Tanith Gould, Jamaica Street, Bristol, August 2022This piece by Tanith Gould, from the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective (now seemingly the Bristol Mural Collective), is direct and straight to the point. It is one of several pieces on the Jamaica Street gallery highlighting reproductive rights.
Tanith Gould, Jamaica Street, Bristol, August 2022
The political piece is nicely done, and is a sentiment I happen to agree with. The message is assertive, but not aggressive. The use of scissors in a piece like this could be construed as threatening, but somehow feels more illustrative. I am a fan of political statements in street art, and this one from Tanith Gould ticks my boxes.
Stivs has painted another tribute piece to Sear, and it is an absolute belter. In this piece, Stivs has used his skills at calligraffiti to great effect, creating an astounding backdrop of the word Sear written in patterns. I can’t think how long this would have taken to paint, but it is clearly a labour of love.
Stivs, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, August 2022
The decorative calligraffiti patterns serve as ‘host’ for the magnificent multicoloured ‘SEAR’ in the centre of the piece. The letters stand out proud from the rest of the wall and are a welcome feast for the eyes. It is touching to see how artists have marked the loss of one of their friends. What a great gift a tribute can be.
Often a photograph simply doesn’t do a piece justice, and this wonderful tiger portrait by Tack Jucker is an example of this. The light conditions on the day I went were a little tricky, and the dappled shade on the piece takes away some of the detail.
Tack Jucker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2022
Tack Jucker seems to improve with each piece I see and is growing in confidence. This is a superb piece, and he has incorporated his trademark Smokey wisps into the piece, which act almost like a signature. The expression on the tiger’s face has been well observed and captured. Evidence of yet more great work from the artist.
Hemper and Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2022
Hemper does seem to love his collaborative walls, and has partnered so many Bristol graffiti writers over the years. In this piece in the tunnel he has paired up with Benjimagnetic, who has been a little quiet of late.
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2022
To the left is a superb piece of organic writing, so organic in fact that it is sprouting shoots and leaves, from Hemper. Spelling out HEMS, this is an utterly awesome piece of writing and shows off his talents to the maximum. I cannot really express how this piece is close to technical perfection and incredibly beautiful to boot, which is not always the case with technically great pieces. A masterclass in writing from Hemper.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2022
To the right of the collaborative space is a bright and colourful piece that really brings out the best in Benjimagnetic. The letter fills, using straight lines, create a wonderful structural effect that gives the writing so much depth and texture. It is always a great pleasure to see any new pieces from Benjimagnetic.
Today I might get a chance to investigate a spot or two for the first time in 11 days. I wonder how much new stuff there is out there…
Good morning. Back to work for me today after a fabulous family break. I would be lying if I said I were looking forward to going back to work, and the next few days are going to be particularly tough, but I will get back into the swing of things and do the stuff I do well… and one day I will retire, when we can afford to.
Kool Hand, M32 cycle path Bristol, August 2022
This new piece from Kool Hand has been painted on a section of wall that has remained unchanged for about a year, so it was refreshing to see something new. Kool Hand has been super-busy lately and this is a rather nice piece in four tones (six if you include the background) featuring a crocodile with a roller and Posca pen, out to do his best. The piece is very nicely done, with clever use of shading with tones, and the Clifton suspension bridge in the background is something we all love in Bristol as it gives the work that local flavour. A very nice piece from Kool Hand.
Zake, Conrico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022
I have not missed my routine tours around Bristol photographing street art, while I have been away, it is good to have a break from routines, but it is one of the things that will soften the blow of returning home.
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022
Shortly before leaving Bristol I managed to photograph the curved wall in Dean Lane, with this fine collaboration between Zake, Conrico and Daz Cat. The Zake portrait is a fine 3/4 profile of a woman with fine blonde hair. Very nicely done.
Conrico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022
The main part of the wall is slightly crazy and brilliant all at the same time. The dragon hatching from an egg in front of a mountain and desert scene is by Conrico, and the cats, but Daz Cat, although I am not sure if the larger orange cat is a cat. A refreshingly different kind of collaboration from these three.
Today’s posts are the last of my holiday posts, and then tomorrow, I am back to work and the humdrum routine until our next break. First up today are a couple of pieces from Klashwhensober (surely a gallery coming up soon…) from Greenbank.
Klashwhensober, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2022
The first is a nice black-lettered SOBER with a yellow and green blotchy 3D shadow. There is a pink string running about the piece with some rather nice bubbles in various places.
Klashwhensober, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2022
The second piece, possibly painted around the same time, is a stunning, energetic piece in orange and red, also spelling out SOBER, and the composition and colour choices really work for me. The fills and use of colours in them are some of his finest, and the letters lifted with the very tidy light blue 3D shadow. The stars and lines around the perimeter are the icing on the cake of a first-class piece. An excellent bit of writing from Klashwhensober.
This is a very fine tribute piece by Dott Rotten, one in a series from several Bristol Graffiti writers in honour of Sear, who appears to have been a popular friend in the community of artists. This is an absolute banger from Dott Rotten and does Sear proud.
Dott Rotten, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2022
On the left are the letters SEAR written in Dott Rotten’s beautiful style, with deep 3D shadows in grey tones. The fills are outstanding and the transitions across the letters expertly done. The whole piece is set on a cosmic background, with a kind of super-hero character on the right-hand side. A work of love from Dott Rotten.
This piece from Teao One was painted on the same wall as the Hire piece I posted yesterday, and only lasted a short while before being painted over. I have to confess to having no idea what is going on in this piece. It looks like Teao One has written TETE, but I am not sure, and the piece is headed with the phrase: ‘Gunshot in the area’, which might be a lyric or something.
Teao One, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
The elephant in the room in this piece is the can of special brew, which, when I was growing up was the beverage of choice for alcoholics, or heavy drinkers due to its super strength. Here the can reads ‘Special Bren’. Too many local cultural references for me to unravel. Nice to see work from Teao One though.
How fantastic, a classic piece of Hire writing with the inclusion of one of his rabbit characters, still looking as unsettling as ever with its narrow eyes and huge teeth. I am so pleased that he continues with his work, albeit not as frequently as when I first encountered him. In this picture you might notice a rather irritating bit of fencing with a blue tarp attached to it. It has been in Dean Lane since they started developing the building next to the skate park, but it has been abandoned, and is really bloody irritating. I think it needs to be removed into the street, but it is more than a one-man job.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 222
Hire’s letters have softened a little in recent months, but still have that characteristic sharp and pointy edge thing going on, always with an underlying edge or threat, which graffiti always lends itself to so well. I like this piece, it kind of reminds me of when I first met Hire several years ago.