A collection of the most extraordinary character street art and graffiti writing by Bristol artist Sled One.
Instagram: @sledone
All photographs taken by Scooj
Sled One
Tag: Sled One
1972. M32 roundabout J3 (119)
There are not enough great words to describe the work of Sled One. One after another he turns out the most incredible pieces that explode with colour and imagination. I have noticed that often his compositions are amalgamations of bits of ideas that all come together to create a magnificent whole.
This piece is quite extraordinary, pulling together bird parts to form a bird skull/head stuffed with leaves and plants. Another bird wing and beak juts out of the back of the head – I am not sure what is happening there.
The whole piece, although adorned with a cartoon smile and glint in the eyes, also for me has a darker side, but I can’t put my finger on why that might be. Even his signature is classy, a pink neon moniker a la Voyder. So Good.
1930. Wilder Street (25)
In my view, Sled One is the most inventive and creative artist working on the streets of Bristol at the moment, and this piece is an absolute master class. Sandwiched between writing from SMAK and Ments, this character piece acts as a focal point for this curated wall.
Sled One, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018Many of Sled One’s pieces feature cat and mouse antics, and this one is a great example. The cat, a Samurai cat, is wearing a most glorious helmet onto which a mouse is clinging for dear life. I don’t know what it all means, but it is a visual marvel and so beautifully painted.
Smak, Sled One and Ments, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018I love seeing Sled One’s work, but sadly it seems to be quite a rare occurrence these days. So, so good.
1780. Thomas Street (1)
They really don’t come any better than Sled One. His bizarre creations have a dream-like cartoon style to them, but it is the immaculate execution of his work that is most notable. His lines and shading as well as extraordinary textures, for example the banana in this piece, seem to flow effortlessly from his spray can. It would be impressive enough if this piece were created with paint brushes…it is a small miracle with spray cans.
The element of humour also must not be overlooked and although a little gory, the concept of a banana slipping over on a human is a funny one. The little finger skateboard is a little nod to Sled One’s other passion which is skateboarding, and his Facebook stream has several videos of his skills for all to see. The piece is exquisite.
The permission to paint the hoardings was arranged by Where the Wall who offer street art tours around Bristol.
1745. Brunel Way Bridge (9)
It has been a long while since I last posted a piece by the extraordinarily talented Sled One, so it was great to come across this piece in the Cumberland Basin a week or so back. The wall itself is always tricky to photograph because there is a lot of glare that streams across it – this may be an artifact of the time of day I usually visit this wall.
I will not pretend that I have anything other than utmost admiration for the work of Sled One – his fantastical creations are the stuff of cartoons and surrealism combined. Add to that potent mix a technical gift and you have some of the best artwork being produced in Bristol at this moment in time.
Earlier in the year I met Sled One a couple of times, and it turns out he lives on my road (although I think he travels around a lot too, originally coming from York (I think)). On his Instagram account he labels this piece as a self-portrait. I guess he is fond of Nike shoes! He says it started as an ASK (the crew he belongs to) piece, but that it ended up elsewhere. I can’t read ASK concealed anywhere in the illustration. Fabulous work.
1524. M32 roundabout J3 (84)
This is a not-quite-finished piece from the magnificent Sled One, and it was his contribution to the ASK paint jam at the M32 roundabout. He was actually a day late, because he had had a hangover the day of the paint jam and didn’t feel like painting – so these guys are human after all.
I am always completely amazed at how Sled One seems to be so at ease with his cans, he seems to create his work with the minimum of fuss and is able to put ehat is in hes head onto a wall. He is comfortable with both writing and creating fantastical characters, and is a real asset to The Paintsmiths, who he works for.
This piece, even incomplete, looks stunning and I will have to go back to get a finished picture.
Last week I was cutting the lower branches and shoots off a lime tree that lines the road where I live – the council used to do it but have no money for such things any more – so that I could park the car without smearing it with aphids and get out of it without walking into a jungle. Anyhow, I digress, while I was pruning, I looked up and saw Sled One. We stopped for a chat, and it turns out he lives only a few doors up from me…I can’t believe that we haven’t bumped into each other before.
1379. Moon Street (42)
I walk past this shutter most days on my way to work and always take a look at it, but never properly look at it. Part of the problem is that the shutter isn’t very generous with its light, especially to the naked eye – it is quite difficult to properly make the piece out. Strangely, photographs do it far more justice, which is slightly counterintuitive. I took this in 2016.
It is a lovely collaboration between Sled One and Smak, who appear to have enjoyed their collaborations in the past. The caveman-like character by Sled One is holding Smak’s writing in front of him…an interesting way of bringing the two styles into one narrative. This piece is really very nice, but I suspect rather overlooked. It even seems to be off the tagger’s radar.
1278. Raleigh Road vector (21)
The covers are coming off the scaffolding at this site, which means that the hoardings will probably be coming down soon too, which is a pity, because this is a top spot for street artists. I suppose hoardings are by their very nature temoporary, so we should be thankful fot the opportunity.
This is another extraordinary piece by Sled One, who appears to be hitting the streets quite hard over the winter period. Sled One has offered us another masterclass in character wildstyle writing, where it is possible to make out the letters SLED, however I am less certain that I am able to unpick all the intricate stuff going on in the piece. There is so much detail to wade through. The main part of the story is in the letter D.
There is a skull-like character consuming something, but it is all a bit odd and surreal. Sled One has a fertile imagination, and supreme skill to be able to commit it to a wall with such fine craftsmanship. Another great work from the young artist.
1229. Brunel Way bridge (4)
Another piece from the ASK Halloween paint jam under Brunel Way. This is exceptional work from the exceptional Sled One with an interesting story woven into his wildstyle writing.
On the left there appears to be a snail-like character and on the right a Grim Reaper figure that is making for the terrified looking snail (can a snail look terrified?). Meanwhile, Sled One has incorporated the letters SLED into the piece with artistry and skill.
Once again we see this master sprayer at his very best, creating a whole world in a space 3m x 2m. Incredible really.
1200. M32 roundabout J3 (57)
‘Trick of the eye’ – this is a magnificent piece by one of my favourite Bristol artists, Sled One. In this one piece he has created an extraordinary fantasy world and constructed a brilliant piece of wildstyle writing into the mix as well.
The writing says ‘eye’, which is clever enough on its own, but it is the remarkable hand (protruding from the iris of the eye) pulling a rabbit from a magician’s top hat, hence the titlwe of the piece.
In my view, the magician of the piece is Sled One. He really is an extraordinary talent and creates these ‘stories’ like no other artist I have seen. While his story telling is great, it is the beautifully crafted characters that make these pieces. His imagination is allowed to run wild and he produces these surreal cartoon style creatures which are so full of interesting detail and demand to be studied.
This is an absolutely stunning piece of graffiti art that would hold its own on any wall anywhere in the world.
Natural adventures 