John D’oh presents us with another fun stencil from underneath the M32 motorway. This one dates itself, being an Easter piece. Here we see as presentation of the Easter Bunny that we may never have seen before.
The artist has an eye for seeing things in a slightly different way and is often trying to find humour in the benign or ordinary. I’m not sure that I’ll ever look at Easter eggs in the same way after seeing this.
Another piece from John D’oh’s awesome outdoor gallery underneath the M32, this time adopting cartoon characters to describe a fairly laid-back Bristol lifestyle.
What better characters to adopt than a combination of Shaggy and Scooby Doo alongside a Bristol crocodile, all smoking weed and looking contented. I guess that Bristol is no different from any other western world city, but somehow this weed-smoking culture appears to have become inextricably linked to the place. A knowing stencil poking fun at at the city’s culture.
I expect that Popeye will be a familiar character for many, although post-millennial cohorts are unlikely to identify strongly or even at all with the iconic character. Certainly, John D’oh provides an indication of his likely age with this characterful stencil underneath the M32 motorway.
John D’oh skilfully blends the Popeye character with contemporary politics making a link between spinach greens and the Green Party, with the words ‘Eat green, vote green’. This is a particularly salient message with the upcoming local elections next month in which the Greens are expected to do rather well, picking up disaffected left of centre voters.
Another piece (and there are so many more to come) from John D’oh’s under-motorway gallery. This is a humorous piece, which leans into smutty, which I guess is all part of the edginess of street art.
The fine stencil of a young woman is accompanied by the words “Things not to say on Valentine’s day: You might not be my happy ever after, but you could be my happy ending?”. On a picky point, the second half of the sentence doesn’t read as a question, and I think that the ‘you’ and the ‘could’ are the wrong way round. The piece has the potential to cause offence, although I think the emphasis is on humour. Not one of his best ideas, but nonetheless part of his varied portfolio.
Not too long ago, Creamylines got busy painting birds on columns under the M32. I don’t quite know if this was a practice session or a takeover bit. Whatever the motivation, he has occupied about a dozen or more columns with his long-necked bird portraits.
Of course, I could have photographed every column, and filled this post with birds, but instead have chosen one or two as I think you get the idea. I am really enjoying watching on as Creamylines expands his portfolio and his presence in Bristol.
Another wonderful stencil piece from John D’oh’s outdoor gallery underneath the M32. There is no annotation, just an image of a woman speaking into a megaphone, from which flowers are cascading.
The piece tells a story which I guess is open to interpretation. I think it speaks of protest and peace, a little bit like Banksy’s famous ‘flower thrower’. The piece is beautifully presented, simple and thought-provoking. Good to see.
Another fine stencil from the ever-expanding gallery of work by John D’oh under the M32. This little spot is a haven of wit, pathos, observation and political commentary captured within the artist’s simple and authentic style.
In this piece John D’oh highlights the pleasure and mental health benefits derived by artists from painting on the streets (a very real thing), while commenting on the futility of Bristol City Council putting those serving community service to work on buffing the walls of popular graffiti spots. A great observation of his own craft and responses to it.
This is another wonderful stencil piece by John D’oh, underneath the M32 in what he has made into a bit of a personal gallery. This simple, playful piece is packed with humour and wordplay.
A gorilla is featured alongside a banana which has a bit of tape over it, to give the illusion that a real banana is attached to the column.The words ‘guerilla street art is better than a grey wall’ mess with the homonym ‘guerilla and gorilla’. Fun stuff nicely executed.
In a world filled with terrifying and depressing headlines, it is refreshing to be able to enjoy a moment of lighthearted humour, and this lovely column piece by John D’oh under the M32 is just what the doctor ordered.
How often have we heard that ‘love is just around the corner’? Well, John D’oh takes the saying literally with this two-part stencil. A simple and clever piece that would bring a smile to even the most cold-hearted viewer. Just another piece in a superb ‘gallery’ of John D’oh’s work under the M32 adjacent to Eastville Park.
In my wanderings in search of Bristol street art and graffiti, I tend to visit the ‘honey pots’ most often, and then radiate outwards to the spots where turnover is lower, or where wall space is limited to one or two pieces only. This means that I tend to miss quite a few pieces from these less visited places. I was pleased therefore to stumble across this Haka piece in a tunnel under the M32 recently.
I think that Haka painted this some time ago, but it still looks in fair condition. Haka’s combination pieces usually feature children’s picture book characters. The pirate in the piece, standing on a barrel is unknown to me, and a quick Google search didn’t help. A fun piece for the kids.
Natural adventures 