Tag: Graffiti

749. Upfest 2016 (111)

One of the larger showcase pieces from Upfest 2016 was this wall in the beer garden of the Steam Crane pub on North Street. It is a wonderful collaboration by the Lost Souls crew, made up of Si Mitchell, SPZero76, Captain Kris and Squirl, although the latter did not participate on this occasion.

Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This was certainly one of the busier venues during the festival, probably on account of it being a pub, and it was quite tricky jostling for decent pictures of the crew at work. SPZero76 (seated above with the New York cap) though was very comfortable chatting with visitors, in fact I saw him talking more than I saw him spraying.

Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Si Mitchell (above) worked on the left hand side of the piece, SPZero76 on the middle section and Captain Kris on the right. The whole piece is a frenetic busy think, telling a story of I don’t know what, but I like the result very much.

Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I returned to the wall some months later to get a decent picture of the completed piece. Of course it is slightly compromised by pub furniture getting in the way a bit, but I think it is possible to get an idea of the great qualities of the piece. The section above of the strange man eating the happy octopus is by Si Mitchell.

Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The middle section (above) is so typically by SPZero76, with his dog character using a spray can.

Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Lost Souls, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The right hand section which completes this rather surreal piece is by Captain Kris, and as part of the seamless sequencing, the octopus makes an appearance in this panel too. A really beautifully worked fun piece.

 

748. The Bearpit (64)

Right next to the recent Georgie artist stencil ‘citizen of nowhere’ in The Bearpit steps (see previous post), is this magnificent Kid Crayon piece. I cannot tell you how much I love this. It has colour, humour, craziness and a blue face. Something about it reminds me of an upbeat Gaugin crossed with Picasso…know what I mean? With a touch of Jean de Brunhoff (creator of Barbar the elephant).

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

It is so raw and so good. I will stop there for fear of gushing too much. I like it…you got it?

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

It is with some disappointment that I am updating this post to report that this and many other great pieces in The Bearpit and elsewhere in Bristol have been tagged and dogged at the end of the Easter break. It is annoying when this happens. I think everyone accepts that it does happen, but it does seem really senseless and damages the reputation of street art and graffiti art in the City.

747. The Bearpit (63)

As far as I can make out, it was Georgie (artist) who organised The Bearpit ‘paint jam’ on 8 April, and I managed to catch up with her for a few minutes while she was starting work on this fabulous ‘citizen of nowhere’ piece. She told me that she was negotiating with Bristol City Council to try and create some ‘legal walls’ where street artists could create their works without constantly having to keep an eye out for the authorities. Georgie suggested that legal walls would also encourage new artists to try their hand and see what they could do, without fear of arrest. My view is that this would be a good thing, but I will always have a soft spot for the edgy illegal stuff…it all starts there.

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

This is a brilliant stencil piece containing part of a Theresa May quote “if you believe you’re a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere”. I think this piece demonstrates clearly what utter nonsense the Prime Minister comes out with. Ghastly, ghastly May.

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

I enjoyed meeting Georgie, she seems to be a real mover and shaker in the street art scene in Bristol, well organised, galvanised and talented. I love this piece (I can’t believe that less than 24 hours after completion it was tagged) which contrasts in style with her recent freestyle Michael Caine piece. All good.

746. Wilder Street (15)

There is a lot to say about this remarkable recent piece by 3Dom in Wilder Street. I found out, while speaking to Alex from Where the Wall, that strictly speaking 3Dom did not have permission to spray the piece. Furthermore he sprayed over one of the landmark pieces left behind by Shalak Attack and Bruno Smokey when they visited Bristol last year.

3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

I get the feeling that 3Dom got away with this misdemeanour on two counts…firstly his status as a local artist and secondly it is quite simply outstanding. The work in my eyes represents quite a departure from the usual wild and weird characters normally associated with his work. Here we see an intricate and beautiful study of floral patterns, shapes and colours, so very different from his previous work.

3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

This is a truly outstanding piece and worth a trip to Wilder Street to grab a look. I noticed via 3Dom’s Insta account that he not so very long ago produced a similar style piece in London. This is the mark of an artist exploring new ideas and expressions, not something all are blessed with. I look forward to maybe seeing more of this stuff, which I understand was freestyled. Bravo!

3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

745. The Bearpit (62)

The ‘paint Jam’ organised on 8 April coincided with a beautiful and sunny Spring day. Unfortunately, there were not as many artists as one might have hoped for, but it was all a bit last-minute, so any turn out was good.

Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

I came across an artist I had not met before, but whose work has recently been creeping onto my radar…Sirens. I stopped and chatted for a while with this really interesting artist, who likes to grab people’s attention in places where they least expect it. He has been working with painting on plastic sheeting suspended between trees in local woodlands, drawing attention to his ideas in unusual places.

Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Sirens, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

Much of his work contains an environmental theme and messages, contrasting beauty with urban landscapes. This piece ‘head for hope’ reminds me a little of the scene in the Terry Gilliam film ‘Brazil’ where the car drives along a road with high walls, beyond which is beautiful countryside. Look out for more from Sirens here.

744. Moon Street (29)

Quite by chance I came across Laic217 spraying over one of his old pieces in Moon Street on my way to the ‘paint jam’ on 8 April. This was indeed a bit of a red-letter day for me, and I hadn’t even arrived at The Bearpit yet.

Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017

I have been really wanting to meet Laic217 for some time, because his work is so different and distinctive and he is so incredibly prolific at the moment. Now was my chance to say hello and ask him a few questions.

Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017

He seemed to know who I was (probably from my Instagram account), so I didn’t need to explain too much why I was interested in his work. He implied that he tries not to be influenced by other artists or what people write about him, preferring instead to plough his own furrow. He tends to spray alone and does not belong to any local crew. I picked up an accent which to my untrained ear sounded German.

Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017

When I asked him how can he be so prolific, he stated what I suppose is obvious, he said “It is what I do and I love to do it”. This is another skull face and bucket hat combo (I was glad to see he sports such a hat) with a gold tooth, joint, brick wall behind sun glasses and shattered smiley. It is all there and all absolutely wonderful.

Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017
Laic 217, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2017

743. The Bearpit (61)

A stunning piece by Decay for the ‘paint Jam’ on the 8 April, organised by Georgie and advertised at very short notice through social media. This is a favourite wall for Decay, and he has had several other pieces here before.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

I was fortunate enough to be there while he was just finishing off the piece. I love the way the young boy is looking back at his work. So very few people stop to take a look (such a British behaviour) perhaps for fear of interrupting the artist, or worse still striking up a conversation.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

All the very best features of a Decay piece are here: the abstract form of concentric rays emanating from a central face. The piece is directly adjacent to a large pink work I featured by Decay not so very long ago.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2017

He is a busy man, and shortly after completing this piece he drifted over to Wilder street to do a piece on the nicely prepped walls…to follow in a little while.

742. M32 roundabout, J3 (35)

I haven’t seen much of Sled One for a while…apart from the man eating fridge piece…so it was nice to come across this wildstyle work on the M32 roundabout at the start of April.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017

I can’t help that the piece is Easter chocolate egg inspired. The colours of purple and gold, reminiscent of Cadbury branding, and the chocolate brown colours definitely have that Easter egg look about them.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2017

So the story here is to write a wildstyle piece in the theme of Easter eggs, and I think Sled One has cracked it…sorry.

741. Wilder Street (14)

I saw this piece a day or so after I met Cheba for the first time, while on my way to the ‘paint jam’ in The Bearpit on 8 April 2017. This wall and several others on the garage on Wilder street were being prepped by Cheba and Alex from Where the Wall, who ‘curate’ many of the walls in Wilder Street.

Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

This piece is a classic cosmos fantasy space scene that Cheba specialises in. On the one hand, and perhaps at first sight, his works look quite simple, on the other hand they are complex and detailed, and he has mastered the technique for these cosmos scenes.

Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

What I find interesting is that not many other artists spray these kinds of scenes, and when they do, they are rarely as well executed as this. I imagine though that they might not be to everyone’s taste.

740. Dean Lane skate park (44)

You’ve got to be slightly crazy not to love an owl…I think I might have said this before somewhere in this blog. It took me a long time to post this piece, it has been sitting in my archives, because I wanted to be sure who the artist was. It is by the French artist Braga Last1 and was sprayed during a visit to Bristol in September 2016.

Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

I love it when artists from all over Europe, and indeed, the world come to visit Bristol and leave pieces for our citizens to enjoy. It certainly validates Bristol’s claim to being a world class street/graffiti art destination, something that is becoming a bit of a USP for the city.

Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

This is a beautiful piece and captures the form of the owl so well. The eyes are absolutely amazing. Despite being in Dean Lane, the piece stood in place unmarked for a couple of months before eventually being painted over – a mark of respect from other artists.