Tag: Street art

3519. Lawrence Hill roundabout (16)

On my most recent visit to Lawrence Hill roundabout there wasn’t too much to write home about, there are a lot of throw ups and tagging in the tunnels and not so much ‘classy’ stuff that you get to see in other spots about the city. This character from Slakarts is a definite highlight.

Slakarts, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2021
Slakarts, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2021

I met Slakarts for the first time as he was finishing off a collaborative effort with Mudra and Nugmoose at Dean Lane and I would just like to say what a lovely bloke he is. We stopped and chatted for quite a while and it was a genuine pleasure. As is always the case he was a lot younger than I had expected. He is enjoying painting this character at the moment, but said he’d really like to go big, so that is something to look forward to.

3518. Brunel Way bridge (93)

It is coincidental, not planned, that I have followed up a Daz Cat piece with a Kool Hand piece, these two being great friends and frequent collaborators. The curved ends of the long concrete bridge support on the south side of the river are great for portrait pieces, and Kool Hand has used the space well for one of his orangutan pieces.

Kool Hand, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Kool Hand, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

I have seen one of his like this before, where the orangutan is balancing on its hand, in a way that only these large apes can do. I don’t know what the fascination with orangutans is for Kool Hand, but I guess it is no different from Daz Cat mostly painting cats for example. 

Kool Hand, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018
Kool Hand, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018

3517. M32 Spot (108)

Daz Cat is another artist who has been insanely busy recently, painting pretty much any wall that he can. I was lucky enough to meet him for the first time last weekend while he was painting alongside Sage. As with virtually every artist I have met, he was happy to stop for a chat, and I must confess to being slightly distracted by how much younger he is than I was expecting. It is funny how you can create an image in your mind of how somebody might look, and when you get to meet them it is a surprise how unlike that imagined person they are.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021

This is a quick column piece at the bottom end of the M32 Spot all in purple with black lines for the detail. I don’t know how many cats he has painted, but doing this must be like falling off a log sometimes. I am thoroughly enjoying this surge in Daz Cat’s work, and have several unpublished pieces lined up for Natural Adventures.

3516. Dean Lane skate park (396)

Not much lasts for long in the street art world, especially in Dean Lane, and the Acer One piece featured in the previous blog post was overpainted with this brash piece from Lee Roy, who has unleashed his energy and desire to cover Bristol in paint in recent weeks.

Lee Roy, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Lee Roy, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021

Although Lee Roy is an established writer in Bristol, I have only recently started to post his work, probably because it is impossible to ignore at the moment. His style is interesting, with irregular and unusually shaped letters, but his fills are very nice indeed, if a little understated in this piece. I love the touch ‘Need Photos’ in the top right corner – well here they are.

This wall has since been overpainted by Mudra yesterday, but he decided to keep the little ‘Need Photos’ message in there.

3514. Purdown HAA Battery (20)

A trip to Purdown is always rewarding, even scrambling through winter mud is worth it, because there are often some real gems to be found like this Christmas piece by John D’oh featuring Boris Johnson and Michael Gove thinly disguised as the Grinch and a pandemic scientist.

John D'oh, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021
John D’oh, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021

Never one to pass up a chance to parody the half-wits running our country, this piece from John D’oh turned out to be somewhat prophetic. The appalling decision to relax lockdown restrictions over Christmas has contributed to the sorry state we see ourselves in, and all for the sake of vain popularity. I love what John D’oh does in exposing these charlatans.

3513. Dean Lane skate park (394)

More great work from Benjimagnetic who is on fire these days, this time with a nice piece of heavily disguised writing at Dean Lane. This one was painted alongside Acer One who also seems to have had a new lease of life in recent weeks.

Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021

Benjimagnetic has used his favourite colour palette of reds, purples and blues, but rather than spelling BEN as is usual he has spelt something else here. My usual uselessness at reading his writing means that I can’t tell you what this says… it starts with a T but I lose it after that. Whatever it says, it is still a fine piece.

3512. St Werburghs tunnel (226)

There are some artists whose work is capable of lifting a mood, and for those fleeting moments while I am looking at their work I am transported away from my troubles. Billy is one of those artists. Bright, simple and colourful her work usually carries a message which gives depth and meaning to the artwork.

Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021

This piece ‘what a mess’ was painted alongside Merny’s truck piece, the pair often paint together, and helped to lift this spot into a blaze of brightness. I don’t know if the ‘mess’ relates directly to the subject of the piece or whether it is deeper than that and describing the state of our country. On either level it works.

Morny and Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021
Morny and Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021

Sadly this piece along with Merny’s didn’t last too long, and the aggressive tagging that partially covered them over was annoying to say the least. I just don’t get some people.

3511. M32 Cycle path (111)

These boys have been really enjoying themselves this Winter. Barely a week passes without a new collaboration – I genuinely don’t know how they afford the paint, but this passion conquers all obstacles. Face 1st and Soap have been painting together for longer than I have been writing this blog, which is about six years, and have developed an almost telepathic partnership that comes across in their collaborations.

Face, M32 cycle path Bristol, February 2021
Face, M32 cycle path Bristol, February 2021

They have selected a pink and yellow combination for this wall – not a pairing that I would naturally choose, but with the modest use of the yellow for highlights it works really well. Of course from Face 1st we have a smiling girl with big hair spelling FACE and liberally sprinkled with little hearts. Wass this a Valentine’s Day piece?

Soap, M32 cycle path Bristol, February 2021
Soap, M32 cycle path Bristol, February 2021

Soap, sticking to the colour brief has spelled out his name, but for the first time in a long time hasn’t incorporated his toothy motif other than by way of his tag at the bottom of the letter ‘O’. This is a lovely collaboration from a couple of artists really enjoying themselves. Keeping us all sane in these insane times.

3510. Lawrence Hill roundabout (15)

I don’t get over to Lawrence Hill roundabout all that often, so there is always something there that I haven’t seen before. However, the disadvantage of not regularly visiting is that any pieces new to me can be quite tired looking or tagged.

Mudra, Lawrence Hill Roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
Mudra, Lawrence Hill Roundabout, Bristol, February 2021

Mudra has had a big impact since arriving in Bristol last year and has made his presence known all over the city with his distinctive pink faces and colourful writing. Although tagged, this moustached character with a distinctive outlined red nose is still looking rather bright, and I am pleased to have stumbled across it. Not long before I’ll have enough of his work to post a gallery.

3509. M32 roundabout J3 (284)

This surely is a collaboration made in heaven. When two artists combine, whose styles somehow mesh together so well, then the outcome is going to be rather special, and this is what happened recently in this fabulous collaboration from Mr Penfold and Zoe Power.

Mr Penfold and Zoe Power, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
Mr Penfold and Zoe Power, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021

I love this, because both artists have contributed to the whole and there are elements of their work evenly distributed throughout the piece. The colours too are a great combination of their individual preferences. I know that I could identify each of the artist’s contribution, but many looking at it would not. Some great ideas and a superb abstract piece. More, please Mr Penfold and Zoe Power!