Tag: Cumberland Basin

3871. Cumberland Basin

It was really great to catch up with DFC1848 when he was painting this piece during a paint jam for Eman’s birthday at the beginning of August. The sun was out, there was a fabulous turnout of artists and all was good with the world.

DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021
DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021

DFC1848 has painted a few of these ‘double’ characters and in this one continues to add in title flashes and decorations, always looking to add complexity to his designs. One of the things I really like about this is how he has ‘stitched’ the two halves together with a bit of cord, rather like Andy Councils recent pieces.

DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021

A nice clean piece and a fun character, DFC1848 is going from strength to strength. During our chat he kept on telling me to get out and paint. I really do need to do something about this state of affairs having talked about it for the last couple of years.

3827. Cumberland Basin

Sometimes it is the originality and impact of a piece that draws attention, and this dragon’s eye by Wilter Worm, a Bristol artist who also goes by a more familiar name – Eman. I am not sure why he paints under different names, it is something some artists do, but I will ask him when I next see him.

Wilter Worm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021
Wilter Worm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021

This close-up detailed piece is so compelling and the scales, horns and eye really nicely done. A labour of love which I expect took a little while to complete. I am a big fan of this kind of work, and once again it shows off the versatility of the artist.

3819. Cumberland Basin

One of many great things about summer is that is gets people outdoors more often and in particular, artists who might be more familiar with their studios get a chance to express themselves by painting a few walls. This piece by Yoliws was created during a paint jam organised by the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective a few weeks back.

Yoliws, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Yoliws, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

Although Yoliws doesn’t paint walls too often, her style is highly memorable and always rather fun and joyful. The figures she paints are wobbly and stylised, the sorts of things that would work really well on cards or illustrating the pages of children’s books. Simple and beautiful.

3792. Cumberland Basin

Another piece in Turoe’s ‘shyte’ series, this time in yellows and oranges, and a slight variation in spelling. As a reminder, this series began during the first lock down with the sentiment of it’s been a ‘shyte year’, and since then Turoe has stuck with the winning formula.

Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

The letters are in a clear lower case font, beautifully finished with nice red 3D shadows and a blue and a white border. This is another tight piece from the prolific writer.

3784. Cumberland Basin

This is another example of the willingness of Eman to stretch himself and experiment with different subjects and forms, and I for one am thoroughly enjoying the ride. The skull of an ungulate would not be everyone’s first thought for street art, but it is a perfect study for honing the skills.

Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

Eman’s versatility and productivity is elevating the artist’s profile in Bristol, and all the hard work is paying off. Two things I love about this piece: the shadings of blues and whites to give the skull some depth and texture; and the somewhat counterintuitive red border, which is quite a bold thing to do. Great piece.

3764. Cumberland Basin

If this piece hadn’t been signed, and hadn’t appeared on Instagram, I am not sure that I would have ever identified the artist as Georgie. I know that she varies her styles and techniques quite a lot, but this one, in my eyes, is totally different. Painted as part of the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective paint jam from a little while back, this piece perfectly fits the aspect of the wall at this point.

Georgie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Georgie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

It is funny, but I thought I had photographed dozens of Georgie’s pieces, but it turns out that it is actually only a handful. This slender elf figure appears to be doing some kind of yoga or exercise routine, but is very clearly connected to nature, which is a popular contemporary theme these days. I think the whole piece has a hint of 1930s illustration about it, except for the rabbit, which I don’t think adds anything to the painting (sorry). Great to see Georgie getting out and about.

3760. Cumberland Basin

A couple of weeks back there was a very special paint jam organised by the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective on the left-hand side of the long wall at Cumberland Basin, and in all there must have been nine or ten different artists taking part, many of whom I know and many I have not seen before. For most of these artists, painting walls is not their usual thing, so it was great to get a sense of their art and how it translates to the street.

Erviti, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Erviti, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

This first piece from the paint jam is by Erviti, an artist I don’t think I have encountered before and who describes herself as a surreal oil painter. I chose this piece to post first, because of the striking subject and wonderful execution of it. The strawberry is beautifully painted and has a very three-dimensional look to it. Rather like Dali’s melting watch, the strawberry is disintegrating into a pool made up of the colours used to paint it. A creative and imaginative piece, and definitely different from the usual fare at this spot. Welcome Erviti.

3755. Cumberland Basin

I have known about this lovely piece by Rtiiika for a while, but until a recent extended walk didn’t quite know where it was. Finding it was a rather pleasant surprise and a bit of a bonus. It is great to see that Rtiiika seems to be doing more and more street art work and the larger format really lends itself to her designs.

Rtiiika, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Rtiiika, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

In this piece, on the side of a storage unit, there are two figures created in her very stylistic design. Her figures are painted with long lines and tend to be very leggy, often with the top halves missing or hinted at. On a black background, the pink, white and green colours stand out clearly. Minimalist? Abstract? I’m not sure what the right words are, but this piece is is. I particularly like the plants in green that add another dimension and without which the piece probably wouldn’t work.

3752. Cumberland Basin

It is a funny thing, that I don’t fully understand, but consistently, whenever I post Ments pieces on Instagram they just never get as many likes as other artists’. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that these complex organic pieces don’t translate very well onto the small screen of a mobile device. In the flesh, these are always magnificent.

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

I love Ments’ work, it is always carefully considered and technically challenging and while it might not be to everyone’s taste it is consistently of the highest quality. In this one Ments presents us with his disguised writing in fairly angular lines, softened by the ‘marble’ decorations. A very nice piece indeed.

3740. Cumberland Basin

From a few weeks ago, this pair of characters by Eman occupy this strange little tunnel space alongside several other pieces by the artist… he has made himself quite at home here, and why not. I chatted with Eman about what these creatures were, and I have since forgotten, so I will have to ask him again.

Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021
Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021

The rather cute characters are reasonably straightforward in terms of design and fills etc. and form the perfect template for development and the addition of more intricate patterning and shading. These would make a perfect subject to fill the void left behind by #Followmyrabbits’ return to Poland. More of these to come.