Is this really the fiftieth post from Dean Lane? (Answer…no it is the fifty first…I cocked up) I have at least another fifty pictures in archive that have never made it onto this blog. This is an interesting piece by Mr Draws, which he sprayed on the same evening that the Graffiti Nation exhibition opened in North Street in May.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017
I stopped for a quick chat with Mr Draws, and he told me that he was playing with the letters of his usual DRAWS lettering, having read about some Russian graffiti artists and the techniques that they use. In this piece, Mr Draws has used the German for ‘draws’ which is ‘zieht’ and then used a 3 and 1 for the first two letters. Playful stuff, and a nice bity of insight into this work. It is nicely executed too with a lovely chrome spray and some good cracks.
I first saw this mural at Upfest 2016, but wasn’t sure who it was by or whether it was a festival piece. It turns out that it is by the magnificent Andrew Burns Colwill and it was not his Upfest piece, but a commission.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2017
Colwill is a truly brilliant artist with a very colourful history, who has just completed a magnificent exhibition entitled ’20/50 Vision: Tomorrow’s Habitat’ at the It’s All 2 Much Gallery in Stokes Croft. The works place some of our most treasured species into future places where all is not as it should be. A global warming/pollution warning to us all.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2017
This piece is altogether more mainstream, and for a marine biologist like me a real treat.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2017
On 20 April each year, there is a legalise marijuana protest, or smoke-in if you like, where weed smokers will overtly disobey the law and rely on the theory of safety in numbers to avoid arrest or prosecution. In the UK, the main ‘celebration’ is held in Hyde Park, but in Bristol there is a parallel exercise held on the Downs.
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2017
This piece is dedicated to the 420 campaign and is unmistakably by Kid Crayon, who demonstrates his knowledge of marijuana admirably in this protest work.
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2017
I always like a good political or protest bit of street art, and this one ticks all the boxes. Colourful, illustrative and subversive. The piece remained untagged for a long period in an area where street art tends to have a very short lifespan, possibly indicating a general respect and support from taggers and other artists.
I have no idea who this is by, but it really tickled me when I saw it. This is one of those pieces that you really have to keep your eyes peeled to be able to see. Low down and quite small. A dog on a skateboard. A paste up. What is not to like here?
Unknown, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2017
If anybody might know who the artist is, I would be eternally grateful. Pure class as far as I am concerned.
This is a small piece from Shab down at Deaners from a couple of weeks back. It is a wonderful abstract piece with great eyes…oh those eyes. I discovered another much larger piece by Shab in another part of Bristol, and am itching to go and photograph it.
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017
It is always a pleasure to see his work, every one feels like a little present. I feel very lucky to be able to access the free galleries that are the Bristol walls. My task is to make these treasures accessible for all.
I had had a tip-off, via Stephen Quick’s Instagram feed that he and Hannah Adamaszek would be doing a collaboration at the Tobacco Factory, on the weekend of 13-14 May, so I managed to sneak over on the Saturday to see what they were up to.
Stephen Quick and Hannah Adamaszek, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2017
What a treat. Stephen had organised for a few established, up and coming and debutant artists to spray the car park bays during what was a bit of a Bedminster festival. This work is really interesting because it brings together two distinct styles into a synthesis that joins them. The subject matter is the same, but the techniques quite different.
Stephen Quick and Hannah Adamaszek, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2017
Stephen Quick works mostly with stencils and Hannah with freestyle paints and spray. It was interesting watching them concentrating on their respective halves of the collaboration.
Stephen Quick and Hannah Adamaszek, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2017
It is possible to see that some elements of the original piece obviously didn’t work too well for the artists, so they were removed, for example the purple birds in the background.
Stephen Quick and Hannah Adamaszek, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2017
I love the work of both of these artists, and I love the way they have collaborated on this piece. Does it work? I am not sure. Has it enhanced their styles or cramped them? On balance, I consider it a triumph, but it brings into sharp perspective the difficulties of working together. A bit like being married I guess…different styles, a collaboration.
Stephen Quick and Hannah Adamaszek, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2017
Well this was a red letter day, oh yes. The day street art arrived in Redland (although we must not forget Cheo’s mural at Redland Station). Big bold and screaming out REDLAND for all to see.
2Keen, Aspire and Ryder, Redland Court Road, Bristol May 2017
This is a magnificent collaboration between 2Keen, Ryder and Aspire, and during its creation I have had the fortune to stop and talk to 2Keen on a couple of occasions, seeing as it is not at all far away from where I live.
2Keen, Aspire and Ryder, Redland Court Road, Bristol May 2017
What I did not know is that 2Keen is one of the original Bristol graffiti artists and is held in very high esteem indeed by his peers. This is the first piece of his that I have been aware of, although I might have seen others without realising who they were by.
2Keen, Redland Court Road, Bristol, May 2017
For those of you not familiar with the geography of Bristol, Redland is a very middle class, aspirational and residential part of the city, and although there is probably widespread appreciation of Bristol’s street art within the local community, it isn’t the sort of thing one expects to see at its heart. I so dearly love it.
2Keen, Aspire and Ryder, Redland Court Road, Bristol May 2017
2Keen told me that he had mixed reviews while he was working on it. Some people tried to move him on, some stopped to chat, the police took a look and admired the work, but to the shame of Redland some people spat at him. Well heeled…my arse!
2Keen, Aspire and Ryder, Redland Court Road, Bristol May 2017
I believe the writing is by Ryder, the dodo on the right by the magnificent Aspire, fresh from his Stokes Croft pigeon, and the rest of the fabulous Alice in Wonderland work is by 2Keen.
2Keen, Redland Court Road, Bristol, May 2017
I’m not sure if it will ever happen, but 2Keen said he’d take me out to spray a wall somewhere and teach me how it all works. I just need to find him again and take him up on the offer. Happy days.
For those of you not keen on Laic217’s work, I apologise. I, as you should know by now, am a big fan, and as long as he keeps painting them, and as long as I keep finding them, I will keep posting them.
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2017
This is a quick one from a little while back in a narrow cycling alleyway that runs alongside the M32 between the St Pauls and Eastville junctions.
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2017
A wall, an obscured face, a bucket hat, a tracksuit, letters…it is all here and all so beautifully done. I’m not at all keen on the yellow background, but I am just being a bit picky.
Natural adventures 