128. St Francis Road

I have seen this incredible piece many times during my wanderings up and down North Street. It is literally eye-catching and, in my view, the outstanding work from the Upfest 2015 event.

My Dog Sighs, St Francis Road, Bristol, January 2015
My Dog Sighs, St Francis Road, Bristol, January 2015

The artist’ ‘My Dog Sighs‘ comes from Portsmouth and has recently found much success with sell out solo exhibitions in the UK, the US and in Israel.

My Dog Sighs, postcard printed to accompany the piece in St Francis Road
My Dog Sighs, postcard printed to accompany the piece in St Francis Road

An additional part to this particular work is to complete the puzzle. This was achieved by marrying up a postcard with the other eye, to complete the whole. I am lucky enough to have been given one of the postcards (I missed Upfest 2015 because I was away…that won’t be happening again!).

My Dog Sighs, St Francis Road, Bristol, January 2015
My Dog Sighs, St Francis Road, Bristol, January 2015

9/10

127. The Bearpit (3)

This is another wonderful Tom Miller from The Bearpit. It is called ‘Together’.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2016
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2016

I love his ‘Imaginite’ concept, and have always been a fan of the surrealists. His works look a bit like Yves Tanguy meets Jackson Pollock with some Magritte thrown in…or something like that.

8/10

126. Haymarket Walk

On my way out of The Bearpit earlier this week, I came across this wonderful recent tribute to David Bowie by Cheba, an established Bristol street artist.

Cheba, Haymarket Walk, Bristol, February 2016
Cheba, Haymarket Walk, Bristol, February 2016

This portrait (the first and last by Cheba, according to his twitter feed) takes up a wall in the side of the Premier Inn which overlooks The Bearpit.

Cheba, Haymarket Walk, Bristol, February 2016
Cheba, Haymarket Walk, Bristol, February 2016

Cheba has work all over Bristol, notably the recent piece adorning the whole front facade of the Full Moon pub in Stokes Croft which I will try to feature here soon.

7/10

125. The Bearpit (2)

A little while ago I puzzled over a rather surreal piece that had been painted at the Carriageworks in Stokes Croft. After some internet searches I found out it was by Tom Miller, a young graduate from the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016

He now has two new works in The Bearpit. This one is called ‘Portin‘. Common to all his works, this piece adheres to his style of ‘imaginite’, a word coined by Miller to describe what metaphysical imagination would look like in solid form.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016

I look forward to seeing more of his work in Bristol, and will look out for his art exhibited in local galleries.

8/10

 

 

124. The Bearpit (1)

Variously called The Bearpit, Bearpit, Bear Pit or Bear-pit…I will stick with the first.

This space has recently undergone something of a transformation, thanks largely to The Bearpit Improvement Group, and provides some excellent permitted gallery space to upcoming and established street artists in Bristol. Once something of a ‘no-go’ area it is fast becoming a ‘somewhere to go’ place, especially for me…expect lots of blogs from here.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015

I’ll start with a piece by one of my favourite Bristol artists – Kid Crayon. I saw this vibrant piece earlier this week walking in to work and was chuffed to bits to see it. It was not so long ago one of his wheatpastes, that I have featured before, was cleared away and I have missed it, but this new work more than makes up for it.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015

I’ll be looking out for more of KCs work, but more often than not it finds me.

8/10

123. North Street, Standard (1)

This seasonal piece by Cheo is quite a contrast from its political predecessor that adorned this wall during Upfest 2015. I am constantly excited by the range of subjects and styles that the street art scene is capable of producing in Bristol.

Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016

This is a cheerful and fun cartoonesque piece so typical of Cheo who must be one of Bristol’s most prolific artists. I will try to dig out the piece that was on this same wall before. Watch this space.

Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016

7/10

122. Dean Lane (4)

I love Dean Lane. It is a road that joins Coronation Road, which runs alongside the New Cut, with North Street, and at its southern end plays host to some of the most creative street art in the area. There is a public swimming pool and skate park on Dean Lane, and both are plastered with graffiti and street art.

Beastie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016
Beastie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016

This piece by Beastie is curious. It is a wheatpaste of an Ordnance Survey map that has a sketchy drawing and some spray work on it. Just to add to its quirkiness, somebody has subsequently added a pink sticker.

Beastie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016
Beastie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016

I make no secret of the fact that I am particularly fond of wheatpastes, and this one is a beauty.

8/10

121. Soldeu, Andorra (3)

This is the last of three short blogs about graffiti/street art in Soldeu. I had a little time to kill on our last day before heading home, so I went for a short walk from the top to the bottom of the village. At the lower end I discovered this small work that was more complex than graffiti and appeared to be a an abstract mural. There is nothing else like it in the village.

Unknown artist, Soldeu, Andorra, February 2016
Unknown artist, Soldeu, Andorra, February 2016

I like that it has been sprayed on a rather utilitarian electricity building, to brighten it up a little.

On the coach journey to Barcelona Airport I was treated to hundreds of burners under road bridges and on industrial buildings. I will have to return for a weekend break.

4/10

120. Soldeu, Andorra (2)

I have taken a couple of detours on the way to and returning from the slopes this week. Here are two more scribbles, interestingly both of fish.

Fish graffiti, Soldeu, Andorra
Fish graffiti, Soldeu, Andorra

I have one more chance tomorrow morning to see if there is any more graffiti in Soldeu before we head home via Barcelona. On the subject of Barcelona, I am troubled that we won’t have time to stop over before our flight home. Barcelona will have to wait for another trip.

119. Soldeau, Andorra (1)

There is little in the way of street art that I have been able to find, so far, but there are one or two graffiti hotspots. What I find most interesting is that the handwriting style of the tags is quite distinct and different from the style you see in the UK.

 

All taggers unknown. Maybe some future talent here?