Well I said that Aspire had done a fish, and here it is in all its splendour. I like his work, all of it, and as a marine biologist I have to say I particularly like this one. I must confess I am not too sure what kind of fish it is, but I am not too bothered. It is a fish.
Aspire, Armada Place, Bristol, July 2016
I would like to see more fish from Aspire, but perhaps not if it is at the expense of his birds which are truly spectacular – I still have a backlog of his birds to write about!
Aspire, Armada Place, Bristol, July 2016
I noticed in the Upfest map that he will be at the festival this year. I will try to catch up with him if I can. Audubon in New York awaits.
Another winning bird, this time a Blue Jay – not a native of Britain – by Aspire. I have run out of things to say about Aspire’s work. It is simply fabulous, and I am lucky to have such a talented artist in the neighbourhood.
Aspire and Mr Klue, City Road, Bristol, March 2016
Accompanying him on this occasion is the unmistakable work of Mr Klue. The swirling pattern working off the right hand side of the bird. Two great local artists keeping things fresh.
Wilder Street is becoming one of the hottest spots for street art in North Bristol at the moment. Sandwiched between the the A38 and A4404 it is slightly off the beaten track and, for the time being, away from the main tagging areas, although I’m sure it won’t be long before they do their stuff here too.
T-Rex, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016
I was surprised a few short weeks ago to find this lovely, and slightly eclectic, collaboration between T-Rex, Ryder and Aspire on the wall of a local small business. I haven’t yet featured any of T-Rex or Ryder’s work before, although I have seen a fair bit of it around. They tend to collaborate quite a lot, T-Rex usually spraying dinosaurs and Ryder writing his name. I don’t yet know very much about either of them, but will dig out more.
Ryder, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016
Aspire needs no introduction, and here he gives us one of his wonderful blue tits that he seems to favour. He is so prolific at the moment, that it is hard for me to post his most recent work. I have at least two more in the queue.
Aspire, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016
So we have three nice pieces, painted together, but I am not too sure how well they work together in the same space. Having said that, this is the kind of collaboration that makes the Bristol scene so special.
I caught sight of this caravan across the M32 while out for a walk last week. It had all the hallmarks of a work by Aspire, but it wasn’t until I downloaded the pictures onto my PC that I was able to see the signature.
Aspire, Caravan M32, Bristol, May 2016
When I see a piece like this, which I might add is another beauty, I am left with so many questions. Who lives in the caravan? How does Aspire know them? Was it a commission? and so on. This is an unusual and distinctive piece.
I knew it existed and was determined to find it and, a little by accident, I did. This Hyacinth Macaw is instantly recognisable as an Aspire piece and it is absolutely magnificent. He just seems to get better and better.
Aspire, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016
The work, which was completed at the beginning of May, absolutely captures the macaw perfectly and brings it to life. The peculiar stoop that macaws exhibit fits the space so well. This is a clever and absolutely outstanding piece. What next I wonder.
A new location for me. I found out about this incredible road in Easton through a friend of mine who wondered if I had heard about a community project, the purpose of which was to brighten up Devon Road. I looked up the community Facebook page, and was astonished that this was completely off my radar. I decided to check it out…what delights!
The main part of the road is a regular Bristol street, but at the Northern end it has a dogleg tracking West, which is actually a lane with two long terraces backing onto it. Each terraced house has a yard with walls and doors opening out into Devon Road. It is these walls and doors that are being sprayed. Everyone is happy. The street artists have walls to spray and there is little tagging here as it is a bit off the beaten track. The residents have the benefit of some beautiful works going up on their properties and the whole area looks vibrant, especially on a lovely sunny day.
Aspire, blue tit, Devon Road, Bristol, May 2016
My first post from Devon Road is a stunning piece by Aspire. This, in my view, is one of his finest. The birds are a blue tit on the left, and a coal tit (I think) on the right. Just fabulous. I am now on the hunt for a blue macaw that I know he has recently sprayed. I will find it.
Another wonderful bird piece by Aspire, from a few weeks ago. I’m not too sure what species this one is, and I can’t find any reference to it on his Instagram feed. It maintains the high quality I would expect from Aspire, and many of the common features in his work.
Aspire, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2016
I very much like the way he still chooses to spray these masterful pieces on ‘illegal’ albeit tolerated walls, as he could so easily go down the commission-only route.
Aspire, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2016
I guess the best thing about Bristol street artists is that they all choose their own paths, but coexist in apparent harmony. It is about the full spectrum of street art and we are very lucky indeed.
This hoarding, on the corner of Ashley Road and Picton Street is a favourite of mine; the pieces here never last long, but they command attention due to the great location. The first time I ever saw one of Tom Miller’s works was here. Regrettably I didn’t photograph it and then it was gone. Right now the hoarding belongs to Aspire.
Aspire, Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2016
This piece appeared earlier this week, and in my view, is one of Aspire’s best so far. I am not sure what species the bird is, but it doesn’t look like a British one.
Aspire, Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2016
With the improving weather, the turnover of street art is on the up, and I really look forward to Monday mornings to see what has changed.
It seems hard to believe that I have notched up 150 posts of Bristol street art already. It wasn’t meant to become a ‘thing’ but it has somehow crept under my skin. Mrs Scooj is underwhelmed by my interest in urban art, but I have the bug, and it gives me great pleasure.
This is one of two new pieces by Bristol artist Aspire. His works, mostly of birds, are truly beautiful and at this time of year entirely appropriate and the Spring gets a foothold and lightens out hearts. This is a ‘tui bird‘ an endemic bird of New Zealand – not something we usually see in the Stokes Croft area.
Aspire, Armada Place, Bristol, March 2016 – Tui Bird
I have featured two other Aspire works previously, a robin (and who doesn’t love robins?) and another bird (I’m not sure what species).
Following on from yesterday’s post I thought I would add another piece by Aspire. This mural is tucked away off the main road at the southern end of Stokes Croft. This beautiful robin is in great company…is that marilyn in the yellow telephone box?
Aspire, Charles Street, Bristol
I have no idea who pasted the yellow phone box, I like it…it is quirky and it appears to have changed colour from red (as seen on streetview). I like the robin more though. I’m on a bit of an Aspire streak…maybe more next week.
Natural adventures 