Tag: John d’Oh

3580. M32 Spot (110)

I have only managed to capture a fraction of the Recent John D’oh stencils as he tends to spray them at spots I don’t visit too often (something better change). The last time I looked at this column there was a Pekoe sketch, so I know that this stencil isn’t very old.

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2021
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2021

As we are accustomed to seeing, John D’oh once again combines his political commentary with humour in this case ridiculing Rishi Sunak for his astounding 1% pay increase for nurses after all they have done and achieved for the nation in the last year. Yet another jaw-dropping moment from this ‘compassionate’ administration. At this moment I ought to say that it is not only nurses. As someone who works in the public sector, I have been on the wrong end of a pay freeze for ten years which was lifted last year and I received a 2% rise, but we are now back to a pay freeze. Meanwhile MPs and bankers (the architects of the banking crisis) have seen their salaries increase very nicely thank you. Respect to John D’oh for calling out these people.

3528. Lower Approach Road (9)

I always enjoy finding John D’oh pieces, and that pleasure is always heightened when it is a piece that you just didn’t know was there, which to be fair is most of the time with John D’oh. I found this one while I was looking for an Andy Council/Acer One collaboration near Temple Meads Station.

John D'oh, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, February 2021
John D’oh, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, February 2021

This is another political piece from this stencil master and is a commentary on the appalling costs of rail travel in this country alongside the dreadful service provided. I’m not too sure how long it will last here, given its location, but good on John D’oh for keeping this in the spotlight. This country is a mess.

3514. Purdown HAA Battery (20)

A trip to Purdown is always rewarding, even scrambling through winter mud is worth it, because there are often some real gems to be found like this Christmas piece by John D’oh featuring Boris Johnson and Michael Gove thinly disguised as the Grinch and a pandemic scientist.

John D'oh, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021
John D’oh, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021

Never one to pass up a chance to parody the half-wits running our country, this piece from John D’oh turned out to be somewhat prophetic. The appalling decision to relax lockdown restrictions over Christmas has contributed to the sorry state we see ourselves in, and all for the sake of vain popularity. I love what John D’oh does in exposing these charlatans.

3218. Cheltenham 2020 (7)

John D’oh always has a strong presence in Cheltenham and his “gallery” of stencils this year was quite outstanding. With his razor sharp commentaries on the state of the nation and beautifully cut stencils, there is no mistaking his work.

John D'oh, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020
John D’oh, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020

This stencil I think dates back a little while and references the Sincura Group who held a Banksy collection exhibition of street art pieces and then contraversially sold them off in a sealed bid auction. Not really the point of street art and willful profiteering. Very nice stencil… any bids?

3183. Cheltenham 2020 (1)

The first of this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival pieces is from the tireless John D’oh with this clever Alice in Wonderland reference. As is often the case with John D’oh’s work, this piece is having a bit of a swipe at McDonalds and other corporate fast food  outlets and the impact they have on obesity and poor health.

John D'oh, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020
John D’oh, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020

In this scene, a rather plump Alice is being tempted to ‘drink me, eat me, buy one get one free, go large for 30p, free soft drink with every large meal’. Seeing it like this in a Dinseyfication drills home the message rather well. Many more from John D’oh to come from the paint festival.

3122. M32 Spot (77)

I can’t think of a time when I have seen so many John D’oh stencils in such rapid succession including several that I have missed in recent weeks. Many have been about the Government’s inept handling of the coronavirus outbreak, this one however is more about the impacts on people.

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2020
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2020

Rats have commonly been used by Banksy and many other artists in their work and here a rat is used to illustrate the ‘rat race’ with the words ‘After COVID-19 I am not sure I can join the rat race’. Another nice work recording the impacts of the pandemic on Bristol society.

3113. Purdown HAA Battery (8)

Yabadaba doo! John D’oh is having a little bit of fun up at Purdown Battery with these Fred Flintstone and Barbey Rubble stencils. Certainly these make a bit of a change from his more political stuff and a change is as good as a rest as they say.

John D'oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020
John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020

Two of the stencils in full colour are of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, while the third is a little bit disturbing depicting a ‘caveman’ body with a Fred Flintstone head carrying a tray of fast food – it messes with my head a little.

John D'oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020
John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020

I love it that Barney Rubble, the least rebellious person one can think of, is holding a spray can in a kind of victory salute – although I think he has too many fingers for the style of cartoon (a small matter). Great fun pieces, beautifully executed.

3107. Purdown HAA Battery (7)

John D’oh’s busy summer just keeps on delivering time and time again, and the theme of his work continues to be dominated by coronavirus. This piece is a warning to those who might appear hypocritical having clapped for the NHS and then failing to be careful as restrictions ease.

John D'oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020
John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020

The warning has already proven to be a sensible one as we are seeing localised increases in infection rates across the UK and beyond. The simple single layer stencil shows Walt Disney’s Dopey enjoying a pint of beer. I am guessing that the Aberdeen football club players are wishing they had heeded such a warning.

3095. Purdown HAA Battery (5)

Playful as ever, John D’oh gives us this topical and relevant political piece featuring none other than our dismal ‘leader’ pushing the ‘back to work’ messaging with a little reference to Dick Turpin and his fellow outlaws. Such is the speed of current coronavirus events, and the ineptitude of our administration, that this recent piece is almost out of date as Boris seems to be preparing the nation for a second lock down.

John D'oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020
John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020

I am always amazed at how quickly John D’oh manages to conceive, create and spray his pieces. He is a modern chronicler of political events and his vehicle is street art. I like this piece, and there is more to come from JD’s visit to Purdown Battery soon.

3001. St George skate park (11)

We live in strange and sometimes farcical times. This rather nice stencil from John D’oh at St George skate park satirises one of the more surreal moments of Trump’s utterly catastrophic presidency. How do Johnson and Trump keep their jobs in the light of such gross incompetence and stupidity? It is a mystery. If I behaved in the way they do, I would have been fired a long time ago.

John D'oh, St George, Bristol, June 2020

So Americans, injecting disinfectant might be worth a try, you know it makes sense huh? And now we see Jair Bolsenaro, another populist leader, equally driven by self-interest and fame entering the competition to see who can manage the coronavirus epidemic the worst. These leaders love being at the top of international league tables that it matters not what the rankings are about. How did it come to this? Thank you John D’oh for reminding us with your running narrative about the desperate state of world leadership.