Tag: ASK

1303. Upper York Street (9)

This has been a winter where some of the giants of Bristol street art have awoken and decorated our walls with some of the finest works for a while. Sepr is one such giant who seems to be painting most weekends and turning out some really high-quality work.

Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018

What a stunner this is – ‘knock it on the head – before it knocks you on your arse’. I’ve not heard the expression before, but am willing to adopt it on the back of this wonderful Sepr work.

Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018

The common thread running through much of Sepr’s work is music, and musicians and here he has painted a pianist stretched out and toppling off his stool. For me, his works have a very strong retro feel and remind me of 1950’s cartoons – the hairstyle and the trilby are not of this decade.

Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018

These cartoons, beautifully drawn are pulled out from the wall by some expert shardos that govo it a bit of a 3D feel. Definitely worth a look.

 

1295. Upfest 2017 (129)

Unmistakable, this piece is from our very own street art mega-star, Inkie. In Bristol, he is pretty much a household name and is recognised not only for his amazing street art work, but also for the stunning designs he produces in his studio. Many of his prints hang on the walls of Bristol homes.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

At Upfest, Inkie was supposed to have a different wall, but for some reason he didn’t take it, and Dzia did an extra piece (the robin) instead. This was where Inkie ended up, in a back yard that is fenced off. A few intrepid visitors found it and went round the back of the yard, and saw that the gate was open (probably for the festival only). There have not been many images of this piece, even though it is still there. A beautiful example of his work, so clean and an example of wildstyle writing at its best.

 

 

1273. Brunel Way Bridge (5)

I think this is the last piece I have from the Halloween 2017 session by members of the ASK crew. The others were by Sepr, Sled One, Feek and Inkie. This is by the extraordinarily talented Epok.

Epok, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, November 2017
Epok, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, November 2017

Nobody writes quite the way Epok writes, with his highly designed angular letters which have a stro9ng geometric and architectural feel to them. The photograph really doesn’t do justice to this piece which is positioned under a bridge, where the light competes with the dark. All of the pieces here are much better seen in the flesh, than captured by a rank amateur like me. At least I can give you a feel for the artworks.

1250. M32 cycle path (11)

This wall really belongs to Deamze. I don’t know if other artists leave it to him out of respect, or whether I only ever get to see it when his work is there. Either way, I have only ever seen pieces by him here.

Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2017
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2017

Deamze likes to do his graffiti writing alongside a character on this wall, perhaps it has something to do with the proportions. In this piece he uses subtle tones across the work and created a focal point with his red ASK.

Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2017
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2017

The character is Homer Simpson, and it is beautifully crafted although the hands and tongue are not in keeping with the Matt Groening creation. A good piece from Deamze.

1238. M32 roundabout J3 (59)

3Dom is really such a classy artist, and has been creating surreal pieces in Bristol for many years. He carries some themes from piece to piece and I have seen this psychedelic hut in several of his recent works.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017

His characters are often compiled from objects to create the whole, so here we have the hut for a head and a candle for a cigarette. There maybe a lot of symbolism involved, but what is certain is that his work is unique and special.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017

I love coming across his work, and this beautiful piece was part of the larger ASK paint jam back in November 2017. This whole wall was a real treat and a highlight from last year.

1229. Brunel Way bridge (4)

Another piece from the ASK Halloween paint jam under Brunel Way. This is exceptional work from the exceptional Sled One with an interesting story woven into his wildstyle writing.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

On the left there appears to be a snail-like character and on the right a Grim Reaper figure that is making for the terrified looking snail (can a snail look terrified?). Meanwhile, Sled One has incorporated the letters SLED into the piece with artistry and skill.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

Once again we see this master sprayer at his very best, creating a whole world in a space 3m x 2m. Incredible really.

1228. Dean Lane skate park (99)

Clearly very excited about the release of the recent Star Wars movie (and who wouldn’t be?), it would appear that Soker, who usually writes his name, may have been inspired to spray this R2D2 piece. It is possible there is more to it than that, but it matters not, this is a brilliant clean piece.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017

On one of the feature walls at Dean Lane, this piece works beautifully, the proportions are all nicely done and the colours assembled well. The piece also generated some good banter on his Instagram account with his stablemates Cheo and Voyder (Darth Voyder).

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017

All great fun.

1214. M32 roundabout J3 (59)

This is the right hand end piece to the ASK paint jam collaboration from November and is by Sepr. I have always been a huge admirer of his work and I am so pleased that he has been hitting the streets hard in recent months. His character style is so unique, and for me it has a really strong 1950s and 1960s feel to it – if you type ‘1950s cartoon characters’ into Google images, you’ll get a sense of what I mean.

Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017
Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017

This particular piece is all a bit strange and there is lots going on. Where to begin? At the top there is a bird playing a flute I think and its left wing makes a crown, although I think that is accidental. Common with many of Sepr’s pieces, the character is playing a musical instrument, a tambourine, and in his other hand he appears to be burning joss sticks, the smoke trail of which terminates with a snake’s head. He is sitting astride a dolphin. What on earth can it all mean?

Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017
Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017

Whatever it means, it is a fascinating and joyful piece to look at, and rounds off what is a truly exceptional wall. I think I only have one piece left to post from this ASK paint jam, and that is by 3Dom. All very good.

1200. M32 roundabout J3 (57)

‘Trick of the eye’ – this is a magnificent piece by one of my favourite Bristol artists, Sled One. In this one piece he has created an extraordinary fantasy world and constructed a brilliant piece of wildstyle writing into the mix as well.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017

The writing says ‘eye’, which is clever enough on its own, but it is the remarkable hand (protruding from the iris of the eye) pulling a rabbit from a magician’s top hat, hence the titlwe of the piece.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017

In my view, the magician of the piece is Sled One. He really is an extraordinary talent and creates these ‘stories’ like no other artist I have seen. While his story telling is great, it is the beautifully crafted characters that make these pieces. His imagination is allowed to run wild and he produces these surreal cartoon style creatures which are so full of interesting detail and demand to be studied.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017

This is an absolutely stunning piece of graffiti art that would hold its own on any wall anywhere in the world.

1186. Brunel Way bridge (3)

This is the third piece I have posted from the ASK halloween paint jam at Brunel Way bridge, the others were by Inkie and Feek. This is yet another masterful work from the resurgent Sepr – there seems to be no stopping him at the moment.

Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

Sepr has created a fabulous depiction of Count Dracula drinking what appears to be a rather nice glass of wine, but take a closer look in the bottle and you will notice a heart. The humour extends to Dracula’s footwear, which if I am not mistaken, appear to be slippers.

Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

The whole piece is beautifully sprayed right down to the shadows at the bottom of the piece…but then, I thought Count Dracula had no shadow…am I right?