2496. St Werburghs

Taking the dog for a walk does have its plus points… just occasionally you walk down a different street – often the dog’s choice – and discover something new. Finding vans with street art is such a sweet pleasure because being mobile, the perception is that seeing them is something of a rarity. Finding a van as beautifully painted as this one by Inkie is a real treat.

Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019

Looking a little bit like the Scooby van, the artwork here by Inkie is simply exceptional and features two of his stylized beauties, one on each site of the van, and the hair curls swirling around all over. Great colour combinations and the skill of a brilliant artist make this van highly desirable, I mean who wouldn’t want it, even if only for a day?

 

 

2484. Cheltenham 2019 (8)

We all love a little sunshine, or at least when it is the right kind of sunshine. In this set of photographs we have the wrong kind of sunshine, the kind that casts shadows in tunnels, the kind that people like me don’t like very much, especially when you don’t get regular opportunities to visit particular places.

Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

This is one of two pieces that Inkie painted for the Cheltenham Paint Festival, the other larger one being a little bit further out of town and rather more celebrated. Inkie has painted a truly Inkie piece here with his characteristic writing supported by one of his iconic profile portraits and lots of swirling hair. The letters spelling out ChelSpa, a confated version of Cheltenham Spa (for which he would have needed a much longer wall).

Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

It always great to see Inkie pieces especially when on travels outside his native Bristol/London bases, and Cheltenham certainly has some to be proud of, if you include his contributions to the 2018 Paint Festival.

2479. St Marks Avenue (3)

Deamze left for Hobart about six months ago, and it would be fair to say that his familiar style and frequent high-class pieces have been missed. What a pleasure it was for me then to come across several of his older pieces, all in excellent condition in St Mark’s Avenue, a new discovery of street art gold for me.

Deamze, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, September 2019
Deamze, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September 2019

This is a bright and joyful piece of wild style writing that spells out DEAM with a little deam inside just for good measure. I’ve no idea how old this piece is, but it is great to be reacquainted with this Bristol master.

2475. St Mark’s Avenue (2)

This is the second piece I am posting from St Mark’s Avenue and it is a rather fun piece by Sepr. Judging from the weathering of the paint on the door, it looks like it has been here for some years. In line with pretty much everything in this alley, there seems to be remarkably little tagging.

Sepr, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, September
Sepr, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September

The piece itself presents a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat although rather than just one rabbit, he is actually pulling two rabbits, in a compromised state from the hat and they don’t look too pleased about it. I have long been a fan of Sepr’s work and I love the retro influences in his style that make his pieces so distinctive. Great piece with a great story beautifully executed, you can’t ask fo much more than that.

2457. Dean Lane skate park (248)

As part of the 3Dom birthday celebration paint jam down at Dean Lane Hemper painted this wonderful piece of writing on the curved wall that has played host to so many incredible pieces over the years.

Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

The letters are bold and the colours blended from top to bottom are exceptional, but it is the texture of the piece and the drips melting down that show the true craftsmanship of this fabulous Bristol graffiti writer.

2455. Dean Lane skate park (247)

When you see some street art that is a little weird and creative in Bristol, it is likely to be the work of 3Dom or Sled One and if you are particularly lucky it might be a collaborative effort from both of them. This is one such collaboration and weird and creative it is too.

3 Dom and Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
3 Dom and Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

The mash up of Mr Potato Head and a balloon is not the sort of image that comes readily to mind, but seems to come with such ease from these two. I think that the division of labour of the work was 3Dom on the left and Sled One on the right, and maybe a couple of other bits shared out equally.

3 Dom and Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
3 Dom and Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

This piece, together with a whole bunch of other ones was all part of a late birthday jam for 3Dom, and looking at his Instagram feed, it looks like they all had a really great day – lucky for us really.

2376. St George skate park (3)

I have known about this piece by Sepr for quite a long while, but simply wasn’t sure where it was, because St George skate park has only recently come onto my circuit of regular spots to visit. You can’t be everywhere, and with a full time job and two teenage kids I do miss an awful lot of artwork in spots I don’t know about, so I am pleased at last to have discovered this one.

Sepr, St George, Bristol, July 2019
Sepr, St George, Bristol, July 2019

You can tell this has been around for a while because it is a bit tagged and looking a little worn. One of the problems with skate park art is that anything on skating surfaces becomes degraded very quickly, so you either visit regularly or have to put up with pieces not in the best condition. I’m not certain how ‘appropriate’ this piece is for a park where a lot of very young children play, because it is ghoulishly macabre, but then again perhaps it is perfect. I always have been and always will be a huge fan of Sepr’s work.

2332. Wilder Street (35)

I’m completely bemused by how on earth I can have missed this amazing piece by 3Dom for so long. It is in the mid-section of Wilder Street and I think I have only visited the ends of the street, but nonetheless it is most negligent of me. Paul H tells me it has been there for quite some time.

3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, July 2019
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, July 2019

The style of the piece is similar to ones he did at the other end of Wilder Street, in Frogmore Street and in Montpelier, and I think it was a phase he was going through. It is what I would describe as organic abstract piece, so very easy on the eye, with a pleasing symmetry. Love it a lot.

2329. L Dub (2)

It was this piece by Sled One that finally motivated me to get myself the the L Dub spot in Lawrence Weston, although I wouldn’t have made it withoug the guidance of Paul Harrison and DJPerks.

Sled One, L Dub, Bristol, July 2019
Sled One, L Dub, Bristol, July 2019

This piece alone was worth the trek and to me highlights the extraordinary motivations of street/graffiti artists. L Dub is not exactly a place you would paint if you wanted lots of people to see your work, but you can certainly get on with your creation without much risk of interruption.

The piece itself looks like it is a bit of a dig at the police and is a wild and surreal pig, whose face looks like it is made from a leather bag and is sporting a gun holster with a curious looking weapon. I don’t really know too much about what is going on here, but the quality of the artwork is undeniable.

I am guessing that the words ‘No Face – No Case’ refer to the fact that if your face isn’t seen then there is no evidence for a case against you (I’m not too sure how water-tight that is). Great piece from Sled One.

2281. Norfolk Place (5)

Sometimes you’ve just got to go big and bold, and they don’t come much bigger and bolder than this fine piece of writing from Soker. This is a wall that doesn’t seem to change all that often, and is usually occupied by an ASK artist.

Soker, Norfolk Place, Bristol, April 2019
Soker, Norfolk Place, Bristol, April 2019

There is a lot to like about this piece which looks so graceful, clean and simple, but it takes a lot of skill and experience to pull off writing like this. The letter font is easy on the eye, and the green and white highlights help to give a 3D appearance, and the whole thing is set off on a nice background of cool colours and shapes. It is the pink touches that add just a little bit of class. A fine work.