Tag: Stencil

1669. Upfest 2018 (20)

I was looking for the Andrew Burns Colwill piece (to follow soon) which I knew was a little off the beaten track for Upfest 2018 and spotted this brilliant little stencil by John D’oh on the wall of The Black Cat pub on the corner of West Street and Westbourne Grove.

John D'oh, Upfest, Bristol, August 2018
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, August 2018

When I see small ‘hidden’ gems like this, I wonder how many Upfest visitors might have missed it in their quest for the ‘marquee’ artists – I don’t suppose it matters really, but as a street art hunter, I like to work hard for my trophies, it is what I do. This is a really accomplished little stencil and one that really chimes for me – a great little find – Thank you John D’oh.

1665. Upfest 2018 (16)

I think that Stewy owns this wall. The Bristol-based stencil artist has had one of his pieces on this little wall in North Street for at least three years now. The ram is a fine successor to the Bristol Pounds £5 that was there before.

Stewy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Stewy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I am and will continue to be a keen supporter of Stewy’s work, which is a cool mix of celebrity work and wildlife stencils. This was not his only stencil at this year’s Festival, and I’ll save one of his others for a future post. Let’s hear it for this extremely intricate single-layer stencil of a ram…

1651. Hillgrove Street (7)

I don’t visit Hillgrove Street as much as I used to when I first started writing about street art, probably because turnover of work is very low there, so there is rarely new stuff to find. However, it is always worth checking every now and then, and these two (relatively) new pieces bear this out.

qWeRT and RIP, Hillgrove Street, Bristol, August 2018
qWeRT and RIP, Hillgrove Street, Bristol, August 2018

The wheatpaste on top is by qWeRT, who seems to have blitzed Bristol some time during late spring or early summer. This is another charming googly eyed pair…there is always so much hope and love in these paste ups.

The bird below is a nice simple stencil by RIP who is an occasional visitor to Bristol, and always leaves behind as few treasures to uncover. Both pieces complement each other and are placed carefully. Placement is a key skill for small stencils and paste ups. All good.

1614. North Street

I have a feeling that this piece was stencilled by John D’oh during last year’s Upfest, but because it is on a shutter, I just haven’t seen it as I’m not usually in Bedminster outside normal working hours. For those not familiar with David Attenborough (is there anyone on this blue planet?) the phrase used by John D’oh is an affectionate ribbing of one of Attenborough’s much used phrases, spoken in whispered tones.

John D'oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2018
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2018

The stencil is very typical of John D’oh’s work, although in this instance devoid of politics. There is something a little unfortunate about the monkey in the top right glancing down at Attenborough – his face appears to be a graffiti cock and bals, which is what I hought it was the first time I saw it. I’m not sure if this is deliberate or not, but once pointed ut it is difficult not to see it (sorry). Nice work again from John D’oh.

1599. Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (13)

Well now, here is another fabulous stencil by Stephen Quick, and due to its location in a car park is almost impossible to photograph, so I will rebrand these images as ‘arty’ on account of the fine reflections on the shiny black bonnet of the annoying car parked in front of the piece.

Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2018
Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2018

Once again Stephen Quick spoils us with an image of an iconic figure in the shape of Totoro. The piece is called ‘I bet you’re Totoro and is a direct reference to a massive manga film I have never seen, made in 1988, ‘My Neighbour Totoro‘. Exposing my ignorance even further, I am not sure who the lady in the picture is, but I am sure she is probably famous. I am not very good with Iconic references and usually do really badly on those online quizzes you see from time to time. Now ask me something about natural history and I am onto a winner.

Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2018
Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2018

This is a really fabulous and intricate stencil and I know that Stephen spends many hours preparing for these pieces. Maybe one day he could give me some basic tips for my ambitions one day to join the ranks of Bristol street artists.

1586. Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (12)

At the far end of the Tobacco Factory staff car park is this modest and ephemeral piece by Annika Pixie. It was painted during an annual weekend paint jam organised by Stephen Quick.

Annika Pixie, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018
Annika Pixie, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018

This wispish and haunting portrait is very much in the style that is associated with Annika. There are two things I particularly like about thuis piece…the veil-like see through curtain that sits between the subject and the viewer, and the nicely arranged stencils that surround the whole piece.

1572. Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (12)

Every year in May, Stephen Quick organises a live paint jam at the Tobacco Factory Sunday market and invites along a bunch of friends to paint with him. Somehow I managed to miss it this year, which is a pity, but I did manage to get down eventually to see the results.

Lemak, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018
Lemak, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018

This is a fabulous multi-layered stencil from Lemak who creates these incredible pop-culture pieces. This one is of the legendary Jean-Michel Basquiat whose place in street art history is hugely significant. The crowns around the piece honour the subject as the king. Crowns denote the respect in which a particular artist is held and tend to be reserved for the upper echelons of the street graffiti/art scene.

Lemak, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018
Lemak, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018

It is a while since I last saw a new piece from Lemak (I think he has been busy in his studio) so it was great to see this one. The quality of his work is really out of the top drawer.

1568. Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (11)

I first became aware of Stephen Quick’s work only a few metres from this spot with his fabulous kiss between Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford. To this day I am a big fan of his intricate stencils featuring contemporary stars and icons in familiar poses with a commentary twist.

Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018
Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018

This piece, a representation of the damage done to the reputation of Facebook in the light of recent scandals, brilliantly portrays the difficulties facing the company. I don’t know if it is intentional or not, but as if to rub salt into the wound, Quick has added his Twitter and Instagram account details at the bottom of the piece in the corporate colour of Facebook. Hah!

Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018
Stephen Quick, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018

It is not only the witty content of his work that I am attracted to but it is the brilliant technical approach to his multi-layered pieces that amazes. He posts a lot of videos and pictures of his pieces in production on his website, Splintered Studios, and I thoroughly recommend a visit. All good.

1567. North Street

There is a small wall on North Street that Stewy seems to have made his own. Back in July 2016 he had a fabulous stencil of the great musician Robert Wyatt on this wall, which was a particular favourite of mine, because I like his music.

Stewy, North Street, Bristol, June 2018
Stewy, North Street, Bristol, June 2018

This beautiful stencil, sprayed around the time of last year’s Upfest is a reproduction of a Bristol Pounds five pound note (yes we have our own currency here in Bristol) which depicts a number of Bristol heroes including Isembard Kingdom Brunel, DJ Derek and Robert Wyatt. To get a decent look at it you need to look at it sideways.

1560. Dean Lane skate park (137)

A perfect evolution stencil for skaters, using the well known ‘ascent of man’ graphic from The Agent. This is an old photograph, and it feels like forever since I saw anything new from The Agent.

The Agent, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2016
The Agent, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2016

Maybe he has given up painting on the streets, or maybe he is taking a break or perhaps he is now taking a back seat, now that his son Angus is on the ascendency. Whatever his reasons I hope he hits the streets again soon – maybe for Upfest, which I know he gets involved with – because I miss his mischievous Minions.