2343. M32 roundabout J3 (152)

It’s great to see these two artists working together, and this is one of a couple of collaborative walls I have seen from Kool Hand and Daz Cat recently. Interestingly both artists tend to paint caricatures of animals in not entirely dissimilar styles, although Kool Hand’s work is a bit more of a line and solid fill approach where Daz Cat also uses shading.

Kool Hand, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, July 2019
Kool Hand, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, July 2019

On the left is a rather grumpy looking dog, perhaps a Bulldog of some kind sprayed by Kool Hand. It is nice to see another addition to his orangutans and crocodiles, and I am enjoying seeing his work develop further.

Daz Cat, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, July 2019
Daz Cat, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, July 2019

On the right is the piece by Daz Cat, and guess what… it is a cat, and although I have seen him deviate from his feline preference once or twice, most of his works are cats. His trademark thing is the little shape on the cat’s forehead, which in this piece gets a rather interesting fill. Both artists have well and truly woken up to the summer painting season and are pretty busy right now, which inevitably means there’s more to come.

2337. Dean Lane skate park (233)

It feels like a pretty long time since I last saw anything by Kool Hand in Bristol, and I figured he might have moved to London because he has posted a few pieces on Instagram from there. But here is a new piece in Dean Lane, and I hope this signals a return.

Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019
Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019

In this piece we see a return of his monkey/orangutan character, but just the head (looking a bit fierce) this time. I love the use of bold, vivid colours, the simple single-colour fills and clean designs. I think that if I try to do characters I might try something a bit like this, but to be a fraction as good would be success.

1850. M32 Spot (30)

I took this picture a little while back, and thught I had published it, because it is quite similar to a couple of other pieces by Kool Hand. But I hadn’t so here it is now. Kool Hand creates distinctive natural world creatures, such as this orangutan with strong black outlines and bold solid colours. The pieces are simple, but effective and he has carved out this neat style.

Kool Hand, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018
Kool Hand, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018

Most of his work is set on a white background, which probably brings out the pieces in a clearly defined way, uncluttered. He is a tidy artist. I haven’t yet met Kool Hand, but as with all artists in Bristol, it is just a matter of time before we both pitch up at the same place at the same time.

1725. Dean Lane skate park (166)

I’m getting to see quite a lot of work by Kool Hand dotted about the place, and what I see I like. His work is distinctive, using only a few strong colours to fill strong clean lines around his characters. There is a light-heartedness about his work which brings a smile to my face.

Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018
Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018

The writing part of this piece spells out KoolH and is rather nicely filled out with what looks like a bit of a jungle scene commensurate with his crocodile character. It looks like his dark green might have been running a little low. I love the way he always preps his walls with a whitewash background, another tell-tale sign that Kool Hand is about.

1652. M32 cycle path (17)

I really rather like this creature created by Kool Hand in the cycle path that runs alongside the M32. Technically, although a cycle path, it has been out of asction for several months now due to construction work, which probably makes spraying this particular wall a little less hazardous.

Kool Hand, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2018
Kool Hand, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2018

I’ve noticed that Kool Hand seems to favour using a white background, which really helps to bring out the contrasting colours he uses for his characters. Always crisp and clean, Kool Hand tends to use only a few bold colours, together with a little shading to create these striking pieces. This creature reminds me of primative marine life forms from earlier geological ages. Nice work.

1507. St Werburghs tunnel (22)

Regular readers might recognise this orange orangutan as the second piece I have posted by Kool Hand, this time in the tunnel at St Werburghs. There is a third one to come still from these sessions.

Kool Hand, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, May 2018
Kool Hand, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, May 2018

Looking forward to seeing more from Kool Hand, and maybe I can try and find out a little bit more about him. For now, simply enjoy those crisp clean lines and fun design.

1486. Dean Lane skate park (124)

So this is yet another Bristol street artist new to the pages of this blog. I am certain I have seen some of his work in the past, but only recently found out who he is, which is strange, because his signature (as these things go) is reasonably clear – Kool Hand. He seems to have had a little bit of a blitz in Bristol lately, so expect more to come.

Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

I very much like the crispness of the piece, a deliberate backwash of white paint and well proportioned orange ape (an orangutan?) with large teeth all topped off with a baseball cap. Somehow it just works. It feels like logo territory, five colours, clean lines…the whole thing lends itself to being printed.