Tag: St Werburghs

1808. St Werburghs tunnel (48)

Well this was a nice surprise. You don’t get to see much of this kind of street art in Bristol, so it is great when visiting artists come and switch it up a bit.

As an aside, the expression ‘switch it up’ is new to me…in all my life I had never heard it until my fourteen year old daughter said it a few weeks ago and I told her it wasn’t a phrase. She just laughed at me. I had to go and look it up. Of course since then I have heard it quite a lot, and now am using it for the first time ever in writing. You saw it here first folks.

Spray Saint, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018
Spray Saint, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018

Jordan Lauder, A.K.A. Spray Saint is from Hemel Hempstead and has an awesome story to tell. I am not a follower of any faith, but I do believe in goodness and people having the chance to turn their lives around, and for Spray Saint finding God has helped him to find some peace. I really recommend that you take a look at a video he made about his journey.

His leopard piece in St Werburghs tunnel is beautifully worked in blue tones and has a real sense of movement about it. As I said at the start, we just don’t get to see much work like this in Bristol and I really hope he comes to visit again, and wish him well on his continuing journey.

1805. St Werburghs tunnel (47)

The first time I saw this piece, the bright sun was streaming into St Werburghs tunnel from the right hand side, cutting this piece in two. I had to discard the pictures and return a second time. Fortunately the work, by the fabulous Tasha Bee, was exactly as it was previously and untouched by taggers.

Tasha Bee, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018
Tasha Bee, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018

It has been so good watching the development of Tasha Bee over the last year or two and this piece demonstrates how far she has come. I am starting to notice a lot more tone and shading coming in to her work, giving her characters a more rounded look. This I believe is one of her finest to date…the colours work really well, especially the yellow which offsets the blues and purples. Looking forward to seeing more and I know I won’t have too long to wait.

1799. St Werburghs tunnel (46)

With his style so unlike anything else in Bristol, it is easy to pick out Object…’s work wherever he places it. This piece in St Werburghs tunnel features a distorted humanoid monster – a thing of nightmares – doing something, although I’m not too sure what. As with all his work Object… has a real sense of physiology and plays with proportions and muscles and limbs – the art of the possible.

Object..., St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018
Object…, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018

Themes in his work often reflect the unfairness in our society and he tirelessly represents the rage felt by many at injustice. He is probably the most politically motivated in Bristol and his agonising plays out in his work. Tortured, compassionate, angry and sad, his work carries with it huge emotional investment. All good.

1795. St Werburghs tunnel (45)

St Werburghs tunnel has been a happy hunting ground for me in recent weeks and it seems that Bristol street artists are spraying there more often. Part of this higher turnover might be due to the reduction in activity in Stokes Croft and in particular in The Bearpit, which since the Council’s crack down on street art is looking grottier than ever, with tatty fly posters hanging off every surface where decent art used to be, and tagging appearing on every wall the council paints. Well, we told you so.

Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018
Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018

Meanwhile The Bearpit’s loss is St Werburghs’ gain, and the PWA crew in particular have been having a ball there. This is a lovely piece by Soap featuring a whole load of mouths squished together and his crossed bones motif. Love this one.

1782. St Werburghs tunnel (44)

So back we go now to St Werburghs tunnel where we find another Face 1st piece, this time it is just the face and hair which has a leaf-like appearance. I think the hair might spell Face, as in other works by the artist, but I fear I am losing my grasp a little and see writing in things where there is none.

Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018

I think that Face 1st tends to do a couple of these at a time when there is a paint jam in the tunnel, because there always seems to be something by him in there at any one time. This piece features his commonly used purples and pinks which often dominate his colour palettes.

1779. St Werburghs tunnel (43)

I really hope you don’t get bored with seeing pieces by Face 1st. If you do, then just skip over this one and the next one in about four posts time and so on. You see, I like his work a lot and he manages to hit the streets a lot, which means his work will feature here a lot.

Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018

This is an absolute blinder from Face 1st in St Werburghs tunnel and I had to do quite a lot of colour management on my photo editor to bring out the true colours that were swamped with orange light in my originals. Because of this manipulation these pictures can never be a true representation of the piece, so things like this really need to be seen in the flesh. Two faces and lots of adornment…each of the tear-drop things decorated differently, but each given that 3D feel. Lovely piece.

1775. St Werburghs tunnel (42)

Occasionally I manage to come across Fiva’s work – he is not as prolific as many of the Bristol artists, but the quality of his pieces is unquestionable and his style recognisable and attractive. He usually spells out his word in large letters and sometimes, as in this case, fills them with scenes. Often he accompanies the letters with some kind of character – this is a standard format used by many of the graffiti writers here.

Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018

The lighting in St Werburghs tunnel tends to leave pictures looking a bit orange and the contrast rather poor, so this lovely work by Fiva really doesn’t look as good here as it did in the tunnel. The incorporation of a scene in his letters gives a sense of depth and mystery to the piece. fine work from Fiva.

1773. St Werburghs tunnel (41)

In this piece, we have everything that I like about the Bristol street art scene. First, it is a collaboration between Tasha Bee and Soap – firm friends and painting buddies. Second it is bright and vibrant and in a highly stylised form. Third, the location, St Werburghs tunnel is just sooo Bristol.

Tasha Bee and Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018
Tasha Bee and Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2018

The two characters in the collaboration work so very well together and the colours read-across seamlessly. I am more used to seeing the large mouths that Soap is recognised for, and indeed there is a hint of that on the hat of his character, but it is this wonderfully expressive face that he paints from time to time that I really like. I was so happy to come across this piece, especially as the turnover in the tunnel is particularly high at the moment.

1705. St Werburghs tunnel (40)

At one time, maybe two or three years ago, there were new Mr Klue works appearing in the Stokes Croft area on a fairly regular basis. These days they seem to be something of a rarity until a recent spate of his pieces in St Werburghs tunnel.

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2018
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2018

This is a wonderful complex abstract piece with what look to me like floating wooden planks drawing the eye to a celestial central vanishing point. It is a clever piece and I find my eyes dancing all around looking at the detail of different sections and trying to work out what is going on. His style really is quite unlike anything else on the streets in Bristol and his return is a most welcome one.

1698. St Werburghs tunnel (39)

Well, who might this gothic wildstyle writing be by? There is a clue in the writing, but it is so cryptic that you probably need to know what you are looking for to be able to see it. The writing says HIRE, and it is indeed the work of this naturalised Bristolian of Polish origin.

Hire, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2018
Hire, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2018

His work is so distinctive, with its long, sharp and jagged lines – his pieces always remind me of medieval battle scenes, with swords, axes and lances crashing in all directions – maybe that is just me, but I say what I see. I am really pleased with the picture above, because the light in the tunnel plays havoc with my camera and the poor lighting in the tunnel meets with bright light outside where this piece is situated. Nice work from Hire.