Tag: Graffiti

302. North Street, Hennesseys

I have talked before about how street art appears and disappears…it is the ephemeral nature of it that drives me to capture and record it so that it should not be entirely lost forever. There is another aspect to the appearance and disappearance of street art that manifests itself in the shape of shutter art.

One can stroll up and down a street countless times and never see half of the art on offer, unless you do it on a Sunday, late in the evening or when shops are closed for some other reason.

Copyright, North Street, Bristol, May 2016
Copyright, North Street, Bristol, May 2016

This beautiful Copyright piece is a case in point. I cannot think how many times I have walked up and down North Street, but only once have I seen this piece. Of course I photographed it immediately. Street art in most of its forms, is not just about the art itself, but also about place and time, which I guess is part of the fascination.

Copyright, North Street, Bristol, May 2016
Copyright, North Street, Bristol, May 2016

There are similarities between this piece and the collaboration recently featured between Copyright and E. Lee.

301. Lawfords Gate

Well, well, well. It is difficult to know what to say about this triptych other than, in Bristol street art terms, it is close to perfect. The collaborators are Deamze, Voyder and Soker, who I think quite often work together like this – I have an old post from Midland Street in which they collaborated with spectacular results.

This is big and eye-catching but I didn’t know it was here; it caught my eye as I was driving past on 11 June 2016. Sometimes you find a piece that just makes you happy. This was one of those finds.

Each part of the collaboration is beautifully worked, and all three artists are extremely accomplished. I will cease with the words and simply allow you to feast your eyes on the images below. Enjoy.

Deamze, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Deamze, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Deamze, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Deamze, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Voyder, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Voyder, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Voyder, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Voyder, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Soker, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Soker, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Soker, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Soker, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016

300. Armada Place (4)

This is a lovely light-hearted piece by 45RPM in Armada Place, just west of Stokes Croft. There is much to admire and observe in all of his works, which usually have a story unfolding around a wildstyle lettering of RPM.

45RPM, Armada Place, Bristol, May 2016
45RPM, Armada Place, Bristol, May 2016

In this particular piece, which I guess is called ‘tongue tied’, an anteater’s tongue morphs into a ball of wool which is then threaded into the RPM rather like a child’s toy. Some great imagery. I have only recently begun to appreciate properly some of his work, so expect a whole bunch more of it coming this way soon.

You might notice some lads in hoods at the edge of the picture. One is holding a spray can which he was using to spray BUZZ on and over pieces in the area. It happens.

299. Wilder Street (6)

There is a small garage at the Western end of Wilder Street which has loads of graffiti art and street art decorating the outer walls. I think this is a rather recent phenomenon as the Google street view maps from June 2014 shows the building with plain white walls only. I have tried to photograph this particular wall a few times, but always there are cars parked in front of it. Patience certainly pays off.

Mr Klue, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016
Mr Klue, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016

This piece is another wonderful abstract offering from Mr Klue, only this time he has woven into his characteristic swirls and patterns some car wheels. It is really effective and relevant to the site. I am guessing that this was a permitted work rather than a commission, but can’t be sure. It is a fine piece though.

298. New York, Orchard Street

I was reminded about this satirical piece by Hanksy, because Donald Trump has just made a rather unwelcome visit to the UK to inspect his Trump Turnberry refurbished golf course in Scotland. He really is disliked here, and no senior politicians were there to meet him, but I guess they were all too preoccupied with Brexit. He congratulated the Scottish people for leaving the EU, but clearly didn’t understand that The Scottish voted to remain. He really is so thick.

Hanksy, Orchard Street, New York City, June 2016
Hanksy, Orchard Street, New York City, June 2016

Hanksy is a New York street artist who seems to use parody and satire in his work, even the name is playful. He is famous enough to have his own Wikipedia page if you want to know more.  While I was photographing the piece, a lovely local lady started chatting to me and my daughter. She said straight away that nobody likes Trump. That may be the case in NYC but he seems popular elsewhere.

This piece went viral globally, and has much in common with the Paintsmiths piece in Stokes Croft with Trump and Boris kissing. The first part of the nightmare is coming to pass, with David Cameron standing down and Johnson in the running for Prime Minister, the prophetic images may become a reality. I really hope that the USA comes to its senses and doesn’t fall for the populist propaganda aimed at the disadvantaged/disowned working classes. In the UK our citizens were duped by right wing fabrications about immigration and jobs and promises that the money diverted to the EU would all be spent on the health service – a promise already retracted within hours of a Brexit victory. So it was not a promise, but a lie.

The UK is in for a very uncomfortable ride in the years to come and I expect a lot of political graffiti/street art to emerge…which at this moment is the only positive thing I can cling on to.

297. Stokes Croft corner wall (3)

This is another one of 3Dom’s favourite walls. For about a year the space has been occupied by his slightly odd skull in a birdcage piece. Its replacement is something altogether different and in my view odd or unsettling.

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2016
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2016

This is a piece full of symbolism that I can’t for the life of me unravel. The piece presents us with a foetus that has the Earth for a head. The dark red surround is, I guess, representative of the womb, which appears to be a landfill site or some other wasteland. All most peculiar.

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2016
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2016

I think it would be good top try and collar him sometime and ask him about some of his pieces, as they are wild, hugely creative and visually provocative.

296. All Saints’ Street

One of the great achievements of the See No Evil street art events in 2011 and 2012 has been the way in which the large pieces have now become local landmarks in the Nelson Street area. In a city where the turnover of street art tends to be incredibly high, it is great to have these untouched iconic pieces that form the backbone of some of the tourist street art tours. I have said it before though, the best thing about the scene here in Bristol is the huge spectrum of work from DBK tagging through to pieces by the world class Pixel Pancho.

Pixel Pancho, All Saints' Street, Bristol, June 2016
Pixel Pancho, All Saints’ Street, Bristol, June 2016

This lovely piece by Pixel Pancho is instantly recognisable as one of his by the use of mechanical elements blended with the biological, to give a robotic appearance. Having one of his works here in Bristol, made it all the better when I recently saw him at work in New York.

Pixel Pancho, All Saints' Street, Bristol, June 2016
Pixel Pancho, All Saints’ Street, Bristol, June 2016

I have yet to see a decent photograph of this piece. It is high on a wall on a shaded side of the street and is difficult to frame without getting light pollution from the surrounding skyline. The colours always look washed out, unless they have been digitally enhanced.

This is a real cultural asset for Bristol.

295. Dean Lane skate park (11)

After featuring three consecutive pieces by Laic217 which have no writing, I return to a recent work by him in the style I am more accustomed to. His name in a simple wildstyle form and a focal point somewhere in the lettering.

Laic217, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016
Laic217, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016

I think the lettering is some of his best to date, clean lines and interesting in-fill, and a 3D effect that makes it stand out. The skeleton figure is popping up behind the ‘A’ and spray painting the ‘L’.

Laic217, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016
Laic217, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016+

This is a fun piece at the Dean Lane site, and I suspect he had a little more time to complete the work. All in all it looks much cleaner and more composed than some of his previous stuff.

294. Unity Street (2)

Epok has only featured in one of my posts to date (a collaboration with 3Dom and Voyder) which is shameful on my part. His work can be found all over the city and is remarkably distinctive. Nearly always he spells out his name in diagonally leaning wildstyle lettering that is highly cryptic and styalised. He creates large blocky geometric shapes on the slant and selects beautiful colour combinations. Epok ranks alongside Soker and Deamze in his mastery of the form.

Epok, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2016
Epok, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2016

I love his work, and can’t apologise enough for not presenting more of it. I will dig out more of his work and share it. This piece appeared on his Instagram feed on 9 May 2016.

293. M32 roundabout J3 (13)

Some time in Early June, a whole bunch of ASK and Lost Souls spent a day or two refreshing the walls at the M32. I love it when these guys do this, because there tends to be a common thread – for example a colour scheme – throughout the collaborative get-together. This is the first of several posts from this gathering.

Kid Crayon, M32, Bristol, June 2016
Kid Crayon, M32, Bristol, June 2016

This was the first time I have seen Kid Crayon and SPZero 76 working together, but curiously I have seen them collaborate since (another post soon). It will come as no surprise to regular readers that I am a massive fan of Kid Crayon, and this is a lovely example of his work, purple face and crayon making a return.

SPZero 76, M32, Bristol, June 2016
SPZero 76, M32, Bristol, June 2016

The SPZero 76 piece depicts a mask (I’m not sure if it is African or Pacific) which is a common feature in so many of his works. On this occasion he has done some other work with another artist, so had a busy day.

Kid Crayon, M32, Bristol, June 2016
Kid Crayon, M32, Bristol, June 2016

Detail for those who enjoy such things, firstly with Kid Crayon

SPZero 76, M32, Bristol, June 2016
SPZero 76, M32, Bristol, June 2016

And secondly with SPZero 76. Looking forward to blogging about the rest of this wall.