Category: 5. Street Art

2122. The Nova Scotia

Anyone who can tell me what is going on here (other than the artist himself) deserves a medal, because it is wild and complex. Tom Miller has an exquisite touch and fertile imagination, a potent combination for creating vibrant and sometimes provocative street art.

Tom Miller, The Nova Scotia, Bristol, February 2019
Tom Miller, The Nova Scotia, Bristol, February 2019

Tom Miller left this piece unfinished for quite some time with a little note in the bottom right hand corner saying ‘work in progress’, but I have to say that the only difference I can make out between the unfinished and finished version is his signature.

Tom Miller, The Nova Scotia, Bristol, March 2019
Tom Miller, The Nova Scotia, Bristol, March 2019

The piece is in two very distinct and contrasting halves. On the left are several faces looking a bit like masks and typically distorted in a surreal way that Tom Miller does so well.

Tom Miller, The Nova Scotia, Bristol, March 2019
Tom Miller, The Nova Scotia, Bristol, March 2019

On the right hand side are two large intertwined and rather frightening dog heads and just above them a series of smaller ones. There is real threat and menace here which seems to be at odds with the unsuspecting mask faces to the left. A truly dream-like or even nightmarish piece from Tom Miller, executed with enormous skill.

2121. M32 roundabout J3 (134)

It is always great fun to see how street artists can play with each other’s work. For example, this piece is not a collaboration, it is an add-on. The original work was a RAW collaboration the centrepiece of which was this fabulous character by Jaksta.

Jaksta, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2019
Jaksta, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2019

Turnover on this wall has been unusually high this spring and when ‘the monday club’ a group of artists including Nevergiveup, Tasha Bee, Soap, Run Z and Zake set about painting here, Nevergiveup worked around Jaksta’s piece almost like a respect thing, his bunnies leaning in towards the character, together with a carefully, thoughtfully resprayed background.

Jaksta, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2019
Jaksta, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2019

Often Jaksta’s characters are well known film stars or personalities, but I’m not sure I know who this is. What we have here is two pieces for the price of one… and some more bunnies for the collection.

Jaksta and Nevergiveup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2019
Jaksta and Nevergiveup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2019

2120. Lawrence Hill roundabout (7)

Although I haven’t posted much from Oner for a while, it doesn’t in any mean he hasn’t been productive. On the contrary his work seems to be ubiquitous, and a day barely passes by without seeing something by him.

Oner, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2019
Oner, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2019

This is a rather good piece in one of the tunnels of Lawrence Hill roundabout. Real care has been taken with this to create nice clean lines, excellent shadows and clever accents that give the letters a rounded 3D appearance. Oner is an interesting artist who seems to enjoy bombing and quick throw-ups, but when he takes his time he can create works of high class, like this one. Very nice.

2119. North Street

I just don’t get to see enough of Lemak’s wonderful and complex stencils. Much of his work is studio work, but occasionally we get lucky and he takes to the streets. This outstanding piece is painted on the double doors that played host to Dr Love at Upfest 2018, and more recently to the gorgeous lips of Muckrock.

Lemak, North Street, Bristol, February 2019
Lemak, North Street, Bristol, February 2019

This work features a space scene in which two astronauts, dressed in pink and blue respectively are sharing a rather awkward space hug, in which their helmets kind of get in the way. The rest of the wall is decorated with fabulous starscapes and neon oriental letters.

Lemak, North Street, Bristol, February 2019
Lemak, North Street, Bristol, February 2019

Zoom in a little closer to the astronauts and you get a sense of just how outstandingly good this stencil is, in which the fabric of the space suits has extraordinary texture.

perhaps this is a projection of our future where the air can no longer sustain us and we’ll all be wearing such suits.

This is a beautiful, beautiful piece.

Muckrock, North Street, Bristol, December 2018
Muckrock, North Street, Bristol, December 2018
Dr. Love, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Dr. Love, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

2118. M32 roundabout J3 (135)

Yet another remarkable Sled One piece that almost got away. This end of the M32 wall is near a tree, and for most of the day, on sunny days, the wall is dappled with sunlight and Shad, which renders it almost impossible to photograph successfully. I had to return a couple of times to catch it on a rather more overcast day to capture it in all its glory.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2018
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2018

Sled One appears to churn out these extraordinary pieces with such ease, although I expect that is not the case at all… perhaps the mark of an artist at the top of his game. In Bristol right now, Sled One is probably the greatest story teller through his art, every piece containing a strong visual narrative (is that a thing?). I’m not too sure what the story is here, but the man in the ‘D’ of SLED appears to be running away from something. Always great to find pieces by this gifted artist.

2117. The Arches

As the crow flies, this might just be the nearest mural to my home, although there are one or two others not too far away. For years, this wall has had a rather sad looking old mural on it, which had faded somewhat, so to see this fabulous refresh from local artist Bex Glover was a wonderful surprise.

Bex Glover, The Arches, Bristol, March 2019
Bex Glover, The Arches, Bristol, March 2019

I have only seen her work at Upfest before, so it is brilliant to come across this commission right in my manor. Her work has this wonderful illustrative style with line drawings of wildlife scenes in her preferred characteristic colours.

Bex Glover, The Arches, Bristol, March 2019
Bex Glover, The Arches, Bristol, March 2019

In this piece she gives us a Bristol fox which will always go down well with the locals. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for any further commissions she might get on the back of this one as it is in a prominent corner with a whole ton of road and pedestrian traffic passing it daily.

 

2116. Dean Lane skate park (201)

Decay has become a very, very busy man recently and this is just one of several pieces I will be sharing with you over the coming days/weeks. His transition from abstract works to writing has been seamless and aided by the carry-through of his little ‘Chuck’ character as the ‘E’ in his name.

Decay, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2019
Decay, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2019

The colours of this piece in Dean Lane work really well, and it is surprising what a big difference just the tiniest subtle dash of blue tint can do to lift a piece. I am really enjoying his work at the moment and hope you are too.

2115. The Bearpit (180)

Here we have an artist doing what he does best. The passionate and politically active Object… is a champion of all that we should care about; homelessness, fair distribution of wealth and the environment.

Object..., The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2019
Object…, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2019

This piece in The Bearpit is one of about twenty or so that appeared a week or two back to promote the movement ‘Extinction Rebellion‘. The movement is making three demands of the British government:

  1. The Government must tell the truth about the climate and wider ecological emergency, reverse inconsistent policies and work alongside the media to communicate with citizens.
  2. The Government must enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and to reduce consumption levels.
  3. A national Citizen’s Assembly to oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose.

I have some sympathy with these demands, but worry that will not land well because of the astonishing mess of Brexit.

We have a divided nation, and broadly speaking environmental activism lands very badly with the Brexit narrative, and we have a Government dominated by the hard right whose interests are never shared with safeguarding the environment. Take for example the ex-Secretary of State for the Environment Owen Patterson who described the environmental movement (and indeed scientists and his own civil servants) as ‘the green blob’ – a derogatory term intended to belittle, mock and bully people who care about their environment, but his words chime for those who are comfortable or self-interested and wish to maintain a status quo (safe middle Britain).

I feel an essay coming on, but I have to make a chocolate panattone bread and butter pudding.

2114. Moon Street (63)

Not quite as prolific as he has been in the past, but still keeping things ticking over is the brilliant Laic217 painting in one of his favourite spots in Moon Street. I think the dimensions of the wall lends itself to his portraits.

Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019

In this piece we see a return to several ideas used in Laic217’s work which link back to a theme of flammability. A melting face, which Laic217 has used to great effect many times,  that spells out his name. Spray can caps for eyes recessed deeply into the eye sockets and a bucket hat which in this case seems to be fashioned out of a spray can.

Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019

I will never get bored with his work and if I am honest probably look forward to discovering his work more than any other artist… it is like a game.

2113. Upfest 2018 (140)

This is a really interesting small piece by Bristol/Bath artist Harry Grech who I understand from his Bio has a passion for using spray paint. I don’t think he does much street work, or if he does I haven’t seen any which is more the pity because this is magnificent.

Harry Grech, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Harry Grech, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

A wonderful blend of a classical subject and modern a modern style combine to create something quite special and fairly unique. I didn’t see the artist at work so am not sure what technique was used, but it looks like a stencil which might have been oversprayed with the angular sections… so difficult to tell. It would be great to see more of his work.