Category: 5. Street Art

1240. Lower Approach Road (6)

This is a part of a slightly curious collaboration mural down behind Temple Meads station, accessed via Lower Approach Road. On the day that I went to photograph the mural, I couldn’t actually get to all of it because there was some construction work barricading off the left hand side. This was a bit annoying and rather took the edge off the whole experience.

Silent Hobo, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, November 2017
Silent Hobo, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, November 2017

This section is by Silent Hobo whose contemporary figures I never tire of. There is a whole big story going on here – a dystopian future scene? The girl is not only plugged in to her headset, but also into the ground. She is lying on top of an urban sprawl while a couple of falorn skeleton/robots can be seen in the distance. Then there are the goldfish…

Silent Hobo, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, November 2017
Silent Hobo, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, November 2017

The other character seems to be having some kind of meltdown. His skin is starting to resemble a circuit board, and he is being swallowed up by his urban environment. Perhaps he is transitioning into a soulless robot. Maybe I should ask the artist what this is all about the next time I see him.

1239. The Bearpit (113)

Jee See produces work that is very different from much of what I see in Bristol. His (non-seismic) pieces seem to tell stories or are representative of the workings of his mind. Could this be a suggestion that radio signals and maybe other waves are penetrating our heads in a sinister way? His work is quite organic and doesn’t appear to follow any kind of style convention. A little bit like the work of Object… .

Jee See, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017
Jee See, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017

It is interesting that this piece has been up in one of the tunnels of The Bearpit since November and hasn’t been tagged (in a very taggy area). I walk past it most days on my way to work…it is comforting to see it there each time.

1238. M32 roundabout J3 (59)

3Dom is really such a classy artist, and has been creating surreal pieces in Bristol for many years. He carries some themes from piece to piece and I have seen this psychedelic hut in several of his recent works.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017

His characters are often compiled from objects to create the whole, so here we have the hut for a head and a candle for a cigarette. There maybe a lot of symbolism involved, but what is certain is that his work is unique and special.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017

I love coming across his work, and this beautiful piece was part of the larger ASK paint jam back in November 2017. This whole wall was a real treat and a highlight from last year.

1237. Stokes Croft, the carriageworks (31)

I don’t think I will ever tire of the work of Mr Draws. I love the variety of ways that he can conjure up the word DRAW. Some are very quick pieces, some influenced by alcohol, some working on clever creative ideas and some containing more complexity that first meets the eye.

Mr Draws, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2017
Mr Draws, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2017

This is a particularly pleasing piece by Mr Draws, and his colour selections and patterns are exquisite. A real ray of sunshine on this wall. I like to think of his work as a diamond in the rough, but that would ignore the sophistication of some of his work. Always a favourite.

1236. Upfest 2017 (120)

I love seeing the work of Alex Lucas wherever it crops up, but it is especially nice to see her work at Upfest, when it isn’t tied to a commission. Alex Lucas has made a huge impression on the city of Bristol and her work is dotted all around the city – I have featured much of it on this blog.

Alex Lucas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Alex Lucas, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This piece was a bit tucked away, and incredibly difficult to photograph with the crowds and the lighting. Even so, it is possible to see that this is a classy illustration of a cat who is thinking about a mouse. Yum.

1235. Upfest 2017 (119)

At the Ashton Gate Upfest site, which was opened up for the first time in 2017, there was a very long wall running down the entire side of the stadium. Certain sections of this wall were allocated to crews, who sprayed together to create their pieces. This one is by Kid Crayon who was joining up with the Lost Souls crew and Eat.

Kid Crayon, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Kid Crayon, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I am a big fan of Kid Crayon’s work, and it was his wheatpastes that originally stoked my interest in Bristol street art in the first place, so I have a lot to thank him for. This is a wonderful and colourful piece of a big fish in a sardine can. I don’t know the meaning of the piece, but I know I like it a lot.

Kid Crayon, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Kid Crayon, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Anything to do with fish tends to tick my box, so street art with a fish is a bit of a bonanza.

1234. Upfest 2017 (118)

Upfest simply wouldn’t feel the same without all the ‘unofficial’ wheatpasters making their mark along North Street and other parts of town. One of the most notable wheatpasters over the last two years has been Losthills and his Jake the Dog pieces.

Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This one is a little different from his usual cut outs, and is a full size poster of ‘Jake World’ a parody poster of the recent remake of ‘West World’. Jake plays the lead role (in the original film I think it was played by Yul Brynner), with his face mask revealing electronics behind and confirming his robot status. I love this paste up – once again confirming Losthills as a fun-loving witty artist.

1233. Upfest 2017 (117)

Dzia was a featured artists at Upfest 2017 and as such he was afforded this magnificent wall at the climbing centre. Dzia was among a very strong Belgian contingent at the festival who really livened things up with their creativity and skill.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I didn’t manage to get to this site during the festival itself, and returned some time later when I was in the area to take these shots. The squirrel is absolutely magnificent, although possibly dwarfed a little by the size of the white wall.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Once you zoom in close though you get a real feel for this extraordinary piece from Dzia. His style is unmistakable, and his subject matter pretty much always from the natural world. He is a great advocate for wildlife street art.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I am constantly amazed at how the mish mash of lines and colours, which on their own seem directionless, come together to produce a perfect whole. Dzia is a hugely accomplished artist and it was a real treat to have him here in Bristol for Upfest.

1232. Upfest 2017 (116)

Will Coles certainly left his mark at Upfest 2017, with a number of different ‘installations’ dotted around the festival site and in other parts of Bristol too. This particular one chimes for a great many people in the UK, and I guess across the world, and links to the catastrophic decline in honey bee and other insect pollinator populations.

Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I would like to think that this is somewhat less controversial than many of his works, but it is nonetheless quite challenging politically. There are some who advocate the use of neonicotinoids and other pesticides to sustain high crop yields and guarantee food production for the nation.

Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Each of these honey bees were carefully placed. It was fun hunting them down.

1231. Leake Street tunnel, London (5)

One of the pleasures of writing about street/graffiti art and seeking out new sites is finding something there that you recognise. Feeling knowledgeable about something is very empowering and comforting, and we could all do with a bit of empowering and comfort from time to time.  For me this happened when I saw this Chinagirl Tile piece in Leake Street just before Christmas.

Chinagirl Tile, Leake Street, London, December 2017
Chinagirl Tile, Leake Street, London, December 2017

I have always had a soft spot for her work, and this very dangerous bunny is one of my favourite tiles she has produced. There is one in Bristol that I blogged about last year. I noticed that of the numerous ‘street art tourists’ who entered the tunnel from this entrance, none that I saw stopped or appeared to notice this rabbit, such was their eagerness to descend into the bowels of Leake Street. For me, street art is not just about the blindingly obvious, it is about subtlety, style, class and placement, much of which is lost on many people. This links to a theme I have mentioned many times in Natural Adventures, and that is that many of us look, but don’t see. Look harder and you might see a rabbit clutching a grenade. Watch out!

China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017
China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017