One of Bristol’s most prolific writers of recent years has recently moved out of the city, and don’t we know it. There was a time when hardly a week would go by without a new piece from Decay, but now they are something of a rarity. This one was painted alongside LRS crew fellow Eman a little while ago.
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2021
Decay seems to reinvent his basic design every year or so, and this is his 2021 look with the letters D and K and a more prominent ‘Chuck’ character in the middle. There are some lovely design features in this writing, and I love the neon pink triangle on the K. I hope that as things return a little bit to a new normal, Decay will be able to come in to Bristol a little bit more often, his work is missed.
Many of this year’s Upfest pieces have been on large, premium walls, often over-painting previous masterpieces, but not all. There are a few standard sized boards at the Tobacco Factory car park that are the perfect size for graffiti writers. One such writer is Candie Bandita from London who specialises in script and lettering, particularly on shutters, and whose name is derived from a Commodore 64 game called Candy Bandit… not one I remember, but I was an Amstrad user addicted to Elite.
Candie Bandita, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 2021
The piece is a very special piece of writing in perfect colour matches with a superb metallic look to it achieved with clever use of white fills and shiny white stars. Setting it off perfectly is the neon pink Bandita glowing across the base of the piece. This is really accomplished graffiti writing and a privilege to see in Bristol. Shame that the Tobacco Factory café have elected to place a table right in front of the wall… keeping it real I suppose.
It is that time again to take another little look at the columns under Brunel Way and show you a couple more small pieces from Maybe. There really is no stopping this newcomer who is making a bit of a name for himself.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
The quality of his work has improved so much in such a short space of time and he is obviously getting to grips with the surfaces and materials he is using to paint these wonderful creations. There really is nobody else in Bristol doing anything like this. In a way his work reminds me of wheatpaste work, and I would think that his style would suit a few paste ups perfectly. Only saying.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
As we would expect, both of these pieces are centred around the single line profile faces that Maybe has made his own, and I suspect that the rainbow colours of the second piece is a gesture toward Pride, which is good to see. Of course there is more to come from Maybe, and a gallery really isn’t too far off.
Beaver Electrical Ltd is a lucky business. Not only do they have their shop in Bedminster, but they also happen to have an end-of-row wall that has had an enormous SPZero76 mural on it for the last couple of years, and now, thanks to Upfest 75×75 they have a brand new mural from the same artist.
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
This new piece is an absolute beast and contains so many of the components that we would expect to see from an SPzero76 piece. Set in a stunning rural landscape, two lady bikers have stopped for a chat while in the background a robot advances. There is an element of a dystopian future about the piece, albeit not as horrific as some portrayals.
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
The attention to detail in this cartoonesque scene is astonishing, from the blades of grass through to the intricate engine parts of the motorcycles, let alone the two stunning figures. There are some nice touches too with his name displayed on the fuel tanks.
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Of course, no piece on this wall is complete without some frolicking beavers and SPZero76 has duly delivered down in the bottom right hand corner. The whole mural is a thing of incredible beauty and shows off the artist’s considerable talent. Brilliant. The picture below is his previous outstanding mural on this wall.
This gorgeous new mural from Alex Lucas wasn’t the easiest to find, but with a little perseverance I got there in the end, and my search was well rewarded. Tucked away to the side of the building, by the bike racks, this piece, which is a little difficult to photograph, presents a little scene in which a couple of dogs are out on a delivery bicycle laden with cups of coffee.
Alex Lucas, Easton Business Centre, Bristol, July 2021
The concept is imaginative, and as always the execution by Alex Lucas is perfect. There is so much character in the dogs and the scene is a whole lot of fun with its ‘Ulti-mutt coffee’ label. The piece joins another by Alex Lucas on another wall of the Easton Business Centre.
Alex Lucas, Easton Business Centre, Bristol, July 2021
what I love about Alex Lucas’ work is that when you take a close up look Lou can see all the detail in the piece, and here, hidden in amongst all the coffee cups is a third little dog enjoying the ride. A lovely new mural to add to the growing portfolio.
Upfest is the gift that just keeps on giving, and I cannot remember a time when so many high-quality pieces have been painted over such a sustained period. Given all the problems that the pandemic has thrown at us, I think the Upfest team have done an astonishingly brilliant job this year.
Snub 23, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
This superb piece by Snub 23 looks as if it has been lifted straight out of a comic book, it is quite remarkable. The artist has used the dimensions of the wall perfectly and has created a really interesting perspective with the curvature of the tunnel behind the main character.
Snub 23, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
The bright colours used for the hero of the piece contrast nicely with the grey scene and there is a sense of purpose about his stride. The whole thing reminds me of Dan Dare from the Eagle Annuals I used to read as a kid (they weren’t mine, they had belonged to my uncles when they were young). Amazing piece.
At last some original and new doors, rather than something recycled from my archives.
My wife, daughter, dog and I had a mini break a little while ago, experimenting with a hired camper van to see if it is something we would like to do on a more regular basis. The jury is still out on that one. We stayed in a delightful and well-appointed campsite in Uplyme in Devon. A forty-minute walk following the course of the River Lim through woodlands and fields eventually led us to Lyme Regis across the border in Dorset.
Lyme Regis is famous for its fossils, being at the heart of the Jurassic Coast, and for its beach and sea front. The days we were there was at the start of a mini-heatwave in the UK, and the south-facing seaside town felt more like the Mediterranean than England. I suppose the give-away that we were still home were the vast hordes of hideous grockles (holiday-makers). How is it that the Brits are so awful on holiday? I suppose I have to include myself in that cohort, but we really are an embarrassing, unclassy lot.
Enough tittle-tattle, here are some doors from our little trip:
Blue door, Lyme Regis, July 2021
Closed shop door, Lyme Regis, Dorset, July 2021
Old door, Lyme Regis, Dorset, July 2021
Rather sanitised beach hut doors, Lyme Regis, Dorset, July 2021
Seafront house and door, Lyme Regis, July 2021
Another week tumbles by, and we become another week older and wiser. I hope to have some more doors from Lyme Regis for you next week. Until then TTFN.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Natural adventures 