River of blossom
sweet-scented and soft to touch
let me bathe in you.
by Scooj
Tag: Bristol
232. North Street hoarding (3)
John D’oh is a very naughty political artist whose work I enjoy immensely, whether I agree with his assertions or not. Whenever I see his stuff I can’t help smiling at his cheeky nerve. I suspect it gets him into trouble occasionally, but I like the edge he brings to the Bristol street art scene. This time it is the turn of the Queen, a reference to the band of the same name and her position on Brexit as portrayed by some media outlets (in particular the Murdock News International Media group).
Not only is the content of his work noteworthy, but his execution using stencils and his profusion of work is impressive. I have a large backlog of his work, much of which is politically no longer contemporary, but nonetheless an indicator of political issues in 2010s Bristol.
231. Dean Lane skate park (3)
The turnover of work at Dean Lane skate park is, I am discovering, very rapid indeed. I try to walk to the area once a week, and always there are new works to look at. This is by Eraze, an artist I have not yet featured in my posts, although I have seen several recently.
This is typical of his work, and similar in form to Laic217, in that his name is usually written out in a colourful and easily legible style, with a feature element as a focal point. In this instance a dope-smoking turtle/tortoise. I have since found out that the character is by Indy Skyzone.
Eraze describes himself as a ‘graffiti loving Bristolian’ – so I guess that in my book that makes him pretty special. I look forward to seeing his work develop.
The oh sh*t! moment
Walked to work today
then remembered the car’s booked
for its MOT.
by Scooj
230. Warden Road
One of the true pleasures of photographing street art is finding some of subtle hidden pieces that are out there, but are often overlooked. 23 Magpies specialises in wildlife wheatpastes, often stuck in such ordinary places that if you blink you miss them.
This lovely work of a crow on sheet music is pasted onto a utility box, much as the chameleon was not far up the road on Dean Lane. I don’t know how long this has been here, but I only noticed it last week.
I am very fond of these pasteups, they feel like my own little treasures. If you look carefully you can see one of Andy Council’s pieces in the background.
229. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (11)
This is the second part of my marvelous Monday discovery. This is a piece by Bruno Smoky who is the husband of Shalak Attack and member of the Clandestinos Crew. I understand from his Instagram feed that Inkie was their host/guide over the weekend in Bristol, and who better to show them the best walls. I love the way the graffiti world hangs together.
This house on fire is a really breathtaking piece, and with the Shalak Attack work in the adjacent archway, the pair have really set the bar very high for the Carriageworks space. I hope the taggers stay clear and respect our visitors’ work. I like his nod to Buzz in the top left corner – respecting a little of our local thing.
Bruno Smoky grew up in Brasilandia, a neighbourhood in Sao Paolo, Brazil. He is now internationally recognised and has created works all over the world. I love this quote, lifted from his website:
“I do not neglect my roots, my greatest pleasure is to paint in communities, bringing art and culture to otherwise forgotten and precarious neighborhoods. I use Graffiti in the context of creating a space to exhibit my art to society, my themes are full of colors and forms of protest … ”
I feel genuinely privileged that they visited and painted in Bristol outside of any kind of art festival, such as Upfest.
Spring rain
After heavy rain
the smell, that wonderful smell
rises from the earth.
by Scooj
228. Devon Road (3)
I’m still excited by Devon Road. This is an exceptional piece by the brilliant Sepr. Typical of his pieces, it is in shades of gray and features a musician, in this case a guitarist.
The mustachioed character has a continental look about him and there is something rather peaceful about the work. I can almost hear the music.
I think it is fairly obvious, but I am a big fan of Sepr’s work and to find this near-perfect mural in Devon Road made me very happy indeed. Imagine my surprise when I came upon another one just around the corner. More on that one soon.
227. The Bearpit (15)
Back in April, there was a massive explosion of new pieces appearing in the tunnels of The Bearpit. This beautiful piece by Beastie, I believe, only happened because he was hanging out with some other artists and decided at the last minute to join in.
As is often the case at the moment, you have to be very quick to get ‘clean’ photographs of anything in the Bristol hotspots. By the time I got to this one, it was already quite heavily tagged. It is a really lovely work, Beastie is a very talented artist. Sadly, his cat in Hillgrove street has recently been defaced, which is a real shame, it is one of my favourite pieces in Bristol.
Interview
Opportunity
to show them why I am the
right one for the job.
by Scooj
Natural adventures 