Tag: Bristol

1832. Dean Lane skate park (173)

I got really lucky just before Halloween when I took my lunchtime constitutional down to Dean Lane. I always expect to see something new and occasionally expect to see an artist at work, but when that artist is Rusk it is a real treat and make no mistake.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2018
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2018

Halloween I have observed is a time when street artists seem to enjoy hitting the streets and stretching their repertoire with a seasonal theme, which is always fun for people like me. This witty piece conflates Rusk with Count Duckula, the vegetarian duck vampire…who ever dreamed up that cartoon series?

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2018
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2018

Rusk always has time for a chat, and as he does so he makes fine adjustments to his work, always seeking perfection. Much of what I have learned about the Bristol street art scene and culture I have gathered from our conversations. I love the way he works so hard to get his pieces just right. It is a privilege to see him painting.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2018
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2018

Unfortunately light conditions were a bit tricky – that autumnal sunshine is a real bugger, but at least I got some shots of the piece before it got tagged the following day. The day carried on being amazing with the arrival of Jee See just as Rusk was finishing off. My lunch break took a little longer than expected!

Wheel of death

 

The spinning circle

something is ‘not responding’

frustration sets in.

 

by Scooj

1831. The Bearpit (168)

This is the third piece that I have found in The Bearpit by ‘out-of-towner’ Tommy Fiendish. It is quite different from the other work of his that I have seen, both of which are quite edgy and slightly odd, and is a rather curious domestic living room scene.

Tommy Fiendish, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2018
Tommy Fiendish, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2018

I love the perspective and the old TV, the Nike shoe box and the plants. I can’t quite make out what is going on with the walls…is it a tagged wall exposed or is is something that has been stuck to the wall? There is probably a story here, although I’m not too sure what. Maybe there are some memories the artist has from his childhood. An interesting and unusual piece.

1828. M32 cycle path (19)

I think the reason I didn’t publish this piece by the brilliant Laic217 at the time I photographed it is that the light was all wrong, and the colours of the piece were a bit disappointing. This narrow lane is a nightmare for photography if you are there on a bright day or at the wrong time of day.

Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018

The light is so bright above the hoarding, which means the artwork gets darkened by the auto settings. Now if I were a real photographer, which I absolutely not – I am an archivist – I would be able to use manual settings to overcome this conundrum. Enough excuses already…the piece itself is a nother fine work by this irrepressible artist.

Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018

This form reverts to his name accompanied by a character which is a distorted face, and the distortion carries on through all the letters as well. Signature bucket hat and smiley instantly tell you who the artist is. I rather like this overlooked piece and am glad that at last I have posted it.

1827. The Bearpit (167)

I haven’t seen anything new from Decay since Upfest, and I know he has done some pieces in Cheltenham, but I still haven’t had time to venture over there, so I thought I’d post this oldie from my archive.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016

This piece was sprayed not long after Decay moved to Bristol and I think was the first deviation from his usual concentric shapes around a face that I had seen (I think from recollection). The piece oozes class and the drips , the drips are expertly done. Can’t think why it’s taken me so long to post!

1826. The Bearpit (166)

I absolutely love this old one by Face 1st in The Bearpit, with its copper tones and trademark hair spelling out FACE. I guess that fairly soon I will need to do a gallery of his work because I have quite a large collection from the last three years.

Face 1st, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018
Face 1st, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018

What I really like about this artist is that he is relentless in pursuing his passion and will find any wall in Bristol that he can find and give it a face lift (see what I did there?). Always one of my favourites in Bristol and this particular one is a cracker.

1825. North Street

I can’t think for the life of me why it has taken me so long to post this piece. Not only is it a really great piece, it is also signed by the artist so no excuses. It is by 3rdeye, a Bristol based artist whose Upfest 2018 piece I recently posted.

3rdeye, North Street, Bristol, January 2016
3rdeye, North Street, Bristol, January 2016

This is a different take on his monsters than I am used to, being quite structured and symmetrical, where normally they are quite organic. I think the symmetry works perfectly on this set of doors. A lovely old one (January 2016) sees the light of day.

1824. The Bearpit (165)

Another archive piece, this time by the lovely Jee See in The Bearpit featuring his ‘seismic’ writing and a character with jagged stripe under the eye. I love the words Brizz Graff making an appearance – a love for the City and for graffiti. Like minds.

Jee See, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018
Jee See, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018

I met Jee See last week and although I had met him once before it was really nice to consolidate the friendship. He is a real gentleman and interesting guy. I am working on persuading him to take me out spraying some time (when I have practised a bit) – I know he reads my posts, so there is no escaping me. Loads more of his work in archive.

Earth has no borders

.

The world is dying

while nationalism thrives

what does this tell us?

.

by Scooj

1823. M32 roundabout J3 (100)

The nice thing about going through archives is finding little gems, like this one from Nevla. As well as his cartoon characters, what I like about Nevla’s work is his messages which are almost always positive as in this piece ‘fun, not anger’.

Nevla, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018
Nevla, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018

In a troubled world it is all too easy to snipe from the sidelines or always take a cynical slant on things, but every now and again it is great to come up for air and see the good in things and be positive. Nevla has a lot of what I could do with!

Incidentally I cannot recommend the book ‘Coming up for Air’ by George Orwell highly enough. My stepfather suggested I read it (and a whole bunch of other books) a few years ago. A great book and not one you hear much about.