Category: 5. Street Art

1556. Mina Road (2)

Once in a while we are lucky enough in Bristol to see a large commission piece appear in a public space, the last significant one being the Jodi piece for the Florist on the corner of Park Street and Charlotte street. This beautiful commission is by Zase and can be found in Mina Road.

Zase and Dekor, Mina Road, Bristol, June 2018
Zase and Dekor, Mina Road, Bristol, June 2018

Were it not for visionaries who commission this work in the first place, our streets would be considerably duller than they are. In this case, the recent owner of the restaurant is also owner of several other buildings in the area and he is keen to get some of those painted up too.

Zase and Dekor, Mina Road, Bristol, June 2018
Zase and Dekor, Mina Road, Bristol, June 2018

This magnificent piece is a solo work by Zase as I am told that Dekor, his painting partner, has returned to his homeland (Slovakia?). A theme that Zase returns to again and again is the natural world, and this piece showcases his talent for painting birds and a natural landscape.

Zase and Dekor, Mina Road, Bristol, June 2018
Zase and Dekor, Mina Road, Bristol, June 2018

There is something about flamingos that street artists seem to like – maybe it is the vibrant colours or the curious body form, whatever it is there are a disproportionate number of them out there. Not that I’m complaining mind.

Zase and Dekor, Mina Road, Bristol, June 2018
Zase and Dekor, Mina Road, Bristol, June 2018

I like pretty much everything about this mural and of course it contains the trademark 3D moniker from the artist just to the right of the flamingo. Well worth a trip to see this one.

1555. St Werburghs tunnel (24)

I am suffering a little from Draws withdrawal (see what I did there?) because it has been 45 posts since I last wrote about him. He or I must be losing our touch. This piece, at the end of St Werburghs tunnel, hence the light differential, is a cheerful quick one using an interesting patchwork style to fill the letters.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2018
Mr Draws, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2018

I really like the colour palette that Mr Draws has used for this and the way he has managed to distribute the colours in a way that pleases the eye. What I like most about Mr Draws is how utterly in love with his craft he is, and it comes across in his work.

 

1554. Dean Lane skate park (136)

It is simply not, not possible (thank you Manja Mexi Movie) to admire the bravery and talent in the work of Tom Miller. This transformation of a container that is more used to hosting quick burners is quite remarkable. Sadly, it has since reverted, but for a few fleeting moments class had arrived in this Dean Lane spot.

Tom Miller, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018
Tom Miller, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018

Unfortunately I arrived a little too early to see this piece completed – there is a little footnote in the bottom right saying ‘Back 2moro’. I think it was almost completed, but when I returned only a few days later it had been over-sprayed. It is part of the game, and all artists know the score, but there is something disrespectfully self-destructive about writing over good art I feel.

Tom Miller, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018
Tom Miller, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018

Tom Miller confounds with his surreal explosiveness, connecting a dream world with a tangible one. The colours he has used and the overall effect is like nothing else I have ever seen in Dean Lane. I do like it when highly competent and trained artists take to the streets, it adds to the incredible diversity of free art. Bravo! Tom Miller.

1553. St Werburghs tunnel (23)

What a lovely piece this is from the great Fiva in the depths of St Werburghs tunnel. It is a clever piece that lifts itself out from the wall with superb shadowing in black and dark green.

Fiva, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2018
Fiva, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2018

I’m not sure whether it is the silhouettes or the font , the colours or the expert shading, but I really admire this piece, which is a bit strange, because it is not necessarily my natural leaning. One of the pleasures of hunting out street art is coming across something that makes you feel really good. This is one of those. Thank you Fiva.

1552. The Bearpit (150)

One of the nice things about ‘coming out’ about discovering a new artist is that you can trawl through all your old images and start to post some of their older work, and so it is with Daz Cat whose pieces I have only been posting for the last two or three months.

Daz Cat, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017
Daz Cat, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017

This great cat face in one of The Bearpit tunnels is from November last year and is a really good example of the work of this artist. I always feel that his work is quite simple, but take a closer look and there is a lot of detail and finessing in there. This is a great example of themed work and a distinctive style.

1551. M32 Spot (21)

I took this picture a while back, and it was rather overlooked because of my excitement at finding a fine piece by SPZero76 (adjacent) and a wonderful Sepr scene (adjacent but one). Because I didn’t know the artist who created this excellent work, the photographs languished in my archives. Now to my delight I have pulled them into the full glare of the WordPress community.

David Shillinglaw, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017
David Shillinglaw, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017

When I decided to write about this piece, I still didn’t know the artist, and had to do a little research to find out that it is by David Shillinglaw. Shillinglaw is not a local artist and although I am not familiar with his work in Bristol, I think I might have seen work by him in London (another trawl through my files to come). I love his style, which is beautifully described on his (as yet incomplete) website. So what about Melon Twister? this is beautiful, colourful and surreal piece, full of symbolism (keys, locks…what’s going on there?). Check out the cigarette and smiley smoke. There is a lot to look at here and to ponder on. I am really eager to see more from this distinctive artist.

1550. Jamaica Street (14)

You may notice that I have once again been rummaging around in my archives, and have found this rather nice installation piece by Will Coles dating back to September last year. There was another of these LOL skulls in The Bearpit, ahich appeared at round about the same time.

Will Coles, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2017
Will Coles, Jamaica Street, Bristol, September 2017

This one, like many of his pieces’ is quite easy to miss despite its location directly opposite the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft outdoor gallery. I like the quirky nature of Will Coles’ pieces and particularly like the skill he has for choosing his locations. I wonder how many of his pieces I might have missed in Bristol.

1549. Nelson Street (5)

There is still so much I don’t know about street art in Bristol. This is a photograph I took quite a long time ago, but I never really tracked down who painted it. It has been sitting in my archive, but I am none the wiser about its origins. I thought I’d publish it in any case under the ‘unknown’ artist category.

Unknown Artist, Nelson Street, Bristol, August 2017
Unknown Artist, Nelson Street, Bristol, August 2017

It was sprayed around the time of the absurd Donald Trump wall-building cant, and along with so much other street art, lampoons the unhinged president. I actually really like this political commentary piece and only wish I knew who the artist is. Any ideas on a postcard…

1548. Dean Lane skate park (135)

There is not too much to say about this lovely little toucan by Touc, other than I think it was the first one of his little birds that I found, and I have just retrieved it from my archive.

Touc, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Touc, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018

I’ve not seen any new ones recently, but am always on the look out.

1547. Stokes Croft Corner wall (7)

Once you get your eye in for a particular artist, it seems that you see their work absolutely everywhere, and so it is with Pekoe. Her work was, until recently, off my radar until I saw a piece at the M32 roundabout. Since then I have found three more pieces dotted about the place, including this one and an Upfest piece.

Pekoe, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018
Pekoe, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018

This interesting work was painted as part of a collaboration which included Mr Sleven and one other. Pekoe appears to be fond of the third eye and its symbolism, as it appears in other work. I am still learning about her work and style, and really look forward to discovering more.