Doors 80 – Some Bristol graffiti doors
Another quick one from me this week. These doors were snapped during a street art hunting walk about a month ago in the St Paul’s area of Bristol:
I said this was a quick one, and so it is.
Please go take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
Have a great end of week and weekend.
Scooj
I know that skulls are not everyone’s cup of tea, but in the street art world they are a common subject for many artists from many genres. Laic217 rather specialises in demonic skulls or in distorted faces, but in my view, rather than being something creepy, thay are actually often quite humorous and light-hearted. This piece however is dark, whichever way you look at it.
Laic217 has used the pink eyes before to great effect and they convey a sense of absence of soul, demonstrating just how important eyes are in making judgements. One of the things I love most about Laic217’s work is his attention to the fabrics worn by his characters. He puts a lot of thought into every fold of their clothing, and this aspect of his work just gets better and better. A steady piece along the M32 cycle path.
It would seem that Rezwonk and Decay are inseparable at the moment, they are churning out so many exciting and vibrant collaborations this summer. Some of these display a common theme used by both artists or some like this, one present two very different pieces side by side.
On the left is a colourful Rezwonk piece of writing, that is reasonably simple in concept – different coloured letters with melting drips, but complex in its execution. How on earth would you start such a piece? I’m not entirely sure the white ‘dusting’ works though, if anything it looks like someone has tried to obscure the piece… it might have been better without.
Then on the right is the Decay piece which shares only drippiness with Rezwonk’s. In all other aspects the writing and colour selection could hardly be more different. It is rermarkable to think how much Decay’s work has come on over the last twelve months or so. Perhaps a quick squint at his updated gallery will give you some idea of the progress made.
Fiver or Fiva, consistently turns out highly distinctive burners, each with its own twist or story. Most of his work features the word FIVA or FIVER, often accompanied by a character, or given an interesting fill or sometimes both. In this piece Fiva has chosen to go for a silhouetted cityscape skyline running through his letters.
I have tried to write one of my own letters (teaching myself to spraypaint (with limited success)), the letter H in his style and it really isn’t as easy as it looks once it is up on a wall. Of course practice makes perfect, and Fiva has been doing these for some years. In addition to creating these fine pieces, I love the way that he has a little shout out to people, nothing over the top, just a simple ‘Yo xxxxxx’ in this case Desmond was feeling the love.
Another wonderful piece painted as part of the Upfest Summer Editions celebrations outside the Hen and Chickens. This one is by Upfest stalwart Karl Read. The very large stencil is beautifully proportioned to fit this space and has a serene look about it.
The stencil is interesting because it has some simplicity to it, with large areas of single colours, but also in other parts it has complexity. I have seen Karl Read at work before and he uses large sheets of paper for his stencils that look quite unwieldy, but somehow he makes it all work.
The jewel in the crown of the piece is the girl’s hair which, if you look closely, is in the style of a Hokusai wave. The result is most effective, and the whole piece a triumph. Karl Read has absolutely nailed this blend of simplicity and complexity. I fully expect him to return for Upfest 2020.
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Fearsome predator
adept at riding currents
helpless on the beach
.
by Scooj
This is yet another piece that I had to visit more than once to get a half-decent shot of it because the first time it was hiding under dappled shade and was partially obscured – one of the hazards of summer time. If I were even more nerdy than I am, I’d probably make note of the best time of day to visit each graffiti spot, but frankly I can’t be bothered and don’t really have the luxury of choosing when to go out ‘hunting’ in any case.
The piece is a nicely crafted ASK by Sled One, with just a hint of a menacing eye in the middle of the A. I imagine Sled One just rolled up and painted this without a plan or draft, a gift that he posesses and is a rare thing indeed. Nice clean lines, great colours and imaginative and creative fills and shapes. Even a quick piece like this oozes class.
There are many hazards and obstacles to taking street art picures. This was in fact the second visit I had made to photograph this lovely eye by My Dog Sighs (his second Summer Editions piece for Upfest). On the first visit, there was a shadow cast right across the middle of the piece, and in this one I managed to capture a customer at the North Street Standard, and being alone he obviously had to be texting someone to give the illusion that he wasn’t in fact alone… but he was, so there.
The eye is everything you might expect from My Dog Sighs, and is beautifully presented. It would be easy to fall in to the trap of saying that he is a one-trick pony and indeed I know some people who think that, I happen to disagree with that particular assertion. He has certainly nailed his technique for painting eyes, but it doesn’t stop there, he still works on the background and the silhouette in the eye and creates an atmosphere or story individual to each piece. Here he has used some stencils with Japanese characters falling like a digital rain around the eye.
You might spot a slight ‘blemish’ on the eye which is caused by a little vent pipe in the wall – My Dog Sighs has concealed it brilliantly. Well done Upfest for organising yet another triumphant Summer Editions piece.
Another season
highs and lows, disappointment,
ecstasy; football
by Scooj
I really do wish that Kleiner Shames had never left Bristol for the lure of London, but I suppose that is where the work and opportunities are. However, it is so good that roughly two or three times a year he returns to Bristol and leaves one of his distinctive pieces as a gift to all of us that admire his work.
Although taking pictures in St Werburghs tunnel is a nightmare, some pieces transcend the quality of the picture, and this in my view is one of those. The letters spell out FOIS (time in French), and for a long time I thought that was the name of the artist. I don’t remember how I met him, or discovered his name, but I do remember buying a couple of pieces of art from him when he was clearing out his studio to move to London, and they are treasured possessions indeed. Come back soon.
Natural adventures 