Back to Bristol now, after a short excursion to London, and a more familiar street art scene altogether. This is the second of two recent finds by John D’oh in Horfield skate park. I suppose it is possible that they were produced around the same time.
John D’oh, Horfield skate park, Bristol, April 2019
This stencil features Batman and a quote from John D’oh that reads ‘I son’t want Michael Gove as Prime Minister I want Batman AKA Jeremy Corbyn’. This is in reference to a televised speech made by Michael Gove in which the automated subtitles said Batman instead of ‘that man’ when he was talking about the leader of the opposition. Very funny really, and great work from John D’oh to capture it in this way. I think we’d all prefer Batman to any of the potential candidates in the Tory party right now. What an utter shower of toxic right-wingers.
I don’t head up to Horfield skate park very often, as I consider the turnover of street art and graffiti there to be pretty low and it doesn’t seem to be a particularly favoured spot for many artists. I was delighted therefore to be rewarded on a rare trip on Good Friday with this magnificent stencil by John D’oh.
John D’oh, Horfield skate park, Bristol, April 2019
The stencil works for me so very very well. It shows the unspeakably toxic Jacob Rees-Mogg standing behind Theresa May who appears to be his ventriloquist’s dummy. Brilliantly funny but also it speaks volumes about how so many of us feel about the way the European Research Group (ERG – what kind of name is that anyway? Research? swap the word ‘research’ for ‘hating’ and you might get a sense of what they’re all about) have been holding May hostage throughout Brexit negotiations. Their hard-line and uncompromising Brexit desires, and her determination to hold the Conservative party together, mean that they have dictated the terms of the failed negotiations, along with the jaw-droppingly selfish DUP.
Rees-Mogg represents everything I dislike about self-interested politicians who do not serve their people, but rather manipulate narratives that appeal to under-represented groups. I would guess he also cares more about his income security (and growth) than he does about the pressing fate of our planet. I suspect he shares Owen Patterson’s loathing of the environmental movement that might, just might, interfere with their comfortable lives for the sake of trying to reverse the shocking state of carbon emissions and biodiversity loss.
Thank you John D’oh for giving us this fabulous visual reminder of just how disgraceful the political class (and indeed party politics in general) are in the UK.
OK, so I managed to find some more doors, but I’m afraid they are lazy doors really, because they are graffiti/street art doors which tend to be abundant in the places I regularly visit in Bristol.
Make the most of them, because there will be no doors from me next week – I am taking a short break from everything and treating myself to some fresh mountain air.
So, no more fuss…here they are:
Door, North Street, Bristol, Artist: Paul Monsters, February 2019Graffiti door, Leonard Lane, Bristol, March 2019Graffiti door, Leonard Lane, Bristol, March 2019Graffiti door, Stencil by John D’oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, March 2019Door and shutter, Cafe Cuba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, February 2019Door, Jamaica Street, Bristol, February 2019
More door action can be found by following the link at the end of the brilliant Norm 2.0 blog: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0
With the incredible weather we have had recently in Bristol, there has been a massive turnover of street art, so what the hell am I doing delving through my archive pictures rather than posting current street/graffiti art? I think that it tends to happen when I am looking for something specific and then stumble upon things that I have squirreled away. Anyhow, I saw this and just had to post it. It is a winter piece (obviously from the subject) by John D’oh.
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
The stencil depicts the snowman from Disney’s Frozen, and makes a pun on the name with one of the characters (Olaf = a laugh), but then draws in the incredibly serious matter of climate change. This is a skillful way of blending art, humour and the biggest issue of our time in a typically John D’oh way. I love this piece and am happy that I have now at last liberated it.
A rare treat indeed, getting to see John D’oh in action at Upfest 2016 finishing off his five piece stencil. How on earth can this have languished in my archive for so long? I just don’t understand it. It is great to use this trawl to share it with you now.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The theme of the piece is getting connected, or at least that is how it comes across. John D’oh tells us in his recent book that the piece features friends of his to whom he pitched the idea of them talking into cans with the string between them spelling out his name. It seems to have worked out well.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The way that John D’oh frames these pieces makes them look a little bit like a cheesy girl’s comic from the 1970s, like Jackie (I only know this because my sister had a subscription). Kevin Bacon I think is included because of his links to the EE advertising campaign which has been running for a few years now.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Rounding things off is a sublime stencil of the wonderful Jeff Knight, my local Big Issue seller. An all round excellent Upfest piece.
Mystery solved. Regular readers will know that I am really quite uncomfortable with posting pieces if I don’t know who created them. Occasionally I post them anyway because I don’t think I’ll ever find out who did them. In this case, I have held on in with the firm conviction that I would find the artist. And I have.
John D’oh, Princes Street, Bristol, October 2018
I recently bought John D’oh’s excellent book ‘Street Art and Graffiti‘ and there on pages 40 and 41 is this wonderful stencil piece. These photographs were taken this October, but I have some much older ones somewhere in my archive. The original installation had a little red word ‘why’ to the left of the piece and it was placed on 16 November 2015 as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Paris terror attacks of 13 November that same month.
There is a little shelf beneath the piece which had little battery operated flickering candle lights to give the piece a shrine appearance. Beautifully conceived and executed. This is a poignant and touching piece from a great Bristol artist who puts a lot of thought, time, energy, passion and effort in to his work.
I was thrilled to find out it was by John D’oh. Good things come to those who wait (and buy books).
Often humorous and always tinged with a bit of edge, John D’oh’s stencils can be found on walls all around Bristol (and Cheltenham) and of course at Upfest. This year’s ‘official’ piece was a double-header, the first part of which was a witty corruption of the Infinite Monkey Theory.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The second board is another pithy pop at Brexit, featuring Noel Edmond’s Deal or no Deal as its headline. I absolutely love these topical political stencils, and look forward to his injects about the place.
Street art and Graffiti, John D’oh, Bristol, October 2018
Coincidentally, his new book arrived yesterday and I can’t recommend highly it enough, it is one of the best graffiti/street art books that I have read in a while, intelligently written and full of photographs and commentary on his own work. Brilliant.
A collection of fantastic stencil art by Bristol street artist John D’oh
Published on 17 October to celebrate the publication of his new book “Street Art and Graffiti” – Buy it here
All photographs taken by Scooj
John D’oh, St George skate park, Bristol, April 2022John D’oh, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022John D’oh, Horfield skate park, Bristol, March 2022John D’oh, Horfield Skate Park, Bristol, March 2022John D’oh, Gloucester Road, Bristol, December 2021John D’oh, Horfield skate park, Bristol, November 2021John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, April 2016John D’oh, Gloucester Road, Bristol, November 2021John D’oh, Gloucester Road, Bristol, November 2021John D’oh, Princess Street, Burnham-on-Sea, September 2021John D’oh, Princess Street, Burnham-on-Sea, September 2021John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, October 2021John D’oh, Princess Street, Burnham-on-Sea, September 2021John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2021John D’oh, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, February 2021John D’oh, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021John D’oh, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020John D’oh, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2020John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020
John D’oh, St George, Bristol, June 2020John D’oh, Horfield skate park, Bristol, May 2020John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020John D’oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2017John D’oh, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016John D’oh, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016John D’oh, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2020John D’oh, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019John D’oh, St Michael’s Hill, Bristol, July 2019John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016John D’oh, Horfield skate park, Bristol, April 2019John D’oh, Horfield skate park, Bristol, April 2019John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016John D’oh, Princes Street, Bristol, October 2018John D’oh, Princes Street, Bristol, October 2018John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, August 2018John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2018John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018John D’oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2017John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2017John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2017John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2017John D’Oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2017Decay and John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016John D’oh, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, June 2016John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, June 2016John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, May 2016John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016
I was looking for the Andrew Burns Colwill piece (to follow soon) which I knew was a little off the beaten track for Upfest 2018 and spotted this brilliant little stencil by John D’oh on the wall of The Black Cat pub on the corner of West Street and Westbourne Grove.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, August 2018
When I see small ‘hidden’ gems like this, I wonder how many Upfest visitors might have missed it in their quest for the ‘marquee’ artists – I don’t suppose it matters really, but as a street art hunter, I like to work hard for my trophies, it is what I do. This is a really accomplished little stencil and one that really chimes for me – a great little find – Thank you John D’oh.
I have a feeling that this piece was stencilled by John D’oh during last year’s Upfest, but because it is on a shutter, I just haven’t seen it as I’m not usually in Bedminster outside normal working hours. For those not familiar with David Attenborough (is there anyone on this blue planet?) the phrase used by John D’oh is an affectionate ribbing of one of Attenborough’s much used phrases, spoken in whispered tones.
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2018
The stencil is very typical of John D’oh’s work, although in this instance devoid of politics. There is something a little unfortunate about the monkey in the top right glancing down at Attenborough – his face appears to be a graffiti cock and bals, which is what I hought it was the first time I saw it. I’m not sure if this is deliberate or not, but once pointed ut it is difficult not to see it (sorry). Nice work again from John D’oh.
Natural adventures 