Tag: Rat

4807. Dean Lane skate park (538)

Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022

As part of a collaborative wall, this is something rather different from Kosc, but the high quality of the piece is there for all to see. Taking a break from his writing, which he seems to have been enjoying of late, Kosc has created this amazing rat skeleton character.

Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022

There is more than a little menace about this rat, brought about by its posture and open mouth. You can tell that Kosc enjoys the anatomy of the creature and clearly has a good understanding of skeletal structure. There is some complementary artwork from Saor, whose part in this collaborative wall was just to the left, that cuts through the rat’s tail. Fabulous artwork from Kosc.

3999. Sparke Evans Park (12)

It turns out that Nightwayss’ birthday celebratory paint jam corralled a great number of artists and channelled some extraordinary creativity. It is a long time, for example, since I last saw a piece from Laic217 that didn’t feature a skeleton or emaciated character.

Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021
Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021

In this wonderful piece, the Laic217 has painted a weed smoking, trippy rat, complete with a bucket hat, hoodie and trainers. This is a wonderful little character and contains a nice call out to Nightwayss too. The ‘Mc Trash’ MacDonalds paper cup in the background is a classy touch that adds a bit of commentary. Great work from the man.

3732. Chatterton Square (3)

This it the third and final post from this outstanding wall down near Temple Meads station, this section being by Acer One and Sepr. I kind of wish I had posted the whole wall in one go, but I didn’t and there is no point in crying over spilled milk.

Sepr an Acer One, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021
Sepr an Acer One, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One has had such a busy year so far and has collaborated with so many different artists as well as doing solo pieces. Here he has written Hood, which is the first part of the full phrase Hood Rats. The collaboration which included Rowdy and Andy Council had a bunch of rats, including this rather sweet clockwork rat by Sepr. Sepr is another artist who has had an outstanding year so far, but his work has quietened down recently now that his band is back in rehearsal, preparing for the easing of restrictions, and of course there is also his day job as a tattooist.

3657. Chatterton Square (2)

This wall presented a dilemma for me. It is one contiguous collaboration piece and I could have presented it as that, however my photographs were compromised by extraordinarily bright sunlight and I could only get decent shots of sections of the piece rather than the whole, and so I have split it into separate posts of which this is the second.

Acer One and Andy Council, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021
Acer One and Andy Council, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021

This panel in by Andy Council and Acer One who collaborated several times very successfully over quite a short period this spring. The two rats are by Andy Council and show his composite approach to creating creatures, where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts. The geometric writing from Acer One has completely stumped me, and every time I try to decipher it my eye goes funny and the pattern goes flat – it looks like it might say A2. I am fully expecting chapter and verse from Paul H on this one (no pressure Paul).

The final effect is a stunning one and there is still more to come from this wall just across the road from Temple Meads Station.

3122. M32 Spot (77)

I can’t think of a time when I have seen so many John D’oh stencils in such rapid succession including several that I have missed in recent weeks. Many have been about the Government’s inept handling of the coronavirus outbreak, this one however is more about the impacts on people.

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2020
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2020

Rats have commonly been used by Banksy and many other artists in their work and here a rat is used to illustrate the ‘rat race’ with the words ‘After COVID-19 I am not sure I can join the rat race’. Another nice work recording the impacts of the pandemic on Bristol society.

2836. M32 roundabout J3 (201)

If there are any silver linings to the Covid-19 pandemic, and I say this fully recognising the horror that faces us all, one would have to be that Mother Earth can take a breather from carbon outputs, chronically stifling air quality, disturbance of species and habitats and rabid consumption that we have all become so accustomed to… a temporary turning down of the global dial. Another silver lining is that with fewer opportunities to photograph street art and fewer pieces being painted, I have an opportunity to delve into my archive and bring you some wonderful work that has been dormant on my computer files for a while. This is a resource I will be dipping into for as long as it takes. A trip down memory lane.

Bad Taste, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Bad Taste, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

First up from June last year is this rat piece from Bad Tast, an artist I posted about not too long ago showing a collaboration with Soap in St Werburghs Tunnel. I don’t know if Bad Taste sprays anything other than rats, but it is an accomplished piece and practiced style and a welcome addition to Bristol street art.

Soap and Bad Taste, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019
Soap and Bad Taste, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019

2650. St Werburghs tunnel (124)

Not exactly a Christmas Day kind of piece, but one I photographed in the tunnel of St Werburghs way back in July this year and have only just got round to posting because… well just because.

Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019
Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019

It is a rather nice collaboration between Soap (a regular on these pages) on the left and Bad Taste on the right. Soap was undergoing something of a renaissance during the summer and seemed to be churning out bright and happy pieces of which this is a super example.

Bad Taste, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019
Bad Taste, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019

I know nothing about Bad Taste and can only think that he/she was a visitor to Bristol who’d hooked up with Soap to find a cool place to paint. The rat is really nicely painted and stood out from the crowd in the tunnel for quite some time I seem to recall.

Now get back to your turkey (or vegetarian alternative) and enjoy the rest of this joyous Christmas Day.

2464. Cheltenham 2019 (3)

The whole Cheltenham experience was new to me, but I had heard of the Honeybourne Line before I went to visit the town for the Paint Festival earlier this month. This disused railway line is now a beautiful footpath leading from the station into the town centre. The tunnels under a footbridge often play host to street/graffiti art, and the walls are buffed each year for the Festival. I will be posting more pieces from this spot in due course, but this first one is by Thisone.

Thisone, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Thisone, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

I have seen (and posted) some of his work from London, but this is the first time I have seen his work away from the capital. His archetypal work is in shades of black and white with an animal or bird as a central character, usually dressed with some jewellery. This curious piece meets all of these criteria, but the beast is an unusual one, looking like a cross between a bird of prey and a rat. I was lucky enough to meet the artist, and will talk more about our encounter when I post his other Festival piece in due course.

2361. Leake Street tunnel, London (8)

I have seen one or two pieces by Roo in Bristol, and might even have seen some in London before, but this one is one of the most memorable so far. It features a rather self-satisfied rat sitting on a pot of paint, with a brush in hand, and I think we have to assume he painted the ROO in the background.

Roo, Leake Street, London, July 2019
Roo, Leake Street, London, July 2019

I am wondering if this piece was painted for the #Do1Cancer campaign, as many other pieces down there were hashtagged with the campaign. To me it looks like Roo has been very clever and turned the pot of Dulux paint into a ‘DU1’, if this is the case then I doff my cap, if not then I have seen something that was not intended. Either way this is a delightful piece from the London-based artist.