5620. River Avon (53)

Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, October 2023
Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, October 2023

We live in a crazy world. On the one hand there is everything to be excited about, all the beautiful things that our planet has to offer – nature, culture, science, poetry, art, landscape, architecture, sport, friendship and so on, the list is almost endless, and yet, on the other hand I feel stifled by all the horrors that surround us, from wars to disease to the rise of authoritarianism, the grip of advertising, selfishness, profit and greed, that list too is almost endless. My small gesture of kindness to myself is to keep writing this blog, all elements of it, as an antidote to the evil and to bring a little focus on the good things that I am grateful for.

Laic217 among many, many others brings me pleasure and happiness, both on discovering his work and then on recording and writing about it. This is a particularly good one from him on the cycle path between Sparke Evans Park and Temple Meads station.

Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, October 2023
Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, October 2023

The character, wearing a wooly hat and smoking, has a dark and sinister appearance, cleverly created by the absence of any white in the eyes, which is unsettling. The brilliantly painted skull tattoo adds a little threat and menace. No need to sign this one as it is pure Laic217 at his best, and although his choice of subject might not suit everyone, his mastery of technique is a sight to see.

Mr Underbite

A gallery of wonderful and expressive faces by Bristol’s Mr Underbite.

Instagram: @mr-underbite1

Facebook: Jay D Artworks

All photographs by Scooj

Mr Underbite, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Mr Underbite, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Mr Underbite and Herman Creates, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Mr Underbite and Herman Creates, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2023
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2023
Mr Underbite, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
Mr Underbite, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
Mr Underbite, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Mr Underbite, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022

5609. Dean Lane skate park (656)

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

I try to keep my finger on the pulse with artists who are breaking onto the Bristol scene, one of whom is Jevoissoul. There is no mistaking that he has made his mark very quickly, with several pieces scattered in the Dean Lane and Brunel Way areas, leading me to think he probably lives in south Bristol somewhere, reinforced by his use of the BS3 postcode which takes in the Bedminster area.

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

I have posted two quick pieces from smaller spots in the skate park. I think that Jevoissoul will produce plenty of these character faces, practising his skills and technique, with a view to producing some rather more expansive and creative pieces – something he has already started to do.

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

Whilst not particularly exceptional, I am posting these as a benchmark from which to measure his progress over time. I’m looking forward to the journey.

5607. Cumberland Basin

Sled One, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, October 2023
Sled One, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, October 2023

I have known about and photographed this piece by Sled One for quite a long while, but have had to wait until now to get anything worth posting. The problem is that it is painted on a wall in a yard that is used to store building materials including large wooden cable bobbins that were placed in front of it obscuring the view of the artwork. On my most recent visit, I was able to move the bobbins a little bit out of the way, and get the best pictures I am likely to get.

Sled One, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, October 2023
Sled One, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, October 2023

The piece reminds me a little bit of The Luck Dragon in the film NeverEnding Story. It is a typically creative and imaginative character piece by Sled One, but painted in a place I wouldn’t ordinarily expect to find a Sled One piece to be. Beautifully painted and finished, the piece is one of Bristol’s hidden gems.

5606. M32 Cycle path (234)

Mr Crawls, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

I continue to be bewitched by Mr Crawls’ work. I have always been attracted to character artists who present variations on a theme – Mr Crawls, Mr Underbite, Asre, Morag, Hire’s rabbits, to mention but a few. There is something comforting about the familiar and enjoyable about the pimping that familiarity, if that makes any sense at all.

Mr Crawls, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

This penguin piece is only a couple of hundred yards away from his first penguin piece on a column of the M32 Spot, but is just as much fun. There is something endearing about this penguin, maybe it is that he is a penguin, or maybe it is the woolly hat, either way this character is a winner. I am enjoying the Mr Crawls menagerie very much.

5604. Dean Lane skate park (655)

Werm and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Werm and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

Oooh. This is a lovely collaboration by Werm and Daz Cat in one of my favourite spots, the curved wall at Dean Lane. The writing/character combination utilises the slightly awkward space on the wall really well. It feels like a while since a good piece appeared here. Back in the day this wall was a bit of a premium wall, but recently it has been occupied by rather too many throw ups and frankly a lot of rubbish, so it was refreshing to come across this piece.

Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

To the left on the lower bit of wall, Werm continues with his transition towards a different presentation of his letters which have been nicely thought out, offering a little bit of bilateral symmetry. With Werm, I feel like he experiments and then settles on a particular form before transitioning to the next until he feels he needs to change. A stop-start method that seems to work for him. Some other artists won’t change at all, while others make subtle or wholesale changes with each new piece they paint. This is the joy of the vast spectrum of artists in Bristol.

Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

For me the star of the show is the Daz Cat cat and friends toasting marshmallows. I love these storytelling pieces by Daz Cat, he seems to capture something really special that you need to look at, interpret and enjoy. Quite what creatures the companions are I am not sure, but one looks most contented, the other a little concerned. The main character has an air of compassion and love. A brilliant piece, and it is always good to see Daz Cat painting these expansive scenes.

5588. Dean Lane skate park (652)

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

Jevoissoul has hit the ground running and here he has painted a classic portrait piece complete with joint and stylised smoke, all painted in his Picassoesque cartoon style. He is brave too, there are no many new artists who would paint this wall so early on in their development, and to be fair, Jevoissoul has carried it off well.

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

When I met him a little while back, Jevoissoul told me that he has been drafting and sketching his characters for years and is very familiar with his material. The challenge for him has been to scale up his work and to adapt to using spray cans, both of which he has done admirably. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of Jevoissoul over the coming months/years.

5570. Brunel Way (240)

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

I said that I would bring you more pieces by Jevoissoul, and I am true to my word. Jevoissoul is a new artist trying his hand at painting walls and making a good fist of it from what I have seen so far, and he is in a bit of a hurry, having painted several small pieces in the Brunel Way/Dean Lane area. His name is interesting, and I guess is a corruption of Je vois soul – I see soul.

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

In this character portrait piece our hero is wearing a cap with the postcode BS3 on it and smoking a roll-up. The word SLOW accompanies the piece, and is seen on many of his other pieces too. Everything about Jevoissoul’s work and character suggests a pretty chilled and laid back person, or at least that is how I read it. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more from the artist in the coming months, I have a feeling he is only just getting started.

5564. Brunel Way (239)

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

There are absolutely no signs of Bean slowing down at all. The young artist has been smashing out his character/writing pieces with incredible regularity throughout the summer, and I already have easily enough for a gallery of his work, although I have a pipeline in preparation, and his gallery might need to find a slot in the queue.

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

This piece combines Bean’s central character with writing that spells out BEAN. The blue-faced cartoon character fits the Bean style perfectly, with each colour block containing a light and dark tone to bring out a bit of depth. The writing is really accomplished and has excellent fills in three horizontal sections. I feel like Bean is a man in a hurry, and perhaps he should draw breath and develop some elements of his work. I think that his pieces would definitely benefit from a buffed background, to remove competing distractions, for example. If he keeps developing and learning, Bean will go far.

5563. Brunel Way (238)

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

Today, being a Sunday, I have a little bit more capacity to write a third post, which is rather necessary, given the vastness of my backlog. Let me introduce you to a new artist on the scene, Jevoissoul, who I met at this exact spot a couple of weeks after he painted this interesting column piece. When I first saw the piece, I wondered if an artist called Panskaribas (whose style is similar to this) had returned to Bristol, as there are many shared characteristics between the artists, such as the cartoon Picassoesque style.

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

What is most impressive is that Jevoissoul has jumped straight from sketchbook to walls, using this area under Brunel Way to practice his spray can control and technique. When I spoke with the artist, he told me that this was just the beginning and that he was planning to do a lot of painting, and indeed that is exactly what is happening, his work is popping up all over the place. I think I am going to enjoy watching how Jevoissoul develops as a street artist from this encouraging start.