The Boston Tea Party cafe marks out the northern border of the Stokes Croft area for street art. It is also a great place to start a tour of all the wonders in the area. This is a lovely commission by Alex Lucas adorning the front right hand side of the building. I presume it is a March hare, given its boxing gloves.
Alex Lucas, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, September 2015
Unfortunately the piece and many others nearby have been obscured by red spray, really calling into question the whole debate about art, street art, commissions, illegal, graffiti, tagging, vandalism and so on. It will be very difficult to clear this piece up – maybe she’ll get a commission to replace it (please).
Alex Lucas, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, September 2015
Over the last weekend the fabulous pairing of SPZero76 and Mr Wigz got busy on one of the middle arches of the Carriageworks. Their combinations work very well and have a vibrancy and humour about them.
SPZero76 and Mr Wigz, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 17 April 2016
SPZero76 works on the characters, which often feature a raccoon, which is odd because despite them appearing in the live version of Disney’s 101 Dalmations, set in the UK, we don’t have them in this country. While Mr Wigz provides the wildstyle burner beneath.
SPZero76 and Mr Wigz, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 17 April 2016
Their last piece I know about appeared back in February, further North on the A38…here is a reminder.
SPZero76 and Mr Wigz, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 17 April 2016
SPZero76 and Mr Wigz, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 17 April 2016
I like their work, and it is great to get an untagged picture. Any new pieces at the Carriageworks never last long in their pristine condition.
This ‘throw up’ (a very quickly sprayed freestyle piece) was crafted by Decay on the same day (Friday 8th April 2016) that I wrote about this piece.
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2016
It is very simple and also very powerful, Decay could have a career in logo design! The initials DK obviously have driven his ‘Decay’ moniker. This is a nice crisp striking piece in one of the tunnels at the Bearpit.
Unfortunately, this has been ‘taken out’ in the words of Decay as have nearly all the Bearpit tunnel pieces by a Bristol tagger called DBK. It is a pity, but this is what DBK does, and all the other artists know this and, I guess, just put up with it.
This playful commission was painstakingly crafted between the 5th to the 11th of April 2016. It is unmistakably the work of the brilliant Alex Lucas, and adds to the overall wealth of her pieces in the Area. It is great that so many small local businesses commission her work. Her stamp is fast becoming part of the Bristol USP.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
These hares, painted and marked onto shutters, will I’m sure, become a local reference point. Looking carefully, you might also catch a glimpse of Mrs Scooj walking past the triptych with an umbrella.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
I managed to have a quick chat with Alex a couple of times while she was working on this piece, and was struck by how approachable and incredibly nice she was…it must get very tiresome having people interrupt your work and ask inane questions, but at no time did she make me feel unwelcome, in fact completely the opposite.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
Alex did disclose that shutter work is a bit of a pain and rather difficult, but she has done a great job with this. I really look forward to her next commission.
It would appear that Friday late afternoon is the right time to be passing the street art hot spots. Last week I managed to catch up with Decay and Alex Lucas, today I met and watched Sled One working this practice hoarding in Stokes Croft.
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
I had just dropped down from Armada Place, where I had seen and photographed another of his recent works, so it was a real pleasure to meet him. What a nice guy, and an extremely talented artist. It was his work that I featured (the woody woodpecker one) a little while ago that I honestly believe to be one of the finest works I have seen in Bristol. I told him as much (he was chuffed) and he said that it was freestyled…which basically means he sprayed it off the top of his head – no plan. Below are some pictures of Sled One at work.
Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016Sled One, Ashley Road, Bristol, 15 April 2016
You can make out the writing, it says Sled in silver and ASK in yellow (ASK is After School Klub – a group of Bristol street artists). A good afternoon’s work I would say.
I found this lovely tribute to DJ Derek, the first of many I suspect, along the Cheltenham Road at the back end of last week. It is by Lemak and I believe was completed on 3 April 2016.
Tribute to DJ Derek by Lemak, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, April 2016
Lemak originally comes from Fleetwood but is currently based in Bristol.He was originally inspired by stencil artists and first took to spraying in 2011. I think this work is very accomplished, and the stencil portrait of DJ Derek is a fine and fitting tribute.
Tribute to DJ Derek by Lemak, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, April 2016
DJ Derek, was a locally well known septuagenarian disc jockey who played at clubs all around Bristol and beyond. He mysteriously went missing in July and his body was found in March this year. More on this in my posts 31. Leonard Lane (3) and 146. The Bearpit (6).
Following on seamlessly from from post 165 you can see that the PRSC outdoor gallery in now occupied by Soker and 3Dom.
3Dom, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2016
There is a lovely thread of vapour that joins the two pieces coming from the mouth of the curious 3Dom creature on the right (when ever was a 3Dom piece not curious?) and weaving around the Soker burner.
Soker, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2016
I love these collaborations that bring together wildstyle burners with more conventional art pieces – more will follow.
Jamaica Street is home to the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) outdoor gallery. To anyone who walks around this area, this wall is a regular stop off point. This wonderful wildstyle burner is by DNT and partners the bear by Mr Sle7en that I featured recently.
DNT, Jamaica Street, Bristol, January 2016
The whole piece spells out ‘Bristol’ and uses the fabulous colours to bring out the design. This piece always cheered me up in the mornings on my way to work, and supports the theories that say that street art brings about a sense of civic pride and coherence. It is certainly the case in Bristol.
DNT, Jamaica Street, Bristol, January 2016
The piece has now gone and been replaced by a collaboration between Soker and 3Dom – see my next post.
This wall is probably the most over-painted practice wall in Bristol.For any pieces to last here, they have to be pretty good. This brilliant and colourful work by Deamze remained intact and untagged for a long while, but like all good things it has now gone.
Deamze, Ashley Road, Bristol, November 2015
It is impossible not to like this and other works by Deamze – his lines are so sharp and his colours always work in complete harmony with the lettering and characters.
Hardly a day goes by when I don’t stop to take a quick look at this familiar and wonderful piece. It is a constant when all around it is in continual flux.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2015
‘Dandy Lion’ is a private commission, presumably for the householder, and has commanded great respect from the tagging community over the years; it remains unscathed.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2015
Both the lion and the mouse are delightful. You can see the care and preparation that went into the work on the Lucas Antics website.
Natural adventures 