4690. Sparke Evans Park (55)

Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022

Desi continues to grow and develop, and I think that this piece in Sparke Evans Park might be one her best to date. It is great to see her painting more frequently, and with each new piece she will gain more confidence and skill.

Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022

This is a really neat and tidy piece with the letters DESI beautifully filled with four horizontal colours with nice transitions. One of the additional things that works really well is the white accent dots that give the writing a bit of sparkle and depth. A Very nice addition to Desi’s portfolio.

4689. Dean Lane skate park (523)

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2022
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2022

This piece is a classic, classy and colourful piece of wildstyle graffiti writing from Dibz, on the end wall, home to countless brilliant pieces in the past. In my mind’s eye, this piece feels a bit like an ‘audition’ piece, technically brilliant and beautifully designed, but without a theme or backstory.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2022
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2022

Dibz has set the bar so high for writers in Bristol, and would suggest that it has had a knock-on effect, where it seems that the vast majority of writers strive to improve and perfect their letters and styles. With inspiration like this to draw on, who wouldn’t want to aspire to it?

4688. Cumberland Basin

Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2022
Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2022

This piece from Laic217 was painted while I was away on my family summer holiday, but I was more than aware of its existence due to the fact that it was all over the Bristol Instagram feeds that I follow. Of course, on my return home, I made a beeline for the spot in Cumberland Basin.

Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2022
Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2022

There is something rather striking about the portrait piece, and I have a feeling the background pattern has a lot to do with it. The portrait itself is a classic piece of Laic217 art, disturbing and menacing, with the figure clan in a full mask and goggles. It has a dystopian future feel about it.

Dynamic

.

Constants disrupted

and a nation all at sea

despair before hope

.

by Scooj

4687. Cheltenham 2022 (10)

Tom Miller, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
Tom Miller, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

Tom Miller is no stranger to these pages and remains one of the most wildly creative and surreal forces in the Bristol fine art and street art scene. There is so much going on in this colourful explosion of thoughts and ideas, but it looks like a conflation of a motorcyclist with a bird with a lamb?

Tom Miller, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
Tom Miller, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

There is so much movement in the piece and a blurring of the real with the abstract that confuses our senses a little. You could study the piece for hours and still wonder at the end what on earth it is all about. The best way to find these things out is to ask the artist, but unfortunately I didn’t get to meet him this time… perhaps when I next see him.

4686. Cheltenham 2022 (9)

Creative Ginger, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
Creative Ginger, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

The Honeybourne tunnel is one of the key venues for the Cheltenham Paint Festival, but it is also one which is at risk of being painted over once or even twice before the end of the festival and almost certainly shortly after the festival as it is one of Cheltenham’s most popular graff/street art spots.

Creative Ginger, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
Creative Ginger, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

This is a gorgeous piece ‘the power of a hug’ by Creative Ginger, an artist who I have never heard of before but who seems to be based in the North East of England and paints for festivals, commissions and also runs a graphic design wing too. The artist ran the risk of being a bit schmaltzy with this piece, but just about manages to get away with it, and there is no doubt that it is eye-catching. Very pleased to have been able to see it.

4685. Cheltenham 2022 (8)

Paul Monsters, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
Paul Monsters, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

The thing about Paul Monsters’ work is that it is consistently outstanding. His geometric designs and colour schemes couldn’t possibly be by anyone else, and this one for the Cheltenham Paint Festival is a real beauty.

Paul Monsters, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
Paul Monsters, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

One of the really noticeable things about Upfest and the Cheltenham Paint Festival is that a large proportion of the artists are from Bristol and it makes me realise just how blessed we are, and how much a part of the culture street/graffiti art is. Paul Monsters is at the heart of that culture and his work emblematic of it.

4684. Cheltenham 2022 (7)

DFC1848, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
DFC1848, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

It is impossible to imagine the Cheltenham Paint Festival without a piece by local artist DFC1848, and more impossible to imagine that I wouldn’t post it, so here for you is his excellent piece from this year.

DFC1848, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
DFC1848, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

I won’t drone on about how much DFC1848’s work has developed over the years, other than to say that it has developed over the years. The fun piece featuring a cartoon shark and dog (and another unknown consumed creature in the mouth of the shark) is clean, sharp and colourful. A really fabulous piece and great example of this cartoon-style genre.

Common Toadflax

Common Toadflax, West Sussex, September 2022
Common Toadflax, West Sussex, September 2022

.

Yellow, rising high

stubble encircled island

proud common toadflax

.

by Scooj

4683. Cheltenham 2022 (6)

Tash Creates, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
Tash Creates, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

When street art and fish come together it generally makes me very happy. This was one of the first pieces I saw at the Cheltenham Paint Festival and it set the tone of high-interest and high-quality pieces in the town. The colourful piece is by Tash Creates, a self taught artist from Hertfordshire.

Tash Creates, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022
Tash Creates, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022

The design and proportions of the piece are first class, although of course it is an imaginary fish. It is funny how we can paint or draw a fish, and everyone knows it is a fish, and yet it isn’t a fish we have ever seen before, if you know what I mean. Anyhow, I think it is sufficient to say that I really like this piece. It would be great to see Tash Creates visit Bristol some time.