Tag: Sled One

4186. Cumberland Basin

It is not often that I am in the right place at the right time, but I got lucky with one of my lunchtime walks with the dog when I bumped into Ments and Sled One painting this collaboration. Actually I made my own luck a bit, because I spotted them painting from the other side of the river and gave myself enough time to swing by and have a chat.

Ments and Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021
Ments and Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021

Sled One reminded me, not for the first time, that it was he and Ments who first started painting this wall, before it became one of the more popular Bristol spots. I think it is good for artists and photographers/viewers alike due to the open space and length of wall, although with long shadows and reflections photography can at times be a bit of a challenge.

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

On the left of this beautifully prepped wall is Ments’ contribution, with a rather jazzy rendition of the ASK crew letters. Wall prep can definitely enhance a piece, and with this collaboration, the reddy-magenta works a real treat. There are definitely some strong Ments elements in the piece, but I am not certain I would have known it was by him if I hadn’t seen him painting it.

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

To the right is an interesting piece by Sled One, because it says 3Dom. It is most vexing, deceitful and confusing when artists write other artist’s names as a kind of shout-out to their mates, and makes misidentification a strong possibility. Again it was lucky I saw them painting this or I might have had egg on my face. This is a stylish collaboration from two very classy Bristol artists.

4125. Upfest 2021 75×75 (73)

I had kind of given up on the final three Upfest 75 walls in 75 days pieces, especially as the 75 days was up some time ago, but hope and excitement were restored when Sled One painted this beautiful piece for the event a couple of weeks ago.

Sled One, North Street, Bristol, December 2021, Upfest 21,
Sled One, North Street, Bristol, December 2021, Upfest 21,

Above the General Store in North Street, the intricate mural features a snakes and ladders theme, with a medieval twist hinted at by the hand-held daggers and ornate sleeves. I did not notice the Advance Pest Control van in the photograph until posting this piece, but I think it adds a little something to the scene.

As we would expect from Sled One, the mural is executed with class and precision and is a fine contribution to Upfest’s summer event. So now there are only two pieces left for me to find. One, I know where it is, the other is a mystery.

3989. Greenbank (16)

Well, would you believe it? Yet another superb and crazy piece from Sled One. I have to say, I just don’t know where he gets his energetic creativity from, but it doesn’t really matter, just so long as he keeps turning out magnificent story pieces like this one.

Sled One, Greenbank, Bristol, September 2021
Sled One, Greenbank, Bristol, September 2021

Slapped up somewhere along the very long Greenbank hoarding is this monkey/orangutan/banana mash up that oozes class. There are several things that give this away as a Sled One piece, such as; the zigzag hatched eyebrows; elements of the piece that just hang, like the cigarette and the shading under the eyes; and the amazing use of colour and textures throughout the piece. This is outstanding work from an enormously talented artist.

3750. M32 Spot (116)

Ooh! a mouthwatering, commentary collaboration piece by 3Dom and Sled One taking up a large stretch of the Skate Spot wall at the top end of Stapleton Road. This spot is often taken up by ‘top end’ art work and is favoured by the ASK crew, and when you see something like this it is easy to see why.

Sled One, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Sled One, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

The first time I passed by, Sled One was still painting his half of the collaborative wall while 3Dom had departed and was due to return later or the following day to tidy up. We stopped and chatted for a while before he continued with the piece. His work is extraordinary and his talent is there for all to see.

Sled One, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Sled One, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

The two halves of the collaboration represent a stark contrast between the choices we have as citizens of planet earth. We can work with the planet which is reflected in Sled One’s contribution or we can destroy it through the pursuit of material wealth and greed. It is interesting how the choice of colours can set a tone or a mood and Sled One’s ‘mother earth’ character is full of positivity and hope. The only out is in.

3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

3Dom got the short straw and his half of the piece is a portrayal of capitalism and greed where the earth is to be divided up like a cake for profit. The cigar-puffing pig is brilliantly painted and instantly creates a sense of disgust and loathing. Dark satanic mills be here.

3Dom and Sled One, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
3Dom and Sled One, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

What an outstanding collaboration of contrasts from two of Bristol’s top street artists.

3638. M32 roundabout J3 (311)

One of the things that I really like about Sled One’s work is that everything seems so effortless, and as a result, his pieces are immersive and compelling in a way that other pieces might be static and boring. As usual, even his writing seems to have a story to tell.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021

This ASK – After Skool Klub – piece is rather cute and engaging. The letters reveal an eye, a mouth, a daisy-chain garland and a hand with a peace gesture and the whole thing is a little bit ‘peace and love, man’ but so incredibly easy on the eye. This artist is the best at turning the inanimate into imaginable living things. Gotta love this one.

3631. St George skate park (13)

Sled One is a great champion for the ASK crew, and will often paint these animated letters in his inimitable style that creates so much movement and character. This is one of two such recent pieces.

Sled One, St George, Bristol, April 2021
Sled One, St George, Bristol, April 2021

The skate park at St George doesn’t have the best graffiti walls, most of the site is rolling mounds and shallow bowls, but this ramp and one at the other end offer graffiti artists some decent opportunities. This vibrant ASK would most likely have been freestyled and I imagine fairly quickly, such is the skill and talent of Sled One. More like this coming soon.

3590. M32 roundabout J3 (299)

This piece was part of an ASK paint jam that I believe had been organised to celebrate Sled One’s birthday. What a great way to spend the day, painting with your friends and being creatively active. This is a classic surreal character piece from Sled One and illustrates perfectly his extraordinary ability to tell stories with his art.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021

A seaside scene in which a crab is eating a mint choc-chip ice cream, or at least was, but the ice cream has toppled off and has been replaced by seagull poop, which is all rather disgusting. The gull, not content with providing his own Mr Whippy, is also breaking wind. Charming. The characters are beautifully painted, and the crab shadow lifts the whole piece from the wall. Fabulous, seaside humour.

3581. M32 roundabout J3 (298)

UPDATE

Thank you, Paul H for correcting my assumption that this piece was by Sled One. It is in fact by 3Dom, and was painted to celebrate Sled One’s birthday paint jam. In terms of the rest of the post, everything I wrote about Sled One is applicable to 3Dom. I will leave the post as originally written, because it is important to recognise how difficult it can be sometimes to get things wrong…

This wonderful piece of writing from Sled One is actually one half of a collaboration with himself, which in retrospect I ought to have posted as one, but without thinking I have split into two. Both elements of his work were part of an ASK painting session a couple of weeks back.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021

Given that Sled One usually freestyles his work, which means he doesn’t paint from a design on a piece of paper in front of him, but with the freedom of his own mind, there is an extraordinary ease, confidence and flow that demonstrates his gift. Sled One is a truly gifted artist whose distinctive surreal creativity puts him in the highest echelons of character artists in Bristol (and beyond), and he is a great writer too. This is a fairly straightforward piece of writing, but often his writing is enhanced with character-like elements. Turning the inanimate into the animate is a speciality.

3479. Brunel Way bridge (90)

There are times when you have to just sit down and absorb a piece, to enjoy it to the maximum, and marvel at its splendour. This amazing piece by Sled One is one of those, and I don’t think that anything I write will actually add anything to the majesty of this work.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The regal character, part of a wider collaboration set on a pink background, is as unsettling as it is crazy. A lizard-like queen with a full set of pearls (is it Queen Victoria?) is holding a sceptre which looks like it has a fly on the end.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The surreal piece might be political commentary, or it might not, with Sled One it is customary to not really know what is going on. Accepting that there is a great story there somewhere is probably enough and we all have to let our imaginations run wild. I love this a lot.

3468. Picton Lane

There is little more I can say about this piece other than it is utterly outstanding. Of course, I can’t leave it like that, so I’ll give you a bit more background. I am guessing it is a commission, because it is on a business wall, but what a commission. The artists are Smak, Sled One and Kosc, and they have smashed this wall out of sight. The only downside is that it is an absolute beast to photograph on account of being in a narrow lane and on a curved wall.

Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021

From left to right the artists are Kosc, Smak (SM), Sled One and Smak (AK) and they have used a wonderful combination of black red and grey colours. Decay of old would be in his element. Kosc has painted an amazing photorealistic portrait with a bit of a glitch in it and has spelled out his name. This is simply magnificent. On its own this one third of the piece would be worth the trip.

Kosc, Smak and Sled One, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Kosc, Smak and Sled One, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Smak, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Smak, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021

Smak has spread his letters either side of the Sled One piece with the SM sandwiched between Kosc and Sled, with the AK rounding off the piece on the right-hand side. As you would expect from Smak, the letters are flawless and the design simply brilliant.

Sled One, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Sled One, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021

Taking up centre stage in this three-way collaboration is a celebration of the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. Sled One is the king of crazy creativity, and here the wolf is chewing on a spray can, which is squirting paint on one of two ladybirds in the piece. Look closely at the picnic basket, and you might just see a hint that the wolf hasn’t gobbled our heroine up but has instead squished her into the basket.

This is a glorious collaboration from three of Bristol’s best street artists. get yourslf down there.

Sled One and Smak, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Sled One and Smak, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021