Category: 5. Street Art

1017. Stokes Croft, Blue Mountain

On the day of ‘Boogie Down Bristol’, a mini festival organised by Inkie in the Full Moon pub, a great many graffiti artists converged on this area of Stokes Croft, and RAW (Read and Weep crew) were represented by Ryder and T-Rex who created this magnificent collaboration right next door to the pub.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

It was something of a miracle that they managed to get anything done, such was the pedestrian traffic stopping to admire the work and have a chat (including me).

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

I can honestly say that I think this is my favourite Ryder piece, it is in my view brilliant. The letters spell out Read and Weep and each one is individually crafted and filled with vibrant colours and patterns. Something of a masterclass for wannabe writers.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

Ryder has a signature element to his style, and that is to put eyes and other features into the holes of the letters, so in this instance the first ‘E’ has eyes and teeth.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

I also had the fortune to meet T-Rex for the first time, and having overcome the embarrassement of assuming that she was a male artist, we chatted for a while. Her work on this piece is magnificent also, with dinosaurs ‘bookending’ the writing with balance and skill.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

The plants decorating the whole collaboration are also by T-Rex.

Coming across this piece and finding Ryder and T-Rex while they were spraying was hugely fortunate. I had actually come down to the area to visit the It’s All 2 Much gallery which was hosting a Tom Miller exhibition. I suppose in life as well as in taking in the streets, you won’t see anything if you don’t look – a recurring theme on ‘Natural Adventures’.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

1016. The Bearpit (90)

It would appear that NEVERGIVEUP, or nevergiveup familia as he tags himself, is making a takeover bid for The Bearpit. I would think that he probably has about seven or eight pieces down there at the moment, and they are not getting tagged. How he is managing to do this, I don’t know.

NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

This is one of his series of monsters – he appears to have moved on from bunnies. I like the way that he is moving about from idea to idea, and I also like the way he is saturating the area, a bit like Laic217 was doing before. I am sure that at some point he will move back to Dean Lane or maybe try to spray in some new places. It is the succession of pieces and artists that makes writing about street art in Bristol so much fun to do.

1015. M32 roundabout J3 (46)

Sometimes we are lucky enough to see work by artists that is quite different from their normal work, or the style for which they are known. This is a case in point. After Upfest, Wasp Elder (Sam Worthington) took a trip to the walls at the M32 roundabout with Kid Crayon and sprayed this excellent wildstyle piece. It is so unlike anything he normally creates as you can see from his website, Kid Crayon said he was just having a bit of fun.

Wasp Elder, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017
Wasp Elder, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017

What I love about the piece is how the black letters have an amazing 3D feel, they seem to bulge out of the wall. Take a closer look and you can see the effect is created by clever shading…all so simple once you gert to look at it, although I’m sure it is not simple to do. Yet another Upfest extra for you to enjoy. Now gone of course.

1014. Church Road top (3)

A recent piece from Cheo on a wall that you need to go looking for. This is the second pairing of Cheo and Soker pieces that I have found here, but I expect they have been spraying here for years.

Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017

Some really lovely wildstyle writing and a fun character too. Cheo and his king bee just keep on pleasing. The image below is the last piece he had up here which was photographed in March 2017.

Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017

1013. New John Street (3)

Another fabulously intricate piece of wildstyle writing from Deamze accompanied by a cartoon-style character. There is a lot to like about this piece…it is clean and crisp, the design is highly detailed, the cartoon character is beautifully done and is holding a spray can, which is always a good thing.

Deamze, New John Street, Bristol, September 2017
Deamze, New John Street, Bristol, September 2017

This is a site tucked up behind Cameron Balloons, and is a favourite for several members of the ASK crew, including Cheo, Soker and Deamze himself. I don’t come here very often, but it would appear that I visited pretty soon after a whole new bunch of work had been done. I like it when I get lucky like this.

Deamze, New John Street, Bristol, September 2017
Deamze, New John Street, Bristol, September 2017

1012. Upfest 2017 (50)

Well, I have clocked up my first 50 Upfest 2017 pieces, and we are only in September – maybe I’ll get everything posted before next year’s festival, although I doubt it – there is just so much street/graffiti art happening in Bristol at the moment.

This was the brilliant official Upfest piece by Caro Pepe and Age Age, which was in the covered section of the Tobacco Factory car park, which given the weather over the three days was probably something of a blessing.

Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

These two artists have collaborated many times, and really seem to enjoy working together. At last year’s festival they had adjacent spots and created separate works, however it seems that since then they have worked together much more.

Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Working in soft mauves and browns, the two artists have combined the distinctive portraits of Caro Pepe with the elements of function and machinery that Age Age specialises in. The blend works well and I can see why they like to combine their styles. I am not sure, but I think the final version below was tampered with over the eye. It is possible that this was part of the original work, but Caro Pepe’s ‘blind’ eyes don’t usually have a patch like this.

Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

As well as this wonderful piece, the pair worked on another wall and a shutter during their short stay in Bristol, which is a real bonus. Both of these to follow.

1011. Upfest 2017 (49)

Mazzi C is an artist whose plain speaking and informative Upfest biography profile tells us that she is inspired by natural organic forms and Oriental art. Mazzie C, from Cornwall (my favourite place) goes on to say that she finds the juxtoposition of natural themes and street art using sprays and inks interesting. Her work is driven by dialetics of nature and urban culture. Well mine too – welcome to Natural Adventures.

Mazzie C, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mazzie C, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This small work is subtle and engaging (I want to use the word charming, but it always sounds so patronising). There are several things going on here – the beautiful bird set amongst triangles and stencilled flower patterns, the swirling folds are also really well crafted, almost as if the whole thing is made of cloth. Now I just need to see some of this work on walls!

1010. Upfest 2017 (48)

One of the truly outstanding and memorable pieces of Upfest 2017 was this extraordinary image of an infant holding a spray can. The artist, Mon Devane, comes from the city of Ourense in Galicia, Spain.

Mon Devane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mon Devane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Taking a look at his website, you can see that he has  a strong and recognisable style, using a monochrome style on vibrant backgrounds. There is nothing subtle about his pieces, they are bold statements, and beautifully crafted.

Mon Devane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mon Devane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I do like it when street artists incorporate a spray can into their art, like the old masters including a paint pallette – the tools of their trade. I think that this might have been one of the most popular pieces from the Ashton Gate wall (although there were so many great pieces there), simply because of its instant impact.

1009. Upfest 2017 (47)

Life can be funny sometimes, and every now and again we are surprised.

Last year I wrote a post about a lovely piece by Beep Monkey at the Ashton Gate School site, and until the Summer, I had heard nothing more about the artist. Then, during a casual chat at work with one of my colleagues (of several years) we meandered onto the subject of street art. She was not aware that I blogged about street art in Bristol and I most certainly didn’t know that her husband was Beep Monkey. Curious how we navigate our way through life, and then occasionally have these serendipitous moments.

Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

So armed with new insight into Beep Monkey, I was able to seek out his piece in North Street Green and understand a little bit about what inspired it. I believe that his daughters might have given him a rather big steer for this piece – a prancing pink unicorn being the central character.

Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Of course, there is a slightly subversive element to this piece, again, I think a steer from children, which is that the unicorn is indeed farting a rainbow – but of course, didn’t you know that that is what pink unicorn farts look like?

Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Beep Monkey, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The Unicorn might have been the ‘commissioned’ element, but I am rather more attracted to the yellow character riding on its back and which was in last year’s piece. Is this the Beep Monkey? Fine stuff once again, and who knows, if he is here for Upfest 2018, I might just get even more insight.

1008. Upfest 2017 (46)

At Upfest, I am always rather fond of these small square boards that give artists the opportunity to showcase their work. I am guessing that they might also be able to sell these small pieces, but I am not sure. This witty piece is by Mr Bear, who produced this lovely Baloo work at last year’s festival.

Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

There are quite a few fun things going on here, although I really don’t know what the word ‘bacon’ is doing in the ‘Hello my name is’ badge. This is a really goos multi-layered stencil from that nice Mr Bear. Would be great to see him return again next time.