Tag: John d’Oh

1211. The Bearpit (111)

I have said it before recently, that John D’oh has been busy stencilling this autumn/winter, with much of his work appearing in The Bearpit. He has also done some other highly satirical Banksy tributes in Cheltenham, but I haven’t yet seen them.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2017

Always edgy and often political, John D’oh’s work, more than any other artist in Bristol is a target for tagging and dogging. He is clearly not held in the same regard as other artists, but that is the way for political artists…not everyone will agree with them. The Queen stencil has had the eyes sprayed red…which possibly enhances the menace of the piece.

 

John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2017

I apologise for the quality of the images, which were rather compromised by the low light levels…I was on my way to do some Christmas shopping and the light was fading fast. I thought I’d include them anyway.

1185. Leonard Lane (14)

John d’Oh has been very busy lately on the streets of Bristol, but this is the first time I have seen his work in Leonard Lane. Typical of his work, he takes a strong political line, and in this stencil he celebrates a Corbyn revolution.

John D'Oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2017
John D’Oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2017

This is beautifully worked, and of course I particularly like it because of its edge. There are many more pieces by John d’Oh that I have in my archive and I might have to start bunching them together, simply to be able to share them.

700. North Street, loft conversions

Sometimes collaborations really work well, and this beauty between Decay and John D’oh is quite a beauty. Half way along North Street, I first saw it during Upfest (it was a weekend and the shutters were down) although I don’t think it was sprayed for the festival.

Decay and John D'oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Decay and John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

It is a striking shutter piece and John D’oh’s stencil is rather special. I am not sure who it is of, but it works so well with the colours favoured by Decay. For me this is a special Bristol piece to be treasured.

672. The Bearpit (45)

Photographing street art and posting it on digital social media can be a frustrating thing sometimes. Some bloggers or Instagrammers, put up their images within hours or minutes of finding a new piece. This is great for getting a picture of ‘what’s new’ but is usually unaccompanied by any sort of narrative, and rarely a location…I don’t understand why people are so guarded. Others like myself, like to add a little bit of a back story…sometimes a little tedious (I’m sorry)…to give the reader just a little bit more than a snapshot. The big disadvantage of the latter approach is that images about contemporary news events seem rather out dated by the time I get to post them. A case in point is this witty ‘love is’ piece by John D’oh in one of the tunnels of The Bearpit.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

So my apologies to all for the tardiness of this post, but I think it is still worth including in the blog. I don’t need to say much about the subject matter – it has been world news after all. I love the subtle (?) reference to Trump’s hair. This is a fun piece ridiculing the ridiculous.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

574. The Bearpit (33)

Very close to the Mr Klue/Decay collaboration, John D’oh has been busy with his 2016 stencil. A great many of John D’oh’s pieces are edgy or political, but this one I think captures the feelings of a majority of Bristolians, that for many reasons 2016 was not a good year, and the Grim Reaper is welcome to it.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

I love John D’oh’s stencils as they are usually contemporary with uncomplicated messages and often replicated in several sites. Both of these were in the same area of the Bearpit, and there was at least another one too.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

I very much hope that 2017 brings more hope and joy to the city, but I suspect it won’t. I sense a rebellious undercurrent will oppose injustice in all it forms and be expressed in a typically Bristolian way. Graffiti art will play its part, and John D’oh will most likely be at the heart of it.

460. North Street

On a shop front in North Street, there is this tiny micro-stencil by John D’oh. It is really beautiful, and something of a departure from his more political art. Saucy, and I love it.

John D'oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

419. North Street hoarding (5)

This little alcove, created by the side of a shop on one side and a hoarding on the other is a favourite haunt of John D’oh’s. Hardly a week goes by without a new stencil from this productive agent provocateur appearing in the immediate area.

John D'oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

His works are often political, and here we have a statement about homelessness which frankly is difficult to disagree with. The expression of this issue through graffiti art is surely representative of a general groundswell of opinion that things just aren’t great at the moment for those who drop under the radar of our bullish Government. Casualties…collateral damage of ‘Britain being open for business’. Shame.

381. Dean Lane skate park (15)

A witty homage to Pokemon Go by John D’oh on the tarmac of Dean Lane skate park. It looks like Pikachu may have seen better days.

John D'oh, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
John D’oh, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

This is not the only Pikachu in town…I’ll need to dig the other one that I know of out. Fun contemporary stuff from one of the most prolific street artists in Bristol.

307, North Street hoarding (4)

John D’oh is a political stencil artist, and he has been oh so very busy recently. This recent piece, in a little alcove on North Street, really chimes with me. It is a promotional piece for the upcoming Upfest event and in fact there are two of the stencils side by side in this location. Technically, this piece is excellent.

John D'oh, North Street, Bristol, June 2016
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, June 2016

The best bit about this piece is that it features a guy called Jeff, who sells ‘The Big Issue’, a magazine I have referred to previously in my posts. He is my local seller, and I like to buy my copies from him. He can usually be found in Stokes Croft, in North Bristol, but this stencil is in North Street (rather confusingly) in South Bristol.

John D'oh, North Street, Bristol, June 2016
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, June 2016

There was a nice feature in the Bristol Post (I cannot find a link) about the stencil and how pleased Jeff was to be the subject of it. I’ll have to talk to Jeff about it next time I see him. Great work, with a great subject promoting a great event.

232. North Street hoarding (3)

John D’oh is a very naughty political artist whose work I enjoy immensely, whether I agree with his assertions or not. Whenever I see his stuff I can’t help smiling at his cheeky nerve. I suspect it gets him into trouble occasionally, but I like the edge he brings to the Bristol street art scene. This time it is the turn of the Queen, a reference to the band of the same name and her position on Brexit as portrayed by some media outlets (in particular the Murdock News International Media group).

John D'oh, North Street, Bristol, May 2016
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, May 2016

Not only is the content of his work noteworthy, but his execution using stencils and his profusion of work is impressive. I have a large backlog of his work, much of which is politically no longer contemporary, but nonetheless an indicator of political issues in 2010s Bristol.