I photographed this lovely Sepr work at the end of July this year, shortly after Upfest 2015. I particularly like this mural, probably because I rather like most of Sepr’s work.
It is similar to another piece he sprayed around the same time in Dighton Street. Grey shades and musical instruments.
8/10
It is easy to work out that Bristol has been shaped, historically, physically and culturally, by the River Frome and the freshwater environment. Street names are the biggest clue. Here we have Marsh Street, but there are many other watery names, including Broadmead, Quay Street, Wade Street, Broad Weir and Ferry Street to name only a few.
I digress. This is yet another Kid Crayon whestpaste in a street that has very little other graffiti. It is a reasonably uninteresting street for pedestrians and street artists alike.
I was pleased to have found this work, because it is one of several that KC has themed with the two red stripes on the face. I’m not sure what the stripes represent and maybe I’ll never know. They make an appearance also on the faces of the characters from the mural in Fairfax Street.
Another unusual but likable work.
7.5/10
The works in Leonard Lane never cease to surprise or challenge. I saw this today, and didn’t pay too much attention to it, then stumbled into a comedy double-take (fortunately nobody was watching).
To say that this street has a lot of experimental art/graffiti is an understatement. But this one has me intrigued. I don’t know the artist, and there are no signatures that I can make out.
The work has a backdrop of random graffiti, which I guess was there before. Overlaying it are four wheatpaste circles of decreasing sizes that have replica images that have been lifted from the backdrop. It is very clever, and has left me wondering how it was done.
Definitely one for Tate Modern.
8/10
This busy mural is in great company, with a Banksy and JPS only meters away.
It is by 45rpm and Richt. Although 45rpm has a lot of work around Bristol, and a website, it is difficult to dig up very much about him although he does have a post about his work with Richt on pattern collage murals.
Richt is also a Bristol-based artist and illustrator whose works are also scattered around Bristol and the Westcountry. The pair appear to collaborate a fair bit.
7/10
A recent political mural just off the Gloucester Road (which eventually becomes Cheltenham Road and the Stokes Croft area) caught my eye a couple of weeks ago.
This collaboration by Feek (the main character) and 3Dom (the octopus and ‘citizens’) looks to be a poke at the right wing politics of the Tories and UKIP (whose party colours are purple and yellow).
Feek is a local Bristol artist who links up with quite a few of the artists, like Sepr, 3Dom and Soker, amongst others. Annoyingly I am struggling to find out much more about him.
Bolton Road is more of a narrow alley way, and this mural is rather difficult to photograph.
7/10
Alex Lucas is a breath of fresh air on the street art scene. She is a hugely talented textile designer and illustrator/animator. Her commissions are instantly recognisable and can be seen all over Bristol.
This mural, completed in October 2015, looks to be a commission by the University of Bristol Cabot Institute, and is right next to the most wonderful public conveniences.
The work features a plesiosaurus and other sea creatures from the period, one mischievously using a spray can, and tells a story of sea level rises. There is more about the collaboration on the Cabot Institute website
I love this.
8.5/10
Mistaken by many for a Banksy, this wonderful stencil is actually by JPS (Jamie Paul Scanlon) and was sprayed in 2013. Clearly it draws on Banksy’s style and subject matter, but that is no surprise as JPS credits his emergence and confidence as a street artist with a visit he made to a Banksy exhibition at Bristol Museum.
I have written several posts about the work of JPS, and he remains my favourite Bristol-based artist.
8/10
This wonderful stencil depicting how mobile technology is interfering with daily life, is tucked away on a heavily tagged wall and easy to miss. Just off Stokes Croft, it is well worth a visit. To me this is stencil work at its best. Social comment combined with excellent execution and location.
I’m not too sure what the dynamite is all about (on second inspection I think it is Christmas crackers). Unfortunately I have no idea who the artist is, but will try to find out, and when I do, I will update the post.
UPDATE: I understand the piece is by Goin, a French artist who I belive lives in Bristol.
Another huge and vivid mural appeared at the end of September by the Bristol based duo Zase and Dekor. I have seen the mural a few times, and it is truly stunning. It also occupies a fantastic spot, at a three-way road junction, and is seen by huge numbers of people every day.
The cheerful piece contains all the characteristics you would expect from the pair. Fabulous detail, a dream-like subject matter and Zase’s name taking centre stage. Some great photographs of its creation can be found here.
The mural is thought to feature Zase’s son, but beyond that Zase suggests that you simply have to make of it what you will.
Other works by Zase and Dekor appear in Cottrell Street, Claremont Road, Cheltenham Road and York Street.
8.5/10
Another clear day and a couple of excursions to find more street art and graffiti. I saw enough artwork to keep me out of mischief for some while.
I have seen this particular Sepr work many times, but always in the car, and parking nearby can be difficult, so I have never stopped to photograph it. Sepr has sprayed numerous shop fronts dotted around Bristol but somehow this one looks perfect for its setting in St Pauls. My only minor observation is the missing apostrophe.
7/10
Natural adventures 