Tag: Street art

3488. Purdown HAA Battery (16)

This is an old Daz Cat piece from way back in October last year – I am posting it now because it is new to me since I only recently went up there to get some photographs. These concrete slabs that formed part of the gun emplacement are a favourite with artists such as Daz Cat, Kool Hand, John D’oh, Soap and a handful of others.

Daz Cat, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021
Daz Cat, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021

What is cooler than a cat wearing ski goggles? I love the way that the tinted lens has projected through onto the cat’s eyes. This is a fun piece from Daz Cat.

Recently some goats have appeared in this spot, and I am sure that they have contributed to the general muddiness there I also think that they stand up against these walls with their muddy hooves – how else would this mud end up on the front of these pieces?

3487. M32 Spot (105)

Many of the old classic Disney films would have a weird and frankly rather disturbing sequence, often adopting a different illustrative style to the rest of the film. Ryder has brought one of those to light with this magnificent pink piece at the M32 Spot. Who can forget the drunken pink elephant hallucination scene from Dumbo? – what was that all about in a children’s cartoon?

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021

Ryder has done a magnificent job with his elephant characters and an equally disturbing set of faces incorporated into his RYDER lettering. Part of a collaborative wall, this is a wild and stunning piece of graffiti writing and shows off Ryder at his very best.

3486. Brunel Way bridge (89)

Although not a frequent painter, Ments is quite regular, so one’s year is nicely sprinkled with these fine organic pieces. This one was painted as part of a three-way collaboration, including Sled One and Smak from a couple of weeks ago.

Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

Ments has adapted his style a fair bit over the past year and although still organic and irregular in structure he has moved to a more fluid and metallic look and feel. His pieces are a thing of abstract beauty, and still spell out MENTS. The white triangle reminds me a little of a Voyder piece in London from a few years back. All good.

3485. M32 roundabout J3 (281)

This is the second piece I have posted by Smoke Perfume, and it is painted slap bang over his previous piece on this wall which I posted here a few days ago. I was fortunate enough to run across him as he was about half-way through his work.

Smoke Perfume, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021
Smoke Perfume, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021

There is something rather nice about getting work in progress (WIP) shots, because it gives you an insight into how the artists go about building up their work. Even though I have been trying to teach myself to spray paint, I still find the process counter-intuitive, but that probably stems from the fact that I have no training in art or design whatsoever.

Smoke Perfume, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
Smoke Perfume, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021

I am not too sure what the letters spell out, but I am pretty certain it is neither Smoke nor Perfume. Rather like the Serm piece next to it, the organic purple and yellow lettering is embellished with white smoky flames. I’ll be on the look-out for more from Smoke Perfume.

3484. M32 Cycle path (110)

I often use the word ‘modest’ when describing Hemper’s work, but I use it in the sense that he turns up and paints with the minimum of bluster. His graffiti writing is always outstanding and often very showy, like this one, but somehow he just gets on with it and keeps a low profile. That he doesn’t have an Instagram account probably reinforces my perception of his modesty.

Hemper, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2021
Hemper, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2021

This is a special piece, painted next to and at the same time as a Benjimagnetic BEN that I posted a few days ago. Each letter is discrete in colour and decoration, but there is a stylistic flow that carries through from left to right. The letters spell out HEMS and splash this wall with colour and joy. This is high-end graffiti writing at its beat.

3483. Brunel Way bridge (91)

I mentioned recently that the turnover on certain walls in Bristol is accelerating and that there is a bit of a squeeze on available wall space largely due to gentrification. As a result, wonderful pieces like this one, part of a larger collaboration, by 3Dom and Feek just don’t last as long as they deserve to. I was lucky to have photographed this when I did, because it got over painted within a few days.

3Dom and Feek, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
3Dom and Feek, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The split face, part monster part smiley, bearing a devilish halo is by 3Dom and is a seriously classy piece. The artwork is fantastic and the incredible details expertly painted. I particularly like the sparkling tooth.

Feek, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Feek, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

On the monster’s outstretched hand is a Humpty Dumpty character with an axe and wearing a Mad Hatter’s tea party hat and with what I presume is an Alice character eating cake. Could the whole thing be a Lewis Carroll-inspired crazy surreal Alice and Jabberwocky scene? No matter what it is, the artwork and skill displayed by both artists is a real treat to behold.

3482. Purdown HAA Battery (15)

I am aware that this humorous sunflower piece by Zake has been around for quite a while, but it has been quite a while since I last visited Purdown and this was my first chance to photograph it.

Zake, Purdown Battery, Bristol February 2021
Zake, Purdown Battery, Bristol February 2021

Stretching across adjacent walls in a corner these two happy sunflowers are whistling away with a carefree mood about them that seems to be so absent in this time of prolonged lockdown. It will pass and these sunflowers are a reminder of a brighter time ahead when we can return to being human and embracing our friends and family. Thank you Zake for keeping my spirits up.

3481. M32 Cycle path (109)

Over the last six months we have been fortunate enough in Bristol to witness some absolutely world-class street art and graffiti writing and it is something of a privilege to see, but the highlight of that period for me has been the emergence of a new generation of artists, at the start of their journey, full of the vigour and hope. Some will dabble and then fall by the wayside, others will hit the scene hard and progress and develop over time into firm regulars, others will develop into established and top drawer artists. I am enjoying that emergence of talent, it all starts somewhere, and Big Hev is one of those that makes what I do so worthwhile.

Big Hev, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021
Big Hev, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021

Although her work is quite naive, there is a definite style that is hers and hers alone. The portraits are brightly coloured and the lips full and eyes large. Big Hev already has a good understanding of shading and the contours of the face are blended really nicely with layers of three colours of blue bringing out the features. This is going to be a hugely enjoyable journey as we watch it unfold.

3480. Purdown HAA Battery (14)

An oasis of colour in a desert of thick wet mud, and thank goodness for it, because the dog and I got filthy… if there hadn’t been any decent pieces on the battery walls I think I’d have been well miffed. But decent pieces there were and this one was a truly wonderful surprise from Hanski, who has recently hit the Bristol scene running.

Hanski, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021
Hanski, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021

With two Universities in Bristol, we have quite a large number of art students in the City, and some of them like to Chuck paint at walls… Hanski is one of them. Hanski’s work is like Cubism meets the 1980s, with tons of bright and bold colours and disaggregated features reassembled to create a new face. I am so much looking forward to a whole lot more from Hanski.

3479. Brunel Way bridge (90)

There are times when you have to just sit down and absorb a piece, to enjoy it to the maximum, and marvel at its splendour. This amazing piece by Sled One is one of those, and I don’t think that anything I write will actually add anything to the majesty of this work.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The regal character, part of a wider collaboration set on a pink background, is as unsettling as it is crazy. A lizard-like queen with a full set of pearls (is it Queen Victoria?) is holding a sceptre which looks like it has a fly on the end.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The surreal piece might be political commentary, or it might not, with Sled One it is customary to not really know what is going on. Accepting that there is a great story there somewhere is probably enough and we all have to let our imaginations run wild. I love this a lot.