Tag: Bristol

744. Moon Street (29)

Quite by chance I came across Laic217 spraying over one of his old pieces in Moon Street on my way to the ‘paint jam’ on 8 April. This was indeed a bit of a red-letter day for me, and I hadn’t even arrived at The Bearpit yet.

Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017

I have been really wanting to meet Laic217 for some time, because his work is so different and distinctive and he is so incredibly prolific at the moment. Now was my chance to say hello and ask him a few questions.

Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017

He seemed to know who I was (probably from my Instagram account), so I didn’t need to explain too much why I was interested in his work. He implied that he tries not to be influenced by other artists or what people write about him, preferring instead to plough his own furrow. He tends to spray alone and does not belong to any local crew. I picked up an accent which to my untrained ear sounded German.

Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017

When I asked him how can he be so prolific, he stated what I suppose is obvious, he said “It is what I do and I love to do it”. This is another skull face and bucket hat combo (I was glad to see he sports such a hat) with a gold tooth, joint, brick wall behind sun glasses and shattered smiley. It is all there and all absolutely wonderful.

Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017

743. The Bearpit (61)

A stunning piece by Decay for the ‘paint Jam’ on the 8 April, organised by Georgie and advertised at very short notice through social media. This is a favourite wall for Decay, and he has had several other pieces here before.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

I was fortunate enough to be there while he was just finishing off the piece. I love the way the young boy is looking back at his work. So very few people stop to take a look (such a British behaviour) perhaps for fear of interrupting the artist, or worse still striking up a conversation.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

All the very best features of a Decay piece are here: the abstract form of concentric rays emanating from a central face. The piece is directly adjacent to a large pink work I featured by Decay not so very long ago.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

He is a busy man, and shortly after completing this piece he drifted over to Wilder street to do a piece on the nicely prepped walls…to follow in a little while.

742. M32 roundabout, J3 (35)

I haven’t seen much of Sled One for a while…apart from the man eating fridge piece…so it was nice to come across this wildstyle work on the M32 roundabout at the start of April.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017

I can’t help that the piece is Easter chocolate egg inspired. The colours of purple and gold, reminiscent of Cadbury branding, and the chocolate brown colours definitely have that Easter egg look about them.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017

So the story here is to write a wildstyle piece in the theme of Easter eggs, and I think Sled One has cracked it…sorry.

Segue

 

Magnolia blooms

have all but gone; early Spring

beckons to Summer.

 

by Scooj

741. Wilder Street (14)

I saw this piece a day or so after I met Cheba for the first time, while on my way to the ‘paint jam’ in The Bearpit on 8 April 2017. This wall and several others on the garage on Wilder street were being prepped by Cheba and Alex from Where the Wall, who ‘curate’ many of the walls in Wilder Street.

Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

This piece is a classic cosmos fantasy space scene that Cheba specialises in. On the one hand, and perhaps at first sight, his works look quite simple, on the other hand they are complex and detailed, and he has mastered the technique for these cosmos scenes.

Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

What I find interesting is that not many other artists spray these kinds of scenes, and when they do, they are rarely as well executed as this. I imagine though that they might not be to everyone’s taste.

740. Dean Lane skate park (44)

You’ve got to be slightly crazy not to love an owl…I think I might have said this before somewhere in this blog. It took me a long time to post this piece, it has been sitting in my archives, because I wanted to be sure who the artist was. It is by the French artist Braga Last1 and was sprayed during a visit to Bristol in September 2016.

Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

I love it when artists from all over Europe, and indeed, the world come to visit Bristol and leave pieces for our citizens to enjoy. It certainly validates Bristol’s claim to being a world class street/graffiti art destination, something that is becoming a bit of a USP for the city.

Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

This is a beautiful piece and captures the form of the owl so well. The eyes are absolutely amazing. Despite being in Dean Lane, the piece stood in place unmarked for a couple of months before eventually being painted over – a mark of respect from other artists.

 

 

 

 

739. Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (6)

This is a subtle piece that I photographed in August 2016, and so I am guessing must have been part of Upfest 2016. It is by Lost Monkeys who produced this wonderful tiger at the same time. I hadn’t been aware that he did two pieces for Upfest.

Lost Monkey, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2016
Lost Monkey, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2016

I love the use of colour in what appears to be a black and white piece, and it has the appearance of having been drawn with charcoal…beautifully done. I couldn’t get a great shot of it, because it was stuck behind a parked car when I saw it.

Lost Monkey, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2016
Lost Monkey, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2016

There is a story going on here, but I am not too sure what. The figures and lines remind me a little of Bristol’s own Shab. This is a fabulous understated piece by a very accomplished artist.

 

Fourteen

.

He announces his

entrance with a hearty burp;

Why do they do this?

.

By Scooj

738. Moon Street (28)

Another one from the archives, this time a collaborative pair of pieces from Kleiner Shames (now living in London) and Whysayit. I have a feeling that I may hove posted these pieces before, but if I did, I can’t find them.

Whysayit and Kleiner Shames, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
Whysayit and Kleiner Shames, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016

There is something about the simple use of colours in these pieces that really makes them stand out…the red colouring in the Kleiner Shames piece is wonderfully worked.

 

Kleiner Shames, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
Kleiner Shames, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016

Whysayit offers his usual curvy and distinctive lettering, spelling out YSAE. This was not the only time these two sprayed together and they obviously enjoyed working as a pair.

Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016

Silence

 

Precious time alone

no needy interruptions

calm restoration.

 

by Scooj