A rather lovely simple piece on the front of Franco’s Takeaway on Rivington Street by the magnificent French street artist Thierry Noir. In this work, there are several of Thierry’s figures in bright colours looking as though they are in a queue for the takeaway shop. Intentional I’m sure.
Thierry Noir, Rivington Street, London, August 2016I took this picture earlier on in the year when I had just begun a stint working in London two days a week. What a pleasure it was to be able to wander the streets of Shoreditch in the early evening discovering such delights. There is so much more to show you.
I have been holding back from posting these pictures, because although the collaboration between Kid Crayon and SPZero76 is magnificent, the photographs are pants. I have manipulated the light a little bit, but the colours simply don’t do the piece justice. The flash, used in one of the pictures simply bleaches the colours. All a bit rubbish and it exposes me as a non-photographer.
Kid Crayon, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2016
The composition is just crazy, characters firing water pistols at each other from flying cardboard boxes. Where did that idea come from? The styles of these two artists are quite contrasting, but the end result works really well.
SPZero76, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2016
Who is the lady and who is the bulldog in SPZero’s half of this collab? This is a really fun piece, long since gone. I have to say at this point that Kid Crayon really is one of my favourite Bristol artists, and finding his work anywhere is a real treat for me. To find it together with the great SPZero76 makes it just that little bit more special.
It would appear that the wonderful Hannah Adamaszek recently paid a visit to Bristol and left us with this beautiful portrait on North Street. The colours and earthy tones are typical of her amazing work, and the face is calmness itself.
Hannah Adamaszek, North Street, Bristol, November 2016All of Hannah’s work has this peaceful quality…perhaps if there was more of her work out there the world would be a more peaceful place. I know it sounds cheesy, but that’s how I feel about a lot of street art.
Hannah Adamaszek, North Street, Bristol, November 2016Come back soon Hannah, you are always welcome.
This is the first of two recent works by Voyder that mark him out as one of the truly outstanding graffiti writers in Bristol. This piece of writing, set to his typical hand-writing style, shows off his incredible use of colours, providing an effect that makes the whole thing look like it is illuminated.
Voyder, M32, Bristol, December 2016
I have said before when writing about Voyder that it is great to see his work in an accessible setting, as many of his grand pieces are sprayed in derelict buildings where one requires more guts than I have to enter such places. I love this work.
It would appear that Mr Draws has recently had an epiphany. The master of drawing mountains has started to do some writing, which is all rather exciting really. I have seen several of his new pieces in the Stokes Croft area, and this one in Dean Lane is rather good.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2016
I enjoy his selection of colours and the block capitals. Turning the A upside down seems to work really well. Adding this new dimension to his portfolio can only be a really good thing. I wonder where this adventure will take him. I note it has recently taken him to Leake Street in London.
Alongside some lovely work by Fanakapan and Mr Cenz, Unify has painted this lovely spray can. Representing a spray can as the main subject or as a ‘bit part’ is one of the recurring themes that I have noticed in street art. Acknowledging the tools of the trade.
Unify, Hoxton Square, London, August 2016Unify’s work has a charming quality about it, although it is often accompanied by a social or political message, which adds to the depth of his pieces. An accomplished and productive artist, who would be very welcome to come again to Bristol anytime.
Stik is probably the most instantly recognisable street artist in the world. His simple stick figures hide a sophistication that is quite baffling really. They appear to convey such strong feelings and emotions, often compassionate. How does he do that?
Stik, Grimsby Street, London, August 2016This piece however is slightly different. Lurking in a backstreet that is a favourite for street artists are these two rather unfortunate characters puking up in the street. I don’t know what the story here is, but it is not like it isn’t something we all haven’t done, either through illness or over indulgence. Perhaps just a commentary on the human condition.
Stik, Grimsby Street, London, August 2016I absolutely love his work and have posted about the large piece in Bristol and charming wall in Chichester previously. More to come.
This is a cheeky little ‘left-over’ from Upfest 2016 by Feoflip when he was in town in July. He has playfully animated a plug and wire, giving it a little personality. He sprayed several of these around the place, and I will try to post about them all. This one is on the wooden panels that create a terraced lawn (a bit of a fancy word for some grass) on the northern side of The Bearpit.
Feoflip, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2016
You can tell that Feoflip is not from these parts – we don’t use plugs like that in the UK, we have much more chunky square-pin jobbies that would look more like bull dogs than this rather cute ‘terrier’.
It is not so long ago that I posted a piece by Face F1st, which was in the same place as this one, although this face predates the other. Aaargh! the confusion and disruption of archiving. There is simply too much Bristol street/graffiti art to post in a nice logical sequence. When I go out to take pictures, I might get a dozen or more new pieces. These will be additional to the hundreds I have not yet published. I only get enough time to write about one piece a day, so I have a dilemma…do I publish the most recent piece or just post in a rather more organic way. I have opted for the latter, which is why this older piece by Face F1st has been published after the more recent one. An over-long explanation I fear.
Face F1st, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2016This time we have a lovely face with a wildstyle hairstyle made up from the word FACE. All very nice. He continues to be one of my favourite artists.
I have long admired the work of Annatomix from the comfort of my PC or mobile phone through Instagram and other digital social media. It was a real pleasure then to see her at work at this year’s Upfest.
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016Annatomix is a self-taught artist from Birmingham who seems equally at home with fine art work as she does with street art or graffiti art. Her geometric folded paper characters are very distinctive, and her pieces certainly stand out from the crowd.
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016She has a lovely website and you can read more about her here. There are also some great examples of her street art work on this Global Street Art page.
Annatomix, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016As with many pieces I saw at Upfest, I never saw the final work, but I love the simple peace (anti-war) message and symbolism. I want to find more of her work, but I think I might have to go to London to see it.