Mr Draws is definitely not a one trick pony, and although he enjoys writing his name a lot (well who doesn’t?), he also comes up with some other creative ideas, such as this pair of doughnuts dressed up in his ‘house’ style.
I have always liked his work, which has featured numerous times in Natural Adventures, but these special pieces really stand out, rather like the trainer he did in The Bearpit last year. Great fun stuff.
Aaah, familiar stuff from Mr Draws and one that had been inadvertently omitted earlier in the year, which is surprising really, because it is so very good.
There is always something very cheery about his work that works for me. In this piece, the filler is absolutely beautiful, the two colour palettes above and below the yellow line are brilliantly complementary and the bubble effect imperious. I really love the simple idea and lovely execution of this one. Can’t believe it has taken almost a year to post it!
You can’t hold him back. Mr Draws was planning to go and live in Germany at the end of the summer, but for whatever reason his plans fell through. His loss is surely Bristol’s gain as he continues to brighten up the place with his burners.
This one has a rather wintry feel about it, the colours and icy drips definitely feel a bit frosty. I love the way that Mr Draws just keeps on going – no matter what life throws at him, he just seems to pick himself up and carry on. It has been a while since I last chatted with him, which is a pity, because he is a really lovely bloke.
Mr Draws is not being quite as busy on the streets these days, so it was a welcome surprise to come across this recent piece in The Bearpit on my way in to work, especially as Bristol City Council are making it very difficult for anyone to do anything beautiful in The Bearpit at the moment.
This piece just screams out ‘doughnuts’ to me…I’m not sure if it is meant to, but it does. It is alwats great to see these happy pieces by Mr Draws, whose colourful works definitely brighten up the place.
I arrived at this piece a little too late to see it in its original condition. It had been a collaboration between Mr Draws (in the middle) bookended by Tasha Bee. However, before I managed to get to see it, Oner had made a little contribution of his own.
I have to admit that I rather like Oner’s burners. There is a certain honesty about them, unpretentious but nicely turned out and often just a little bit edgy. Tasha Bee has rapidly made it into my group of favourite Bristol artists with her stylised characters and pretty flower motifs.
She is very prolific, and even today on a long walk with the dog I found a couple more of her pieces. There is something rather spiritual about her characters, it might be something to do with the simplicity of the lines or the closed eyes or the little peace and love signs, I’m not sure, but they ooze serenity. It is a pity I didn’t see the Mr Draws bit in the middle, but I can imagine it.
I became aware of this piece of work when I saw an Instagram post from Tasha Bee describing a collaboration on Turbo Island, Stokes Croft with Mr Draws. I decided to walk home…I usually get the bus because I don’t feel as fresh as in the mornings…and what a good decision that was.
By the time I got to Turbo Island I had already found two new pieces in roads I don’t often visit, which was a great start, and Mr Draws and Tasha Bee were just finishing off and tidying up.
This wall hasn’t been sprayed for a long time, and a collection of artists supported by the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PSRC) are trying to resurrect it as a ‘legal’ wall with a regular turnover. This is a risk, because the site is prone to impromptu parties and gatherings and often gets pretty messed up.
The collaboration itself is rather lovely, with Mr Draws’ multicoloured mountains and two figures by Tasha Bee and the message in both Latin and English ‘All things are in common’, which expresses the idea that the world belongs to everyone, rather than the way society is organised where the disposessed and dominated are overlooked to the benefit of the few.
Sadly the piece was tagged less than 24 hours later – predictable but annoying really.
Mr Draws is an artist I have always rather liked. His work always brings a smile to my face…it is bright and cheerful, simple and striking and it has a habit of cropping up anywhere in Bristol.
This is one of his faviurite spots in The Bearpit, and this quick one uses the space perfectly. Never too sophisticated, but always really easy on the eye. Mr Draws has plans to leave the UK for Germany soon, but I’m not sure if that is still going ahead. If so, I will surely miss his cheerful work – I still have loads in my archive that will keep me going for a while.
