.
No complaints today
summer is as summer’s meant
and buzzing insects
.
by Scooj
4563. St Werburghs tunnel (300)
This is a fine collaborative wall from Mr Klue, and The Cat Came Back (who has possibly one of the best street art names in Bristol, although it is a competitive field). Mr Klue has been painting these walls more regularly of late, but it is a long while since I last saw much from The Cat Came Back.
To the left, and well within Mr Klue’s ‘safety zone’ is another fine abstract piece from the artist, in which it is possible to decipher the letters KLUE, if you look carefully. The whispy elements, and organic shapes are so unique to Mr Klue, and unlike anything else we see in Bristol.
To the right, is a beautifully executed and proportioned set of letters, I think spelling out MEAT, with a cat face for the ‘A’. The fill patterns, on alternate letters are well done, and the white accent lines are very effective in lifting the letters out of the wall, a trick used by writers to create a 3D effect. Great to see these two painting together.
4562. M32 cycle path (179)
Felix Braun or FLX as he is known is one of the godfather’s of street art in Bristol and author of the wonderful ‘Children of the Can’ books. His street work these days tends to be commission-based or the occasional appearance at a festival. He has been rather busy in Bristol lately, which is obviously good news.
This piece on the M32 cycle path is highly unusual because it appears to be a sanctioned commission (who else gets to paint behind temporary railings?) on a wall that normally plays host to high turnover graffiti and tagging. I don’t know how Felix Braun has swung this, not do I know how long it will remain untagged, but for the meanwhile it is a case of sitting back and admiring this huge piece.
The overall message is ‘Love Bristol’ or ‘Bristol loves you’ which is preaching to a converted audience. The piece itself is a showcase for FLX’s themes of silhouetted people, and of overlapping letters in different colours, creating third colours where the overlap occurs.
In the heart section, the word love appears in several different languages and scripts, most of which I cannot read, but I am pretty sure they all say love. This is a positive message and one that we are in desperate need of in the UK right now.
Let’s hope that the positive messaging translates into positive outcomes, starting with a total change in government… that would be nice.
Close
.
Stifling and airless
recovering lungs struggling
sweaty, heavy day
.
by Scooj
4561. Brunel Way (163)
There is never a time when I am not excited to find a piece by Hire (pronounced Hee Ray, just in case you were wondering), whether it is one of his character rabbits or some of his highly technical writing, it always brings a smile to my face and it feels like life is good, in spite of the turbulent landscape.
This gorgeous piece under Brunel Way is an absolute beauty. The letters are easy to read and the artwork less frenetic than we might be used to. Set on a clean, buffed grey wall and with glowing orange tones, the red letters and deep grey and white 3D shadow are clearly defined and stand out. This is a finely crafted piece from a talented graffiti writer.
4560. St Werburghs tunnel (299)
With the very congested field of artists currently painting in Bristol, and the addition of Upfest and a trip to Porto, my cup overfloweth with captured images of street art (I am still covering June art!). It is important that in all this excitement I don’t ignore our good old regulars who paint day in and day out to keep our walls decorated.
This is a lovely piece in the tunnel from Kool Hand, featuring his orangutan character using a spray can with pink paint to decorate the tunnel walls. The piece is framed in a black bordered rectangle, which almost looks like a window into the orangutan’s world. A nice stand alone piece.
Look up
.
Swifts’ shrill, sweet singing
black sickles against blue skies
the height of summer
.
by Scooj
4559. Dean Lane skate park (507)
It has been observed by many that Andy Council is absolutely on fire this year. There seems to be no stopping him. Maybe he has more free time on his hands, maybe the commissions have dried up or maybe he is just getting out more doing what he loves with his friends. The upshot, whatever the reason, is that there are some sensational pieces coming from Andy Council and this double ammonite/nautilus piece is simply wonderful.
What is interesting about Andy Council is that he seems to be really modest. As one of the best known artists in Bristol, he doesn’t seem to be ‘bigger’ than any wall, and he seems to be as happy painting smaller walls as he would be on some of the larger ‘feature’ walls. This playful piece has, I believe, been recently ‘augmented’ so I am happy to have got a clean copy of it. More to come soon.
4558. Porto (10)
This is the last in this short sequence of pieces from Porto, but for me they represent a fun departure from the focus on Bristol street art, and make an introduction to the different styles that you can find in different cultures around the world.
The fact that I am sharing this piece with you at all can be attributed to the street art hunter’s philosophy of being guided by curiosity – what lies down that alley…? should I walk just a little bit further…? Had I not followed my instinct, I would never have found this magnificent piece by Mesk in an alleyway off the beaten track. The soft tones in browns and pinks, are a bit of as trademark of this artist, and work really well together. The cartoon-style is also really appealing. I have another couple of pieces by Mesk from this trip and look forward to sharing them with you soon.
Short list
.
No succession plan
a star-studded cast of nine
every one a dud
.
by Scooj
• The Conservative party are about to impose a Prime Minister on the electorate, one we haven’t elected, from a field of candidates all trying to out ‘right wing’ each other. Has ever a bar been set so low?
All I can hope for is that they can’t go on hoodwinking and deceiving the public forever. Bring on a General Election now!
