Eman is an artist who has been knocking it out of the park recently, and this piece in the little underpass underneath the M32 is a bright, cheerful and exceptional writing/character combination from the artist.
Eman, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021
The character part is one that he has been working on recently and has a strong impact thanks to the clean design and great use of colours. The shadows underneath the eyebrows is a really nice touch too.
Eman, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021
The writing spells out EMAN and is presented in bright uplifting colours, perfect for this gloomy spot. The cracked letters are filled with various shades of blue in a random pattern, but it is the orange 3D shadow and green decoration dots that add som inch to the overall outcome. A very nice piece indeed.
Face 1st is still painting at full tilt at the moment and every day I feel like I am stumbling across something new from him. This piece was from earlier on this month and is in the style of his most recent theme of what looks like burst bubblegum mess surrounding the smiling girl’s mouth and face.
Face 1st, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
It is interesting how some artists hit upon an idea or theme and then work on it for a while before moving on to the next thing. Decay is another artist who reinvents his theme roughly annually and then produces lots of versions of the new theme. All fascinating stuff. More of these from Face 1st to come.
I have been keen to return to Blaise Hamlet ever since my first and only visit when I first settled in Bristol in the 1990s. More recently, that urge has been amplified by the lock-down as it is a place that can be visited safely and is very local. Finally, I managed to get there a week or two back, and this is the first of two posts featuring the quaint (a word I rarely use) cottages, owned and managed by The National Trust.
Blaise Hamlet was a 19th-century housing project and a part of the Blaise Castle estate. The following description is from The National Trust website:
In 1789, John Scandrett Harford, a well-respected Bristol banker and Quaker, bought the estate for £13,000. In 1795, he commissioned an eminent Bristol architect, William Paty, to build a new house for him and his family. The house is substantial but plain, in keeping with Quaker principles. Harford also invited the leading landscape architect of his day, Humphry Repton, to redesign the grounds. In 1796, Repton went into partnership with John Nash, the architect who is best known for designing the Brighton Pavilion. Repton introduced Nash to Harford who commissioned him to design cottages for the estate.
This week I will introduce you to the first three cottages, which although modernised indoors, have all the original exterior features.
Blaise Hamlet, The National Trust, Bristol, May 2021Number 1, Blaise Hamlet, Bristol, May 2021Door at number 1, Blaise Hamlet, Bristol, May 2021Number 2, Blaise Hamlet, Bristol, May 2021Door at number 2, Blaise Hamlet, Bristol, May 2021Number 3, Blaise Hamlet, Bristol, May 2021Door at number 3, Blaise Hamlet, Bristol, May 2021
The perfect ‘chocolate box’ hamlet harking back to a time and environment rarely seen in England these days, complete with a village green and water pump. Perfect.
I will conclude this doorscursion next week… Until then may I wish you all a very happy week.
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.
What a lovely surprise it was to come across this fabulous collaboration from Andy Council and Hemper when doing my rounds a week or so back. Two fabulous artists coming together to create this poignant piece.
Andy Council, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
Andy Council has been doing more street (non-commissioned) work at the moment than I can remember for several years, and I am definitely not complaining about that. The collaboration is a tribute piece to artist and friend Wayne, although I am not too sure about the reference ‘save the wheals’. Andy Council has painted a rather sad looking whale with his customary ‘stitching’ together of components to make the whole. Very nice work indeed.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
On the right, Hemper has written WAYNE with extraordinary skill with such beautiful letter shapes and and clever fills. There are never enough words to be able to describe Hemper’s work, and he is an artist who seems to be raising his own very high bar. Great to see this amazing collaboration.
When I saw this piece I heard a voice in my head shouting out the word aaciiid! In that rather annoying 1980s way, if you know what I mean. This is a lovely piece from Mr Draws in Dean Lane in which he uses letters other than his customary DRAW. Good to see.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021
I think that this is a beautifully executed piece with a good solid wall wash, great colour selections and some nice decorations in the form of blue horizontal lines with darker blue shadows. A tight piece from the Bristol stalwart.
What an absolute pleasure it was meeting Daz Cat again while he was painting this very nice column piece a week or two back. He was out with CD.TC who I met for the first time and also seems to be a really decent fellow.
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat was using his ladder (I want one of those) to add some finer detail to the main structure of the cat he had painted. He came down to chat and said he felt a bit heady. I asked him if it was the paint fumes and he said that it was not, that he was simply rather hungover… good on him.
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
I consider this piece to be very good indeed. Not only has he used the column dimensions really well, but the sharp detail on the piece is very well crafted. Furthermore the cat is in profile orientation rather than face on, and so we see a different aspect and depth to the cat’s face. This is one of my favourite pieces of his to date, although there are so many outstanding ones to choose from.
I have kept it as no secret that I have been struggling to keep on top of the sheer amount so street art and graffiti that is being painted in Bristol at the moment. I find myself constantly looking back into my monthly archives to see if there are any gems I have missed. Once I have hung up my camera for the last time, I will still have plenty of material to post, albeit historical.
Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
This is a gorgeous piece from Ments, painted in April, that shows off his talents perfectly, incorporating his newer techniques with his older organic style of writing. Believe it or not, these abstract forms actually spell out MENTS although it takes a bit of creative thinking to make out some of the letters. A very nice piece indeed that fully deserved its moment in the spotlight last month. Blame the backlog.
Natural adventures 