Tag: Monster

3380. St Werburghs tunnel (214)

On a recent trip to St Werburghs tunnel it was so very nice to be greeted by this monster face piece from CD.TC. There has definitely been an uptick in the frequency with which CD.TC has been hitting the walls this year, unless I have been missing something in the past.

CD.TC, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020
CD.TC, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020

This was painted at the same time as a Daz Cat piece a few yards away and the two will often be found painting together. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting either of them, but they are out so often, it is only a matter of time.

This particular piece by CD.TC is rather more elaborate than usual, and I am guessing he took a little more time over it. The addition of horns creates an even more terrifying character. There is sure an influence of tribal masks in his pieces. Nice work.

3359. M32 Cycle path (93)

It was during a recent impromptu paint jam along the M32 cycle path that I was lucky enough to meet Zake for the first time. I had seen him paint once before, but not stopped for a chat. Luckily I arrived just as everyone was finishing off, so I had the double delight of not only meeting so many artists, but also taking photographs of the pieces in their freshest possible state.

Zake, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020
Zake, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020

This is a rather likeable monster figure with long arms extending from a stumpy body. I like the direction his work is taking and it has come a long way from his earlier column pieces at the M32 spot. I like to look at details in pieces and here he has added a little window to the right of the piece, and the light cast has given a little bright highlight on the monster’s back. These little things matter. Lovely piece.

3338. M32 roundabout J3 (267)

I had to go back into my archives to dig this little beauty out by Daz Cat and CD.TC that had managed to get left behind. Daz Cat in particular appears to be going through a bit of a purple patch at the moment, but both artists are getting out and about.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

On the left of the collaborative piece is a Daz Cat cat in browns and greens with a red surround on a white buffed wall – colours that extend across the whole piece that makes it one of those colour/style sharing collaborations. The cat is holding one half of a sign which reads ‘More peace, fuck police’, and it was painted in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement gaining pace during the summer after the George Floyd killing.

CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

On the right is a wonderful and slightly grotesque character from CD.TC. I love the hand clutching a pencil, it has something really cool about it. These two artists would appear to be firm friends, along with Kool Hand, and their collaborations are a prominent feature on the Bristol street art scene.

Daz Cat and CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Daz Cat and CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

3299. M32 Spot (90)

Sometimes artists tend to come into view with increasing frequency. Now I don’t know whether that is because I am noticing them more but that they have always been there or whether they are actually painting walls more often. Whatever the reason, I am definitely seeing work from CD.TC these days and that is a good thing.

CD.TC, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
CD.TC, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020

This column piece at the M32 Spot is very nicely done and it has to be said that his portrait orientation style suits columns very well, a bit like Zake. The monster face contains many of the elements that we see in CD.TC’s work including great big teeth and swirly eyes. The monster appears to be consuming city buildings and smoking a cigarette. So much going on  in this fun piece.

3217. Cheltenham 2020 (6)

Cheltenham is home to a small number of artists, but thanks in large part to Dice67 and his Cheltenham Paint Festival, it is firmly on the street art map of the UK. One of those local artists (although he might be from Gloucester, I can never quite remember) is Flava136 whose piece for this year’s festival was simply beautiful.

Flava136, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020
Flava136, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020

It is just such a pity that we don’t see more of his work in Bristol. His monster character is becoming more and more stylised and the design elements becoming more prominent. This piece is so clean and tidy and is a great showcase of his fine work. Flava136 is an artist I’ve yet to meet, but I’m sure it will happen soon enough.

3091. Dean Lane skate park (335)

We don’t get to see early enough work from Flava136 in Bristol although the artist tends to keep himself pretty busy in Cheltenham where he lives, so when you come across a piece it is always a nice surprise.

Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2020
Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2020

Flava136 always creates these pieces which are incredibly clean, and by that I mean the lines are sharp and the fills nice and solid. In style I would say there is some similarity with Nevergiveup’s rabbits. I love these toothy monsters and think that Flava136 is a classy artist.

2965. M32 Spot (72)

I was familiar with the M32 Spot some time before I started photographing street art, because I used to drop my then 12 year old son off for wet-weather skateboarding. The M32 Spot DIY skatepark was pretty much the only (free) skate park option when it rained, and for a skating obsessed boy this was the destination of choice. That boy turns 18 next weekend. Where did that time go?

Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020

This lovely piece by Feek, like so many pieces by the artist, really chimes with the skating community. The painting features a monster contributing to the DIY building of the skate park. My favourite bit… his signature in the teeth.

2728. L Dub (9)

What a lovely prize to find at L Dub recently, in fact this wonderful work by Flava136 was one of several outstanding new pieces by various artists in this ‘out of the way’ spot. Flava136 is an artist I am very familiar with, but whose work I just haven’t seen enough of, so finding this was a real bonus.

Flava136, L Dub, Bristol, January 2020
Flava136, L Dub, Bristol, January 2020

His monster characters are very distinctive, I think it must be those peg teeth, and always so beautifully presented. Such clean lines and fills, fantastic work, and I love the clever way the ‘bubbles’ superimpose colours onto the design beneath. Super work from a talented artist. I just need to see more of his stuff, but I guess I’d have to move to Cheltenham for that to happen.

2652.Dean Lane skate park (269)

Here is another piece from earlier this year by Flava136 in Dean Lane. He is an artist I have been aware of for a fair while, but the infrequent bursts of activity have rather predicated against posting his pieces regularly, especially if these pulses coincide with lots of other new pieces.

Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019

Flava136’s monsters share some characteristics with those of other artists such as Nol and Nevergiveup, and I guess this all boils down to adopted techniques, such as long tongues or white spots on the eyes.

I feel I have missed a trick a bit by not getting to understand more about Flava136 and his work, but have plenty more to look forward to I’m sure.

2649. Greville Road (10)

Happy Christmas everyone. For those of you reading this at some point in the future, this post was published on Christmas Day 2019. Well what a sensational piece from Bil Giles for what I am guessing was an Upfest Summer Editions contribution that I photographed late and have posted very late.

Bill Giles, Greville Road, Bristol, July 2019
Bill Giles, Greville Road, Bristol, July 2019

The brilliantly colourful piece is typical of Bill Giles’s monster design style, and a little less grotesque than some of his past work. I just don’t know how this one slipped through the net, but for those of you suffering the wettest December ever, ever in the history of the Earth I bring you a ray of sunshine (albeit overcast sunshine) from July 2019.