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Wild nationalism
inevitable conflict
the future is now
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by Scooj
5566. M32 Cycle path (228)
Although an infrequent visitor, The Mole is in Bristol often enough to usually make it into the pages of Natural Adventures, and into the galley pipeline. The Mole has used some sumptuous colours for this piece and presented them on a black background, which I think works, although I have been trying to imagine if any other colours might have been better and have drawn a blank.
The writing/mole character combination is a winner, but the star of the show is surely the fills. The three horizontal colour tones progress really nicely, and thin lines and designs bleed from one horizontal band into the one above. Very nicely thought out and beautifully finished, this is a great piece from The Mole.
5565. M32 roundabout J3 (517)
I got that tingle of excitement when I came across this piece by pekoe, just as I always do when I find her work. Pekoe is one of those handful of artists that I associate with being the beating heart of the current Bristol scene, giving the city a strong sub-culture identity.
The piece was painted as part of an RBF paint jam, one of two over a short space of time. I would say that this is not one of Pekoe’s best pieces, there is something a little peculiar with the proportions, but it marks a subtle change, especially with fewer busy elements in the character’s hair and in the background than usual. I think that the portrait lives up to the Resting Bitch Face moniker rather well. So good to see a Pekoe portrait, it feels like it has been a little while.
5564. Brunel Way (239)
There are absolutely no signs of Bean slowing down at all. The young artist has been smashing out his character/writing pieces with incredible regularity throughout the summer, and I already have easily enough for a gallery of his work, although I have a pipeline in preparation, and his gallery might need to find a slot in the queue.
This piece combines Bean’s central character with writing that spells out BEAN. The blue-faced cartoon character fits the Bean style perfectly, with each colour block containing a light and dark tone to bring out a bit of depth. The writing is really accomplished and has excellent fills in three horizontal sections. I feel like Bean is a man in a hurry, and perhaps he should draw breath and develop some elements of his work. I think that his pieces would definitely benefit from a buffed background, to remove competing distractions, for example. If he keeps developing and learning, Bean will go far.
Ugar
A gallery of graffiti writing from Ugar, a Hungarian artist who painted in Bristol between 2017 and 2019.
All photographs by Scooj
5563. Brunel Way (238)
Today, being a Sunday, I have a little bit more capacity to write a third post, which is rather necessary, given the vastness of my backlog. Let me introduce you to a new artist on the scene, Jevoissoul, who I met at this exact spot a couple of weeks after he painted this interesting column piece. When I first saw the piece, I wondered if an artist called Panskaribas (whose style is similar to this) had returned to Bristol, as there are many shared characteristics between the artists, such as the cartoon Picassoesque style.
What is most impressive is that Jevoissoul has jumped straight from sketchbook to walls, using this area under Brunel Way to practice his spray can control and technique. When I spoke with the artist, he told me that this was just the beginning and that he was planning to do a lot of painting, and indeed that is exactly what is happening, his work is popping up all over the place. I think I am going to enjoy watching how Jevoissoul develops as a street artist from this encouraging start.
5562. M32 Spot (173)
I think that Sako is an occasional visitor to Bristol, or simply doesn’t paint all that often. This is only the second piece I have featured by Sako, and it is absolutely superb in my view, cleverly painted in subtle tints of rose and turquoise. Coincidentally, there is something about the mood and tone of the piece that is similar to my earlier post today by Andrew Burns Colwill.
Sako has used the limited space and shape of the column to perfection. There is an interesting relationship between the character and the built environment, and although I am not too sure what the story is here, I believe there is one being told. The colours are perfect together, and I would love to see more of this combination (note to self – buy these colours) on the streets. This is a great piece by Sako from back in the summer.
5561. Queen’s Road (7)
This absolutely sensational piece by Andrew Burns Colwill, is another from the paint jam celebrating 650 years of Bristol, and is the one that probably most closely follows the brief. The idea behind the paint jam was to celebrate Bristol, to paint with brushes (no spray cans), and to paint in a Renaissance style. Andrew Burns Colwill manages to nail it with this outstanding mural.
These pictures somehow got stuck in my pipeline system for publication, and were prompted (rediscovered) by yesterday’s Martin D’Acy piece, which is pretty much adjacent to this one. The elephant in the room with these pictures is the rather unfortunate and prominent street furniture, in the form of scooters and bins. I thought long and hard about waiting to get some ‘clean’ pictures of the piece, but felt publishing them ‘warts and all’ was probably more authentic, and the scooters in particular are directly referenced in the work. I will return however and get a clean shot to post here in due course.
The piece is in two halves, split vertically down the middle, with the left-hand side being the old city and to the right the modern city. His soak stain technique creates a washed appearance and extraordinary atmosphere. The old city, painted in light optimistic hues, is prosperous and on the up, and alludes to its merchant connections and seafaring trade. There is beauty in the characters, oxen and architecture that Andrew Burns Colwill has captures perfectly.
Contrast this with the right-hand side of the piece, which is a little darker in shade and mood. There is an impersonal sense that prevails as individuals rush from one place to another on their scooters, emblematic transport of our time. Like so much of his work, Andrew Burns Colwill tells a story here, and it is not all good. The optimism and vibrancy of our past has not ended with the social progress and cohesion we might have expected, but with an almost dystopian present.
The story is clear, and most beautifully painted. If you happen to visit Bristol, take a moment to seek out this piece and spend time looking at it and feel the history of the place.
5560. Queen’s Road (6)
Although I don’t recall seeing any of his work in Bristol, I am aware of Martin D’Acy and his outstanding murals, having seen some of them in Weston-super-Mare, which to my shame, I haven’t yet published on Natural Adventures. This piece was painted as part of the Bristol 650 year celebration and paint jam, curated and coordinated by Upfest and Bristol BID.
The stunning and tranquil scene, which has been painted on some extraordinarily tricky door panels, depicts manicured parkland and a beautiful stillwater. There is a sense of a designed country estate with attractive follies, something deeply entrenched in British culture. I am not too sure what happened on the bit of wall between the windows and the doors, but it looks like the piece is perhaps unfinished. Nonetheless, this is a truly excellent mural that many may ignore, perhaps assuming it is one of those stick-on plastic pictures that blight shop windows on our streets. My advice to those who don’t open their eyes… put your phone down and look around you.
5559. Mina Road (12)
I was fortunate enough to be driving by when Stivs and Vane were pretty much finishing off this piece, but couldn’t take any pictures at that time, because Vane had parked his van in front of it while they were clearing away all their gear. I didn’t go back immediately, knowing that it was a commission piece that would be respected by taggers.
The fantasy woodland piece is a true collaboration, where it is not possible to disentangle which artist painted which bits of the extraordinary work. The piece is quite unusual in Bristol, as we don’t get to see many of this kind of collaborative mural. Each of the artists has included some letters, with Stivs writing DSC on the left and Vane writing TAF on the right.
The almost Disneyesque style of the piece, it reminds me a little of Sleeping Beauty, is compelling to look at and beautifully executed. So absorbing is the piece that it is difficult to see that there is a garage door right in the middle. A garage door that once played host to an outstanding piece by Silent Hobo. This is something you might usually associate with Upfest and a premium wall in Bedminster, but here it is in Mina Road, thanks to an enlightened resident. Bravo gentlemen!
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