On the news today that Matthew Hancock, Health Secretary, has been caught on camera snogging an advisor he appointed into a senior role with the NHS. This at a time when he is advising the general public to maintain social distancing. All of this and little mention of his infidelity (it is a ‘private’ matter).
There is so much wrong with this whole episode on every level. Sadly we seem to just expect or accept this kind of behaviour from those in power and disregard it. For a country that is peddling itself as ‘Global Britain’ this is just another deeply embarrassing and damaging affair. No dignity. Shameful.
Rosalita has really taken the bull by the horns with this piece. Painted at the end of the tunnel after the St Werburghs tunnel on brickwork that previously had only been tagged, or painted by TOYs. With this piece not only has she created a fine piece of art, but she has legitimised this wall as a serious opportunity for other street/graffiti artists.
Rosalita, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, June 2021
The carnival/show theme is a thread that runs through Rosalita’s work and is evident once again here with the face of a clown or jester. Many if not most of Rosalita’s characters are tinged with sadness or tragedy… there is something about the look, the hiding behind makeup. What is amazing about this piece, is not simply the portrait, but the fabulous decoration work around it. Another jewel from Rosalita.
I have known about this lovely piece by Rtiiika for a while, but until a recent extended walk didn’t quite know where it was. Finding it was a rather pleasant surprise and a bit of a bonus. It is great to see that Rtiiika seems to be doing more and more street art work and the larger format really lends itself to her designs.
Rtiiika, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
In this piece, on the side of a storage unit, there are two figures created in her very stylistic design. Her figures are painted with long lines and tend to be very leggy, often with the top halves missing or hinted at. On a black background, the pink, white and green colours stand out clearly. Minimalist? Abstract? I’m not sure what the right words are, but this piece is is. I particularly like the plants in green that add another dimension and without which the piece probably wouldn’t work.
My apologies, my life has been somewhat overtaken by a busy spell at work and unfortunately Thursday doors has had to give. I missed it completely last week and this week I have a small offering of random doors in Bristol from a little while ago that have been lurking in my doors archive folder. No explanations, no theme, just doors:
Graffiti door, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2021
Arched garden door, Cotham, Bristol, May 2021
Arched garden door, Cotham, Bristol, May 2021
Arched garden door, Cotham, Bristol, May 2021
Stencil door, City centre, Bristol, April 2021
Back gate door with blue sections, Montpelier, Bristol, May 2020
That’s about it for this 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.
This is a very special wall, indeed all the walls around the Sofa Project are special. A special wall deserves special treatment and this fabulous recent collaboration from Paul Monsters, Andy Council and Soker, is, I would say, very special.
Andy Council, Soker and Paul Monsters, Waterloo Place, Bristol, June 2021
To the left of the collaboration is a stunning nautilus or ammonite piece by Andy Council, who seems to have strayed from constructing his creatures from architecture to painting blocks that are ‘stitched’ together with bits of ‘chord’. The outcome is a very clever effect of life that is constrained from inanimate parts. Andy Council has been unbelievably busy on the streets over the last year, and I can’t remember a time when I have seen so much of his work. This is very good news.
Andy Council, Soker and Paul Monsters, Waterloo Place, Bristol, June 2021
To the right of the creature is a high-end piece of wildstyle writing from Soker painted in shades of blue with a white border/3D shadow. Spelling SOKEM, the whole thing is very easy on the eye and so obviously painted by a creative master. It is near perfect.
Andy Council, Soker and Paul Monsters, Waterloo Place, Bristol, June 2021
This collaboration just wouldn’t be anywhere near as good without the outstanding geometric pattern piece from the fabulous Paul Monsters acting as a backdrop, but contributing so much more than that. Paul Monsters pieces might just be the most recognisable in Bristol, and he has really carved out a niche for himself with this unique style and palette.
Overall an outstanding collaboration and a real treat.
Sometimes I am a goofy idiot, I don’t think properly in the excitement of the moment, and only upon reflection do I notice my stupidity. I took these pictures thinking that it was a collaboration between Maesyhook and Slakarts, when it was in fact a collaboration but between Stivs (to the left, off picture) and Maesyhook. No matter. This not a collaboration, but rather two pieces that are adjacent to one another.
Maesyhook, St Werburghs Tunnel, Bristol, June 2021
On the left (and associated with a Stivs piece further left) is another delightful piece from newcomer to Bristol walls Maesyhook. Her kawaii pieces are becoming a familiar site in the popular spots around the city, and here she has painted a rather cute sheep wearing a T-shirt with ‘I ❤️ Bru’ on the front. I’m not sure what or who Bru is, but it looks nice.
Slakarts, St Werburghs Tunnel, Bristol, June 2021
To the right of the sheep in this non-collaboration is a mega tag piece from Slakarts who seems to be playing with very feint blue outlines at the moment. Is he out of black? Or is this a new thing? I can’t say I like it too much, as it doesn’t provide enough definition and looks a bit washed out. Get back to the stronger colours is my advice. It is still always nice to see his work though.
It is a funny thing, that I don’t fully understand, but consistently, whenever I post Ments pieces on Instagram they just never get as many likes as other artists’. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that these complex organic pieces don’t translate very well onto the small screen of a mobile device. In the flesh, these are always magnificent.
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
I love Ments’ work, it is always carefully considered and technically challenging and while it might not be to everyone’s taste it is consistently of the highest quality. In this one Ments presents us with his disguised writing in fairly angular lines, softened by the ‘marble’ decorations. A very nice piece indeed.
Another wonderful column piece from Maybe under Brunel Way and one in which he has combined his faces theme with his more recent cosmic theme to great effect. I have said before in posting Maybe’s work, that I like street art like this because it is a little different and another legitimate form of artistic expression.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
I would love to know the secret behind the technique used to create the the planets and stars, the shading on the planet surfaces is particularly nicely done. Maybe’s work just goes from strength to strength.
