Sleet sprinkles my face
the cold flakes melt on warm cheeks;
tears accumulate.
by Scooj
Clearing
Tension in the air
from a misunderstanding
dissipates with time.
by Scooj
1287. Allen Street, New York (1)
I took an awful lot of pictures of the street art in New York, and probably only scratched the surface, but I think that these breaks in my Bristol posts will probably be a regular occurrence for a long while to come.
This is a wonderful collaboration called Rat Boi, by Sheryo and The Yok, which was sprayed in April 2017. It was commissioned by The New Allen, an art foundation created by Baby Brasa and Milan Kelez…I read that bit you know.
I don’t know either of these artists, but this is an eye-catching piece that for me has a retro feel to it, albeit in a contemporary context.
1286. East Village, New York (2)
A second pair of magnificent Phoebe New York wheatpastes from my (not so) recent trip to the Big Apple last November. I have always loved her work ever since I first saw some paste ups in Bristol at Upfest 2016. Seeing them in her native New York is just that bit more thrilling.
The first of these is the largest wheatpaste of Phoebe’s that I have seen to date…pretty much life size and stands in a doorway on a side street. A glamorous look for our Phoebe, with the word ART pasted on in individual letters.
The second piece is one of Phoebe’s more normal miniature-sized pieces, with a vibrant yellow costume and striking hat; so very fashionable. This piece has the words ‘be confident’ emblazoned across it.
It would be fun to know whether Phoebe New York comes up with the phrase first and then creates the piece to reflect it, ot adds the phrase once the artwork is completed. Maybe it is a combination of the two. I enjoyed pointing out these wheatpastes when we were in New York to my daughter who shares the artist’s name.
Thursday doors
Door 17
This is a door designed to keep prying eyes out, rather than to welcome visitors in. It is one of the entrances to the Redcliffe Caves, which form a central part in Bristol’s history as an international trading port.
I, along with many others, believed this cave to be a place where slaves were incarcerated, a folklore of the city which is quite untrue. Rather it was used as a store for merchandise and has in more recent times been used as a waste dump.
The area is steeped in history and above the gate this plaque, donated by the Bristol Civic Society, describes some of the features of Redcliffe. I have to say I find the plaque a little sycophantic and more about past and present businesses than abiout heritage…but maybe that is just me and I think I am being a bit harsh.
Certainly this doorway contains mystery and elicits curiosity.
by Scooj
1285. Dean Lane skate park (107)
I met Rusk the day before he sprayed this magnificent piece in Dean Lane, while he was prepping the wall with black emulsion. We chewed the fat for quite a while, mostly talking about the street art scene in Bristol and some of the things that go on. He told me that he would be spraying the wall with a couple of friends the next day, I think it was a Saturday, and this is the result. I will post the other pieces in time, but felt I should do this one first.
As always with Rusk’s pieces, a lot of care and thought has been put into this. It has lovely clean lines and the gradient of colours from top to bottom is skilfully done. Definitely one of my favourite writers in Bristol, and one who makes time to talk about his and other people’s work. A nice piece.
1284. Jubilee Street (5)
I don’t get over to Jubilee Street all that often, but managed to get there recently whilst shopping for a chandelier in Gardener Haskins, a nearby and completely bonkers department store.
This is a super piece by Soker that sits in a bit of a backwater and probably doesn’t get seen all that much, apart from by the children in the adjacent school. The walls here are very much dominated by ASK members, in particular Deamze, and tend to remain unchanged for long periods of time. Visiting only occasuionally doesn’t seem to matter too much in this spot.
Flowerpot snowdrift
Winter wonderland
on a Liliputian scale;
the best Bristol gets.
by Scooj
1283. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (33)
There is so much talent in Bristol, and I am very proud to have adopted it as my home. This is a lovely piece by the amazing Hazard whose Upfest offering was one of my favourites last year.
Certainly this is a striking work and really stands out on the Carriageworks wall. Hazard sprayed it to promote Bristol singer Katie Sky’s new EP, and the image is taken from the cover and promotional designs for the EP. It would appear from reading Katie Sky’s Twitter feed that she and Hazard are friends, which is how this piece came about.
Now, you probably know that I am not always too fond of street art being used for advertising, but I am going to have to make an exception in this example because I think that Hazard’s work is so very good. Two very talented Bristol ladies doing the city proud.
1282. The Bearpit (117)
I had to wait a little while to take this picture by Mr Draws because a street cleaner had decided to park his cart in front of it for what seemed like an inordinately long time. The work looks like a bit of a quick one that incorporates two common elements Mr Draws uses in his pieces – letters making up his name and his beloved mountains.
I think it has to be said that this is not his finest work, but I don’t think that it matters too much, as he is continuously learning and developing his style and techniques. Not everything he tries to do will necessarily be his best yet. I do like his work very much and enjoy seeing what he does next.
Natural adventures 