristol, May 2019
Stupid Stupid Meathole and Soap, Sandbed Road, Bristol, May 2019

On the right is a sensational Soap character with a beautifully intricate patterning, so beautifully done. I am really enjoying the freshness that Reseau is bringing.

2218. Moon Street (68)

Aah… Moon Street, one of the last remaining strongholds for street/graffiti art in the Stokes Croft area. Gentrification has arrived and is accelerating and it won’t be too long before most of these walls are gone and replaced with yet more student accommodations. The entire city is being overrun with these, surely the bubble has to burst at some point.

Anyhow, here we have quite an unusual and rather lovely little piece by Face 1st in one of his favoured spots.

Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019

I think that this might have been a bit of a practice, because since he painted this apple in Moon Street, I have seen it (on Instagram) as part of a collaboration elsewhere in Bristol… I must hunt it down, one of many that I haven’t yet found. Face 1st’s characteristic girl’s face is incorporated as part of an apple which appears to have been sliced and has ‘stuff’ brains maybe falling out. A slightly macabre scene and unusual for Face 1st who normally paints such charming faces. Nice to see him pushing the boundaries.

2217. M32 roundabout J3 (144)

On the M32 roundabout we have yet another wonderful Cort and Laic217 combination. These two really do seem to enjoy painting together and somehow that personal chemistry comes across, even though their styles are completely different.

Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2019
Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2019

The Cort writing is so typically in his style, with unusual shaped lettering combining straight lines with curves and some rather tasty fillings too. The whole thing is set on what looks like a brick wall where the render has started to flake off, a great effect.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2019
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2019

To the right is the Laic217 writing bookended with characters in one of his favoured red colours. For me this piece is the epitome of everything that Laic217 brings to his pieces, some great writing, great textures and skeletal characters with an element of menace about them. Nice to see a little shout out to Ryder on the right hand side of the piece too.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2019
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2019

I could sit and look at Laic217 pieces all day. I don’t think I necessarily share his fascination with death, acid, bucket hats or brick walls, but I appreciate how he conjures up these extraordinary pieces. A rich and magnificent piece.

2216. Stokes Croft

Wow, just wow, another wonderful paste up from Tian down in Stokes Croft. This one features a boxer, but I fear I don’t know which one. I have Googled Muhammad Ali, it might be him; Apollo Creed, it’s not him; Joe Foreman, it might be him when he had hair; Joe Frazier, I don’t think it’s him. And there my knowledge of boxers dries up… any ideas?

Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2019
Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2019

The wheatpaste itself is a beautiful stencil using his preferred yellow/sepia tones, I just don’t think I can get enough of his work and rather joyfully I have a whole load more to post over the coming weeks.

2215. St Werburghs tunnel (83)

This was one of so many pieces created during a paint-jam in St Werburghs tunnel a couple of weeks ago. Happily I can report that they are all still there, but with the turnover in the tunnel being quite high I expect that they won’d last much longer. This piece is by Rusk, a RAW stalwart.

Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019
Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019

I must confess to being slightly troubled by this piece, because there is something about it that just isn’t quite right for me. I hold Rusk in very high regard indeed and in fact in my view he is the most conscientious graffiti writer I have met. I think my problem (and I am really nit-picking here) is with the grey lines across the bottom of the letters, they just don’t appear to match up across the piece. Having said that, I am using Rusk’s own work as a very high benchmark against which to measure. It would take me a hundred years to get this good.

2214. Hepburn Road (9)

In a small alley off Stokes Croft called Hepburn Road (former drug dealing centre of Bristol) is (was) this intriguing piece by Nightways who seems to have cast off the winter doldrums and has become very active in recent weeks.

Nightwayss, Hepburn Road, Bristol, May 2019
Nightwayss, Hepburn Road, Bristol, May 2019

Unfortunately this two-tone piece was bombed fairly quickly, so I was lucky to get a clean picture of it. The painting is of a woman holding a strand of her hair from which a tiny little monkey is dangling, thus ensuring that there is some ‘monkeyness’ in the piece, which is what we have come to expect from Nightways. I met him last weekend, painting with Laic217 in Moon Street, and there is another of his pieces that I can’t wait to share with you. Nice work.

2213. Wilder Street (31)

You have no idea how much pleasure Hazard’s work gives me. It always seems to be so uplifting and beautiful and has a purity about it that is unusual in street art. This is a wonderful piece completed perhaps a couple of weeks ago on the hoardings of a development on Wilder Street.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2019
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2019

I remember that the first Hazard piece I saw was at Upfest 2016 I think, and I remember commenting on how she combines a beautiful portrait with interesting and elaborate hair decorations, and she does the same thing here. The feathers are just an additional delight to ponder.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2019
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2019

I love the skin tones in this piece which run from tans through to oranges and yellow on the cheeks. A classy work that conveys innocence and mystery combined. Thank you Harriet for brightening up the streets of Bristol, and come back from your travels safely.