Tag: Street art

2370. Dean Lane skate park (238)

I have liked the work of Mr Draws a great deal now for several years and am enjoying seeing his work get tighter and more creative with each outing. This is a simple but effective rendition of his ‘Draw’ signature.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019

The green and yellow stripes are nicely selected and painted and the whole thing is given a lift with the thick black outline. It would seem that so many of the spots Mr Draws liked to paint are now out of action, such as the Bearpit and Carriageworks. It is great then that he continues his great work, even if I have to go the extra mile to see it.

2369. M32 roundabout J3 (157)

Laic217 has only gone and smashed it again, with this exquisitely summery scene. I can’t make up my mind whether the tree shade on the piece actually adds to the ambience, I don’t think it particularly detracts from it, which is not usually the case with shadows and street art.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2019
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2019

This is a masterful piece by Laic217 with many of the features we are accustomed to seeing in his work… the bucket hat and smiley and a skeleton spraying, although the sspray paint seems to have been replaced with sun cream or something more gloopy. The crowning glory of the piece though is the shirt.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2019
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2019

Laic217 works so hard on his fabrics and this Hawaiian shirt with tiger motifs has pretty much blown everything I have seen previously out of the water. I just don’t know how he has got the tiger print to look so good using a spray can – quite extraordinary. This is an artist whose work just goes from strength to strength and I just can’t get enough of it.

2368. M32 Spot (45)

Zake pretty much owns these columns under the M32, and what is amazing is that so many of them are still there after more than a year – a tribute to his work perhaps. In this piece, one head is being consumed by another which looks devilish/vampire-like.

Zake, M32 spot, Bristol, July 2019
Zake, M32 spot, Bristol, July 2019

I do like Zake’s work very much, especially the faces created out of three or four tones of paint, however this one misses the mark ever so slightly for me, there is something not quite right about the teeth in the top head that I find distracting. I think I am being a little picky because this is a good piece, but just not one of his best. Looking forward to more from Zake.

2367. St George skate park (1)

I have been meaning to get down to St George skate park for some time and finally a week or so back I made it and was rewarded with a whole ton of art that I had been aware of but thus far not seen. It was beautiful weather on the day I went to the skate park and it was incredibly busy, so I had to dodge pre-teens on their scooters, skateboards and bikes to get these pictures.

Fiva, St George, Bristol, July 2019
Fiva, St George, Bristol, July 2019

Regulars will know that I love the work of Fiva (Fiver), and although this one is a bit worn, it has all the hallmarks of a great piece from the artist. The cartoon character on the right sets the whole piece off nicely and the writing in seven colour tones ranging from green through to lilac and wonderfully worked, with an urban skyline depicted with the darkest shade of purple. A really lovely piece. I love his little shout out to Nightwayss (who has peppered this spot with pieces) at the bottom right too.

2366. Lawrence Hill roundabout (10)

I don’t quite know what Nightwayss has been taking recently, but whatever it is is seeing him become one of the most prolific artists in Bristol at the moment. I actually received a message from him to go and check this piece out, and I am so very glad that I did, because it is utterly original and rather awesome.

Nightwayss, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, July 2019
Nightwayss, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, July 2019

The piece depicts a guitar set on a gorgeous background of  plants and flowers in subtle oranges and yellows. Of course, no self-respecting Nightwayss piece is without monkeys, and this one has five of the little mischief-makers.

Nightwayss, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, July 2019
Nightwayss, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, July 2019

I am enjoying his work a great deal at the moment, and have a whole ton more pictures of recent and not-so-recent pieces to share in due course. Let’s hear it for the monkey man.

2365. St Werburghs tunnel (89)

Another fine piece of writing from Diced Mango on the entrance to St Werburghs tunnel. This, so I understand, is likely to be one of his last works in Bristol for a while as he is moving away from the city for a while. That is a pity for us, especially as his work has been on such an improving trajectory of late and it has been fun seeing his work develop.

Diced Mango, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019
Diced Mango, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019

This piece has a rather cold and sugar-sweet/confectionary feel to it. His letter shapes are nice and ‘bouncy’ and the three colour layers are nicely finished off with drips and dots. A decent piece of writing.

2364. M32 roundabout J3 (156)

This is the other half of an outstanding collaboration between Rezwonk and Decay from a couple of weeks back, and for both artists was a great success. Here Rezwonk or Rezer as he writes, plays with the same themes that Decay used and with equal success.

Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2019
Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2019

There is a lot of movement in this piece, aided by the explosive flames around the lettering. The whole thing is deliberately rather busy, typified by the patches of spots and clouds in the background. It seems that each of the artists have approached this collaboration with their own identities, but in sharing themes and ideas have played off one another to create two great individual pieces and a great shared piece. So good.

Decay, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2019
Decay, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2019

2363. Star and Garter (3)

The tribute on this wall, to Dutty Ken by Haka, is most fitting and appropriate as it is painted on the side wall of the Star and Garter pub where Dutty Ken had been landlord and DJ since 1993 up until his sudden death in early 2017.

Haka, Star and Garter, Bristol, July 2019
Haka, Star and Garter, Bristol, July 2019

Although the portrait is not the truest likeness it conveys the fondness in which Dutty Ken was held, and if you look carefully you can see another tribute on the same wall. This wall was given the makeover in time for this year’s St Paul’s carnival. A touching piece from Haka.

2361. Leake Street tunnel, London (8)

I have seen one or two pieces by Roo in Bristol, and might even have seen some in London before, but this one is one of the most memorable so far. It features a rather self-satisfied rat sitting on a pot of paint, with a brush in hand, and I think we have to assume he painted the ROO in the background.

Roo, Leake Street, London, July 2019
Roo, Leake Street, London, July 2019

I am wondering if this piece was painted for the #Do1Cancer campaign, as many other pieces down there were hashtagged with the campaign. To me it looks like Roo has been very clever and turned the pot of Dulux paint into a ‘DU1’, if this is the case then I doff my cap, if not then I have seen something that was not intended. Either way this is a delightful piece from the London-based artist.

2360. Leake Street tunnel, London (7)

I have to say that this is a slightly baffling piece by Gustavo Nenao in Leake Street tunnel. It is a photorealistic portrait of Nelson Mandela wearing a not very photorealistic party hat with Happy Birthday written on it. While the subject matter is certainly curious, the execution is perfect, especially as the portrait is in black and whiite, with so many shades in it.

Gustavo Nenao, Leake Street, London, July 2019
Gustavo Nenao, Leake Street, London, July 2019

I am guessing it was done as a birthday tribute to the great man himself, but can’t be sure, and hey – I was in London which is way outside my normal stamping ground and I feel no pressure to know anything about anything on the street scene there. I come as a tourist, just like everyone else. A querky and excellent piece.