2693. St Werburghs tunnel (131)

This is just the kind of collaboration that I absolutely love, and that one of the artists is Kid Crayon makes it a whole lot better. The other artist, I am Ian (Ian Moore) is new to me, and I understand from his Instagram account hasn’t  painted a wall for five or six years.

Kid Crayon, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Kid Crayon, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020

The tunnel in St Werburghs has been a very busy venue for artists this autumn/winter, I suspect because we have had so much wet weather for such a long time.

On the left of the collaboration is a snoozing king by Kid Crayon, complete with orb and sceptre, and large bags of money.

I Am Ian, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
I Am Ian, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020

While the king snoozes, a naughty goblin-like wannabe king is making off with some stolen cash and the crown, leaving behind a mischievous fart cloud in his wake. I rather like this character and if this is anything to go by, I can’t wait for I Am Ian to hit a few more walls this year. The whole thing is a witty story beautifully portrayed, and everything I look for in a piece of street art. I salute you KC and IM. Turn the letters around and you have a new crew name MICK!

Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020

2631. Dove Street

Finding this wheatpaste by Kid Crayon was like finding an old friend. I was on a slight detour from my usual route to work, and just caught a glimpse of it in my peripheral vision. How could I have never found this until now.

Kid Crayon, Dove Street, Bristol, December 2019
Kid Crayon, Dove Street, Bristol, December 2019

I think that this was probably pasted up around five years ago when Kid Crayon was doing a lot of this kind of work. Considering it’s age, it has survived remarkably well and I guess the fact that it is in a little recess in the wall has protected it a little from the elements. The find of the month, and it made me really happy.

2558. Millpond Street (7)

Roughly every six months or so this wall on the side of Domestic Drain Services gets a makeover. It is not a commission as such, more like permission and the cost of the paint thrown in, the payback is that the company get a beautifully sprayed landmark that can just about be seen from this busy motorway junction.

This piece is a collaboration between SPzero76, Squirl and Kid Crayon.

SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019

On the left is the highly detailed work of SPZero76 full of busy action and cartoon capers. The words ‘Lost Eats’ on the side of the rocket is a conflation of two crews, the Lost Souls, which SPZero76 and Squirl belong to and Eats which is the pairing of SPZero76 and Kid Crayon. A nice touch.

Squirl, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
Squirl, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019

The central part of the collaboration is a much more tranquil almost abstract space idea going on from Squirl. I have seen a little bit of his work on his occasional visits to Bristol for Upfest so it was nice to see this contribution from him.

Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019

Finally, on the right is a rather splendid space woman alien kind of thing with the astronaut clad in terrestrial clothes holding the earth with a little space shuttle breaking through the atmosphere. Great, imaginative stuff.

This whole collaboration seems to have the brief of space, but beyond that each artist has absolutely done his own thing, so this is a three-way individual collaboration loosely based on a single idea.

2487. Merrywood Road (1)

Yay! more wheatpaste antics from Kid Crayon, following a quick binge with Jimmer Willmott pasting up sketches around Bedminster. I really appreciate wheatpaste art and in my book its status is as high as spray can art. One of the big advantages for wheatpasters is that they can place their art in all sorts of places where spraying simply isn’t an option because in a matter of minutes the dirty deed is done and there is little chance of being caught. Because of this most wheatpaste art can be placed in illegal spots – having said that, the long-term impacts are far less damaging than spray paint… a bit of tired old paper here and there, that’s all.

Kid Crayon, Merrywood Road, Bristol, September 2019
Kid Crayon, Merrywood Road, Bristol, September 2019

A funny character wearing a silly party hat and a crayon floating in front of his mouth. What could be more fun than that? The crayon thing is part of Kid Crayon’s USP, and used to be the key identifier or signature on his early work, it is not seen so often these days. So pleased that he has had this little retrospective binge.

Kid Crayon, March Street, Bristol, December 2015
Kid Crayon, March Street, Bristol, December 2015

2478. Dean Lane

I have waited a very long time for this, so I will enjoy it while it lasts. It was the wheatpastes of Kid Crayon that first drew me in to the world of Bristol street art some five years ago, but then he moved on to spraying and left his paper days behind him, until a week or so ago. This was a little trip down memory lane with his partner in crime Jimmer Willmott.

Jimmer Willmott, North Street, Bristol, September 2019
Jimmer Willmott, North Street, Bristol, September 2019

These two got together and pasted up some rather fun greyscale pieces. Jimmer Willmott opting for a sketch of one of his figures with a ring doughnut for a head. Surreal, quirky and fun, I could ask for no more.

Kid Crayon, North Street, Bristol, September 2019
Kid Crayon, North Street, Bristol, September 2019

Alongside doughnut head Kid Crayon has pasted a party animal who doesn’t look too much like he is enjoying the party. Great also to see the Crayon making a comeback. Hurrah for this little foray into wheatpasting from these two… more to come from this session. Please don’t leave it quite so long before the next batch.

2258. Dean Lane skate park (218)

I have always loved the work of Kid Crayon, and this fabulous burner in Dean Lane completely reinforces my view. The colours, brick red and two shades of green, work really well together and lift this piece away from the wall. Classy.

Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019

It seems that in recent months Kid Crayon has been enjoying his burners and also creating monsters. I’m very much looking forward to seeing more work like this in the near future. If you want to hear more from this lovely artist, thre is a great podcast interview with him from April on The Rough Skecth Podcast – an interesting insight into the life of an illustrator/urban artist.

2166. M32 roundabout J3 (140)

It is most satisfying knowing that something is going to happen and then discovering that it has indeed happened. This is a wonderful collaboration between Bristol artist Kid Crayon and two Spanish artists, I think from Barcelona, Largo and Rama. I spent a while a few weeks back chatting with Kid Crayon in a bar and he told me then that he had been in touch with two Spanish artists on Instagram, and had agreed to paint with them on a planned visit to Bristol. This, I guess, is the result and I love it.

Largo, M32, Bristol, April 2019
Largo, M32, Bristol, April 2019

Set on a purple background and starting on the left is a fabulous cartoon style man and his blue car by Largo. I love the style in the man’s face, the hatching bringing out his features and his glasses are brilliant. There is a simplicity to this work that works really well. I wonder what the story is.

Rama, M32, Bristol, April 2019
Rama, M32, Bristol, April 2019

In the middle of the collaboration is this ashtray by Rama, with a smoking Posca pen in it – a reference to a tool of the trade, a bit like the way many artists feature spray cans in their work. I am particularly drawn to the little chips in the ashtray – fabulous attention to detail.

Kid Crayon, M32, Bristol, April 2019
Kid Crayon, M32, Bristol, April 2019

Finally, on the right hand side is this stunner from Kid Crayon. Heaven only knows what is going on here, a country bumpkin maybe with a sheriff badge with the word Eat (his crew with SPZero76), grating a plate of cheese. I don’t know why, perhaps it is the unuisual story and concept, but I absolutely love this piece a whole lot, even the overpainted white outline names behind each section.

Kid Crayon, M32, Bristol, April 2019
Kid Crayon, M32, Bristol, April 2019

Unfortunately this collaboration didn’t last long, and was overpainted with some inferior burners, but that is the way with street art. I am just so pleased I got to see this wall before it was ruined.

2081. Brunel Way Bridge (11)

I was alerted to this wonderful piece by Kid Crayon through Instagram and naturally tried to get to see it as quickly as I could. The piece was part of a collaboration with Subtle but alas, Subtle’s half had been painted over by the time I got down to Cumberland Basin.

Kid Crayon, Brunel Way Bridge, Bristol, March 2019
Kid Crayon, Brunel Way Bridge, Bristol, March 2019

I am guessing that Kid Crayon rather likes this tone of pink, because it features a lot in his work. Either that or he ordered way too much pink and is wading his way through it.

Kid Crayon, Brunel Way Bridge, Bristol, March 2019
Kid Crayon, Brunel Way Bridge, Bristol, March 2019

Once again, Kid Crayon has turned out yet another impressive piece and rather wonderfully incorporated one of his characters into the ‘O’ of Crayon, and it is great to see his trademark floating Crayon making a comeback. So very good.

2006. Millpond Street (6)

It is great to see yet another EAT crew piece on this exclusive wall on the side of Domestic Drain Services. Their last piece has been over sprayed in what feels like the blink of an eye because it had suffered from being getting rasined on, and the paint had not stuck to the wall leaving behind a bit of a mess (one that I liked incidentally, but there we go).

SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019

EAT are of course SPZero76 and Kid Crayon who have formed a joyous partnership bringing together their contrasting styles in a seemingly effortless way. SPZero76 has a sharp clean and highly detailed style and Kid Crayon a much softer, rounded and organic style, each one exemplified by the writing in the middle of the piece.

SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019

On the left of the collaboration are a couple of characters chilling out to some music and using some spray paint – SPZero76 has replaced the ’94’ on the spray can with a ’76’. I am guessing that the 76 in SPZero’s name relates to the year of his birth, it would kind of make sense.

Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019
Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019

On the right is a character (is it a self-portrait?) also spraying and in his rucksack along with his roller and spray can is a fish. I do very much like Kid Crayon’s obsession with fish…it is something I can relate to. All in all this is a fun piece and more than makes up for the loss of its predecessor.

 

 

1926. Millpond Street (5)

When Kid Crayon and SPZero76 get together as ‘EAT’ crew, there is almost always a creative explosion that follows. This brilliant piece, which is a kind of quasi commission, they get paid in paint, is on a wall favoured by these two.

Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018

The theme for the piece highlights plastic in our seas, something that thankfully is front of mind for so many of us at the moment. In Kid Crayon’s side of the piece, the king and queen of the sea look less than impressed with the amount of plastic in their domain, and the fish look pretty troubled too.

Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018

Although the styles of these two artists are strikingly different, they seem to work well together. SPZero76 gives us a couple of characters, a robot and swimmer in highly protective gear venturing out into the polluted sea for a surf. What is really clever about this piece is that they have incorporated bits of their previous work on this wall, such as the yellow VW Beetle, by leaving them partially exposed, thus becoming part of the pollution in this piece. Really clever work.

Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018

I always love a piece with a big story.

Update – I have since found out that the ‘special effect’ was not intentional but rather rain damage. The piece has been replaced already by the EAT crew.