244. Old Bread Street (2)

This has been a mystery for far too long, but yesterday I cracked it. This fantastic piece, and genuinely one of my absolute favourites, is a collaboration by Tom Deams (Deamze) – more about him in his rather excellent website – and Georgina Anton, a Bristol-based artist with early roots in graffiti. Her biography can be found here.

Deamze and Georgina Anton, Old Bread Street, Bristol, November 2015
Deamze and Georgina Anton, Old Bread Street, Bristol, November 2015

There is something so clean and soothing about this burner. The proportions are fantastic, the lettering wonderful, the word ‘utopia’ just seems to work and the design filling the letters is beautiful. It was unsigned, and so it has been very hard to identify. It was only yesterday that I caught a glimpse of the piece in Deamze’s portfolio that I was able to find out more. The piece has long since gone, but at least I can now sleep easy at night.

188. Brunswick Square hoardings (1)

A couple of weeks ago I discovered, quite by accident, a goldmine of new pieces in Brunswick Square, St Pauls. There is a large new development along the south side of the square with hoardings all around it. It would appear that the developers have encouraged Bristol’s finest to decorate the hoardings, and they have done an amazing job.

Inkie, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016
Inkie, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016

This piece is by one of Bristol’s most well known street artists, Inkie, and is a bright and colourful wildstyle burner in his very distinct style. A lovely piece.

I will, of course, feature other works from this magnificent site soon.

184. Ashley Road (5)

It would appear that Friday late afternoon is the right time to be passing the street art hot spots. Last week I managed to catch up with Decay and Alex Lucas, today I met and watched Sled One working this practice hoarding in Stokes Croft.

Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016

I had just dropped down from Armada Place, where I had seen and photographed another of his recent works, so it was a real pleasure to meet him. What a nice guy, and an extremely talented artist. It was his work that I featured (the woody woodpecker one) a little while ago that I honestly believe to be one of the finest works I have seen in Bristol. I told him as much (he was chuffed) and he said that it was freestyled…which basically means he sprayed it off the top of his head – no plan. Below are some pictures of Sled One at work.

Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016

You can make out the writing, it says Sled in silver and ASK in yellow (ASK is After School Klub – a group of Bristol street artists). A good afternoon’s work I would say.

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.

Laic217, M32 Roubndabout, Bristol, March 2016
Laic217, M32 Roubndabout, Bristol, March 2016

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.

Laic217, M32 Roubndabout, Bristol, March 2016
Laic217, M32 Roubndabout, Bristol, March 2016

I look forward to stumbling on more of his works, now that I know where to look for them.

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.

Sled One, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
Sled One, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, 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.

Sled One, detail, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
Sled One, detail, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, March 2016

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.

172. Jubilee Street (3)

A beautiful sunny day in November 2015 treated me to some fabulous walls that still sustain me now. This is a well worked collaboration by Feek and Soker on the side of the Manor Scrap Company, and opposite the playgrounds of the Hannah Moore Primary School. It also appears that Deamze might have had a hand in this too.

Feek and Soker, Jubilee Street, Bristol, November 2015
Feek and Soker, Jubilee Street, Bristol, November 2015

The characters either side of the wildstyle are by Feek, and you can read the lettering ‘Sokem’ by Soker. I don’t yet know why all his wildstyle burners say Sokem and not Soker. I guess it is a bit like Deamze writing Deam, Deams or Deamze…they probably do it because they can.

Feek and Soker, Jubilee Street, Bristol, November 2015
Feek and Soker, Jubilee Street, Bristol, November 2015

I like the slightly unsettling clown and bumper car rider in this piece…there is something menacing about them. Probably not ideal opposite a school, but hey, that’s how it is.

7.5/10

170. Dean Lane skate park (1)

It is a strange thing with hunting down street art that you can be completely ignorant of a particular artist, and then within a few days see several of their works. One such artist is Laic 217 who I featured for the first time on 31 March 2016. Earlier this week I spotted another of his pieces in the skate park in Dean Lane.

Laic 217, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2016
Laic 217, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2016

What I like about these is the character within the burner that seems to be common to his works, and the colours he uses.

Laic 217, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2016
Laic 217, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2016

I look forward to finding more of his stuff, especially as I now know where to look.

7/10

166. Jamaica Street (4)

Following on seamlessly from from post 165 you can see that the PRSC outdoor gallery in now occupied by Soker and 3Dom.

3Dom, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2016
3Dom, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2016

There is a lovely thread of vapour that joins the two pieces coming from the mouth of the curious 3Dom creature on the right (when ever was a 3Dom piece not curious?) and weaving around the Soker burner.

Soker, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2016
Soker, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2016

I love these collaborations that bring together wildstyle burners with more conventional art pieces – more will follow.

7.5/10

165. Jamaica Street (3)

Jamaica Street is home to the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) outdoor gallery. To anyone who walks around this area, this wall is a regular stop off point.  This wonderful wildstyle burner is by DNT and partners the bear by Mr Sle7en that I featured recently.

DNT, Jamaica Street, Bristol, January 2016
DNT, Jamaica Street, Bristol, January 2016

The whole piece spells out ‘Bristol’ and uses the fabulous colours to bring out the design. This piece always cheered me up in the mornings on my way to work, and supports the theories that say that street art brings about a sense of civic pride and coherence. It is certainly the case in Bristol.

DNT, Jamaica Street, Bristol, January 2016
DNT, Jamaica Street, Bristol, January 2016

The piece has now gone and been replaced by a collaboration between Soker and 3Dom – see my next post.

7/10

163. Ashley Road (3)

Just writing my name

This wall is probably the most over-painted practice wall in Bristol.For any pieces to last here, they have to be pretty good. This brilliant and colourful work by Deamze remained intact and untagged for a long while, but like all good things it has now gone.

Deamze, Ashley Road, Bristol, November 2015
Deamze, Ashley Road, Bristol, November 2015

It is impossible not to like this and other works by Deamze – his lines are so sharp and his colours always work in complete harmony with the lettering and characters.

8/10