Category: 5. Street Art

685. The Bearpit (49)

This nice piece by SPZero76 was painted a few weeks back in the company of Cheba (the galactic bits to the left of the piece) and Kid Crayon whose pieces I have very recently posted.

 

SPZero76, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

I am beginning to think the animal I keep calling a raccoon might actually be a dog. I say this because Raccoons aren’t really a part of our British wildlife assemblage, so why would he feature one in his works? Yup it is a dog. As an aside, it makes me laugh when Hollywood movies, purporting to be set in England, make the terrible mistake of featuring raccoons (identifiable to an American audience, but a complete mystery to us Brits). One such movie was the recent 101 Dalmations live remake. Look out for it.

SPZero76, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

I’m not too sure who the ‘space lady’ is in this piece, but I like it that she has a spray can, just like so many of his characters do.

 

684. M32 roundabout J3 (34)

No prizes at all for guessing who this is by. Hardly a week goes by without posting something by Laic217. This piece is a bit of a throwback to his format of spelling his name and incorporating a feature piece into it. Most of his recent works have been distorted portraits.

Laic217, M32 junction, Bristol, February 2017
Laic217, M32 junction, Bristol, February 2017

Looking back at some of his similar pieces from about a year back, it is easy to see how his work is constantly and consistently improving. The fiery flame work is nicely done in this piece, and he really does seem to enjoy his skulls.

Laic217, M32 junction, Bristol, February 2017
Laic217, M32 junction, Bristol, February 2017

683. The Bearpit (48)

This was a quick one by Mr Draws in The Bearpit. Mr Draws is another Bristol street artist who is hitting something of a purple patch in terms of productivity. I had always assumed that the Winter and early Spring were not particularly busy times for street/graffiti artists, but that has not been the case this year. I wonder if some of that is attributable to the relatively dry winter period we have had this year.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017

So we come back to mountains by Mr Draws, although these are a little more stylised than some of his previous peaks. If I were to be critical I would say that this looks like it was done really quickly. I remain, however very fond of his pieces…they are so different from the norm, and easily identifiable.

682. The Bearpit (47)

Following on then from the previous post, this is the piece that Kid Crayon created to cover up the one he had been unhappy with just a few days before. This is something more familiar altogether from the Bristol regular.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

The piece that this replaced was had been sprayed at the same time as a piece on the adjacent wall by SPZero76, and it really does seem that these two do like painting together. I also note that he references the ‘EAT crew’. I am guessing that this is what these two artists call themselves when they spray together, and would explain a recent collaboration posted here a few days ago.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

This is back to the familiar style of Kid Crayon, but it seems as though he has abandoned the floating crayon, which I think is a pity as it was part of his USP. I like this piece though.

681. The Bearpit (46)

When I first found this piece in The Bearpit, it felt somehow familiar, but it was unsigned and I wasn’t sure who the artist was. A bit of a google search threw up nothing. It wasn’t until another piece went up over it a few days later that I found out who it was by.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

It is quite an unusual piece by Kid Crayon, but contains none of his tell-tale features – no crayon, no blue faces, no signature. It turns out that he didn’t like it much and went over it with another piece a few days later, and my next post is about that newer work.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

I am a big fan of Kid Crayon, and have to say that I quite like this enigmatic piece, and in one small way I am disappointed that I discovered the mystery behind it. I thought we were witnessing the emergence of a new artist on the streets of Bristol.

680. North Street Hoarding (7)

This is one I have held on to for a long time, and I did so because it is a really great piece. I hadn’t published it because the artist,  Shab, has only recently come onto my radar. Of course, I am now finding his work everywhere…that seems to be the way of things.

Shab, North Street, Bristol, September 2015
Shab, North Street, Bristol, September 2015

This piece was from Upfest 2015, and managed to remain for quite some time. There are still some remnants of it there today, just. I really love this piece and the way Shab captures the figures. There is a touch of what looks like an African influence going on. A firm favourite.

679. Moon Street (25)

Face F1st seems to have upped his game recently, producing pieces all over the city, and continuing to develop his style. Together with Laic217, he seems to be ‘in the groove’ at the moment.

Face F1st, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2017
Face F1st, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2017

This piece is on a famous wall with pieces from several Bristol artists on it including a piece by Mr Sleven (the three-eyed characters). I really like this piece by Face F1st, it feels like more time and effort has gone into its production and the face is simple and also wonderfully expressive.

Face F1st, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2017
Face F1st, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2017

I have more pieces by Face F1st in my pending folders, but I think this is the best so far.

678. Upfest 2016 (105)

Some of the artists who painted at Upfest are a little elusive. This piece is by Rupertty, and there is very little I can find out about him…there wasn’t even a programme entry for him. He does have an Instagram account, but there is little there to go on other than some rather nice wildstyle pieces.

Rupertty, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Rupertty, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I guess some people keep a lower profile than others. I felt that this was a rather low-profile piece and that it feels unfinished, although I think this is it. I think this piece really shows off the diversity of styles that Upfest has to offer. Something for everyone.

677. Upfest 2016 (104)

Another large wall, this time a little out of the way on Dean Lane. This is one of the most awkward walls to photograph, let alone spray, but Inkie has done a commanding job of this one.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The large piece is on the side of the South Bank Club and features a trademark Inkie portrait. The whole thing is a Bristol as Bristol can be, with a rather nice reference to the Clifton Suspension Bridge on the left hand side.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I think the character at the top of the piece is a fairly effeminate looking Isambard Kindom Brunel.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The character at the bottom of the piece might be a self portrait, but I am not sure really. The whole thing is really impressive, and I was fortunate enough to catch up with Inkie while he was just finishing off the job. Inkie and Bristol are utterly interlinked, and we are lucky to have him around.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The observant will notice an Angus piece just to the bottom left of the picture.

676. Upfest 2016 (103)

This is one of the premium walls at Upfest, and last year was the proud home of this magnificent Martin Ron piece. This year it was the turn of one of the Godfathers of Bristol graffiti/street art – Cheo.

Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, August 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, August 2016

Sticking to the brief, or theme of Upfest 2016 Cheo’s piece features Mr Graff, an addition to the Roger Hargreaves community of Mr Men and Little Miss’.

Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, August 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, August 2016

My honest opinion on this piece is that I don’t think it was the right piece for this wall. This wall deserves a huge imposing and impressive piece and this feels like it does not fill the space properly. It is a very safe piece, and so I can see the appeal of having it in a supermarket car park, but to me the proportions just feel wrong.

Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a great piece, beautifully sprayed and full of incredible detail and characters that Cheo brings to life so well. I feel it would have been better on a different wall that you could get up close to.

Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The crazy worm and flowers at the bottom are wonderful, but seem detached from the main piece almost like a bonus afterthought. I concede that I may have got this completely wrong, but we all have a view.