.
Old faithful blooming
for thirty-six years a friend
spectacular flowers
.
by Scooj
Rhododendron
6864. Harmood Street, Camden Town, London
On 8 April this year, I took a trip to London to watch the mighty Arsenal swat away Real Madrid in what was without doubt the best football match I have ever been to – and I have been to a fair few. The kick-off was a late one, so rather than catch a very late train home to Bristol I decided to stay over in London with my sister, and then visit my uncle and aunt the next morning. After my visit, I had a few hours to kill and decided to walk to Camden Town and snap up a few doors and some street art. This outstanding portrait piece from Irony was one of the first I saw on my ten-mile walk.
Irony, who is one of the most talented street artists ever in my view, is known for his portraits of young women, and this one has been plastered all over social media recently, so it was a genuine surprise and pleasure to come across it.
The artist has captured a mood so perfectly in this piece and the slight downward tilt of the subject’s head conveys some kind of body language that the viewer can pick up on. Obviously, the most striking part of the piece is the stunning blue hair, perfectly presented. This is a great piece from a great artist.
6863. M32 roundabout J3 (673)
Back to work today after the Easter break, and, of course, it is a bit of a struggle getting my head around returning to work. Getting back into the routine of writing my blog posts before work is helpful in recalibrating and preparing my mind.
This is a fine example of a quick(ish) one from Daz Cat. Painted in chrome on a dramatic red background with some imaginative decorations, this three-quarter profile of a cat is just the ticket for starting off the short week positively. I imagine that Daz Cat can knock these characters off in his sleep – goodness knows how many he has painted over the last decade or so.
Bracklesham Bay fossils
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On a dropping tide
ancient relics left behind
below the strand line
.
by Scooj
6962. Cumberland Basin
Although he has had a relatively quiet winter, Noise has woken up for the Spring and is starting to make his presence felt once more. This is a wonderful big bold piece of graffiti writing and is set in a Vaughn Bode landscape.
It is customary for most graffiti writers at some point in their ‘career’ to pay tribute to the American underground cartoonist who was active in the 1960s and 70s, and Noise has done so with a fabulous Cheech Wizard on the left and a scattering of toadstools along the base of the piece. Nice work.
6961. Dean Lane
How excited was I to find this outstanding wheatpaste by Tian earlier this month? A rhetorical question of course. Back in April 2016, the French artist, Tian, bombarded Stokes Croft with a series of beautiful paste ups, and visited Bristol again in May 2019 doing much the same. Both visits were celebrated by me, and many others who enjoyed discovering his series of interesting cut-outs.
I guess he was visiting the city again, but this time I have only found two wheatpastes, one of which has already gone. I expect there are more, but I don’t know where to look. This one, on the swimming pool wall, is of a Japanese woman in a kimono holding chopsticks. This is very much in a theme that Tian has cultivated over the years, and embraces the sepia tint as part of the piece. I am so excited about this, and keen to find some others in the North Street area.
6960. Dean Lane spate park (819)
This wall is usually occupied by Dibz or Fade or combination of the two, so it can be refreshing to find something a little different from time to time. I don’t know an awful lot about Mr Sensae, and don’t think I have photographed any of his work before.
This writing, spelling out SENSAE certainly catches the eye with its bright colours, which the artist even acknowledges with the words ‘nice colours’ in the bottom left. Starting with a pink background and decorative spots that provide a great backdrop, the letters are filled with horizontal stripes of colour ranging from orange to blue, and decorated with loads of reversed spots and stars. A striped 3D drop shadow veers off to the right. This is a banging piece of graffiti writing.
6859. St Werburghs tunnel (489)
This piece by Kool Hand was part of a recent collaboration in the tunnel, but alas his third only lasted about 24 hours. On the upside I was fortunate enough to see it, literally moments before it was painted over by Mr Klue.
I have said it before, but Kool Hand is a bit of an unsung hero of Bristol street art. His unique blend of colour, characters and writing is a central part of the heartbeat of the Bristol scene, without which it would feel diminished. The letters KOOL and nicely presented in very Kool Hand orange, with some great solid fills and spots. The background in softer purples and blues provides a perfect counterbalance to the graffiti writing. Nice work from Kool Hand.
6858. M32 Cycle path (287)
It will not have escaped regular readers’ attention that I am thoroughly enjoying the development of Lis (Le Imposter Design). Her work is increasing in both volume and scope, and she is broadening her horizon from the ‘safe space’ of mushrooms and toadstools.
I didn’t really notice this piece the first time I walked past it, and it was only on returning along the path a few minutes later that I stopped and registered it was by Lis. It is a rather nice monster character piece, looking like a teddy bear that is having a ‘bad hair’ day. Lots of fun, and experimenting with something new. Such has been her prolific painting, I will soon be able to publish a gallery of her work, which should give an indication of her rapid transition to spray paints. Keep it up, Lis.
6857. Dean Lane skate park (818)
I believe that this wonderful character piece by Turoe was painted to celebrate Soker’s birthday during a recent paint jam in the Deaner. The old-school piece is brimming with class, and references the ‘Eighties kidz’ who, alas, are no longer kids, but have come a long way and are have become the establishment/benchmark in Bristol street/graffiti art.
Turoe doesn’t get out too much these days, but when he does, his work is without doubt of the highest calibre and this character with bucket hat, chain and watch, TURO belt buckle and spray can exemplify this. A little awkward to photograph, but not insurmountable with a wide angle function on my phone.
Natural adventures 