Tag: Abstract

910. Wade Street (1)

I took a new route whilst going somewhere with the family a few weeks ago, and in my rear view mirror caught sight of this fabulous Shab piece. I made a mental note of its location and returned to photograph it a few days later.

Shab, Wade Street, Bristol, June 2017
Shab, Wade Street, Bristol, June 2017

I don’t think it is a new piece, but it certainly is a belter. There are four of his characteristic line drawn figures sprayed over a textured background created with a blue roller. The overall effect is quite stunning, and I think this is one of the best I have seen to date.

Shab, Wade Street, Bristol, June 2017
Shab, Wade Street, Bristol, June 2017

Of course, each figure has eyes, and oh, what eyes these are. There is a story here – maybe of love, indicated by then heart, or maybe other things going on. Overall it is simply spectacular. A lucky spot in my rear view mirror.

862. Greville Road (6)

A rather poor featured image picture of a rather unusual collaboration by Beastie and Decay. This is not the first time these two have collaborated – or rather shared a wall – and I posted this Raleigh Road piece a few weeks back. The picture is poor, because I took it on a bright day with the sun behind the wall…never a good idea.

Beastie, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2017
Beastie, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2017

This shared wall – I use this expression rather than collaboration, because the two works were painted at the same time, but there is little read-across between the two, each having its own distinct style.

Beastie, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2017
Beastie, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2017

On the left is an unusual piece by Beastie featuring what I would describe as a fictional bird (I might be wrong here) near a small woodland and pond. I don’t know if it is symbolic or representative, but it is a rather pretty bird. I love it when artists incorporate the street furniture, in this case a litter bin, into their works.

Decay, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2017
Decay, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2017

On the right, is a nice piece by Decay. His work, arguably, is the most distinctive in Bristol. There is absolutely no way that it could be confused with anyone else. The abstract symmetry and concentric bands of reds, greys, whites and blacks have Decay written all over them. Really good drips here too.

Decay, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2017
Decay, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2017

Overall this is a lovely shared wall, but it will be here only for a fleeting moment as  we approach Upfest at the end of the month, and this wall is a popular one for the festival.

844. M32 Spot (6)

Another column piece at the M32 Spot, but this one is rather easier to photograph (marginally) because it is on two faces only. The artist is, of course, the fabulous Decay.

Decay, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2017
Decay, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2017

To those that know his work, probably the most striking thing about this piece is that he has introduced some additional colours into his palette, notably yellow, orange and blue. The centre and bottom half are in the colour scheme that I am more accustomed to. To cap it all off, he has wonderful drips. Great work.

839. Upfest 2016 (132)

An interesting abstractish sort of piece in one of the prime window slots on North Street, currently occupied by a Copyright and Paul Monsters collaboration. This piece is by Age Age, an artist I am struggling to find out much about.

Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

His piece here is next to the Upfest work of Caro Pepe, which is interesting, because in my trawl of the Interweb, I have found several collaborations between these two artists. A quick look on his Facebook page confirms this.

Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Age Age, Hannes Höhlig, is an illustrator and graphic designer from Berlin who, it would appear, likes to get out and spray the streets from time to time. His work is a little surreal and attractive – there are stories going on here. This was a nice festival piece which sadly was defaced not too long after the festival, along with several other pieces in the area. My understanding is that some of the Bedminster locals spray the pieces they don’t like or don’t respect. Oh dear.

Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

787. Stokes Croft shutter

Mr Penfold is first and foremost a designer, whose work is largely abstract and uses colours and shapes that remind me of a cross between the 1980s and art deco. Clean crisp lines and floating objects.

Mr Penfold, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2017
Mr Penfold, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2017

His graffiti/street art work is very different to anything else found in Bristol and instantly recognisable. Whilst I like to see his pieces appearing around the city, his style does not pull me in as much as some of the other artists in Bristol.

777. Upfest 2016 (121)

This piece is tucked away in one of the parking bays in the Tobacco Factory car park, and is by Fats. Fats is an artist, so her Upfest biography goes, who is based between Dubai and Toronto and whose heavy black line work is in part influenced by Inuit art and Arabic calligraphy resulting in a hybrid style reflecting her own cultural confusion and ambiguity.

Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

You can see more of her excellent work on her Instagram feed, and she also has an active Facebook page. It looks like she’ll be paying us another visit for the 2017 Upfest event, according to the Upfest artists page. Something to look forward to.

Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Fats, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Based on this one piece, I think that I rather like her work. More so when I have checked out her stuff online. The colours, of course, are familiar to me through Decay’s fabulous work, and the abstract style is not too different either. Perhaps the two should collaborate…that could be pretty fun.

755. Dean Lane skate park (45)

How on earth I stumbled on identifying this piece I genuinely can’t remember, but I am pleased to have done so as it has been in my archive for some while. It is a really nice piece of writing by Cokestd, an artist from Budapest in Hungary which he created in November 2016 while on a trip to the UK.

Cokestd, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2016
Cokestd, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2016

I do like it when visitors come and leave their mark in our city, especially when it is with a piece such as this – I like to think of Bristol as a welcoming place where we embrace our overseas friends with open arms. The piece itself is a beauty, nicely proportioned with great lines and colours.

743. The Bearpit (61)

A stunning piece by Decay for the ‘paint Jam’ on the 8 April, organised by Georgie and advertised at very short notice through social media. This is a favourite wall for Decay, and he has had several other pieces here before.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

I was fortunate enough to be there while he was just finishing off the piece. I love the way the young boy is looking back at his work. So very few people stop to take a look (such a British behaviour) perhaps for fear of interrupting the artist, or worse still striking up a conversation.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

All the very best features of a Decay piece are here: the abstract form of concentric rays emanating from a central face. The piece is directly adjacent to a large pink work I featured by Decay not so very long ago.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

He is a busy man, and shortly after completing this piece he drifted over to Wilder street to do a piece on the nicely prepped walls…to follow in a little while.

730. Dean Lane skate park (41)

This is one of the more unusual pieces I have posted in quite a while. I think it is just a crazy abstract expression, but I can’t be certain. The artist Jee See has featured in this blog several times with his ‘seismic’ pictures and girl in a military hat (freestyled not stencilled as I had implied in an earlier post). This piece is unlike anything I have seen before.

Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017
Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017

I really can’t quite make out what it is or represents – maybe it is a starship exploding, but what are those window frames on the left of the picture. What are the building shaped objects at the top of the piece, and are they even part of the whole work? The weird thing is that I actually rather like it, even though I can’t fathom out a story…or anything at all.

715. Dean Lane skatepark (38)

Oh my goodness – they are everywhere. It seems that now I am so much more aware of the work of Shab, I am seeing it everywhere. This is a piece that appeared…and disappeared pretty quickly from Dean Lane. It is a wonderful small abstract piece that is rather subtle, and could be missed or overlooked.

Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017

It is however the work of a very accomplished and practised artist whose creations are very easy on the eye, but also seem to ask questions or challenge in some way – I’m not sure if I have explained that very well, but they kind of leave you thinking. This is a lovely piece and of course we have another fabulous eye.

Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017