Category: 5. Street Art

2430. Upfest 2018 (152)

I think that this is the fifth stencil/wheatpaste by About Ponny that I have posted from Upfest 2018 and in my mind every single one of them is a belter. In each it is both the skill of the work and positioning and the extraordinary content that makes these outstanding wheatpastes.

About Ponny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
About Ponny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

About Ponny has a knack of portraying human pain and suffering without sentiment or compassion. These are raw pieces which strike at your heart and made even more effective by their low-key sitings. I had not been aware of About Ponny’s work before Upfest 2018, but on the back of these have become a big fan.

About Ponny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
About Ponny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
About Ponny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
About Ponny, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

2429. Upfest 2018 (151)

I felt it was probably time to pick up on a few more Upfest 2018 pieces starting with this beautiful Whale and Gannet work with a very strong environmental message from Adelle Gough. The text says “You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop”.

Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I like the style Adelle has used for this piece very much, and it has quite an illustrative feel to it, like it could be the cover of a children’s book on plastic waste or something like that. There is a narrative in the piece that is clear to see, with tin can plastic binding caught around the gannet’s neck.

Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Adelle likes to call Stroud her home, but appers to do quite a lot of travelling around the country. She has a fine website Green Bow Tie Works that houses a gallery of her works and there is an interesting profile/biography of the artist which outlines her love for nature and the natural world. Whale pieces always go down well with me.

2428. M32 roundabout J3 (166)

In the dim foot tunnels of the M32 it is very easy to miss pieces as the walls tend to be very congested with tagging and bombing. It is the job of a hunter to keep eyes wide open and try to see everything. I had actually walked past these two faces by an artist new to me, Rinsulin, before doing a comedy about turn and taking another look.

Rinsulin, M32 roundabut, Bristol, August 2019
Rinsulin, M32 roundabut, Bristol, August 2019

The pair of colourful 3 eyed-skulls look rather better in photographs than they do in the tunnel and although naive in appearance are nicely thought out. I would guess that Rinsulin is reasonably new to street art, but I mugight be wrong about that.

Rinsulin, M32 roundabut, Bristol, August 2019
Rinsulin, M32 roundabut, Bristol, August 2019

It is unfortunate that both pieces have been tagged by Apeks, a nobody whose contribution is negligible, but i have to say that overall I rather like the colourful and anarchic faces that have a style all of their own.

2427. St Werburghs tunnel (97)

Just when you thought the Rezwonk/Decay partnership couldn’t possibly get any better, they pull this one out of the hat (see what I did there?). This is a remarkable and thoroughly enjoyable collaboration painted brilliantly in the style of Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat.

Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019

The left hand side of the collaboration is by Rezwonk where the writing almost takes second place to The Cat, Thing 1, the kite and flower pot and the general setting of the piece. I believe this piece to be utterly outstanding and is right up there with my favourite pieces of the year.

Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019

The Cat in particular is so well painted, like he has stepped straight off the page of a book, Thing 1 also is incredibly faithful to the book. Surely this can’t have been painted with spray cans alone?

Decay and Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
Decay and Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019

The right hand side of the collaboration is by Decay who has introduced the character Sam I am from the book Green Eggs and Ham. He also included the goldfish in his bowl from Cat in the Hat.

Decay and Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
Decay and Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019

Decay has gone for a simple piece of writing in his usual (2019) style which acts as a fabulous backdrop to everything else that is going on with the piece. Fortunately the colour schemes used are not polluted by the horrible light conditions in the tunnel, and the photographs of the piece have come out OK.

Thoroughly brilliant by this pairing – Bravo! Bravo!

2426. Cumberland Basin

Even though I have heard of Acerone, I think that this is the first piece of his that I have knowingly seen. He paints with this fabulous photograffiti style and the wall that he has painted this amazing Clifton suspension bridge on would pretty much have this view were it not for all the concrete in the way.

AcerOne, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2019
AcerOne, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2019

Acerone is busy with family and art projects so does not paint walls too much these days, but I have a feeling that painting this wall might well get him back into the groove. I certainly hope so, because this is a real stunner and sits at the top table of Bristol Street art this year.

2425. Lucky Lane

It is impossible for me not to be utterly enchanted by Pelmo’s work. These unusual cartoon scenes have a touching element to them and the stories that unfold are witty and caring. In this piece a cyclist (with enormous thighs) in a pedalo swan is towing an unfeasibly large waterskier whose lifejacket is clinging on for dear life.

Pelmo, Lucky Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Pelmo, Lucky Lane, Bristol, August 2019

The piece is in a little back lane in Bedminster that I never even knew existed and suits this wall perfectly. I am guessing that Pelmo must use brushes as well as spray paint, because the fine detail of the piece would simply not be possible using cans alone. An absolute winner.

2424. Dean Lane skate park (245)

What a lovely surprise, two of my favourite artists collaborating on one of my favourite walls, and look at all that orange. This collaboration went up on the wall where the Inkie piece had been for quite some while and which had become a bit tagged, so it is nice to refresh the wall.

Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019

On the left Face 1st has painted one of his faces with hair that spells out FACE. I have noticed that several of his recent pieces have taken this portrait format with this rather more obvious writing in the hair, and it is something the artist is obviously playing with at the moment.The colours and fill patterns are wonderful but that winking girl is irresistable.

Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019

On the right, is a stunning gold cat from the prolific Daz Cat. I wonder if he is continuing the theme from his piece at the M32 roundabout of gold v chrome, the colours of this piece might suggest that. The writing ‘a cat’ is suitably chrome. Different styles, but together this girl and cat make a lovely pair. More please.

2423. Dean Lane skate park (244)

I don’t know if I have been missing work from Turoe One over the last five years or whether he has just recently started painting more, but I seem to be coming across his work more often in the last month or so.

Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019

This is a super-skilful piece of writing in Dean Lane which has been beautifully presented. Set on a black backgroung (great prep), the piece oozes class with its stunning fills and is capped off with a sharp orange outline setting the whole thing off beautifully. A really great piece. I hope that this spell of writing by Turoe One continues.

2422. M32 roundabout J3 (165)

I’m on a bit of a Lobe fest at the moment, and this magnificent piece was actually the first of hers that I actually became aware of. It was tucked away on the St Agnes side of the M32 roundaboutand really stood out from the crowd.

Lobe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Lobe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

Once more, her careful use of colours and clever design create what looks at first sight  like a simple portrait, but on closer inspection is full of complexity and sophistication. I’m sure that as she works more and more her execution will tighten up, and I am so looking forward to what the next few months will bring from this artist.

2421. M32 roundabout J3 (164)

Having broken the ice with a recent Lobe piece under Brunel Way, I said that I would trawl up some slightly older pieces by her from my archive and true to my word…

Lobe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Lobe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

The piece from June this year I have a feeling didn’t last very long, so I was pleased to have managed to capture it. I am a huge fan of her style, a lovely design kept simple using nine colours and shading to die for. The use of orange and pink on the shirt and hat to highlight light and shade is to my mind really clever. Bold and unique, her work is yet another fabulous addition to the vast Bristol spectrum.