Tag: Stiff

5079. Dean Lane skate park (573)

Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

Trawling through the archives is actually immensely enjoyable, but also very distracting. Another piece I rescued from incarceration is this rather fun scene, painted by Stiff.

Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

As with some other artists in Bristol, aliens feature very strongly in Stiff’s work, and here we have an alien and a human interacting with some electricity generating equipment. There is a story here being told, but I’m not sure that I quite get it. Time machine perhaps? Anyhow, Stiff has a great knack for creating interesting and absorbing scenes like this one.

4951. Cumberland Basin

Stiff, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2022
Stiff, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2022

I have a feeling that I never posted this piece by Stiff at the time (June 2022) it was painted, because it wasn’t quite finished, and when I returned to photograph it in its final glory it had already been painted over. I have decided to share it now, simply because I like his unique take, and enjoy his art. Furthermore, I was lucky enough to meet him for the first time when he painted this piece, as he tends to be quite elusive.

Stiff, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2022
Stiff, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2022

Stiff usually paints some kind of alien character as the subject of his work, and I think that artists choose to paint aliens or monsters, because there are no references against which they can be judged, and you can be as creative as your imagination allows, in a way that portrait artists, for example, can’t. Nice work from Stiff.

4873. Dean Lane skate park (547)

Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

Just when you’ve forgotten all about him, Stiff turns up with another interesting piece, this one tucked away on the swimming pool wall behind the fence. Although not a green monster this time, the robot character does align with his ‘other world’ theme that he is so fond of.

Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

Stiff has prepped his wall well, which I like, in a dark blue, almost glossy colour which brings out the character’s red really well. The robot itself is nicely done, and is rounded off perfectly with a plasma bolt running through its head. A nice piece and reminder of the vast pool of talent we have in Bristol.

 

4544. Dean Lane skate park (504)

I have an unwritten rule about taking pictures of street art, and it that one should always take a picture when you have the opportunity, even if the light is bad, or there are obstructions, because when you return to the spot, for a cleaner shot, it might have been overpainted. These photographs of a recent Stiff piece in Dean Lane have dappled sunlight across them, but they are the only pictures I have, it didn’t last long and wasn’t there when I went back.

Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

I was lucky enough to meet Stiff for the first time just over a week ago, while he was painting with the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective in Cumberland Basin, and he confirmed to me that he enjoys painting monsters and using the colour green. Stiff doesn’t paint very often, so the chances of meeting him are rather slight. This piece, like his others, is creative, fun and monsterish, and painted with a lightness of touch that is without pretension. Another one for the collection of beasts.

4007. Brunel Way (125)

This piece under Brunel Way is something of a rarity. It is by Stiff, who doesn’t paint walls all that often, and this is only the second piece of his that I have posted on Natural Adventures, although I know I have a third somewhere (just found it labelled Unknown!).

Stiff, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
Stiff, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021

I love his cartoon compositions that tell fabulous stories in his preferred format of black background and green and white artwork. The alien/quirky scientist face-off is beautifully animated and very nicely sprayed. A bit of fun and a welcome surprise. I would love to see more from Stiff.

3868. Dean Lane skate park (423)

From time to time unusual pieces appear in the regular spots in Bristol, unusual not only for the content or subject matter but also for the rarity of the artist’s work. This is a piece from a street artist called Stif or Stiff, who I know absolutely nothing about, but who has hit this Dean Lane wall a couple of times over recent months.

Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

This piece from January this year features a kind of of robot wasp creature in grey and lime green. Definitely an unusual piece but set out nicely on the black background. I have another more recent piece from the artist which I will try to post soon.