2301. Sparke Evans Park (1)

I found this wall quite by accident a couple of weeks back. I had spotted a whole ton of graffiti (nothing much to write home about) along the bank of the River Avon, but to access it I had to go through Sparke Evans Park. I had never been here before and didn’t even know it existed. On the outer boundary wall of the park I spotted some bright colours behind the trees and it turned out that there were several rather nice pieces here, including this collaboration between Face 1st and Tasha Bee from some time in 2018.

Face 1st and Tasha Bee, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2019
Face 1st and Tasha Bee, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2019

I had seen this piece on Instagram, but had no idea where it was, so it was good to get closure on it. I don’t really need to tell you how much I like the work of these two artists, and they have a style and preference for soft colours that makes their collaborations so easy on the eye. The two central figures are by Tasha Bee and the faces on either side by Face 1st. To have found this alone would have been reward enough, but on this particular walk I managed to find a bunch of other stuff too. I think the turnover on this wall is very slow, so I don’t think I’ll be returning too often, it is a bit out of the way.

Thursday doors – 4 July 2019

Door 77 – Same door, different faces.

Happy 4 July to all those for whom it is a holiday. Here in the UK it is just another day, but it is Thursday, and that means doors.

I am being a little lazy this week using archive material to bring you the same door in Moon Street, one of my favourite street/graffiti art spots, but with different looks over the last few years – I might do this with a few more graffiti doors when I am pushed for new content.

With apologies to regulars who might have seen most of these images before.

Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019
Panskaribas, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Panskaribas, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Run Z, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2019
Run Z, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2019
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2018
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2018
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, June 2018
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, June 2018
Coloquix, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016
Coloquix, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, February 2017
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, February 2017

That just about wraps it up for this week, maybe some more Dorchester doors next time. 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.

All the best

Scooj

Two minute warning

 

Serious challenge

to rattle something off in

less than two minutes.

 

by Scooj

2300. Brunel Way Bridge (14)

This column piece under Brunel Way bridge is unmistakably by Pekoe, and what a pleasant surprise it was to find it on a recent trip to the whole Cumberland Basin area. The last work from Pekoe that I saw was a collaboration with Mr Sleven at the M32 roundabout, which was rather splendid as I recall.

Pekoe, Brunel Way Bridge, Bristol, June 2019
Pekoe, Brunel Way Bridge, Bristol, June 2019

This small piece, which is typically bright and colourful, includes a theme that Pekoe is very fond of, a third eye. I don’t know what these columns are like to paint, but I can tell you that they are a devil to photograph because of the variable light, and because cameras can’t take pictures round corners, or at least mine can’t. Nice work from Pekoe.

2299. Dean Lane skate park (226)

Well these two seem to have come out of hibernation, and this is one of two recent collaborations between Soge and Hire. These two are both Polish artists who have adopted Bristol as their home and have been collaborating for a few years now.

Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019

On the left is a fine and rather complex piece of writing by Soge, which does actually spell out SOGE although it is highly disguised. His style is like a kind of organic Gothic and seems to be from the same school as Hire and quite unusual for Bristol. Long thin sections of lettering with sharp points, this is technically very difficult and brilliantly executed.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019

On the right is one of Hire’s trademark rabbits which are altogether more ‘street’ and sinister than the rather cuddly rabbits painted by fellow countryman Nevergiveup. There is a lot of menace in this rabbit – not one I’d like to meet on a dark night – and you can see how the fur, all pointy, reflects the style in Soge’s writing. These two would seen to enjoy each other’s company and it is a pleasure to see them back out and painting again.

Gift

 

Pot-bound olive tree

a gift from my late father

flowering a treat.

 

by Scooj

2298. M32 roundabout J3 (150)

Nightwayss is on fire, not literally of course, that would be mad. His work is appearing all over the place, and not necessarily just in the more common spots. This intriguing piece is sandwiched between Face 1st and Panskaribas and depicts a monkey sitting on a bathroom sink looking in a mirror.

Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

I think this is brilliant and tells a story which I would like to know a lot more about. why is the monkey there is the first place? Is it metaphorical? Why is the reflection a different colour? I love this piece, there is something magical about it.

2297. North Street

These philosophical musings are a positive force on the streets of Bristol, and #DFTE has introduced an original way of presenting them. The picture frames give a sense of value and permanence to his words which without them would certainly be dismissed as graffiti/tagging.

#DFTE, North Street, Bristol, June 2019
#DFTE, North Street, Bristol, June 2019

‘Be good to yourself for no reason’ seems like sound advice to me and surely contributes to the positive mindfulness revolution supporting mental health. Perhaps #DFTE should be sponsored by the NHS to do this work nationally! I like the simple full caps font and slightly random orientation of his letters. From a communications perspective (it is my job after all)  we would normally advise against any written communication using full caps as it is significantly more difficult to read, and often comes across as shouting, but the font he uses is soft and works well.

Turkeys voted for Christmas

 

Six billion pounds

to soften the impact of

a no deal Brexit.

 

by Scooj

 

* If this was such a good thing for the country and economy how come it needs to be propped up with tax payer’s money? Con trick.

 

2296. M32 Cycle path (32)

This is an interesting piece by Decay along the M32 cycle path that uses minimal colours to great effect. Looking at his work recently has brought us on a bit of an adventure, crossing over from his abstract work into his writing, while retaining his little character ‘Chuck’ throughout. This piece almost feels like it is a reversion back to the abstract, even though it does spell out DECAY.

Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019

Decay has been incredibly prolific this year and has also teamed up regularly with other artists including Rezwonk and Nightwayss. It is interesting how artists build up these paint friendships which seem to be more linked to their personalities than their styles (take SPZero76 and Kid Crayon of the Eat crew for example).

Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019

It would appear that Decay has recently joined the LRS Krew (Last Radical Souls) who seem to be a loosely connected global crew who write the LRS everywhere. Here is his contribution (which is rather classier than many of the others on their Instagram feed) which he painted adjacent to the piece above. Always great work from Decay.