‘Wanted – dead or alive – Leggy O’Lootin’ so says the ‘poster’ by Roo. This sepia tinted piece is a clever and really rather touching portrait of a giraffe that has obviously been up to no good. The way Roo has painted him makes me feel rather sorry and sympathetic for him.
Roo, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
Roo has been active in Bristol so far this year, and long may it last. Her strong cartoon pieces are pretty much always respected and can remain intact for a very long time, which is testimony to the respect other artists have for her work. This piece is so original as well as being great fun.
I was lucky enough to be visiting Cumberland Basin on a dog walk at the same time as Roo and SkyHigh were painting next to one another on the long wall by the corner. I stopped for a chat and discovered that regrettably they weren’t going to be painting at Upfest this year, due to a clash of diary commitments – they will be missed. However, on this particular visit, they left three rather nice pieces between them for us to enjoy. This is a small giraffe piece from Roo.
Roo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
There is something about the simplicity of Roo’s animal characters that makes them both cute and very easy on the eye. The fills are nice and solid and the lines crisp and sharp. Roo has also injected some humour into this piece with the suggestion that the giraffe’s head is above the clouds on account of its height.
Roo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
There is a subtle difference between the two pictures in the body of the text here, that demonstrate the importance of properly finishing a piece with lines and details. You can see also how quickly a piece can get tagged (naughty boy Asre). It is always a pleasure to welcome Roo to Bristol.
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.
Woah, steady on there… I love this crazy piece by Tknaizer. The artist, from Georgia, seems to have a thing for giraffes, and in my mind that is absolutely ok. Who doesn’t love a giraffe?
Tknaizer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
This piece was painted in North Street Green and had to compete for attention with dozens of others but certainly attracted my attention. There is something endearing and compelling about the simple and naive style. Sometimes less is more. Despite the rather gloomy narrative, I find the giraffe full of optimism and serenity. It is always great to welcome these overseas artists to Bristol and see the range of talent on offer.
One of the more unusual pieces at Upfest 2018 was this absolutely wonderful tile installation on the gates of the Tobacco Factory by Chinagirl Tile. As the years go by, her work becomes more and more ambitious, and this ceramic Giraffe is certainly the largest work I have seen from this Austrian (international) artist.
Chinagirl Tile, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The incredible giraffe is entitled ‘it’s a zoo up there’ was funded by the Austrian Cultural Forum London and BMEIA, and that got me thinking that her work must be rather expensive to produce and that funding and sponsorship must be an important factor in her ability to work. spray can artists probably don’t have the same kind of overheads.
Chinagirl Tile, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Unfortunately I don’t think I have been able to do this piece justice, mainly because when I took the pictures, the sun was directly behind it. I think this is a wall that needs photographing early in the morning or in the evening. If you look closely, you can see the individual tile sections that are placed together to make the whole. I guess this is for ease of modelling and firing as well as transportation.
Another unusual feature of this piece is that the head of the giraffe is 3 dimensional, not a flat tile that one expects from Chinagirl Tile. I really love her work and am proud that she has chosen Bristol to play host to several of her pieces over recent years.
Going back a little way, this piece was created as part of the Spring paint jam in The Bearpit. Giraffiti (loving that) is by the Graft Workshop, an organisation which to my shame I was unaware of, that run graffiti workshops and paint murals in the Bristol area. Graft Workshop are Rob, Sophie and Collette, and I am sure to be finding out more about them in future.
Graft Workshop, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
The giraffe itself is nicely worked, but I especially like the writing on the bottom right. The main theme of the paint jam is reflected in the piece, with the message don’t bomb Syria – which dates the piece very specifically.
Natural adventures 