Tag: Raleigh Road

333. Raleigh Road, Vector (1)

On Raleigh Road, just opposite the Tobacco Factory, is the car park for a small company called Vector. There are four available walls in the car park which are frequently sprayed…the turnover here is very high. I have only ever been there when the car park gates are shut. This is both good and bad. It is good because there are no obstructions in front of the cars. It is bad, because I have to photograph through the railings and for the walls on the right hand side, I only ever get oblique views. It will be one of the venues for Upfest 2016.

Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016

I took this photograph recently, but already it has been replaced. This is a lovely work by Cheo. This is one of his busier pieces, with so much going on in the mural.

Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016

Unusually, he appears to have abandoned his bee in this work and replaced it with an animated spray can. It is always good to see Cheo busy on the streets.

327. Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (4)

Well this has happened pretty much by accident, two posts by the same artist in a row, and featured only for the first time yesterday.

Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016
Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016

This is a lovely tribute piece to two of our great British loved ones who passed away in January 2016. Stephen Quick has combined elements from the working lives of David Bowie and Alan Rickman to create this ‘Severus Sane’ image. Alan Rickman (Severus Snape from the Harry Potter films) and Bowie’s Aladdin Sane Ziggy Stardust are conflated into one fabulous image.

Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016
Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016

It is a touching piece and beautifully executed. It sits in the same car park alongside Hannah Adamaszek’s wonderful piece. Writing this makes me feel quite sad still at the loss of two hugely influential talents. It is a good thing to see them remembered in this way.

326. Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (3)

This is another piece that was created as part of Upfest 2015. It sits in the covered car park area immediately behind the Tobacco Factory and is by Bristol-trained artist Stephen Quick. On his website, he describes his work as follows:

“My art mainly represents contemporary culture via pop art; I embrace our materialistic nature, which often defines who we are”

Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2016
Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2016

I don’t think he does a lot of street art, which may make this piece rather unusual. At first I wondered if it was a studio piece that was placed here, but I think the spray paint has overlapped onto the fence behind and that it was probably painted in situ. In my view, however it was executed, it is a great work – lovely drips.

306. Raleigh Road (2)

This is a really fun piece by the great Bristol artist Angus, who is becoming more prominent on the scene. He tends to concentrate his works in the centre and south of Bristol, and this piece is in Raleigh Road, just off North Street, at the Tobacco Factory. Cosmic Traveller did a lovely piece not so long ago about Stewy and Angus working together at this same spot.

Angus, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016
Angus, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016

I like the title of the piece, ‘lazy art’ but I suspect it is anything but. It is fun to see how others have contributed to the piece, adding to the fun. I have several other Angus pieces in my folders and need to get on with publishing them. His work pretty much always brings a smile to my face. Looking forward to seeing him at Upfest.

115. Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (1)

The Tobacco Factory is a fabulous multi-use centre in Bedminster, Bristol. It was saved from demolition by George Ferguson, currently the Mayor of Bristol, and forms a central hub for urban regeneration in the area and is something of a cultural magnet.

The car park has been one of the spaces opened up during the Upfest street art festivals, indeed it more resembles an outdoor gallery than a car park.

Anat Ronen, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2016
Anat Ronen, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2016

This striking piece is by Anat Ronen and was painted as part of the 2015 festival. Anat is a self-taught artist based in Houston who started painting as a way of life only in 2009. Her work is beautiful and I would recommend a visit to her website.

8/10

34. Raleigh Road

One of the most eye catching murals from this year’s Upfest must surely be this wonderful fox by artist Rob Wass.

Rob Wass, Raleigh Road, Bristol, September 2015
Rob Wass, Raleigh Road, Bristol, September 2015

The urban fox has become part of the furniture in Bristol, and has been studied over many years by Bristol University. It has become something of an emblem for the city.

Rob Wass, Raleigh Road, Bristol, September 2015
Rob Wass, Raleigh Road, Bristol, September 2015

Rob Wass, who lives and works in London creates some wonderful colourful works, but I think that these large scale murals are something of a slight departure.