Tag: Street art

3622. Stokes Croft

I drove past this about a week ago and pulled in to photograph it. The Merny (Morny) piece had slipped under the radar a bit, and I’m not too sure how long it had been there. No matter though as I am always delighted to see something new from him.

Morny, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2021
Morny, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2021

This one, along with many of his pieces, is a political piece that is critical of our current administration. Simply put ‘what a sad state of affairs’ more than adequately  presents the utter mess out country is in, not just in its appalling initial response to Covid-19 but also in its disregard for moral decision-making and corruption at the highest levels of government.  The Conservative way seems to be that as long as it makes money it makes sense, no appreciation of the consequences.

The ordinary man, maybe a cyclist or runner, is sitting to contemplate this mess. A wonderful human piece from one of my favourite Bristol artists.

3621. M32 roundabout J3 (308)

Phour is one of those artists who regularly burns his letters onto any surfaces that he fancies. Some of his pieces are quick and dirty throw-ups and some, like this one, are more polished and accomplished.

Phour, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
Phour, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021

Spray painting over existing graffiti without buffing the wall first means that your piece needs something special to stand out from the crowd. Phour has achieved this with flying colours (literally) in this absolute belter.

 

3620. Cumberland Basin

Since I took this photograph, which really isn’t too long ago, this wall had been painted over at least twice and it is fast becoming one of the highest turnover walls in Bristol. I’ll be heading down that way today to see what’s new.

Subtle, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Subtle, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

This is another in a very strong series of pieces from Subtle. At last he seems to have exhausted his supply of pink paints and instead gives us this stunning beast in red. The writing is really sharp and greatly enhanced with the yellow highlights and black spots. This is a very bold and striking piece that demonstrates clearly the great skills of Subtle.

3619. Nine Tree Hill (5)

DNT has been one of those artists who has pretty much gone to ground over the last year and I have seen very little of his work. It was a lovely surprise then to find this delightful and somewhat out-of-character piece from him on the side of an eatery that has had a bit of a makeover.

DNT, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, April 2021
DNT, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, April 2021

The El Jeffe José Cubans sandwich shop is so perfect for its Stokes Croft location and it is wonderful that they have turned to a local artist to decorate its side wall, which is at permanent risk of being tagged. A great piece like this from a local artist might see it given some respect.

DNT has painted some lovely flowers on a yellow cloud background, which is far removed from his robotic-monster pieces that we are more accustomed to. This is perfect for this spot and outlet and adds some colour and brightness to this little corner of Stokes Croft.

3618. Greenbank (6)

I knew all about this wonderful new collaboration from Rosalita’s Instagram feed, and because I recently (and at last) found the Greenbank wall, I rushed down to take some photographs. It was well worth the trip.

Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021

The collaboration is from Rosalita and Antikki and they certainly decided to go big with this one. There is so much to love here. Rosalita’s clown face behind layers of theatrical make up that disguise the emotional disposition of the subject, as is so often the case with Rosalita’s work there is something sad or uncertain about the portrait. The hair, oh my goodness the hair. Antikki has done an extraordinary job of weaving her dancing figures into the hair, which if you don’t look properly you might miss. The whole portrait is set on a starry and atmospheric background. This is a masterclass in collaborative working where the two styles and cleverly fused into the one piece.

Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021

Like many other people, I am so enjoying Rosalita’s strong presence on our streets, which has blossomed over the last six months or so and it is great to see Antikki joining her. I would love to see more collaborations from these two.

3617. Dean Lane skate park (407)

Slim Pickings (Tes), has been painting a lot of his distinctive three-letter pieces so far this year, and I have only posted a fraction of them. I have the feeling that I might have to break from tradition and post a job-lot from the past couple of months just to keep on top of them.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

This one in Dean Lane is a particularly nice big one that was painted alongside Dibz a short while ago. There was an overall alien theme to the wall and there are a couple of spaceships above the ‘Tes’ letters. The letters are painted on a cloudy blue background and are on point as usual. There is comfort in Slim Pickings’ consistency.

3616. Cumberland Basin

Here we have a classic Face 1st piece. A wall tucked away from general view and a chuckling girl’s face splashed on it. It is pieces like this, dotted all over the city that add to the overall fabric of Bristol. Sub-consciously, many thousands of people in Bristol will have seen one of these faces, they might not have registered them, but they will have seen them, and they will process them simply as being part of the furniture of the city.

Face 1st, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Face 1st, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

Somehow, Face 1st injects a sense of fun and mischief into his work that comes across so well. These cheeky girls probably play slightly into the hands of subversive minds (it is graffiti after all), but are entirely accessible for all to enjoy and feel free. This one is a particularly lovely ecxample.

3615. Dean Lane skate park (406)

More fabulous Pekoe work… this artist has been going paint crazy over the last few weeks and keeps turning out beautiful portraits. Painting this one would have involved climbing over an iron railing (rather her than me) to access this swimming pool wall.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

This face-on portrait in blue with bright yellow hair certainly grabs attention. The subjects cheeks are emphasised with circles in which sit Pekoe’s trademark tears. I feel sad when I see the tears as it makes me think that the artist herself is sad and expresses her sadness in this way. Of course, it might simply be a thing that has no deeper meaning at all. This is another fine Pekoe portrait, yet another one in a superb series.

3614. M32 roundabout J3 (307)

One of the things I am looking forward to when we return to a new normal is that some of the artists who have had a quiet lockdown may return to the streets more frequently, in particular artists like Laic217 who has been, relatively speaking, on a bit of a go-slow.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021

This is a nice little skull piece, picking up on some themes used by Laic217 in the past, most notably the brickwork structure of the skull. The folds and textures of the clothing is once again masterfully handled. Always so good to see.

3613. M32 Cycle path (119)

I don’t know if I am imagining things, but since this whole pandemic malarkey began it seems like there have been more collaborative walls than one would normally expect, and I wonder if it is a way for artists to legitimately socialise, whilst keeping a distance, with people they care about. Maybe it is just a perception, but I feel there has been a collaborative explosion.

Benjimagnetic, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Benjimagnetic, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2021

This wonderful piece from the magnificent Benjimagnetic was painted alongside Hemper, Turoe and Veks and demonstrates a slight change of direction he has been on lately in which he has moved away from his busy and frenetic style, but managed to retain the abstract nature of his letters. This piece most likely spells out BEN, but it is nicely disguised. A very nice piece indeed with some fabulous colour transitions.