4996. Devon Road (19)

Unknown, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2023
Unknown, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2023

I was caught very much in two minds about posting this beautiful little unsigned piece in Devon Road. Firstly, I have no idea who the artist is, which is always a little bit of a challenge for me and secondly, there are rain drops on the lens, obscuring the bottom of the picture. Ordinarily these two factors would dictate that this piece would remain in the archives, but I really like it, so I used my own veto (which I think I am allowed to do) to publish it.

Unknown, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2023
Unknown, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2023

The motif is a strong one, and at a guess I would say was influenced by the tattoo world. There is a story of heartache here, burning love constrained by thorns. I love it. The piece is beautifully executed, with fabulous shading and highlights, and there is something rather simple about the design, the balance is just right, and it is not trying to do too much. Now all I need is to find the artist who painted it.

3963. Dean Lane skate park (430)

I came quite late to posting pieces by Bnie, not for any reason, I don’t know why. Perhaps I sometimes hold back until I know a little bit more about the artist, or perhaps their work grows on me. Anyhow, I am trying to make up for it now and will post her work as often as I can and if I find any in my archive searches will post them too. Last week, I posted a Bnie gallery and hope that she is now better represented in Natural Adventures.

Bnie, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Bnie, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

This piece, on an awkward little bit of wall in Dean Lane skate park, is nicely pulled together with great colour fills, smiley mouth and heart on top of the ‘i’. Always reliable and always upbeat, Bnie’s work is greatly valued and enjoyed.

3603. Cumberland Basin

Another interesting piece from Big Hev who seems to be having a great time experimenting with spraying walls about the city. Her work is still quite naive, but there is a definite style emerging and with practice I’m sure she will emerge as yet another fine Bristol wall artist.

Big Hev, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2021
Big Hev, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2021

In a move away from her portraits, this piece ‘you can’t hide our smiles’ features a seahorse in an orange circle, surrounded with love hearts. Her work is bold and colourful and there is a lot of energy there. Her skills and technique with the spray paint will develop over time, but so far watching her progress is hugely enjoyable.

2544. Dean Lane skate park (261)

Recently there has been a little bit of an increase in the number and variety of wheatpastes that have been appearing in Bristol from a few different artists. This, of course, pleases me because I am very fond of this form of street art.

Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

This couple of paste ups by Georgie are quite small and hidden away and could easily be overlooked, but they are little gems. The print shows a heart being set upon by a group of ants, set on a dotted background. One in in pink base colours, the other in blue.

Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Georgie, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

Georgie is a wonderfully talented artist who works in a range of different media and is equally happy with studio or street work. There are more paste ups from Georgie to come soon, so watch this space. Great stuff, and fun to find.

2165. Moon Street (67)

A highly unusual piece in Moon Street by DNT on the wall where his three-eyed cat used to be. I met DNT (Dante) for the first time just as he was finishing this piece off. Like several street artists that I am acquainted with, he has a larger than life personality and didn’t seem to mind too much chatting about the piece. He said he wasn’t too happy with the the colour scheme and was suggesting that he had run out of a particular colour.

DNT, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2019
DNT, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2019

The copper tones remind me of a large tribute piece he did in The Bearpit a few months ago. It almost looks like two discrete works, the copper surround with soft lines and patterns and in the centre a red and yellow heart in a much more blocky style. Here DNT is showing his love for BS1. A nice piece, but I do miss the cat.

DNT, Moon Street, Bristol, December 2015
DNT, Moon Street, Bristol, December 2015

 

1393. The Bearpit (127)

Although I am confident this is a Tom Miller piece, with his trademark explosion of swirling colours, it is not signed, and so there is that tiny little nagging doubt about it. However, since nobody else in Bristol paints like this, I will attribute it to him anyway.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2108
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2108

I’m not sure if it is still there or not, it has been a week or two since I did any street art hunting in Bristol, but most of his recent stuff has been tagged and oversprayed unnecessarily quickly, which is pretty annoying really.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2108
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2108

In this piece, a motif he uses a lot, a heart, is surrounded by a chaos of colour. A nice piece.

 

 

1318. Castlehaven Road, Camden Town (1)

My not-so-recent trip to Camden Town took me back to some places that I had been to on previous visits. This was a particular joy to behold. Always, seeing Dzia pieces is thrilling but to see one so perfectly worked into a wall with an existing piece is just perfect.

Dzia, Castlehaven Road, Camden Town, November 2017
Dzia, Castlehaven Road, Camden Town, November 2017

I first saw this wall, with only the Dotmaster piece in September 2016, but the additional character that the Dzia pigeon has given it works so well. I love the clever touch of the pigeon’s heart, as if it is saying I love this piece.

Dzia, Castlehaven Road, Camden Town, November 2017
Dzia, Castlehaven Road, Camden Town, November 2017

One just has to marvel at the way the lines and shapes that Dzia draws, which on their own don’t make any sense, come together to create such astonishingly lifelike creatures that appear to be animated. Such clever work from this exceptional Belgian artist.

1127. Camden Town, London.

Somewhat reminiscent of Banksy’s work or Unify or JPS, this lovely piece by Dotmaster Is just about perfect for this wall. Situated under a camden council sign stating ‘bill stickers will be prosecuted’. The corny old joke suggests that graffiti under the sign should read ‘Bill Stickers is innocent’ but the joke is a hundred years old.

Dotmaster, Camden Town, London, September 2016
Dotmaster, Camden Town, London, September 2016

This beautifully executed piece presents us with a naughty child spraying that most sacred of images, a heart, on the wall. A picture within a picture. I love this and pretty much everything about it, but I know little or nothing about the artist, but his biography on his website gives you a flavour. I love his comment:

There is NO subculture ONLY subversion.