A few weeks back I took my car in for its MOT and had to wait an hour or two before it was ready. It was too far to walk home, so I decided to explore an area that I hadn’t been to before, as I was nearby.
Deamze detail, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2016
I suspected that I would find some graffiti and street art and was not disappointed. This area is an extension of the M32 roundabout, but a little more off the beaten track.
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2016
This is another wonderful bit of wildstyle writing from Deamze in delicious green and black. It looks like an older piece, but I can’t be sure, I don’t think the turnover is quite as high as in other areas in Bristol. It is a good piece, and there is plenty more to report on from this area.
The High Line is one of the most fantastic urban regeneration projects I have had the pleasure of visiting anywhere in the world. It is a linear park built on a raised railway, that fell into disuse after it was no longer required, in the meat packing area of New York. It has been brought back to life under the direction of the ‘Friends of the High Line‘. If you are visiting, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Pixel Pancho, 10th Av & 22nd W St, New York, 29 May 2016
On my recent family visit to New York, we started walking the High Line and after a little way decided to drop down to street level to find a bite to eat. This was indeed serendipitous, because as we emerged onto 10th Avenue, I could see a lift truck with a couple of artists on it painting a huge wall above a closed deli.
Pixel Pancho, 10th Av & 22nd W St, New York, 29 May 2016
I instantly recognised the artist as the fabulous Pixel Pancho, whose work is so incredibly distinctive. I felt privileged to watch him and his team at work, and rather lucky to have accidentally stumbled on this. I have tried to convince my wife that this was pure coincidence; I don’t think she bought it…but it was.
Pixel Pancho, 10th Av & 22nd W St, New York, 29 May 2016
Immediately I got snapping while my family checked out the Don Giovanni restaurant two doors away. I couldn’t stay long, and unfortunately I didn’t get to see the completed work, which looks rather good, don’t you think?
Pixel Pancho, 10th Av & 22nd W St, New York, 29 May 2016
This is a beautiful triptych photographed in the West tunnel of the Bearpit back in January 2016. At the time I didn’t know very much about Mr Draws, the artist, and the images disappeared in my ever expanding archive.
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2016
Mr Draws appears to be getting more active on the street art side of things and his work is popping up all over the place. The last of his works I featured was in Dean Lane skate park, and you can see his style pulsing through this creature.
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2016
This piece is absolutely wonderful, I like to think of it as a fox, but on closer inspection, I’m not too sure what animal it is. Top marks for this lovely work, sadly long since gone.
19When it comes to Deamze pieces, we have come to expect some complex and elaborate wildstyle work. It is not always the case though, and this is an example of a simpler style of piece that he produces from time to time.
Deamze, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016
More like a throw up (a rapidly produced and usually spontaneous work), this clean and simple piece demonstrates the full range of talent springing from the incredibly prolific Deamze. Bristol’s greatest writer?
I can keep this relatively short and sweet. The practice hoardings at the Stokes Croft end of Ashley Road tend to have one of the highest turnovers of graffiti art in Bristol. Because of this it is easy to miss new pieces before they are over-painted, but sometimes, if you get the timing right, you will see a beauty like this.
Face F1st, Ashley Road, Bristol, May 2016
It is no secret that I am a big fan of Face F1st, and this is my favourite to date. I really love the the way that PWA (Pirate Wall Art) is incorporated into the hair decoration. The designs in the lettering are becoming more elaborate too.
Face F1st, Ashley Road, Bristol, May 2016
It sounds patronising, and certainly isn’t meant to, but I find this piece really charming. Just beautiful.
It recently occurred to me that I am going to have to work through my backlog of Upfest 2015 pieces, because it will not be too long before they get replaced during the 2016 extravaganza and appear a little out of date. July 23-25 will see an influx of 300 artists showing off their talent, and I have to say I can’t wait. Among them will be Louis Masai, a London based artist who is renowned for his beautiful animal works.
Louis Masai, North Street, Bristol, January 2016
Louis Masai gained an art degree from Falmouth in Cornwall, and has been living in London since 2010. More about him from his own website. This is a beautiful picture of two macaws (I seem to have posted a lot of these lately) and a clear and simple message that they belong in the wild and not in cages. I can go with that. His work is outstanding and his presence in Bristol this year will be a real bonus.
To find an Inkie work is always a pleasure. To find one that is still fresh, and you can almost smell the paint is even better. This piece was obviously a bit of fun, because the walls here at Dean Land skate park are over painted pretty much weekly.
Inkie, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016
I have a feeling that a few artists came together to spray these walls together last weekend, because in addition to Inkie, Zesk and Hemper and Mr Draws had all sprayed pieces at the same time. I am finding out that quite often groups of artists will congregate and have graffiti fun together.
Inkie, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016
I still stand out as an observer of street art, because that is what I am. Very slowly I am learning a little bit more about the culture, the relationships, the taboos and the protocols of the graffiti community, but I will always be an outsider looking in. It is not a regret, but more of an observation. It also means that my naivety in this landscape is sometimes crushingly obvious.
I do this though because it gives me great pleasure.
This is a collaboration, or at least two pieces that were completed simultaneously, between Kid Crayon and Subtle. I have posted a great deal of Kid Crayon’s works, and once again he appears to have dispensed with his trademark crayon in favour of a spray can.
Kid Crayon and Subtle, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2016
I know little about Subtle, and can’t think that I have seen his stuff before, or if I have, I haven’t registered it. This is a decent wildstyle burner. Both pieces have been in place for a month, and thus far respected by taggers. This seems to happen a lot with Kid Crayon’s work, it is rarely defaced.
Subtle, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2016
As a combination these work well. I am a big fan of Kid Crayon, so these get a big ‘high-five’ from me.
Time to introduce another Bristol based street artist whose work I have seen dotted all around Bristol. This is a very recent piece which I found while actually looking for something else, which seems to be de rigueur in hunting down street art.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016
The artist is called Mr Draws (Nathaniel Draws) and his various biographies state that he likes 1950’s pin ups, collage and everything old and vintage. He has one of those self-fulfilling names…he could only ever have become an artist. I work in the environmental sector, and have worked with a Wren, a Raven, a Fish, a Waters…the list goes on…I often wonder how much their name shaped a bias for wildlife/the environment. I am straying from the point. I will post more about Mr Draw’s works, which are refreshingly different.
This is a spot favoured by Eraze and his friends. As I have mentioned before the turnover of work at Dean Lane skate park is quite phenomenal. I photographed this piece at the beginning of April, and within a couple of weeks it was completely overpainted.
Eraze, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, April 2016
I think that there are quite a few similarities between the work of Eraze and Laic217, something to do with the bright colours and rough edges, combined with lettering and characters.
Eraze, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, April 2016
This is an amusing piece. I think the word spells ‘dope’… more drug references.
Natural adventures 