Tag: Graffiti

2984. Turbo Island

Clearly, this piece is more about the subject than it is about the artist, however as a chronicler of street art in Bristol I reserve the right to acknowledge and praise the artist Hazard for painting such a poignant and striking piece for #blacklivesmatter.

Hazard, Turbo Island, Bristol, June 2020
Hazard, Turbo Island, Bristol, June 2020

This is yet another wonderful and uniquely Bristolian piece from this brilliant artist. How lucky to have had two new pieces from her in recent weeks.

Hazard, Turbo Island, Bristol, June 2020
Hazard, Turbo Island, Bristol, June 2020

Of course, the Bristol BLM demonstration has hit the headlines at the weekend for the pulling down and throwing into the floating harbour of a statue commemorating Edward Colston, a Bristol slave trader. This lawless act has caused consternation at the highest levels of government, but I have to say it was completely understandable and rather predictable. The Bristol constabulary were amazing in the way they dealt with the demonstration and prevented anything flaring up by keeping a light touch approach to policing. One really has to ask what a statue commemorating Colston was doing in the centre of town in this day and age in the first place.

Without denying our history (a dangerous avenue) perhaps it is time to have a review of our commemorative monuments in today’s context and to mothball or place into historical museums statues that are inappropriate today.

2983. M32 roundabout J3 (213)

This is the first in a series of Several posts from a big paint jam on 30 May 2020 which involved four Spanish artists and four Polish artists, all of which I think are resident in the Bristol area. I got very lucky indeed when walking the dog to see all the artists in action and stopped to chat with a few of them. I returned a few days later to photograph the completed pieces.

Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

The first piece from this paint jam is by Hire, who has appeared on Natural Adventures countless times. I stopped with him for some time for a chat and asked him how he manages to get such fine detail on his work. He showed me the sketch he made for this piece and said that this style suits him and that if he were to try other styles or street art rather than writing that he would struggle.

Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

I have been labelling his work as being Gothic in style, but he corrected me saying it wasn’t really gothic writing at all… oops. I guess it is perhaps reminiscent of medieval swords, spikes, halberds etc or at least it is to me. This is a lovely piece of graffiti writing, spelling HIRE, set on a cloudy purple background with some day glow green spots for decoration. A really nice piece from Hire.

Poland 1 Spain 0

2982. M32 Cycle path (62)

The more I look at this piece from Cort (Padi) the more I like it. On first inspection it all looks a bit untidy, but I don’t know, there is something that really attracts me to it. Cort pretty much always has strong letters that aren’t particularly over-disguised but are designed differently from piece to piece. In this one he has changed the customary CORT for KOORT, which is a playful thing to do and gives him scope for messing about with different letter shapes.

Cort, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Cort, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

Painted alongside the multiple skeleton piece by Laic217, Cort’s work acts as a perfect foil to Laic217’s because the style and content is so different. I think it is the red colour contrasting with the grey that works so well for me. A nice piece.

2981. Dean Lane skate park (320)

This is the first of several new pieces from Soge, who seems to have been really busy since the lock down restrictions eased. His style is similar to his compatriot Hire’s, but perhaps slightly less jagged.

Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020

Soge has knocked it out of the park with this piece. The SOGE writing is incredibly detailed and decorated with stars and bubbles. The background is a perfect colour for the main colours of the piece and the whole thing is very easy on the eye. You can see a little 2020 hidden in the letters too.

Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020

Something a bit new, or that I haven’t been aware of before is that Soge has started to include characters with his work, and to the right of this piece is a little Beaver with a speech bubble saying ‘I love furlough’. I’m not sure why the beaver has an axe with a bleeding blade, but it adds a little bit of edge to the cute character. This is a really nice piece from Soge.

Eighteen

.

Eighteen years ago

at eleven seventeen

our boy changed our world

.

by Scooj

 

* I am quite pleased with this board I painted this morning for my son’s eighteenth birthday… before he woke up. He was very happy with it. Proud moment for a proud dad who has seen his little boy grow into a man.

2980. Brunel Way bridge (33)

I managed to catch this piece literally minutes before it was painted over. The artists were on site having a quick smoke before getting started. I am pleased to have made it in time because even for the high standards expected from Rezwonk, this is an outstanding piece.

Rezwonk, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2020
Rezwonk, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2020

Spelling out REZER, the piece is painted using a gorgeous palette  of red, orange and yellow tones set on a white and orange background. To describe the fills fully would take way too long, but suffice it to say that there is a lot of craftsmanship involved and they are beautifully done. Linger for a while and study each letter. Magnificent work.

2979. Dean Lane skate park (319)

Some pieces are so unexpected and so awesome that when you see them one is met with surprise and a little bit of confusion, and so it was for me when I came across this unbelievable geometric abstract collaboration from Piro and Epok in Dean Lane.

Piro and Epok, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Piro and Epok, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020

This very classy piece is what I would term a true collaboration, where it is impossible to unpick which bits were done by which artist. The piece is composed of three overlapping large triangles each with a different fill incorporating all sorts of designs, softened with a few circles. This is a really unusual piece for Dean Lane and is something one might expect to see at a street art festival. Perhaps it was created in lieu of Upfest this year. Pure joy.

2978. Dean Lane skate park (318)

For me, the best thing about the relaxation of lock down restrictions has not been my own personal freedoms… I have changed virtually nothing, but the appearance of Laic217 back on our streets with a vigour that is unparalleled. I have found five new Laic217 pieces in a fortnight, so expect more soon.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020

This vibrant red skull-face is clutching a spray can in its jaws set on a background of green cheeseplant-type leaves. I think that Laic217 needs to practice his leaf forms a little bit more (says the biologist in me) and look forward to more of this kind of background. Bold and interesting your face’ it is impossible not to see this striking piece. Bravo!

2977. M32 Spot (73)

It took two trips to this spot to be able to get any decent pictures. On my first visit, the sun was very bright indeed and a horizontal shadow was cast across the top half of the piece… my photographs were unusable.

3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020

This is a magnificent collaboration between 3Dom and Feek and one of the first to be painted since the lock down restrictions were slightly eased. On the left is an extraordinary character by 3Dom built up of five or six distinct elements: a raspberry head with a target, a geometric torso, wicker basket bottom, fractured legs and fabulous slippers. The character is balancing on a tightrope.

Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020

Opposite is a character from Feek, wearing a barrel on his head riding a unicycle on the same tightrope, a parrot nervously hanging on to the seat of the unicycle. The whole piece is a celebration of circus in a burst of colour and surreal ideas, and is the kind of outstanding piece that doesn’t come around every day.

3Dom and Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
3Dom and Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020

Between the two tightrope acts is a beautifully painted ASK (After School Klub) written in circus-style Block script, which holds the two halves together with great skill. This is a truly exceptional piece and one that has been well worth the wait.

2976. Stapleton Road

You don’t get to see too many pieces on the street from Rowdy these days, so finding one is a bit of a treat. Rowdy is responsible for one of the most iconic characters in Bristol street art, the toothy crocodile. Anyone living in the Stokes Croft area will remember fondly the crocodile on the top of the Carriage Works that looked over North Bristol, sadly knocked down last year.

 

Rowdy, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020
Rowdy, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020

This somewhat smaller beast is modestly tucked away at the foot of a column under the new railway bridge on Stapleton Road, and I only found it because a Face 1st piece opposite it caught my eye as I was driving past the other day. Who doesn’t love a Rowdy crocodile?

Rowdy and Sweet Toof, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2016
Rowdy and Sweet Toof, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2016