This ‘throw up’ (a very quickly sprayed freestyle piece) was crafted by Decay on the same day (Friday 8th April 2016) that I wrote about this piece.
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016
It is very simple and also very powerful, Decay could have a career in logo design! The initials DK obviously have driven his ‘Decay’ moniker. This is a nice crisp striking piece in one of the tunnels at the Bearpit.
Unfortunately, this has been ‘taken out’ in the words of Decay as have nearly all the Bearpit tunnel pieces by a Bristol tagger called DBK. It is a pity, but this is what DBK does, and all the other artists know this and, I guess, just put up with it.
This playful commission was painstakingly crafted between the 5th to the 11th of April 2016. It is unmistakably the work of the brilliant Alex Lucas, and adds to the overall wealth of her pieces in the Area. It is great that so many small local businesses commission her work. Her stamp is fast becoming part of the Bristol USP.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
These hares, painted and marked onto shutters, will I’m sure, become a local reference point. Looking carefully, you might also catch a glimpse of Mrs Scooj walking past the triptych with an umbrella.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
I managed to have a quick chat with Alex a couple of times while she was working on this piece, and was struck by how approachable and incredibly nice she was…it must get very tiresome having people interrupt your work and ask inane questions, but at no time did she make me feel unwelcome, in fact completely the opposite.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
Alex did disclose that shutter work is a bit of a pain and rather difficult, but she has done a great job with this. I really look forward to her next commission.
It would appear that Friday late afternoon is the right time to be passing the street art hot spots. Last week I managed to catch up with Decay and Alex Lucas, today I met and watched Sled One working this practice hoarding in Stokes Croft.
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
I had just dropped down from Armada Place, where I had seen and photographed another of his recent works, so it was a real pleasure to meet him. What a nice guy, and an extremely talented artist. It was his work that I featured (the woody woodpecker one) a little while ago that I honestly believe to be one of the finest works I have seen in Bristol. I told him as much (he was chuffed) and he said that it was freestyled…which basically means he sprayed it off the top of his head – no plan. Below are some pictures of Sled One at work.
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
You can make out the writing, it says Sled in silver and ASK in yellow (ASK is After School Klub – a group of Bristol street artists). A good afternoon’s work I would say.
Another wonderful bird piece by Aspire, from a few weeks ago. I’m not too sure what species this one is, and I can’t find any reference to it on his Instagram feed. It maintains the high quality I would expect from Aspire, and many of the common features in his work.
Aspire, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2016
I very much like the way he still chooses to spray these masterful pieces on ‘illegal’ albeit tolerated walls, as he could so easily go down the commission-only route.
Aspire, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2016
I guess the best thing about Bristol street artists is that they all choose their own paths, but coexist in apparent harmony. It is about the full spectrum of street art and we are very lucky indeed.
It’s a bit like waiting for a bus…nothing for ages and then three turn up all at once. Well it is a bit like that with this third piece in as many weeks from Laic217.
Laic217, M32 Roubndabout, Bristol, March 2016
The consistent themes for Laic217’s work seem to be his name decorated, but easily legible, bright carefully selected colour schemes and a character embellishing one of the letters. It is a formula I like, and one that is very distinct.
Laic217, M32 Roubndabout, Bristol, March 2016
I look forward to stumbling on more of his works, now that I know where to look for them.
Tucked away from the main drag in Bristol is this masterpiece by Nick Walker. This amazing stencil which dates back to at least May 2010 blends in so well with the architrave surround and brick wall.
Nick Walker, Trenchard Street, Bristol, September 2015
The piece can be found just beyond the rear entrance, turning right out of the exit, of Colston’s Hall. It is another of those Walker pieces that have simply become a ‘part of the furniture’ that we in Bristol take for granted. I think that most, if not all of his work remains intact, which is very unusual here.
Nick Walker, Trenchard Street, Bristol, September 2015
Taking a closer look at the butterflies reveals that they are more sinister than you might originally think. Great work.
This is one of several lovely fresh wildstyle burners on the infrastructure of the M32 roundabout. The artist is Sled One who was also the genius behind one of my very best hoardings in Bristol, posted back on 1 March 2016.
Sled One, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
This colourful piece spells out ASK, which stands for ‘After School Klub’ one of the dominant Bristol crews. I am never quite sure who the crew is made up of, there seem to be a lot of them. Associated with ASK is the KTF acronym which stands for ‘Keeping things Fresh’. You will see KTF and ASK dotted on many of the works in Bristol.
Sled One, detail, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
I particularly like the eye in the A of ASK. Little details like this show the care and thought that goes into these wildstyle pieces.
An emergency fuel situation led me to fill the car up at this garage in Hotwell Road recently. I might have annoyed queuing customers a little, because I hadn’t seen the mural before and snapped a couple of quick photographs. I was a little saddened that it had replaced one of my favourite Andy Council pieces that I posted about in August 2015.
45 RPM, Hotwell Road, Bristol, August 2015
This environmental piece is by 45 RPM, a Bristol artist, and was commissioned by the Body Shop as part of their ‘Enrich not Exploit‘ campaign. Three other street artists were also commissioned to create works in Brighton, Birmingham and Manchester.
I am always a little suspicious of business campaign commissions like this one, but I think the Body Shop is one company that has strong ethical and sustainable values that I can live with. This is not greenwash, it is more like influencing.
It is an unusual piece, but I am really beginning to like it.
Well Mau Mau has returned with a topical piece (when he sprayed it), cleverly conflating an urban fox with R2D2 from Star Wars.
MauMau, Hillgrove Street, Bristol, April 2016
Always witty and often quite acerbic, Mau Mau rarely disappoints. I only wish I had found this gem before it had been tagged. Maybe someone was offended by the language (I think not).
MauMau, Hillgrove Street, Bristol, April 2016
I look forward to more foxes in the Stokes Croft area.
It has been a little while since I featured a work by one of Bristol’s finest and most famous street artists, Nick Walker. It took me a little while to find this, despite it being in the road where I work. It is a shutter piece, and the shutters are invariably up when I am at work, and down when I am not. I took this photograph on a Sunday.
Nick Walker, Deanery Road, Bristol, March 2016
The piece is unmistakably by Walker, with its pinstriped character and trademark ‘vandal’ moniker. It is indeed a treat to have so many of his artworks so close to where I spend most of my days.
Nick Walker, Deanery Road, Bristol, March 2016
It is a little neglectful of me not to have found this piece sooner, but better late than never.
Natural adventures 