Although I haven’t posted much from Oner for a while, it doesn’t in any mean he hasn’t been productive. On the contrary his work seems to be ubiquitous, and a day barely passes by without seeing something by him.
Oner, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2019
This is a rather good piece in one of the tunnels of Lawrence Hill roundabout. Real care has been taken with this to create nice clean lines, excellent shadows and clever accents that give the letters a rounded 3D appearance. Oner is an interesting artist who seems to enjoy bombing and quick throw-ups, but when he takes his time he can create works of high class, like this one. Very nice.
I just don’t get to see enough of Lemak’s wonderful and complex stencils. Much of his work is studio work, but occasionally we get lucky and he takes to the streets. This outstanding piece is painted on the double doors that played host to Dr Love at Upfest 2018, and more recently to the gorgeous lips of Muckrock.
Lemak, North Street, Bristol, February 2019
This work features a space scene in which two astronauts, dressed in pink and blue respectively are sharing a rather awkward space hug, in which their helmets kind of get in the way. The rest of the wall is decorated with fabulous starscapes and neon oriental letters.
Lemak, North Street, Bristol, February 2019
Zoom in a little closer to the astronauts and you get a sense of just how outstandingly good this stencil is, in which the fabric of the space suits has extraordinary texture.
perhaps this is a projection of our future where the air can no longer sustain us and we’ll all be wearing such suits.
This is a beautiful, beautiful piece.
Muckrock, North Street, Bristol, December 2018Dr. Love, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Yet another remarkable Sled One piece that almost got away. This end of the M32 wall is near a tree, and for most of the day, on sunny days, the wall is dappled with sunlight and Shad, which renders it almost impossible to photograph successfully. I had to return a couple of times to catch it on a rather more overcast day to capture it in all its glory.
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2018
Sled One appears to churn out these extraordinary pieces with such ease, although I expect that is not the case at all… perhaps the mark of an artist at the top of his game. In Bristol right now, Sled One is probably the greatest story teller through his art, every piece containing a strong visual narrative (is that a thing?). I’m not too sure what the story is here, but the man in the ‘D’ of SLED appears to be running away from something. Always great to find pieces by this gifted artist.
As the crow flies, this might just be the nearest mural to my home, although there are one or two others not too far away. For years, this wall has had a rather sad looking old mural on it, which had faded somewhat, so to see this fabulous refresh from local artist Bex Glover was a wonderful surprise.
Bex Glover, The Arches, Bristol, March 2019
I have only seen her work at Upfest before, so it is brilliant to come across this commission right in my manor. Her work has this wonderful illustrative style with line drawings of wildlife scenes in her preferred characteristic colours.
Bex Glover, The Arches, Bristol, March 2019
In this piece she gives us a Bristol fox which will always go down well with the locals. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for any further commissions she might get on the back of this one as it is in a prominent corner with a whole ton of road and pedestrian traffic passing it daily.
Decay has become a very, very busy man recently and this is just one of several pieces I will be sharing with you over the coming days/weeks. His transition from abstract works to writing has been seamless and aided by the carry-through of his little ‘Chuck’ character as the ‘E’ in his name.
Decay, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2019
The colours of this piece in Dean Lane work really well, and it is surprising what a big difference just the tiniest subtle dash of blue tint can do to lift a piece. I am really enjoying his work at the moment and hope you are too.
Here we have an artist doing what he does best. The passionate and politically active Object… is a champion of all that we should care about; homelessness, fair distribution of wealth and the environment.
Object…, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2019
This piece in The Bearpit is one of about twenty or so that appeared a week or two back to promote the movement ‘Extinction Rebellion‘. The movement is making three demands of the British government:
The Government must tell the truth about the climate and wider ecological emergency, reverse inconsistent policies and work alongside the media to communicate with citizens.
The Government must enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and to reduce consumption levels.
A national Citizen’s Assembly to oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose.
I have some sympathy with these demands, but worry that will not land well because of the astonishing mess of Brexit.
We have a divided nation, and broadly speaking environmental activism lands very badly with the Brexit narrative, and we have a Government dominated by the hard right whose interests are never shared with safeguarding the environment. Take for example the ex-Secretary of State for the Environment Owen Patterson who described the environmental movement (and indeed scientists and his own civil servants) as ‘the green blob’ – a derogatory term intended to belittle, mock and bully people who care about their environment, but his words chime for those who are comfortable or self-interested and wish to maintain a status quo (safe middle Britain).
I feel an essay coming on, but I have to make a chocolate panattone bread and butter pudding.
Not quite as prolific as he has been in the past, but still keeping things ticking over is the brilliant Laic217 painting in one of his favourite spots in Moon Street. I think the dimensions of the wall lends itself to his portraits.
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
In this piece we see a return to several ideas used in Laic217’s work which link back to a theme of flammability. A melting face, which Laic217 has used to great effect many times, that spells out his name. Spray can caps for eyes recessed deeply into the eye sockets and a bucket hat which in this case seems to be fashioned out of a spray can.
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
I will never get bored with his work and if I am honest probably look forward to discovering his work more than any other artist… it is like a game.
This is a really interesting small piece by Bristol/Bath artist Harry Grech who I understand from his Bio has a passion for using spray paint. I don’t think he does much street work, or if he does I haven’t seen any which is more the pity because this is magnificent.
Harry Grech, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
A wonderful blend of a classical subject and modern a modern style combine to create something quite special and fairly unique. I didn’t see the artist at work so am not sure what technique was used, but it looks like a stencil which might have been oversprayed with the angular sections… so difficult to tell. It would be great to see more of his work.
This was my favourite wall from Upfest 2018 and it was the first time it had been painted by street artists. I love it that every year, the organisers of the festival find new places for artists to paint, especially as these pieces on permanent walls live long after the festival ends.
Michel Velt, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
This is a gorgeous collaboration between Michel Velt and Elafil. The stunning portrait is bt Michel Velt, an artist from the Netherlands. I cannot tell you how much I admire this piece, it has such life and emotion in it – I feel like I could speak to the woman portrayed. Beautiful without being over-photorealistic if you know what I mean.
Elafil, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Elafil painted probably my favourite piece of the 2018 festival and here he gives us a little extra piece of 3D writing just for good measure. It is clear he had some paint left over from his piece in South Street Park to use in this fine collaboration. I love, love , love this wall.
I have always had a soft spot for Loch Ness’ work, but even more so since he gave me my first spray painting lesson last May. This rather trippy piece the pub garden of the Steam Crane is bright, colourful and slightly peculiar.
Loch Ness, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
I must have taken the picture after Upfest itself as during the festival this garden is absolutely heaving and taking clean shots of this wall is near impossible. The piece features a kind of skeleton on its side, although I actually think that the wall is on its side, because the drips go from left to right. In order to see the piece as it really is, I have turned the photograph 90 degrees and hey presto! you can see it much more clearly.
Natural adventures 