This is another photograph that goes back a fair old way, but I am glad to say the building has remained unaltered. This is what the front of a house looks like when the owner is a hugely talented designer…I am of course referring to Alex Lucas whose pieces can be found all around the Montpelier area of Bristol.
Alex Lucas, Picton Street, Bristol, March 2016
The building, which doubles up as a little shop, is a famous landmark in Montpelier and features dozens of floral patterns and little birds. It is reminiscent of Victorian wallpaper, with a modern twist. I have just noticed that there appears to be a ghost of ‘Smilie’ in the reflection of the window…or maybe I am just seeing things.
I came across this wall quite by accident. I was looking for somewhere to park in the Montpelier area – a challenge in itself, so that I could investigate some garages which I had checked out on Streetview.
Sepr, Richmond Road, Bristol, January 2017
I noticed some scaffolding and early stages of spraying of a tribute to DJ Derek, more about him here and here. The first day I visited nobody was spraying – maybe they had gone home for the day, so I returned the following day.
Deamze, Richmond Road, Bristol, January 2017
This time two artists were working on the piece. Obviously I stopped for a quick chat – one was Sepr, I didn’t speak to the other, but it might have been Deamze. It was good to ask about the piece, and to meet Sepr, who is, like my daughter, the owner of a panther chameleon.
Sepr, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2017
The piece is a really fitting tribute to the great, and very much missed, DJ Derek by two of the very best street artists in Bristol. And what a wall too. The right hand side of the collaboration, the protrait, is by Sepr and is quite unusual because most of his work is rather more cartoon-like and creative, let’s say.
Sepr, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2017
The portrait is a good likeness to DJ Derek, and I am sure it will remain here for quite some time.
Deamze, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2017
On the left hand side, we have some very recognisable writing from Deamze spelling out the words ‘One Love’ without any wildstyle disguise. I am guessing, but I don’t know that this might have been one of many catch phrases that DJ Derek was known for.
Deamze and Sepr, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2017
Everything about this tribute is good, the artists, the wall, the quiet location. It is great to honour important Bristol figures in this way.
This is a piece from my archives from way back in April 2016. It is a tribute piece to Buzz by the enigmatic OHMS.
OHMS, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, May 2016
The colour quality is poor due to the lighting conditions in the tunnel. The only way I am ever going to overcome these problems is to buy a much better camera with all the proper flash gadgets, but I have to say that is not my style. Another triumph from OHMS and the Splab Gang.
Another piece by an artist I have not come across before. This is by Skor85, who sprayed this as part of a paint jam in The Bearpit. Judging from his Facebook wall it would seem that he is a Bristol artist, and I think I might recall one of his pieces from Dean Lane.
Skor85, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
This is a nice piece, in a really poorly lit tunnel, hence the rather hopeless quality of the pictures. I’m not sure how prolific the artist is, but I’ll be on the look out for more. Bunny, dog or kangaroo? My money is on a dog.
Shab was one of the first wave of Bristol graffiti/street artists along with the likes of Cheo, FLX, Inkie, 3D and Jody to name just a few. It is curious then that this is my first post about Shab’s work. It is of a very recent piece that went up in Dean Lane. I didn’t post it immediately, because I didn’t know the artist, but serendipitously he followed me on Instagram the same day, and that was that. I am a little ashamed that I hadn’t made the connection myself before, but I am still learning…every day. I have several other pieces by him in the archive so I will start posting them.
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2017
This abstract piece is fairly typical of his work and features an amazing eye, one of his ‘signatures’. The piece brings together two contrasting elements, the rounded white shapes bound with black outlines, and a multi-coloured jagged pattern – the two complementing each other perfectly. It looks like a spaceship, but probably isn’t one.
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2017
The eye is really beautiful. Looking forward to finding and posting more from this master.
Another political message and contorted body from the philosophical ObjectØØØ. The tunnels of the Bearpit provide probably the best space in Bristol for political comment as the area attracts some of the most socially deprived or uncared for people in the city. It is a place where culture and the impacts of government cuts converge in an angry outpouring and sense of injustice.
Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
ObjectØØØ’s pieces always capture this sense of outrage – you are never in doubt about what he cares about. It is good that he chooses to do something about it through his artwork. This is a powerful piece, carrying the slogan ‘lucky not better’. In the piece, ObjectØØØ has painted a pained figure, a fallen angel maybe, appearing to crash to the ground. His trademark feathers and wing mark this out as one of his works. A really great piece.
This is a rather lovely recent piece from Andy Council to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the year of the Rooster. The colours are fantastic and he has created a special Chinese take on the Clifton suspension bridge – a nice touch.
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017
The piece is not very far away from the turkey that he sprayed back in November. Andy Council is probably one of the most well known street artists in Bristol, as he combines his pleasure spraying with all sorts of design commissions in the city. A popular artist who is at the heart of the Bristol street art movement.
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017
There were an enormous number of works to look at and absorb at Upfest 2016, and inevitably some didn’t register at the time, but were snapped in the moment and retained. This piece, by Christian Boehmer, was one of those that I don’t recall, but that I am so pleased I captured so that I have been able to study it and enjoy it in preparing to write this post.
Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Boehmer, from Germany, is an artist who creates urban street art and drawings which have a common thread, all the figures have a paper bag over their head. I rather like this, in part because it satisfies my love of surreal art, but also because there is something very powerful in obscuring people’s faces and expressions. You need to study more their clothes, bodies, gestures, movements and so on without being distracted by the face. And then you are left being curious about the face and the personality. I like this piece a lot.
Gemma Compton was selected as the featured artist for Upfest 2016, and her work appeared on all the promotional material for the festival, including the maps, programmes, digital social media and even the painting a mural on the Upfest shop.
Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Having put in all the hard work she was rewarded with a nice white wall to work on, and she produced this fine piece in collaboration with Copyright.
Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
I saw her busy at work on the piece, which took longer than the two days to complete, but I didn’t stop to chat, as I guessed she might have had enough interruptions over the two days. I regret that now, but I’m sure she’ll be back this year.
Gemma Compton and Copyright, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The other half of this collaboration, Copyright, is also no stranger to street art in Bristol and I have featured his work several times on this blog before. Gemma painted the left hand side of the heart, and Copyright the right. They are partners and this heart is a lovely way to mark their relationship.
Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Their styles are different, but complement each other well. One thing in common is that the subjects of both artists are pretty much always female. A nice piece…pity about the car parked in front.
A vibrant and attractive addition to North Street is this magnificent piece is by the Toronto-based Canadian muralist Bird0 (Jerry Rugg). This kind of mural is just one of the many brilliant things about Upfest and how the artworks created breathe new life into urban areas.
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
This is the first work I have consciously registered by Bird0 and it has grown on me since I first saw it. I didn’t really ‘get it’ at first, but having researched his work a little since last July, I am definitely fast becoming a fan, and would love to see more of his work.
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The scaffolding was up for the entirety of the festival, and so most visitors to Upfest wouldn’t have seen the final ‘reveal’ when the scaffolding came down, which is a pity.
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
The surreal nature of his art and the geometric approach he adopts both appeal to me and it was interesting to see the piece develop. There is a nice short bio of Bird0 on Streetartbio.com.
Natural adventures 