This is a lovely door piece in Dean Lane from Laic217 that I am sure will make it into a Thursday Doors post sometime in the future. Featuring a masked spray painter, it is a striking and nicely worked piece that fits the space perfectly.
This was the third in a quick-fire spate of Laic217 pieces, we may have to wait a short while for the next ones to come on line. In the meanwhile we can enjoy this fine work.
I would think it would be safe to say that Laic217’s status as a character artist in Bristol is at the highest level, and what is so gratifying about this has been watching his consistent progress over the years. His pieces are so self-assured, and have an ease about them, although the content is sometimes not quite so easy. This is one of at least three recent pieces by Laic217 in Bristol.
The subtle use of colour in the background is just enough to provide some contrast with the greyscale character, helping to lift it from the wall. The theme is a common one for Laic217, with a skeleton, clad in dark robe material, is busy spraying the wall with cloudy grey paint. The whole thing appears effortless, although that is only because the artist’s expertise has made it do. This is a great and typical example of Laic217’s work.
One of the most overlooked artists in Bristol, whose work rarely appears on social media, is Cort. It might be that his low profile and reluctance to chat and engage contribute to this situation, but in my view, his work is worthy of being noticed and written about.
This bright piece on the River Avon cycle path is unusually regularly proportioned, aided undoubtedly by the brick course. The thin, angular letters, so distinctive of Cort’s work and beautifully filled with a nice palette of blues, and a hint of green accents. I like this piece a lot from the PAD crew artist.
It is great to see these two painting together again, in particular Cort, who has rather gone to ground during the Covid-19 pandemic. Laic217, on the other hand, has been painting in fits and starts, but appears to have settled into a more regular rhythm recently.
Cort’s writing takes on his familiar form of irregular letters combining straight forms with curvy ones and spelling CORTOS. The letters are decorated with red blobs and Cort has used some thin yellow lines to add emphasis.
Laic217 gives us a rather chilling scene of two characters looking like something from a dystopian future with a pile of small rocks in front of them. There is a story here, but I don’t quite know what it is. The characters are fabulously created from shades of purple and pink with lots of shadow in the creases of their clothes. Laic217 is raising his game week after week and it is so good to see.
The incredible Laic217 has been out and about again although his efforts over the last year or so have very much been in fits and starts. It is a long time ago since he has painted in this particular spot and how his work has come along since then.
I am a complete sucker for his work and every time I find a piece my endorphin levels are suitably topped-up. This is an absolute belter, and I think one of my favourites. The woolly hat reminds me of the cap that my all time hero Jacques Cousteau used to wear and is so perfectly sprayed. Laic217 has become such a specialist in painting different fabrics and textures and the black and red puffer jacket is a perfect example.
The pose of the skeletal character is typical of a Laic217 piece with a spray can at the ready. Some great detail, imagination and craftwork have been combined to produce this fine work… one that is so utterly worth a look if you get a chance.
This is the latest in a sequence of new Laic217 pieces, but one that alas only lasted a few days before being over-painted. Set on a nicely prepped black background, this piece has a skeleton (of course) and some throw up writing about the place. This is quite clever, because it looks like the tagging looks like it was already there and Laic217 has planted his piece over the top of it, but it is all his work.
At risk of repeating myself, something I do a lot of on Natural Adventures, it is the textures in the clothes and materials that Laic217 carries off so well. On this particular piece, the zip is the star of the show. If you like street art with clothed skeletons, then Laic217 is yer man.
I am very much enjoying this little pulse of activity from Laic217, and from all over the city too, what a treat. This is a tidy piece in which he recognises his PAD crew by name, and possibly represents some of them with his skeletal characters… who knows?
The black and white skeletons on a magenta background almost look like charcoal sketches and are very nicely done, and he has managed to achieve expressions from expressionless skulls – very clever. His crew (or kru as he calls them) are Cort, Ugar, who seems to have left Bristol, MRB and Zios (I don’t know either of them) Zbok (followmyrabbits) and Laic217 himself. Some great Polish/Hungarian talent there.
Lockdown isn’t all bad (although it is pretty bad, granted) because it seems that it triggers some activity from certain street artists, including Laic217. Since the New Year, Laic217 has been hitting walls fairly regularly and that is a great thing – I am guessing that perhaps he can’t work or has been furloughed or something like that.
This piece, close to another one at L Dub shows Laic217 at his graffiti art best, a skeleton figure in a subversive pose giving a double bird in a flaming background. As usual, the creases and folds in the hat and clothes is a speciality of his and something that seems to come so naturally these days. A fine fiery piece.
It has been way, way too long since I last saw a piece from Laic217. He had a burst of activity during our first lockdown, but after that has been fairly invisible on the streets, which is a pity. Somehow he epitomises the Bristol scene with his irreverent skull pieces. Edgy but also brilliantly painted, together with a range of textures and subjects helps Laic217 stand out from the crowd routinely.
This monster piece, on the long wall in Cumberland Basin, features a hoodie-wearing skeleton using a flame-bearing spray can, a theme regularly used by the artist. Simple colours and a sketch-like quality belie the skill in this piece. The bubble writing in the background belongs to this piece and spells out PAD, the crew which includes Cort, whose piece was adjacent to this one. Hurrah!
Immediately after lockdown, Laic217 was on fire. I am guessing that he was not working and so was able to paint the streets without restraint. In recent weeks he has slowed down considerably, so it was great to see this quick one on one of the ramps in the skate park.
This stop-start nature of activity from street artists is common and probably reflects the employment model they adopt. Self-employed artists seem to have a bit more flexibility around when they can paint where as those with 9-5 jobs probably find it all a little more challenging. Of course coronavirus and Furlough have played havoc with these regimes.
The piece itself is straightforward, a skull with a woolly hat bearing the letters PAD, a crew name. Even in these quick pieces, Laic217 still manages to achieve a high standard of artwork. I hope he gets some leave soon, I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
Natural adventures 