A few weeks ago this stunning and touching tribute piece appeared on the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) outdoor gallery wall. It is a wonderful collaboration between The Paintsmiths and Ryder.
The Paintsmiths and Ryder tribute to Raphael Dufresne, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2017
The tribute is to Raphael Dufresne, a popular musician on the local scene who passed away on 14 April 2017, suffering a fatal aneurism whilst at the gym. He was only 27 years old. This piece fills me with a sadness, but what a magnificent way to celebrate his life.
The Paintsmiths and Ryder tribute to Raphael Dufresne, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2017
I never heard his music, and feel sorry that I never had the chance of seeing him, it sounds like he had a good soul and attitude to life. He had links with PRSC, which is why this tribute is all the more poignant. Really terrific letters from Ryder and a superb portrait by The Paintsmiths. Sad.
The Paintsmiths and Ryder tribute to Raphael Dufresne, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2017
Well this was a red letter day, oh yes. The day street art arrived in Redland (although we must not forget Cheo’s mural at Redland Station). Big bold and screaming out REDLAND for all to see.
2Keen, Aspire and Ryder, Redland Court Road, Bristol May 2017
This is a magnificent collaboration between 2Keen, Ryder and Aspire, and during its creation I have had the fortune to stop and talk to 2Keen on a couple of occasions, seeing as it is not at all far away from where I live.
2Keen, Aspire and Ryder, Redland Court Road, Bristol May 2017
What I did not know is that 2Keen is one of the original Bristol graffiti artists and is held in very high esteem indeed by his peers. This is the first piece of his that I have been aware of, although I might have seen others without realising who they were by.
2Keen, Redland Court Road, Bristol, May 2017
For those of you not familiar with the geography of Bristol, Redland is a very middle class, aspirational and residential part of the city, and although there is probably widespread appreciation of Bristol’s street art within the local community, it isn’t the sort of thing one expects to see at its heart. I so dearly love it.
2Keen, Aspire and Ryder, Redland Court Road, Bristol May 2017
2Keen told me that he had mixed reviews while he was working on it. Some people tried to move him on, some stopped to chat, the police took a look and admired the work, but to the shame of Redland some people spat at him. Well heeled…my arse!
2Keen, Aspire and Ryder, Redland Court Road, Bristol May 2017
I believe the writing is by Ryder, the dodo on the right by the magnificent Aspire, fresh from his Stokes Croft pigeon, and the rest of the fabulous Alice in Wonderland work is by 2Keen.
2Keen, Redland Court Road, Bristol, May 2017
I’m not sure if it will ever happen, but 2Keen said he’d take me out to spray a wall somewhere and teach me how it all works. I just need to find him again and take him up on the offer. Happy days.
Wilder Street is becoming one of the hottest spots for street art in North Bristol at the moment. Sandwiched between the the A38 and A4404 it is slightly off the beaten track and, for the time being, away from the main tagging areas, although I’m sure it won’t be long before they do their stuff here too.
T-Rex, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016
I was surprised a few short weeks ago to find this lovely, and slightly eclectic, collaboration between T-Rex, Ryder and Aspire on the wall of a local small business. I haven’t yet featured any of T-Rex or Ryder’s work before, although I have seen a fair bit of it around. They tend to collaborate quite a lot, T-Rex usually spraying dinosaurs and Ryder writing his name. I don’t yet know very much about either of them, but will dig out more.
Ryder, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016
Aspire needs no introduction, and here he gives us one of his wonderful blue tits that he seems to favour. He is so prolific at the moment, that it is hard for me to post his most recent work. I have at least two more in the queue.
Aspire, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016
So we have three nice pieces, painted together, but I am not too sure how well they work together in the same space. Having said that, this is the kind of collaboration that makes the Bristol scene so special.
