Tag: Character

1379. Moon Street (42)

I walk past this shutter most days on my way to work and always take a look at it, but never properly look at it. Part of the problem is that the shutter isn’t very generous with its light, especially to the naked eye – it is quite difficult to properly make the piece out. Strangely, photographs do it far more justice, which is slightly counterintuitive. I took this in 2016.

Sled One and Smak, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2016
Sled One and Smak, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2016

It is a lovely collaboration between Sled One and Smak, who appear to have enjoyed their collaborations in the past. The caveman-like character by Sled One is holding Smak’s writing in front of him…an interesting way of bringing the two styles into one narrative. This piece is really very nice, but I suspect rather overlooked. It even seems to be off the tagger’s radar.

1377. Raleigh Road (5)

This is another old one from 2016 on a wall that is no longer accessible, but was once a choice wall for the ASK crew. This is a fine piece by Cheo, which I have been looking at for ages, but still can’t make out the writing. ‘Equips’? As ever, great character and beautiful crisp lines.

Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, April 2016
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, April 2016

I enjoy looking through my archive pictures as it affords me to look at people’s work through a different lens, one which has a better understanding of the artists and their art.

1374. M32 roundabout J3 (69)

I always enjoy featuring new artists on this blog. Of course they are not necessarily new artists, and may even be well established, it is just that they have only recently entered my consciousness. This fun cartoon-style piece is by Nevla who I think is a local artist/designer whose street work seems to be centred around the M32 roundabout and area.

Nevla, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018
Nevla, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018

In this piece, he has given himself enough red background to allow his character in greyscale to stand out. It is a nice piece and I will be interested to see how his work develops over time. I have photographs of several more of his works and will be posting them in due course.

1307. Shoreditch, London (1)

I went to stay with my sister in London for a night a little while ago, and before getting on the train at Paddington to come home to Bristol, I took a bit of a diversion to Shoreditch. It was on this street art hunting expedition that I dropped and broke my camera, which was incredibly annoying. All good now though as I was covered on our insurance policy and I have a new, slightly better, camera.

Thierry Noir, Shoreditch, London, February 2018
Thierry Noir, Shoreditch, London, February 2018

One of the first pieces I saw (before broken camera) was this wonderful musical character by Thierry Noir. I love the apparent simplicity of his work and the bold colours he uses which add character to the locations he paints. I always think there are elements of a fusion of Picasso and Matisse in his work, but that might just be me. I do like this piece a lot…pity about the car parked right in front of it though!

1303. Upper York Street (9)

This has been a winter where some of the giants of Bristol street art have awoken and decorated our walls with some of the finest works for a while. Sepr is one such giant who seems to be painting most weekends and turning out some really high-quality work.

Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018

What a stunner this is – ‘knock it on the head – before it knocks you on your arse’. I’ve not heard the expression before, but am willing to adopt it on the back of this wonderful Sepr work.

Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018

The common thread running through much of Sepr’s work is music, and musicians and here he has painted a pianist stretched out and toppling off his stool. For me, his works have a very strong retro feel and remind me of 1950’s cartoons – the hairstyle and the trilby are not of this decade.

Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018

These cartoons, beautifully drawn are pulled out from the wall by some expert shardos that govo it a bit of a 3D feel. Definitely worth a look.

 

1278. Raleigh Road vector (21)

The covers are coming off the scaffolding at this site, which means that the hoardings will probably be coming down soon too, which is a pity, because this is a top spot for street artists. I suppose hoardings are by their very nature temoporary, so we should be thankful fot the opportunity.

Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

This is another extraordinary piece by Sled One, who appears to be hitting the streets quite hard over the winter period. Sled One has offered us another masterclass in character wildstyle writing, where it is possible to make out the letters SLED, however I am less certain that I am able to unpick all the intricate stuff going on in the piece. There is so much detail to wade through. The main part of the story is in the letter D.

Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

There is a skull-like character consuming something, but it is all a bit odd and surreal. Sled One has a fertile imagination, and supreme skill to be able to commit it to a wall with such fine craftsmanship. Another great work from the young artist.

1277. Dean Lane skate park (105)

I have held on and held on to this collaboration for such a long time, because I was determined not to post it until I found out who worked on it with Dibz. Then I met Ulow a few weeks back (see my post about his Boba Fett piece) and was able to complete the puzzle.

Dibz, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016
Dibz, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016

The Dibz half of the collaboration was fairly easy to identify because I am familiar with his work and he sprays Dean Lane often enough for me to know his stuff when I see it. His writing here is very nice indeed and has quite a deep yellow border which sets it up beautifully.

Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016
Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016

The character half of the collaboration is by Ulow, and is something quite different. Set on a moody sunset skyline, a breakdancer entertains us with his contortions. The orange glow reflecting off the folds of his clothes is masterful work.

Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016
Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016

Like so many pieces at Dean Lane, this one didn’t last long, but it was a real peach.

1252. M32 roundabout J3 (60)

I don’t know an awful lot about Lopes…I think I have sen his name once or twice around Bristol, but can’t be sure. His burner here is nicely executed, but it is the Kid Crayon character to the left that makes this wall.

Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017
Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017

I am not sure if this was a deliberate collaboration or if Kid Crayon added his work afterwards. I suspect the latter. However it came about, the KC character with his funny accent in the speech bubble adds so much to the writing of Lopez, bringing the most out of it by drawing attention to it.

Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017
Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017

This is a witty and fun piece and so very typical of the understated brilliance of Kid Crayon. Perfect.

1250. M32 cycle path (11)

This wall really belongs to Deamze. I don’t know if other artists leave it to him out of respect, or whether I only ever get to see it when his work is there. Either way, I have only ever seen pieces by him here.

Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2017
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2017

Deamze likes to do his graffiti writing alongside a character on this wall, perhaps it has something to do with the proportions. In this piece he uses subtle tones across the work and created a focal point with his red ASK.

Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2017
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2017

The character is Homer Simpson, and it is beautifully crafted although the hands and tongue are not in keeping with the Matt Groening creation. A good piece from Deamze.

1247. Rivington Street, New York (1)

This large and impressive wall in Rivington Street is by KaNO. Such a magnificent cartoon character in a very distinctive style, it should come as no surprise that KaNO freelances as a character designer for such studios as Warner Bros, Cartoon Network, and Hasbro.

Kano, Rivington Street, New York, October 2017
Kano, Rivington Street, New York, October 2017

KaNO was born and raised on the streets of New York and was influenced by cartoon characters on the TV. He then went on to study art and design and animation. His full biography can be found on his website, along with some fabulous galleries of studio and street art.

Kano, Rivington Street, New York, October 2017
Kano, Rivington Street, New York, October 2017

This really is a wonderful piece from a greatly talented artist.