One of the few pleasures of being the family taxi driver is that I get to visit various parts of Bristol that might not ordinarily be on my normal routes. I stumbled across this old garage piece by 3Dom when dropping my son off at a friend’s house recently.
3Dom, Upper Sandhurst Road, Bristol, August 2020
Although probably several years old, the surreal piece is in reasonably good shape. There is a lot going on here, and the story is far from clear so I’ll not try to second guess it, but rather leave it to your imagination. It felt great to find this hidden gem.
One of the nicest walls in Bristol has just had a makeover. The whole wall in Cowmead Walk in St Werburghs is quite awkward to photograph, so I have split the collaboration by 3Dom, Sepr and Feek into three separate posts of which this is the first. Painted in deep rich colours, this 3Dom piece is truly outstanding.
3Dom, Cowmead Walk, Bristol, July 2020
3Dom’s character is perched on the edge of a hamster wheel in the corner of a room with some strange pink and green plants growing up from the carpet and a Swiss cheese plant thrown in for good measure. The character is, in 3dom style, a composition of shapes and forms assembled in a surreal way into ‘human’ form. Typically the character’s legs are clad with stripey trousers. The tubes coming out of the cube head have a smiley and a sad face on them, although I’m not sure what this is depicting. There is so much detail in here that you could spend a long time looking at it – feel free to go right ahead. Such quality.
It is going to be difficult to do this piece justice in writing, because it is just so damn good. First of all I would say that anything painted here had to be good, very good, because the previous resident was a magnificent turtle by Louis Masai, that had been augmented a while back by 3Dom. This collaboration brings together some of Bristol’s finest talent in the shape of 3Dom, Piro, Epok, Sepr and Feek.
3Dom, Piro, Epok, Sepr and Feek, New Gatton Street, Bristol, June 2020
I was fortunate enough to be with Paul H on the day these guys were finishing up and he suggested we go take a look. The message is loud and clear ‘Peace, Love, Unity’ – something we could all do with after such a prolonged turbulent era in British history.
3Dom, Piro, Epok, Sepr and Feek, New Gatton Street, Bristol, June 2020
To see 3Dom, Sepr and Feek all at work was a real treat, although I believe Piro and Epok had finished their contribution the day before.
3Dom, Piro, Epok, Sepr and Feek, New Gatton Street, Bristol, June 2020
The lettering in the centre is by Piro and Epok and adopts three very distinct design styles all of which are expertly executed. The writing is flawless and the colour selections draw you in like a beacon. The writing alone would be worthy of this wall, but we have so much more packed into this space.
3Dom, New Gatton Street, Bristol, June 2020
On the left is my favourite bit (perhaps I shouldn’t say it, but it is), which is the female figure By 3Dom. The movement of the figure and expression on the girls face convey a contentedness and presence in ‘the zone’. I love the little details such as her earphones, necklace and belt of planets around her waist – there is a lot of symbolism here.
Sepr and Feek, New Gatton Street, Bristol, June 2020
To the right of the piece is a fine double-act from Feek and Sepr. I am not entirely sure, but the sense I get here is one of celebrating nature and all that is good and nourishing about it. The ‘Green Man’ monster from Feek is an extraordinary piece of art in a cartoon style and a superb foil to the celestial figure by 3Dom opposite. Sepr’s contribution of a robin and a mole add a touch of simple and humorous class to the collaboration. There is so much in this piece to enjoy, and given the location of the wall it is likely to be a keeper. Brilliant.
Since lock down measures were eased At the end of May, 3Dom and Sepr have collaborated on several occasions and are absolutely smashing it with each new wall they paint. This wall opposite the Star and Garter marks the Black Lives Matter campaign in two very different ways.
3Dom, Star and Garter, Bristol, June 2020
3Dom has opted for a big bold statement “Unity is Power” set on a red and orange background which gives the whole thing a kind of explosive impact. The large letters have shading that has a central vanishing point so the whole thing looks like it is heading straight for us. Nicely done, and unusual writing from 3Dom.
Contrast that with Sepr’s birds. His piece tells us a complete story in the simplest way possible. The three birds are identical in every way except their colouring and they are proudly marching hand in hand. This is an exceptional piece which deserves as much exposure as it can get. Poignant and relevant and not preachy.
It took me a second trip to this wall in Dean Lane to get some decent photographs. The first effort was marred by a large shadow cast across the left hand side of the piece, and that simply wouldn’t do. The stunning work is a collaboration between 3Dom and Sepr.
3Dom and Sepr, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020
The easing of restrictions from lock down a couple of weeks back led to an upsurge in high quality pieces, and it has been difficult to keep on top of them, this though is one that is likely to stay for a while. The writing is by 3Dom and the elephant and mouse by Sepr.
3Dom and Sepr, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020
I have seen similar writing from 3Dom before, there was something very similar on the side of a van I recall. It is easy to forget that he is as talented at graffiti writing as he is at free-form street art. The elephant and mouse is typically humorous and warm from Sepr, who has a talent for telling great stories with his art work. This collaboration is a real gem.
It took two trips to this spot to be able to get any decent pictures. On my first visit, the sun was very bright indeed and a horizontal shadow was cast across the top half of the piece… my photographs were unusable.
3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
This is a magnificent collaboration between 3Dom and Feek and one of the first to be painted since the lock down restrictions were slightly eased. On the left is an extraordinary character by 3Dom built up of five or six distinct elements: a raspberry head with a target, a geometric torso, wicker basket bottom, fractured legs and fabulous slippers. The character is balancing on a tightrope.
Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
Opposite is a character from Feek, wearing a barrel on his head riding a unicycle on the same tightrope, a parrot nervously hanging on to the seat of the unicycle. The whole piece is a celebration of circus in a burst of colour and surreal ideas, and is the kind of outstanding piece that doesn’t come around every day.
3Dom and Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
Between the two tightrope acts is a beautifully painted ASK (After School Klub) written in circus-style Block script, which holds the two halves together with great skill. This is a truly exceptional piece and one that has been well worth the wait.
In St George skate park, at the far end from the car park, is a tombstone of a skate ramp, looking more like the monolith in 2001: a Space Odyssey than a piece of skating architecture. This is a favourite spot for some artists in Bristol, and recently it was the turn of 3Dom to decorate this wall.
3Dom, St George skate park, Bristol, May 2020
I think the story here is putting urban civilisation under the microscope, but to what end I am not so sure. The microscope has been brilliantly observed and painted well and reminds me of the days when I used to do some real science rather than whatever it is I do these days.
3Dom, St George skate park, Bristol, May 2020
This is a simple and striking piece that is brilliantly suited to the wall it has been sprayed on and offers us another aspect of this fabulous artist’s talents. I feared that with the sun behind the wall I wouldn’t get any decent pictures, but I think they turned out ok.
Back in September 2019 I discovered an alleyway in Easton for the first time. It was one of those moments when I realised just how little I knew about street art in Bristol, that I could have missed this extraordinary spot with so many extraordinary pieces painted there, many of them dating back years.
3Dom, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September 2019
This piece at the entrance to St Mark’s Avenue (a very grand name for an alleyway) is by 3Dom and features one of his surreal and dreamlike characters that immediately tell you who the artist is. The only other artist in Bristol with whom his work could be confused is Sled One.
3Dom, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September 2019
There is some deep pathos in this scene, in the way that the character is looking at a small flower plucked from the human-created devastation all around. An environmental message here. I don’t know how old the piece is, a few years at least, but I am still excited by discovering it.
If you’d like to see more from this artist/tattooist check out his Instagram account
Here is another of those old ones, that inexplicably ended up on the cutting room floor. It is hidden away in St Werburghs and is by the hugely talented 3Dom. I think that I might have held back on posting it because the light is all wrong in the photographs and in my mind may have considered returning to take some better pictures. Of course, that never happened. The piece is much older than the pictures.
3Dom, Sandbed Road, Bristol, May 2019
I envy the owners of this house having a lovely clean 3Dom piece on their wall and it certainly is a bit of a landmark in this quiet backwater. I’m not at all sure I know what the story is here, but there is a definite connection with nature going on, which is a very topical subject just at the moment. It is a beautiful piece with tranquility and menace in equal measure.
On the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft wall in Jamaica Street, this simple and kind collaboration celebrates our amazing (underfunded) NHS, in a gesture of love for all the hard work they are doing in this difficult time. The collaboration by 3Dom and Sepr is a collaboration in name only as the artists each painted their halves separately on different days, following social distancing guidelines.
3Dom, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2020
On the left is an exquisite piece of script writing in NHS blue. 3Dom has managed to write these delicate letters with the tops and bottoms appearing to vaporize into a white mist. The subtle cream shading just to the right of the letters helps them to stand out a bit more. This is beautiful, technical writing.
Sepr, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2020
Painted the following morning is this wonderful heart by Sepr. Simply done and conveying all the right emotions for the circumstances. I don’t know how he does it, but Sepr can even manage to get his retro style into a heart. Fantastic.
As I have said before, we must also celebrate all other key workers and public/civil services that are keeping us all safe and well.
Natural adventures 