Tag: Graffiti

3003. L Dub (16)

I love this recent collaboration from DFC1848 and DJ Perks for many reasons, but mainly because these guys are more often on the other side of the camera lens, and have made the step into spraying a lot for themselves and both have made huge improvements in the last year.

DFC1848, L Dub, Bristol, June 2020
DFC1848, L Dub, Bristol, June 2020

The left hand side is a wonderful bright red character from DFC1848, which retains many of the characteristics of some of his earlier characters but contains additional detail. It just goes to show what improvements can be made with loads of practice – DFC1848 had a board in his garden and practiced during lock down.

DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, June 2020
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, June 2020

On the right is a very tidy bit of graffiti writing from DJ Perks, whose work has also seen a great improvement over the last 18 months. the letter shapes are great and the depth of shading works really well. I’m not too sure about the drips though. A lovely collaboration which fills me with hope for my own efforts.

3002. M32 roundabout J3 (219)

Nothing seems to last for long on any wall at the moment, but if you are going to get painted over, then it might as well be by an epic Nightwayss piece like this one. This large coronavirus piece is a tribute to NHS staff and another fine piece cataloging the crazy times we are living in.

Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

Nightwayss has used the double wall space well to accommodate the figure lying on its back. Starting with the background which rather nicely ‘hosts’ the whole body, Nightwayss has used a lilac wash with a whole bunch of purple viruses dotted about.

Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

In the body itself, little scenes are played out , for example a patient and two medical staff on the far left and some microbiologists at work in the torso. This is quite an unusual piece by the artist, especially as I can’t find a monkey which normally make an appearance in his work. A special piece marking a particular moment in our history. (Note to self, run a gallery of coronavirus pieces in about a year).

3001. St George skate park (11)

We live in strange and sometimes farcical times. This rather nice stencil from John D’oh at St George skate park satirises one of the more surreal moments of Trump’s utterly catastrophic presidency. How do Johnson and Trump keep their jobs in the light of such gross incompetence and stupidity? It is a mystery. If I behaved in the way they do, I would have been fired a long time ago.

John D'oh, St George, Bristol, June 2020

So Americans, injecting disinfectant might be worth a try, you know it makes sense huh? And now we see Jair Bolsenaro, another populist leader, equally driven by self-interest and fame entering the competition to see who can manage the coronavirus epidemic the worst. These leaders love being at the top of international league tables that it matters not what the rankings are about. How did it come to this? Thank you John D’oh for reminding us with your running narrative about the desperate state of world leadership.

3000. St Werburghs tunnel (170)

I am told that Rezwonk doesn’t like this piece so much so that he didn’t share it on his Instagram account. Well the great thing about writing about other people’s artwork is that I am not in a position to be self-critical, instead I critique what I see and how it makes me feel. I think this is a fabulous piece of writing and the colour selection alone is worthy of praise.

Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2020
Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2020

Whether he was short of space or whether he was simply switching things up I don’t know, but the usual REZER has been replaced with REZR. The orange/copper tones bordered by beautifully worked alternate black and white fringes leave us with a tight piece that the artist is turning out with almost alarming regularity. Great to find this one.

2999. M32 roundabout J3 (218)

A second post of wheatpastes by Jarvis only this time there are three individual paste ups for the price of one. I posted a piece by this artist about a week ago, knowing nothing about him, but a rapid comment from theartblogger54 confirmed the artist’s name and even shared his Instagram account.

Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

As far as I can make out, Jarvis appears to live in Bristol and I think probably in Easton, which would explain the location of these paste ups. On the left hand side of the triptych is a bare chested male figure with an interesting six-pack on display and an all-seeing third eye.

Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

In the middle is a blue face with some kind of atomic structure in the neck area. It is a decent coloured sketch amplified by being one of three posted on the M32 roundabout notice board.

Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

On the right is the third figure with a very long neck and a flower in his/her hair, and if I had to choose I would say that this drawing was the pick of the bunch. It would be great to see more of these sketches appearing about the place. This is what street art is all about, a spectrum of different styles, abilities and techniques which gives it such broad appeal and accessibility.

2998. Dean Lane skate park (324)

I have a feeling that this is the first piece from Turoe One post-lock down easing or at least if it isn’t then I have missed something. Situated in one of his favourite spots, at the left hand end of the first wall in Dean Lane, this is a striking and well executed piece.

Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020

Such is the turnover at Dean Lane at the moment that this didn’t last too long, and even some of the bigger pieces there are being over painted. This is what happens when you restrain artistic talent for months, there is a surge of activity. It is difficult for folk like me to keep up. This Turoe One burner is a high quality piece from an experienced hand.

2997. Dean Lane skate park (323)

This pair of rabbits from Nevergiveup in Dean Lane appeared alongside at least two other bunny pieces by the artist at the end of May just as lock down restrictions were easing.

Nevergiveup, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Nevergiveup, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020

With every new rabbit, Nevergiveup is improving and fine-tuning his technique and adding subtle decorative motifs. If you take a look back at some of his work from two years ago, it is possible to see the dramatic improvement. These are a lovely pair.

2996. M32 roundabout J3 (217)

Looking back at the Poland v Spain paint jam at the end of May, this piece was of particular interest to me. It is by Varo, who I met and had a good chat with even though his English is a little patchy and my Spanish rather more so.

Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

While we are talking the penny dropped about who he was, and that although I have seen some of his work before (typically a kind of abstract bull) I never really knew who he was. Well that has all been put right now. This is a fine block writing piece spelling out VARO set on a black background to give it full contrast. The letter style is unusual and rather nicely done.

Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

This is not the last piece by Varo that I will be posting, I’m sure and I will have to dig out some others from the archive.

Poland 2 Spain 2

2995. St Werburghs tunnel (169)

The easing of lock down (and I know I have flogged this particular horse to death) has seen the arrival of an ultra busy, ultra inspired period of street art in Bristol. It seems that all the artists that have been hitting the walls hard have been doing some creative thinking while they have been at home.

Rapt, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2020
Rapt, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2020

This lovely piece in St Werburghs tunnel from Rapt is neat and tidy and has the addition of a little character to the left, looking a lot like Snoopy. The dog is smoking a cigarette and wearing a hat with the words ‘Doggy Style’ written across it. This piece was part of a collaborative effort, with Elvs making up the other half (coming soon). Giants awaking from their slumbers.

2994. Brunel Way bridge (35)

In the previous post I was talking about a large piece by Taboo that I never got to see. Well, a tiny little bit of that piece, the ‘B’ I think, lies behind this delightful three-way collaboration from Laic217, Soge and Nevergiveup (Followmyrabbits).

Laic217, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Laic217, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020

On the left of the three pieces is a rather dark and menacing face-masked face from Laic217, wearing a hat with the letters ACAB emblazoned on it. You might notice that many pieces in Bristol carry those letters at the moment, which resonate with the Black Lives Matters movement and the acronym stands for ‘All Cops are Bastards’. Bristol has lately become famous across the world for its rather revolutionary support for BLF.

Soge, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Soge, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020

In the middle is a bright and vibrant pink piece by soge, who like his two Polish buddies here has been extremely busy since the end of May. Clean and tight writing spelling out the letters of his name SOGE. The yellow stars and weave in the centre of the piece add nice touches.

Nevergiveup, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Nevergiveup, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020

On the right is a very long-eared rabbit by Nevergiveup, beautifully filled and perfectly executed. This artist is tireless it would seem and I have utterly lostcount of how many of these bunnies I have photographed, and that probably only accounts for about half of the total. Gallery soon? A very tidy collaboration from three top artists.