Tag: Graffiti

1233. Upfest 2017 (117)

Dzia was a featured artists at Upfest 2017 and as such he was afforded this magnificent wall at the climbing centre. Dzia was among a very strong Belgian contingent at the festival who really livened things up with their creativity and skill.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I didn’t manage to get to this site during the festival itself, and returned some time later when I was in the area to take these shots. The squirrel is absolutely magnificent, although possibly dwarfed a little by the size of the white wall.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Once you zoom in close though you get a real feel for this extraordinary piece from Dzia. His style is unmistakable, and his subject matter pretty much always from the natural world. He is a great advocate for wildlife street art.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I am constantly amazed at how the mish mash of lines and colours, which on their own seem directionless, come together to produce a perfect whole. Dzia is a hugely accomplished artist and it was a real treat to have him here in Bristol for Upfest.

1232. Upfest 2017 (116)

Will Coles certainly left his mark at Upfest 2017, with a number of different ‘installations’ dotted around the festival site and in other parts of Bristol too. This particular one chimes for a great many people in the UK, and I guess across the world, and links to the catastrophic decline in honey bee and other insect pollinator populations.

Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I would like to think that this is somewhat less controversial than many of his works, but it is nonetheless quite challenging politically. There are some who advocate the use of neonicotinoids and other pesticides to sustain high crop yields and guarantee food production for the nation.

Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Will Coles, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Each of these honey bees were carefully placed. It was fun hunting them down.

1231. Leake Street tunnel, London (5)

One of the pleasures of writing about street/graffiti art and seeking out new sites is finding something there that you recognise. Feeling knowledgeable about something is very empowering and comforting, and we could all do with a bit of empowering and comfort from time to time.  For me this happened when I saw this Chinagirl Tile piece in Leake Street just before Christmas.

Chinagirl Tile, Leake Street, London, December 2017
Chinagirl Tile, Leake Street, London, December 2017

I have always had a soft spot for her work, and this very dangerous bunny is one of my favourite tiles she has produced. There is one in Bristol that I blogged about last year. I noticed that of the numerous ‘street art tourists’ who entered the tunnel from this entrance, none that I saw stopped or appeared to notice this rabbit, such was their eagerness to descend into the bowels of Leake Street. For me, street art is not just about the blindingly obvious, it is about subtlety, style, class and placement, much of which is lost on many people. This links to a theme I have mentioned many times in Natural Adventures, and that is that many of us look, but don’t see. Look harder and you might see a rabbit clutching a grenade. Watch out!

China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017
China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017

 

Thursday doors

Door 14

Thursday door, Bradley Theodore, New York
Thursday door, Bradley Theodore, New York

I forget exactly where in New York  this door was, but I think it was in the East Village area.

Artist: Bradley Theodore (Theodoor)

 

by Scooj

 

Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0

 

 

1230. Leake Street tunnel, London (4)

Over the Christmas break, I took a train from Waterloo to Woking to visit the inlaws. I allowed myself some extra time to take a quick look at the graffiti art in Leake Street tunnel which runs under Waterloo Station. There was a great deal of wildstyle writing which I was not familiar with – London art is still a bit of a mystery to me – but I did recognise a couple of pieces by Sky High, of which this is one.

Sky High, Leake Street, London, December 2017
Sky High, Leake Street, London, December 2017

I know his work from visits he has made to Bristol in the past to Moon Street, Magdalen Place and Dean Lane. The piece features his characteristic block lettering in multiple styles and a curious snake at the left hand end. I have to say I am not sure about the snake, it is incongruous and I think the piece would be better without it. Maybe that is just me though.

SkyHigh, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
SkyHigh, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
Sky High, Magdalene Place, Bristol, June 2016
Sky High, Magdalene Place, Bristol, June 2016
Sky High, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Sky High, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

1229. Brunel Way bridge (4)

Another piece from the ASK Halloween paint jam under Brunel Way. This is exceptional work from the exceptional Sled One with an interesting story woven into his wildstyle writing.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

On the left there appears to be a snail-like character and on the right a Grim Reaper figure that is making for the terrified looking snail (can a snail look terrified?). Meanwhile, Sled One has incorporated the letters SLED into the piece with artistry and skill.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

Once again we see this master sprayer at his very best, creating a whole world in a space 3m x 2m. Incredible really.

1228. Dean Lane skate park (99)

Clearly very excited about the release of the recent Star Wars movie (and who wouldn’t be?), it would appear that Soker, who usually writes his name, may have been inspired to spray this R2D2 piece. It is possible there is more to it than that, but it matters not, this is a brilliant clean piece.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017

On one of the feature walls at Dean Lane, this piece works beautifully, the proportions are all nicely done and the colours assembled well. The piece also generated some good banter on his Instagram account with his stablemates Cheo and Voyder (Darth Voyder).

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017

All great fun.

1227. Ashley Road (16)

This is the second piece by Fiva (Fiver) to appear on this hoarding in recent weeks, the first was featured in a post recently and that one was the first work I have seen from this artist in a while. It seems he is on a roll, and that his inspiration would appear to have come from (I think) recently becoming a father.

Fiva, Ashley Road, Bristol, December 2017
Fiva, Ashley Road, Bristol, December 2017

I do like these kind of writing pieces which conflate words and styles to create a layered puzzle. This is accomplished work from a good artist, and I’d like to see more of his work on the streets – as a new father though I expect his opportunities might be limited.

1226. Wilder Street (21)

Wilder street is home to some of the best walls in Bristol, but the turnover here is not as high as in other parts of Bristol. I think it is because some of the walls are curated and pieces left on show for longer.

Laic217, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2017
Laic217, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2017

This is an interesting work by Laic217, who appears to have dropped his activity of late. I expect it is better viewed through 3D glasses, although I am never quite sure if artwork like this is done simply to give the effect of a 3D piece or if they actually work as well.

Laic217, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2017
Laic217, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2017

I love the way his signature is cleverly worked into the elbow of the skeleton character. Now where are those cardboard glasses?

1225. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (30)

The facade of the Carriageworks is living on borrowed time. The building has been in limbo for many years and is in a state of semi-dereliction. The owners appear to be waiting for the right offer to come in from potential developers before selling up. As a result, the bricked up archways have played host to some exceptional pieces of street art over the years, and has been a ‘go to’ location for locals and international artists alike.

Mr Klue, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2017
Mr Klue, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2017

The turnover of artwork has reduced dramatically as talk of redevelopment hots up but there has been a recent spate of work from local artists. One of those is the fabulous Mr Klue, whose abstract pieces I love and have featured countless times here before. He described this freestyle piece as a ‘quick ting’ on his Instagram account. I haven’t seen any street pieces by Mr Klue since Upfest, so this was a real pleasure to find and photograph. More please Mr K.