Tag: Graffiti

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.

292. Upper York Street (1)

When I started blogging about street art, roughly a year ago, I didn’t post very often about Bristol’s writers. I think that is because wildstyle writing is a bit of an acquired taste…but once you have a taste for it, it becomes addictive, like so many things in life.

Deamze, Upper York Street, Bristol, April 2016
Deamze, Upper York Street, Bristol, April 2016

Deamze has really been at the heart of winning me over to this graffiti art form – his pieces are everywhere and his styles vary, but they are always unmistakably his. He is part of Bristol’s USP and should be more widely celebrated in my view. This stunning piece is on a building at the junction between Upper York Street and Wilder Street, which is becoming my favourite graff area.

Deamze, Upper York Street, Bristol, April 2016
Deamze, Upper York Street, Bristol, April 2016

There is little point in me writing much about how good this piece is. Just look at it and admire his immense talent.

291. The Bearpit (22)

One of the larger pieces by Decay sits at the end of the southern tunnel at the Bearpit. It is a piece that was sprayed back in April, but has been rather enduring, and is still there, or at least was last week.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016

All the hallmark ingredients of a Decay piece are here, the black, grey, white and red colours layered in concentric circles in a freestyle manner, focusing on a red face/image at the centre.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016

Decay’s work tends to be in these colours and general patterns and are nearly always pleasing to the eye. I recently saw on his Instagram feed a piece that he sprayed in blue shades for ‘battle of the oceans’ whatever that is. It may be a bit samey, but I am a really big fan of his work.

290. Picton Lane (5)

One of the things I love about Bristol is the tight street art community that exists here, it feels like something really significant and special. I guess all cities with well developed graffiti scenes feel the same. It is really nice though when visitors come and spray the streets and bring something different with them.

RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016
RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016

This is an established piece in Picton Lane by RUN with some additions by Rowdy (who kind of owns this lane).RUN, you might remember is responsible for this wonderful piece in London, and I believe he has been busy in Camden just recently. Here we have a colourful celebration of love and friendship, expressed on the slightly unlikely front and doors of a small local garage.

RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016
RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016

Men kissing might be the subject of scorn or defacing, but not here. Bristol is a tolerant and progressive city and this subject matter barely turns heads, which (apart from the masterful artwork) is how it should be.

RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016
RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016

I love the sharp lines and colours of RUN’s work. You might spot a Rowdy crocodile sitting on what looks like a London cab on one of the panels too. A fun piece from RUN – you’re welcome to return anytime.

RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016
RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016

289. Stokes Croft, number 57

This, I think is probably the most difficult collaboration in Bristol to photograph. The work, dated 2009 is by 3Dom and Voyder and sits high above a local massage parlour. Charged with symbolism the piece depicts a figurine being held gently in large cupped hands, or even emanating from those hands. The earth and sun both contribute to the symbolism.

3Dom and Voyder, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2016
3Dom and Voyder, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2016

All around the piece is some ornate decoration that sets it off really nicely.

3Dom and Voyder, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2016
3Dom and Voyder, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2016

It is such a bugger to photograph though. In the summer there is a tree that makes the view pretty much impossible, and in the winter, the same tree is an obstacle. To avoid the tree, you have to advance closer to the base of the piece and then the angles are all a bit peculiar. This was the best I could do last Winter.

It is a lasting collaboration and has been left entirely alone.

288. Cheltenham Road, the Little Shop

It has been a little while since I last posted anything by Alex Lucas. This wonderful piece has decorated the Little Shop for a few years now and sits right on the cusp of Cheltenham Road and Stokes Croft – both street names appear in the featured image.

Alex Lucas, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, December 2015
Alex Lucas, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, December 2015

In this commissioned mural Lucas does what she does so very well. Rabbits. Wonderful line drawings of rabbits interspersed with what appear to be pineapples. This junction with Ashley Road is really at the heart of Bohemian Bristol and there is barely a building without some kind of street art decorating it. I have the pleasure of walking this way to work every day (in the Summer at least) and never tire of this Lucas work.

Alex Lucas, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, December 2015
Alex Lucas, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, December 2015

The left hand side of the building is part of the 123 Space – a gallery which is linked to the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) next door. The 123 Space is a place for the local art community to create, connect, dream and build together. The Facebook page is here.