This is a really nice example of two artists who like to paint together switching things up a little. Kool Hand and Daz Cat have painted a lot together, but not so much over the last six months or so. When they collaborate, Daz Cat normally paints a character and Kool Hand provides the writing.
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol January 2021
In this recent piece in the tunnel, the leopard on the left is by Kool Hand and is superbly done, I think it might be one of his best characters yet and Daz Cat has thrown up the letters DKAT. It must be fun painting with friends and playing with styles and methods and it certainly keeps things interesting for the likes of me.
I first photographed this Daz Cat cat some while ago, but never posted it because there was a dark shadow cast across it. On a recent trip into the depths of Montpelier I was able to have a second crack at it and this time the sun shone and I timed my visit (by luck not judgement) at the right time of day thus avoiding any shadows.
Daz Cat, St Andrews Road, Bristol, January 2021
I have a feeling that Daz Cat enjoys painting in North Bristol and it is rare to find anything by him south of the river. This is just a nice chrome cat wearing a scarf and adding a little bit of character to a wall that was begging for decoration. Nice work.
There is a little pathway close to the entrance of St Werburghs tunnel that leads up to a small nature reserve bounded by railway lines. The reserve is on the top of a hill and has some lovely views of Bristol and some interesting perspectives of the main lines coming into Bristol Temple Meads station. Of course, where you have railways and hills, you also have bridges, and where you have railway bridges there is a chance you might get some graffiti. That is the case here.
Daz Cat, Narroways, Bristol, January 2021
This is a rather unhappy, even angry, looking cat from Daz Cat. I think I prefer his happier cats. This one is mostly chrome and stands out amongst the other graffiti writing and throw ups around it. Worth the detour, and a nice peaceful oasis in North Bristol.
I had to go back into my archives to dig this little beauty out by Daz Cat and CD.TC that had managed to get left behind. Daz Cat in particular appears to be going through a bit of a purple patch at the moment, but both artists are getting out and about.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
On the left of the collaborative piece is a Daz Cat cat in browns and greens with a red surround on a white buffed wall – colours that extend across the whole piece that makes it one of those colour/style sharing collaborations. The cat is holding one half of a sign which reads ‘More peace, fuck police’, and it was painted in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement gaining pace during the summer after the George Floyd killing.
CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
On the right is a wonderful and slightly grotesque character from CD.TC. I love the hand clutching a pencil, it has something really cool about it. These two artists would appear to be firm friends, along with Kool Hand, and their collaborations are a prominent feature on the Bristol street art scene.
Daz Cat and CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
I don’t know why they bother, but about every six months or so Bristol City Council buff the walls around parts of the M32 roundabout. It seems like a costly and futile exercise, because within about five minutes the graffiti and street art returns. Frankly it is a waste of tax-payers money.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
One of the quickest artists off the mark both this time and last was Daz Cat with his cats either side of one of the tunnels. Last time the cats were chrome and gold, this time pink and orange.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
I have an image in my mind that Daz Cat follows the council ‘buffing team’ around with a spray can at the ready to be first on the new blank canvass, a bit like being the first skier down a fresh powder piste on the first run of the day. Each of the cats is calling out the colour of the other in this fun and mischievous piece.
When I think about it, Daz Cat has been one of the most prolific artists in Bristol this year. Mostly in the North Bristol area he seems to be churning out cats at about the rate of one a fortnight or less. This is one of his recent ones in St Werburghs tunnel.
Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2020
The tunnel is a frustrating place for photography, but a great place for wet-weather spray-painting. This particular cat is quite large, even though it doesn’t look like it, and stands out from what is mostly graffiti writing in the tunnel. The thing about Daz Cat is that his cats are getting technically better and better with more detail creeping in to each new piece. Much more to come.
This rather sweet little collaboration first appeared a couple of weeks ago in mid-October and brings together the talents of CD-TC, Daz Cat and Kool Hand. I’m not too sure if these artists paint under a particular crew name, but they certainly seem to hang out together quite a lot.
CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020
On the left is a rather stlised and weird-looking monster-faced character smoking a cigarette, with the white smoke wisping about the place. It is obvious that CD-TC is a talented artist/deigner from the way he has drawn and filled the arm of his character in orange, black and grey – some great shading and highlighting technique there. CD-TC’s characters are appearing more frequently about the place, which can only be a good thing.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020
In the middle is a wonderful scene painted by Daz Cat of a female (hurrah) cat playing an old gramophone record player. She is winding the handle and the indication of motion is done really well – plenty of movement there. The cat is showing off some fine hair accessories that appear to be coming from her ear and add decorative interest to the piece.
Kool Hand, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020
The final part of he collaborative wall is a rather small Orangutan face wearing a cap that we have seen quite a lot of in recent months from Kool Hand. This is, I suppose, a king of mega-tag that Kool Hand is using to hone his skills, but a great framework that just rolls off the spraycan easily.
Daz Cat seems to be a very social artist. A great many of his pieces are painted with friends such as Kool Hand and more recently Varo. This piece was one of several in a loose collaboration, more of a paint jam really.
Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020
I am quite enjoying Daz Cat’s writing/character combinations and in this one the cat on the right is holding up the letters on the left spelling out D CAT. His writing style is unusual, quite organic and irregular but somehow similar to his cat style.
Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020
The cat is a good one, and like so many of his cats seems to be wearing a woolly jumper. All in all another nice contribution from Daz Cat.
There is no stopping Daz Cat these days and he seems to derive pleasure out of both quick throw up pieces and more considered cat characters. This one on the M32 Cycle path seems to be a bit of a blend of the two.
DazCat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, September 2020
I expect this piece will make a further appearance with Thursday Doors sometime in the future so appologies in advance for the duplication. This alley cat looks quite at home in these surroundings, complete with its missing tooth and slightly unkempt appearance. Another one for the collection.
I am enjoying these full-length pieces from Daz Cat that he seems to be working on at the moment, it gives the characters so much more personality and offers scope for the artist to develop that personality.
DazCat, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2020
This is rather a fun piece at the farm end of St Werburghs tunnel that shows a cat reading a right-wing newspaper, and suggests that readers of such papers are mugs. I would love to get all political about this, but it is a Monday morning and I am a little tired, so you can all rest easy. I love the way Daz Cat has painted the clothes on this character. A really nice piece.
Natural adventures 