Tag: Street art

2153. Dean Lane skate park (206)

Now that the sun has at last arrived and the weather is beginning to warm up a little it seems that plenty of artists are coming out of hibernation, which on the one hand is a great thing, but on the other means that turnover is going to increase, and keeping up with new pieces in Bristol is going to be an impossible task.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019

This pair, Slim Pickings and Biers (who seems to have changed his handle to Jimothy Kool Aid) from No Frills have certainly awoken and this is the first of at least two recent collaborations I have seen. Slim Pickings in particular seems to have gone a little crazy, and I am going to have a job posting all his recent pieces. Love the colours in this one.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019

Biers has created this writing (I’m not sure what is spells out) and added in a character, which I believe to be Jeremy Beadle who amongst other things used to present the TV clips show You’ve been Framed. Such is his attention to detail, Biers has even incorporated the slightly small hand that Beadle had. I’m still loving the shapes of Biers’ letters.

2152. St Werburghs tunnel (73)

Another fine combo from Laic217 and Cort in St Werburghs tunnel. I feel like I haven’t seen too much from Laic217 in recent months, although actually he is still reasonably productive and I see maybe a couple of new pieces each month.

Laic217, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019
Laic217, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019

The Character piece has several themes that we have seen from Laic217 before. A skull, a brick wall, this time in the form of glasses and a brilliantly crafted hoodie jacket complete with zip.

Laic217, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019
Laic217, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019

More than other pieces that Laic217 has produced, this one feels surreal, probably because the brick wall obscures the eyes, or more correctly the eye sockets, so the character is dissociated from its surroundings… warning, beginning to sound a little pretentious.

Cort, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019
Cort, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019

It would seem that Cort recently has been rather fond of extending the length of his name, and in this case to CORTONE. I wonder if by lengthening it he gives himself more scope to play around. I like what he has done here, and I particularly like the random white surround with trios of black dots in it. All in all a nice collaboration from these two friends.

2151. M32 roundabout J3 (138)

There was a recent paint jam down at the M32 with fur artists participating. The only one that I recognised was Smak, so I guess the others were visitors to Bristol, or don’t paint all that often. This piece by Smak was the pick of the bunch, although the others were pretty good too, and I’ll post them in due course.

Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2019
Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2019

The colours of this piece stand out so brilliantly against the white background and I consider this to be a truly masterful piece of writing. I am pretty hacked off that I cut off the ends of the piece in both photographs but the pavement here is pretty narrow and it is difficult to get the full span of a piece in shot. I am even more annoyed that I went back there last night and forgot to retake the pictures. Sensational work though.

2150. Rivington Street, London (7)

I have a terrible feeling that I might have walked past this marvellous piece by Stik several times over the last year or two. It doesn’t look especially new, but I have just never noticed it before… there is always reward in looking up.

Stik, Rivington Street, London, April 2019
Stik, Rivington Street, London, April 2019

I have said it before about his pieces, but it is incredible how much emotion he manages to convey with these simplest of characters that have no features other than dots for eyes. It is also interesting how your mind completes the picture where the windows break up the artwork. Rivington Street is a great place to see street art, and if you should happen to go, don’t forget to look up.

 

 

2149. Brick Lane (3)

I knew about this beautiful Dan Kitchener piece, because I’d seen it a couple of times on Instagram, so it was ‘front of mind’ when I eventually made it to Brick Lane. The piece, on a perfect wall was towards the southern end of Brick Lane, and although it has been there since mid-March was in remarkably good nick.

Dan Kitchener, Brick Lane, London, April 2019
Dan Kitchener, Brick Lane, London, April 2019

It is impossible not to admire Dan Kitchener’s work and his geisha pictures really are sublime. The piece is awash with colour and the hair decorations are so beautifully crafted, the street lights behind creating movement. Probably a ‘quick one’ from Dan Kitchener, but a real gem nonetheless.

2147. Nomadic community garden, London (1)

This is a really unusual piece by Aspire in a rather unusual setting. The nomadic community garden just off Brick Lane is an example of extreme Bohemian living. A collection of allotment huts, some of which are mini cafes, and a few small plots surrounded by graffiti and street art. It is a completely bonkers public space that has to be seen to be understood.

Aspire, Nomadic Community Garden, Brick Lane, London, April 2019
Aspire, Nomadic Community Garden, Brick Lane, London, April 2019

I would normally associate birds and other wildlife with Aspire, so this rather ghoulish portrayal of Mother Teresa came as a bit of a surprise package. It is definitely by Aspire as it is signed with his characteristic signature in the colours used for the piece. My sister didn’t like this, and I tried to explain to her that it was not typical of his work. Personally I like to see artists switch it up from time to time. A fine piece.

2146. Shoreditch, London (29)

Sweet Toof is a London artist who has always had strong links with Bristol especially through his long-standing friendship with Rowdy. Even now, there are several toothy pieces dotted around the city. It is funny, but I have always thought of him as a Bristol artist, because of his legacy here.

Sweet Toof, Shoreditch, London, April 2019
Sweet Toof, Shoreditch, London, April 2019

It was extra special to find this triptych of shutters, that look rather recent, when in London last weekend walking in the Brick Lane area with my sister. It doesn’t seem to matter where I pitch up in the world, there always seems to be a Sweet Toof piece close by.

Sweet Toof, Shoreditch, London, April 2019
Sweet Toof, Shoreditch, London, April 2019

These three are really rather special, and have a feel of ‘see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil’ about them. It is nice to see the three different aspects of the skulls. Obviously that Master’s degree from the Royal Academy of Arts was not wasted.

Sweet Toof, Shoreditch, London, April 2019
Sweet Toof, Shoreditch, London, April 2019

I do like Sweet Toof’s work very much indeed, always blending mortality with humour in his incredibly distinctive style. Great find.

2145. Dean Lane skate park (205)

I haven’t seen a whole lot of Mr Draws’ work lately – I think he has been out and about, but by the time I get to find his pieces they have been over-painted, so it was most gratifying to come across this one in Dean Lane last week.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019

His ideas are simple and his execution very much in the style of high-class bombers, but in my mind what really sets him apart from others is his willingness to try new concepts and colour patterns. This piece really works for me, it is easy on the eye and I just can’t stop myself following the purple spiral from the centre outwards and back again. The multicoloured fill is a joy. All good from Mr Draws.

2144. Lower Ashley Road (3)

Never really at risk of slipping through the net, but posted much later than I had hoped is this magnificent piece by Sled One at the bottom of Lower Ashley Road where construction work has begun. It didn’t take long for the construction company to disrupt any street/graffiti art from making it onto this hoarding, but I think this piece survives.

Sled One, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, February 2019
Sled One, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, February 2019

Sled One brings us another creature from his imagination which spells out the word ASK. I think it is a cat – he does a lot of cats – but it is the sketch of a fish on the cat’s shoulder that really makes me smile, so simple but so engaging.

Sled One, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, February 2019
Sled One, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, February 2019

For the last couple of months Sled One has been on a real roll, and it is always an immense pleasure to see his work on the streets. I must get round to updating his gallery.

Meow!

2143. Moon Street (64)

In Bristol it would seem at the moment that one is never far away from a Mr Klue piece. He is keeping very busy indeed, and this was from a couple of weeks back, during a paint session with Mr Sleven and DNT.

Mr Klue, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Mr Klue, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019

Using, what I am guessing are his favourite colours (he uses them a lot) he has created another calming abstract writing piece that possibly spells out KLUE (or you can even read WONE – Mr Klue’s surname). His light touch pieces always have an ephemeral feel about them, that they might just waft away on the breeze. Still loads more to come.