Back to the battery, and this time a piece by Daz Cat painted back in August last year. This is a rather touching and gentle piece with the cat holding a little bird on its hand. I rather hope that this is a kind gesture rather than a hungry cat one.
Daz Cat, Purdown HAA Battery, Bristol, January 2020
The shadow on the piece fortunately doesn’t iterfere too much. Daz Cat’s work has really grown on me over the last couple of years, and I love the way he constructs the cat’s faces, this one in semi-profile, so the eyes are quite different. I love the signature mark above the nose that appears on all Daz Cats’ cats. More from this spot to come.
This is Daz Cat’s first piece of 2020 and what a humdinger it is too. On his Instagram feed he talks about the new letter style, which I think works pretty well although I’m not sure it matches the style of the ‘lynx’ – it is almost as if this were a collaboration of two artists.
The lynx is rather special both in design and in colour selection and naturally carries the signature polygon on its forehead – a tell tale sign that this is a Daz Cat piece. All in all a great start to the decade from an artist I’ve yet to meet… it is only a matter of time.
Daz Cat has been relatively quiet over the last couple of months, so it was good to find this cat piece which has been sprayed over a chrome cat he painted in the same spot a few months back.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2019
Many of his pieces tend to be pretty quick and dirty, that is to say they are really good, but are not as crisp as some of the more designed pieces about the place. I am guessing that his cat began life as an elaborate tag that has become something of a trademark for the artist. Maybe it is because I like cats, but I really enjoy finding work from Daz Cat when I’m out and about.
Not long ago, this rather fun collaboration appeared at the farm end of St Werburghs tunnel. It is painted by Daz Cat on the left and CD on the right and while I am familiar with the former, I have never come across CD before this and another collaboration between the two. Perhaps he was just visiting Bristol.
Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
I am used to seeing cats and dogs by Daz Cat, but even though I know he has done giraffes before, this is the first one I have seen and whaty a nice tidy piece it is too. There is an interesting ‘fairy tale’ type character in the centre of the piece nestling in the curled neck of the giraffe. A curious image, but rather compelling.
CD., St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
On the right hand side is a rather tight piece of a grimacing face having a smoke, with excess smoke wafting around the whole wall. The colour pallette is nicely balanced and it is amazing how well light blue and pink work together – I used to have a light blue fleece with pink trim that I bought in Jasper, British Colombia and it was my favourite item of clothing for many years. I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something about this work that I really like – maybe it is the rather surreal nature of the piece, I don’t know. A nice introduction to CD’s work.
What a lovely surprise, two of my favourite artists collaborating on one of my favourite walls, and look at all that orange. This collaboration went up on the wall where the Inkie piece had been for quite some while and which had become a bit tagged, so it is nice to refresh the wall.
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
On the left Face 1st has painted one of his faces with hair that spells out FACE. I have noticed that several of his recent pieces have taken this portrait format with this rather more obvious writing in the hair, and it is something the artist is obviously playing with at the moment.The colours and fill patterns are wonderful but that winking girl is irresistable.
Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
On the right, is a stunning gold cat from the prolific Daz Cat. I wonder if he is continuing the theme from his piece at the M32 roundabout of gold v chrome, the colours of this piece might suggest that. The writing ‘a cat’ is suitably chrome. Different styles, but together this girl and cat make a lovely pair. More please.
I might have said it recently, but I’ll say it again just in case, Daz Cat has been really productive lately and he is stretching his repetoire of work through original ideas and collaborations and it is a pleasure to watch.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2019
Rather kindly, Bristol City Council have buffed a few walls on the M32 roundabout and one of the first to occupy the new clean space was Daz Cat with this entertaining pair of cats painted on either side of an entrance to one of the pedestrian/bicycle underpasses. On the left is a gold cat speaking the word ‘chrome’.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2019
On the right of the tunnel is a chrome cat saying the word ‘gold’. This appears to be a cat conversation with each calling out the other’s name. It is a lovely idea nicely executed, and what fun Daz Cat must have had painting this blank canvas. With any luck the council will buff a few more walls on this roundabout, enabling a bit of a refresh. I fear that this was not their intention, but hey ho.
Daz Cat is knocking himself out with some really wonderful and creative work at the moment and this fine lion column piece at the M32 Spot is a prime example. The quote at the bottom would have remained a mystery to me, but luckily Paulh121 wrote up this piece on his instagram feed and had this to say (sorry Paul for borrowing your words, I hope you don’t mind):
‘Ye Are Many They Are Few Ye Are Many’ and so says @dazcatgraff and indeed so did English poet Shelley back in 1819 when the poem ‘The Masque Of Anarchy’ from which this quote has been taken, although it wasn’t published until 1832.
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2019
The piece itself is full of movement, emotion and I might say rage, perhaps a commentary about the terrible times we live in, and the catastrophic and selfish Prime Minister who will lead us to misery for the many and prosperity for the few. Even if the piece has nothing to do with that, it at least inspired me to say it.
