5273. M32 roundabout J3 (478)

Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023

This is another busy and eclectic piece from Kid Krishna. An explosion of sub-conscious and conscious thought pinned to a framework of graffiti letters spelling CRIE. Kid Krishna really is a unique artist and interesting character, utterly absorbed in his artwork and constantly challenging his own ideas.

Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023

I was lucky enough to meet Kid Krishna just as he was starting this piece, and it is fascinating to see that his starting point was the hand in the centre. The hand and the character hint that the artist might have had a classical art education – the proportions and perspective are expertly painted.

Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023

The busy nature of the piece suggests that Kid Krishna has a busy mind, and his work reminds me a bit of Tom Miller’s brain dumps. There is always so much t look at and to try to work out. Lots more to come from Kid Krishna.

4661. Brunel Way (169)

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022

The creativity that is the signature of Maybe’s work continues to delight, with his constant flow of small stencil art pieces, most of which are painted under Brunel Way or the immediate area.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022

This recent piece depicts a woman contemplating the stars, made slightly weird by the ‘Mr Tickle’ hand curling in full circle. These atmospheric pieces feature planets and stars heavily, and Maybe has definitely refined his technique to create these beautiful space-scapes.

4248. Cumberland Basin

Tack Jucker has tapped into a theme with this hand piece in Cumberland Basin, the second such piece in a short period from the artist. He is obviously enjoying the interaction between the hand and the tentacles and is pulling it off pretty well as far as I can see.

Tack Jucker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2022
Tack Jucker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2022

Tack is an artist who is reasonably new to the Bristol street art scene, but right from the start he has been producing really interesting character pieces, and appears to have a strong element of ‘study’ in his works. The hand in this piece, for example, is very carefully thought out in terms of shape and aspect. Great work from Tack.

4212. Sparke Evans Park (28)

This is a curious and wonderful piece from Tack Jucker who is without doubt stamping his style on the Bristol scene with a really positive impact. Tack is a really creative artist whose ideas transcend the run-of-the-mill stuff that you see day in day out, and I always enjoy his pieces when I see them.

Tack Jucker, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Tack Jucker, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022

Of the six pieces I have posted by the artist, this is certainly the most unique. Tentacles and a hand with an all-seeing eye tell a story here, although I’m not too sure what it is. Technically it is very nicely executed, and the shading on the Hand is particularly notable. This is another fine piece from Tack, and I look forward very much to seeing him develop.

3934. Alfred Street (9)

I am so enjoying the work of Maesyhook. Ever since I first came across her work, I have been hypnotised by her refreshing and quirky pieces. I thought I had her taped until I saw this piece outside the Dare To club. I have no idea what this piece is or what it represents, but the colours are the ones she uses most in her work, those and her signature are what bring continuity.

Maesyhook, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2021
Maesyhook, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2021

I’ll attempt to describe the piece. The pink element is reasonably straightforward and is a snake or serpent. The green circles might be apples, so is there an Old Testament reference here? If there is, then the blue element could be Adam and Eve, but on closer inspection it looks like a hand. OK, I’ll quit while I am ahead and simply enjoy a piece from one of my ‘flavour of the month’ artists.

3898. Upfest 2021 75×75 (49)

Another artist whose work I very much admire and who is no stranger to Upfest is Envol, and he returned to Bristol to paint one of his distinctive pieces just off North Street. I was lucky enough to meet him while he was painting this and he stopped for a while for a great chat. It turns out that he is good friends with Fanakapan, another very talented London artist and one who has also painted at Upfest in the past.

Envol, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Envol, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

While I managed to photograph the piece as a work in progress, by the time I came back to photograph the final finished piece it had been vandalised, along with several other Upfest murals, by some misguided (and probably ill) idiot. Thankfully the piece was fully restored and is as good as new.

Envol, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Envol, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

Envol creates these sharp and clean pieces incorporating parts of the body with abstract shapes and patterns, and sometimes disrupting them with white space. They are quite surreal, and at times remind me a little of Giorgio de Chirico fused with Matisse’s cut outs. Beautiful to look at and thought-provoking. This piece is another fabulous contribution to Upfest’s 75×75 event.

3527. Bragg’s Lane (1)

It always pays to explore the city. It is easy to get trapped into only visiting the places you know or are familiar with. Hunting for street art has taught me to leave no stone unturned and to always look over your shoulder to see if you have missed something.

Object..., Bragg's Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Object…, Bragg’s Lane, Bristol, February 2021

I caught sight of this beauty from Object… out of the corner of my eye a few weeks ago while driving by and resolved at that moment to return to take some pictures, which I did last weekend. This is a big bold and angry piece from the people’s champion Object… and features some of his recurring motifs, such as ‘eat the rich’ slogan and disfigured body parts, in this case a hand. I like and have always liked his work. There is so much passion and anguish, and it bursts out from the wall, even if it is a little uncomfortable to look at. A fabulous large piece.

3283. M32 Spot (88)

It has been a very, very long time since I last saw a piece from Object… and at this time of political turmoil I have missed his interjections and commentary defending the less well off and downcast members of our society.

Object..., M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Object…, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020

Another rather grotesque imagining of a hand being eaten by hungry mouths… a piece with a lot of pain anguish and rage. The whole scene is rather unpleasant and uncomfortable, but I think that is the point, this is a challenging and political piece. The slogan ‘Eat the Rich’ accompanies th work as in so much of Object…’s art. A provocative and compelling piece.

3054. Cattle Market Road (5)

This is the fifth and final piece from the magnificent outdoor gallery in Cattle Market Road arranged by The Hass. it is by an artist I’ve not come across before, which should not come as too much as a surprise because he is a tattoo artist called Josh B.

Josh B, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, June 2020
Josh B, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, June 2020

It is immediately clear that this is the work of a tattoo artist, particularly looking at the bird, flowers and hand on the left. I can’t put my finger on why the tattoo style comes across so strongly, maybe the way the spray paint is used in the way that ink is, I don’t know. The piece is really beautifully painted and it is great to see the Bristol reference in the shape of the Bristol suspension bridge in one of the framed pictures. A lovely piece.

2515. Cheltenham 2019 (14)

I have not seen much of Korp’s work but everything I have seen from this artist I very much like. His highly distinctive style is instantly recognisable and quite unlike anything else out there. I don’t know what he calls his characters, but they usually look a bit like worms to me, although this one painted at this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival s a little different.

Korp, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Korp, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

The piece is painted on a backdrop of hand paste ups with the words ‘The Hand Mischief’ written on them. Over the top of this paper wall Korp has painted a demonic looking character with ears and red eyes I wouldn’t normally associate with his pieces. Is this simply what it is, or is it a piece full of symbolism and meaning? I am not sure, but it is a classy piece either way.