Tag: Street art

4565. Dean Lane skate park (508)

Visiting artists are always welcome in Bristol, and how nice it is to see a calligraffiti artist to add to the talents of Stivs and Todoaciem. There is something appealing about writing beautiful letters in beautiful fonts, with accuracy and attention to detail, and Elroy has done a particularly fine job here.

Elroy, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Elroy, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

The letters are nicely proportioned, although I wonder if the ‘r’ and ‘o’ could be a little closer to each other. The addition of a twisted rope and a framed pink background add a crispness to the whole piece. I would love to see more from this sign-writer murallist.

4564. St Werburghs tunnel (301)

Two artists that you could probably set your watch by are Face 1st and Mr Draws – both produce pieces with reassuring regularity, providing some stability and reference points in this topsy-turvy world.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022

This piece is quite typical of Mr Draws’ work, although it feels a little bit laterally compressed, he usually likes to spread his letters out a little more. If this was by a different artist, I might describe it as a ‘dregs’ piece, meaning that it was an opportunity to finish up almost empty cans. However, Mr Draws loves to use lots of colour in his pieces, so this might simply be a joyful burst of colour.

4563. St Werburghs tunnel (300)

This is a fine collaborative wall from Mr Klue, and The Cat Came Back (who has possibly one of the best street art names in Bristol, although it is a competitive field). Mr Klue has been painting these walls more regularly of late, but it is a long while since I last saw much from The Cat Came Back.

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022

To the left, and well within Mr Klue’s ‘safety zone’ is another fine abstract piece from the artist, in which it is possible to decipher the letters KLUE, if you look carefully. The whispy elements, and organic shapes are so unique to Mr Klue, and unlike anything else we see in Bristol.

The Cat Came Back, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022
The Cat Came Back, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022

To the right, is a beautifully executed and proportioned set of letters, I think spelling out MEAT, with a cat face for the ‘A’. The fill patterns, on alternate letters are well done, and the white accent lines are very effective in lifting the letters out of the wall, a trick used by writers to create a 3D effect. Great to see these two painting together.

4562. M32 cycle path (179)

Felix Braun or FLX as he is known is one of the godfather’s of street art in Bristol and author of the wonderful ‘Children of the Can’ books. His street work these days tends to be commission-based or the occasional appearance at a festival. He has been rather busy in Bristol lately, which is obviously good news.

Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022

This piece on the M32 cycle path is highly unusual because it appears to be a sanctioned commission (who else gets to paint behind temporary railings?) on a wall that normally plays host to high turnover graffiti and tagging. I don’t know how Felix Braun has swung this, not do I know how long it will remain untagged, but for the meanwhile it is a case of sitting back and admiring this huge piece.

Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022

The overall message is ‘Love Bristol’ or ‘Bristol loves you’ which is preaching to a converted audience. The piece itself is a showcase for FLX’s themes of silhouetted people, and of overlapping letters in different colours, creating third colours where the overlap occurs.

Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022

In the heart section, the word love appears in several different languages and scripts, most of which I cannot read, but I am pretty sure they all say love. This is a positive message and one that we are in desperate need of in the UK right now.

Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022

Let’s hope that the positive messaging translates into positive outcomes, starting with a total change in government… that would be nice.

4561. Brunel Way (163)

There is never a time when I am not excited to find a piece by Hire (pronounced Hee Ray, just in case you were wondering), whether it is one of his character rabbits or  some of his highly technical writing, it always brings a smile to my face and it feels like life is good, in spite of the turbulent landscape.

Hire, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2022
Hire, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2022

This gorgeous piece under Brunel Way is an absolute beauty. The letters are easy to read and the artwork less frenetic than we might be used to. Set on a clean, buffed grey wall and with glowing orange tones, the red letters and deep grey and white 3D shadow are clearly defined and stand out. This is a finely crafted piece from a talented graffiti writer.

4560. St Werburghs tunnel (299)

With the very congested field of artists currently painting in Bristol, and the addition of Upfest and a trip to Porto, my cup overfloweth with captured images of street art (I am still covering June art!). It is important that in all this excitement I don’t ignore our good old regulars who paint day in and day out to keep our walls decorated.

Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022
Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022

This is a lovely piece in the tunnel from Kool Hand, featuring his orangutan character using a spray can with pink paint to decorate the tunnel walls. The piece is framed in a black bordered rectangle, which almost looks like a window into the orangutan’s world. A nice stand alone piece.

4559. Dean Lane skate park (507)

It has been observed by many that Andy Council is absolutely on fire this year. There seems to be no stopping him. Maybe he has more free time on his hands, maybe the commissions have dried up or maybe he is just getting out more doing what he loves with his friends. The upshot, whatever the reason, is that there are some sensational pieces coming from Andy Council and this double ammonite/nautilus piece is simply wonderful.

Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

What is interesting about Andy Council is that he seems to be really modest. As one of the best known artists in Bristol, he doesn’t seem to be ‘bigger’ than any wall, and he seems to be as happy painting smaller walls as he would be on some of the larger ‘feature’ walls. This playful piece has, I believe, been recently ‘augmented’ so I am happy to have got a clean copy of it. More to come soon.

4558. Porto (10)

This is the last in this short sequence of pieces from Porto, but for me they represent a fun departure from the focus on Bristol street art, and make an introduction to the different styles that you can find in different cultures around the world.

Mesk, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Mesk, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

The fact that I am sharing this piece with you at all can be attributed to the street art hunter’s philosophy of being guided by curiosity – what lies down that alley…? should I walk just a little bit further…? Had I not followed my instinct, I would never have found this magnificent piece by Mesk in an alleyway off the beaten track. The soft tones in browns and pinks, are a bit of as trademark of this artist, and work really well together. The cartoon-style is also really appealing. I have another couple of pieces by Mesk from this trip and look forward to sharing them with you soon.

4557. Porto (9)

Another prolific artist in Porto is Costah. What is really enjoyable about Costah’s art is that he has embraced the whole edgy culture of street art and seems to combine legal with non-legal walls and is equally at home with paste ups as he is with spray paints.

Costah, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Costah, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

This cat, painted on a derelict building on a steep hill just north of the river is a really classy piece. Just by looking at it, you can see straight away that it is painted by someone who knows and understands street art. The stylised cartoon cat is a real charmer and seems to fit in so well with the sun-baked wall it is painted on. More too from Costah to come.

4556. Porto (8)

A prolific, and it would seem well respected, artist in Porto is Hazul. Over the three days that we were there exploring the city we encountered a hatful of abstract murals by the artist, some new, some old and some that looked like commissions. These are the first three…

Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

The first is a beautiful piece in black, white and red (the colours of early Decay pieces), with nice curvy lines and patterns. The crystal shape is almost like a signature and appears on a lot of Hazul’s work.

Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

The next piece looks more like a commission, and is nicely placed on the side of a building. The abstract shapes seem to have a consistent form and the colour selections work wonderfully well. This is a really carefully thought out and skilfully executed piece.

Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

The last of this mini-gallery is likely to make it into a Thursday doors compilation at some time in the future. The shapes in this piece are not unlike those in the piece above. Once again some great colours have been used. Hazul seems to be an artist who really knows and understands their craft. More from Hazul to come.