Tag: Bristol

1895. The Bearpit (170)

We are lucky in Bristol to have people like Decay who continue to spray down at The Bearpit in spite of a Council determined to clamp down on spraying. Most of the decent work down there is confined to the boards that were put in place by the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC), and this is where most of the recent work is, like this one. All the other walls are regularly buffed (at some expense ) by the Council. The paint doesn’t even get to dry before the taggers move in. It is an insane cycle of self-destruction. I really think that the Council need to devise a better plan. The Bearpit has the opportunity to become the best legal wall in Britain if they just try to think outside the box.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2018
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2018

This Decay piece was a nice surprise for me as I rarely expect to find much down in The Bearpit these days. Great letters (DK) and for good measure two of his little character faces. Unfortunately there is a small poster slapped right in the middle – I guess it’s all part of the furniture.

1894. Dean Lane skate park (178)

I have not been able to get out and about much recently so I think I might have missed quite a lot of street art that has since been overwritten. I was lucky enough to have found this little lion playing the high hats by Roo.

Roo, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018
Roo, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018

Roo, I think, is a London-based artist who I know often paints with SkyHigh. When I see this, I wonder whether I might have missed something from SkyHigh or whether Roo just happened to be travelling in Bristol solo. Whatever, this is a rather tidy souvenir from his visit.

Three’s company

.

Dawn squirrels frolic

silhouettes against grey skies

in skeleton trees.

.

by Scooj

1893. M32 Spot (35)

Back home to Bristol and yet another rather charming column piece by Silent Hobo at the M32 Spot. As I have said before, Silent Hobo has a knack for capturing the mood of youth culture, and gives his characters a soulful poise.

Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018

The girl with the microphone and ‘BOOM’ written on her bottom is wonderfully crafted by one of Bristol’s most established character artists. It is always a pleasure to see his work.

You might also have noticed a rather nice Deamze piece lurking in the background.

1890. Shoreditch, London (8)

One of the things I love most about seeing street art in other cities is when I see a piece by an I am familiar with – it gives me that warm glow of conceit, and so it was when I saw this lovely burner by Bristol’s Voyder.

Voyder, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Voyder, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

The last piece I saw by Voyder was at Upfest back in July, so to find this one in Shoreditch was definitely a special moment. This is such a clever piece, I cannot really do it justice in any explanation, but I will try. Everything you see is utterly deliberate – the blurring of the letters and the drips and splashes, what makes this extra special is how Voyder has created this with extreme skill in blending the colours through the piece and making the whole thing look a bit amateurish. To the trained eye, this is utterly brilliant, to others it might just look a bit rubbish.

Longing

 

I long for the spring

the lengthening of the days

and the warming sun.

 

by Scooj

Homeless

Baccy tin open

in front of her cold crossed legs

shelter for small coins.

by Scooj

1887. Dean Lane skate park (177)

So here he is again, popping up in Dean Lane, the man with the best graff name ever, Stupid Stupid Meathole. Here he presents us with yet another grotesque image all pink and fleshy with eyes and teeth.

Stupid Stupid Meathole, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018
Stupid Stupid Meathole, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018

I don’t think that his subjects could be described as monsters, rather they resemble human body parts that have been placed in a blender and scrambled for a moment or two before being slapped onto a wall. A very different and creative idea going on here. All good fun.

1886. Dean Lane skate park (176)

It is big, and pink and bold and probably the largest ‘Seismic’ that I have seen from Jee See (Goshiku Chavu). This simple but impactful piece is on one of my favourite walls in Bristol in Dean Lane skate park.

Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018
Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018

Jee See already knows that I am a big fan of his work and his relentless pursuit to find walls to leave his work and messages. He is always pushing the boundaries with his themed work and also on his Instagram feed which hosts so many photoshopped images and sketches. Seismic!

1885. We the Curious (2)

It is great to see that VisitBristol (the local tourist authority) is putting its weight behind the creative arts, in particular street art, by commissioning this mural on one of the walls of We the Curious (formerly @Bristol). The idea behind the mural is to increase visits to the city over the Christmas period to boost tourism as this little YouTube video shows.

Silent Hobo and Cheo, We the Curious, Bristol, November 2018
Silent Hobo and Cheo, We the Curious, Bristol, November 2018

The artists chosen for the commission are Cheo and Silent Hobo, both of whom have featured on these pages many, many times before. Here they combine to produce this sumptuous Bristol-themed Christmas mural with a whole ton of identifiable Bristol icons.

Silent Hobo, We the Curious, Bristol, November 2018
Silent Hobo, We the Curious, Bristol, November 2018

The left hand side of the mural is mostly the work of Silent Hobo and features the aquarium, the ice rink, the cathedral and harbourside among other things and in the foreground we have a few bristol carol singers representing the two (rival) football teams.

Cheo, We the Curious, Bristol, November 2018
Cheo, We the Curious, Bristol, November 2018

On the right Cheo’s mural includes the Clifton suspension bridge, the zoo, the Christmas market, the M Shed and Isembard Kingdom Brunel (the greatest ever Englishman). The whole thing is surrounded with a golden frame and the whole thing is rather delicious.

Given that street art and graffiti are part of the USP for Bristol, I would love to see VisitBristol and the Council do more of this kind of thing in recognition of the street artists who bring free art to the city rather than locking it down, for example in The Bearpit.

#MerryBristmas