Tag: Stencil

712. The Bearpit (55)

It is funny how you can miss things. This is a piece in The Bearpit by Laic217 that he did a little while back, but which I hadn’t seen because it is on a different approach than the one I normally use.

Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017
Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017

It is an interesting piece because it is overtly critical of stencil art. It is quite unusual to see this kind of commentary about artists by artists, but obviously it is something Laic 217 feels strongly about. On his Instagram feed he says he hates stencil graffiti, and when pressed says that in his opinion it is cheating and being lazy. Only free hand for Laic217. It is not a sentiment I necessarily agree with.

Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017
Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017

The piece itself is a bit surreal and menacing…I guess that is the intention. Laic217 does like the use of skulls in his pieces and has a dark side to many of his pieces. It is possible that he is trying to be humorous in this piece, but I don’t think it quite makes the mark. Nonetheless, I like the artwork from this very busy artist.

 

700. North Street, loft conversions

Sometimes collaborations really work well, and this beauty between Decay and John D’oh is quite a beauty. Half way along North Street, I first saw it during Upfest (it was a weekend and the shutters were down) although I don’t think it was sprayed for the festival.

Decay and John D'oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Decay and John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

It is a striking shutter piece and John D’oh’s stencil is rather special. I am not sure who it is of, but it works so well with the colours favoured by Decay. For me this is a special Bristol piece to be treasured.

656. North Street hoarding (6)

It seems like these hoardings have been here on North Street for years…because I think they have been. This is of course ok, because it presents graffiti artists with plenty of space to do their work.  This particular niche is a favourite for John D’oh and RIP, and here we have a philosophical piece from the latter.

RIP, North Street, Bristol, January 2017
RIP, North Street, Bristol, January 2017

The statement, positioned next to a heart reads ‘With all the battering it’s taken I’m surprised it’s still ticking’. Perhaps this lets on something about the artist’s lifestyle. I do like RIP’s work. Never too snazzy or complicated, usually a single layer stencil and often lighthearted or political. A vibrant member of SSOSVA.

651. Upfest 2016 (100)

This is my 100th post about the amazing Upfest 2016 which happened during July in Bedminster, Bristol. At a guess I would say that I am only about half way through reporting on the pieces I photographed. Some of the remaining images probably won’t make the cut and anyway I only have a few months left to go before Upfest 2017 will be upon us.

Eins92, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Eins92, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is a really interesting stencil piece by Eins92 who specialises in micro stencils and who has already appeared in this blog for another piece he did at the festival. In this work he has created five micro stencils of the same subject but with different densities of paint and different layers. It is an interesting piece, but one that needed studying a little.

Eins92, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Eins92, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The fine detail in these tiny pictures is remarkable. I would hate to guess how long each of the stencils takes to cut. He must have the patience of angels.

617. Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare (6)

My trip to Weston-super-Mare last summer was a bit of a treat for me. I managed to grab 20 minutes away from the family who wanted to sit on the beach and eat ice creams, and decided to take a little peek in the Tropicana. The small anteroom, it turns out, is something of a museum honouring JPS and PZY. I’m not so sure how this came about, but there is a lot of their work there.

JPS, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
JPS, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016

This is one of the smaller stencils, highlighting the lateral thinking that JPS often applies to his smaller pieces. A small hole in the wall becomes an object for lifting by two fork lift trucks. It is a witty and fun piece, which offsets some of his darker themes. More to come from this treasure trove.

616. Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare (5)

Weston-super-Mare is the home of the great stencil artist JPS, and the Tropicana is home to many of his pieces. This one is in the lobby area between the street and the open area inside the Tropicana, where Dismaland was hosted.

JPS, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
JPS, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016

This fine piece is of Peter Weller’s Robocop holding a spray can, I mean, why wouldn’t he? The detail in the stencil is incredible, and all the more remarkable when you take a close look at the texture of the wall.

JPS, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
JPS, Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016

There were some tourists standing in front of the piece when I was trying to take these pictures, and only reluctantly would they sidle out of the way. their bags however remained. Another classic from the main man.

595. Upfest 2016 (89)

This is an unusual piece by the artist Codefc. When I first saw the piece from a distance I thought it was something to do with Start Wars, when it is in fact a stencil of film/video cameras stacked together. The black and white stencil is set off beautifully by the gold background, which I think is a technique he uses a bit.

Codefc, Upfest, Bristol, July2016
Codefc, Upfest, Bristol, July2016

Codefc did some really interesting works in Rio for the Olympics, and you can see some of this on his website. Other than that, there is little biographical information out there about him, so I don’t have much more to add.

584. Richmond Road (3)

I was actually looking for something else when I found this goat stencil by Stewy. I have known about it for sometime, but had no idea where it was. Finding it was the reward for my curiosity in seeking out some graffiti nearby.

Stewy, Richmond Road, Bristol, January 2017
Stewy, Richmond Road, Bristol, January 2017

Stewy has produced some wonderful stencils around the city, including this Robert Wyatt piece posted last year. Animals and well known people are the areas Stewy specialises in and his stencils are distinctive in that they are nearly all two tone.

When I first photographed the goat, the sun played havoc, with half the goat in sun and half in shade. I tried making a shadow with my body, but it looked, frankly, a bit crap, so these pictures are a second attempt ion a flat-light day, and not great pictures either.

574. The Bearpit (33)

Very close to the Mr Klue/Decay collaboration, John D’oh has been busy with his 2016 stencil. A great many of John D’oh’s pieces are edgy or political, but this one I think captures the feelings of a majority of Bristolians, that for many reasons 2016 was not a good year, and the Grim Reaper is welcome to it.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

I love John D’oh’s stencils as they are usually contemporary with uncomplicated messages and often replicated in several sites. Both of these were in the same area of the Bearpit, and there was at least another one too.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

I very much hope that 2017 brings more hope and joy to the city, but I suspect it won’t. I sense a rebellious undercurrent will oppose injustice in all it forms and be expressed in a typically Bristolian way. Graffiti art will play its part, and John D’oh will most likely be at the heart of it.

550. The Bearpit (31)

The Bearpit has not had very much new work since it was taken over by the Mexican exhibition in the early Autumn, which feels strange as I am used to such a high turn over of ‘quickies’ there. This one has slipped through the net though. Another nice simple stencil from RIP, who might as well just come and live in Bristol, as it would save a lot on travel.

RIP, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2016
RIP, The Bearpit, Bristol, December 2016
I would guess it is called ‘beard envy’, and what a beard. This is a nicely worked stencil, and I particularly like the shadows on the block letters. Classy graff art.