Hanging out to dry,
ugly guzzling grubbers will
transform and amaze.
by Scooj
Tag: Bristol
182. M32 Roundabout Junction 3 (5)
It’s a bit like waiting for a bus…nothing for ages and then three turn up all at once. Well it is a bit like that with this third piece in as many weeks from Laic217.
The consistent themes for Laic217’s work seem to be his name decorated, but easily legible, bright carefully selected colour schemes and a character embellishing one of the letters. It is a formula I like, and one that is very distinct.
I look forward to stumbling on more of his works, now that I know where to look for them.
181. Trenchard Street (2)
Tucked away from the main drag in Bristol is this masterpiece by Nick Walker. This amazing stencil which dates back to at least May 2010 blends in so well with the architrave surround and brick wall.
The piece can be found just beyond the rear entrance, turning right out of the exit, of Colston’s Hall. It is another of those Walker pieces that have simply become a ‘part of the furniture’ that we in Bristol take for granted. I think that most, if not all of his work remains intact, which is very unusual here.
Taking a closer look at the butterflies reveals that they are more sinister than you might originally think. Great work.
Dawn chorus
Compensation for
an early start; sweet singing
and unfettered joy.
by Scooj
180. M32 J3 Roundabout (4)
This is one of several lovely fresh wildstyle burners on the infrastructure of the M32 roundabout. The artist is Sled One who was also the genius behind one of my very best hoardings in Bristol, posted back on 1 March 2016.
This colourful piece spells out ASK, which stands for ‘After School Klub’ one of the dominant Bristol crews. I am never quite sure who the crew is made up of, there seem to be a lot of them. Associated with ASK is the KTF acronym which stands for ‘Keeping things Fresh’. You will see KTF and ASK dotted on many of the works in Bristol.
I particularly like the eye in the A of ASK. Little details like this show the care and thought that goes into these wildstyle pieces.
179. Hotwell Road, Esso Garage (2)
An emergency fuel situation led me to fill the car up at this garage in Hotwell Road recently. I might have annoyed queuing customers a little, because I hadn’t seen the mural before and snapped a couple of quick photographs. I was a little saddened that it had replaced one of my favourite Andy Council pieces that I posted about in August 2015.
This environmental piece is by 45 RPM, a Bristol artist, and was commissioned by the Body Shop as part of their ‘Enrich not Exploit‘ campaign. Three other street artists were also commissioned to create works in Brighton, Birmingham and Manchester.
I am always a little suspicious of business campaign commissions like this one, but I think the Body Shop is one company that has strong ethical and sustainable values that I can live with. This is not greenwash, it is more like influencing.
It is an unusual piece, but I am really beginning to like it.
Modern Green Man
Shaped from the earth and
hiding in a suburban
garden; I saw you.
by Scooj
178. Hillgrove Street (5)
Remember this naughty fox?
Well Mau Mau has returned with a topical piece (when he sprayed it), cleverly conflating an urban fox with R2D2 from Star Wars.
Always witty and often quite acerbic, Mau Mau rarely disappoints. I only wish I had found this gem before it had been tagged. Maybe someone was offended by the language (I think not).
I look forward to more foxes in the Stokes Croft area.
Lifer
Job in the balance
twenty six years of service
counts for nothing now.
by Scooj
177. Deanery Road
It has been a little while since I featured a work by one of Bristol’s finest and most famous street artists, Nick Walker. It took me a little while to find this, despite it being in the road where I work. It is a shutter piece, and the shutters are invariably up when I am at work, and down when I am not. I took this photograph on a Sunday.
The piece is unmistakably by Walker, with its pinstriped character and trademark ‘vandal’ moniker. It is indeed a treat to have so many of his artworks so close to where I spend most of my days.
It is a little neglectful of me not to have found this piece sooner, but better late than never.
Natural adventures 