Sadly I didn’t get to this lovely piece by Tasha Bee quickly enough before it had been tagged. Hers was not the only piece on this column that had been tagged, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying. I really do wonder what goes on in some people’s heads that they think it is ok to spoil deliberately other people’s work. I guess I’ll never really fully understand.
Tasha Bee, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018
Here we have two of her serene characters, one atop the other, almost as if they are in a moment of meditation. A decent column piece from this prolific artist.
Well, I have taken a couple of weeks off from Thursday doors for two key reasons. 1) I had run out of door pictures and 2) is irrelevant because of 1).
Last Sunday I found myself in London with some time to kill, so I took off down to Shoreditch to hunt down some street art. Over the course of 4 hours or so, I took just shy of 500 pictures and walked 15 miles. While I was there I managed to find a few doors, and I am sharing the first of them here. There is, rather predictably, a strong street/graffiti art connection.
Thursday Doors, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
These doors are in a street heavily patronised by wheatpasters – it is worth taking a moment to look at the artworks as there is a real spectrum from poor to excellent.
Shoreditch door, November 2018
There is hardly a square inch of un-pasted door/wall and looking at it is almost like looking at an archeological dig, with different eras exposed. To many this is just a mess, to me it is individual expression in a space where freedom is tolerated/permitted.
Sometimes words aren’t really enough to describe how good a piece of graffiti writing is, and this is a case in point. This is Deamze’s contribution to the recent paint jam by ASK and friends on the M32 roundabout, and it really leaves me speechless.
Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
There is so much to like about this piece over and above the technical execution, for example the exquisite colour selections that match the other works on this wall, but not only that, the way Deamze uses the colours, especially the greens, lifts the piece from the wall. The leafy design within his letters is also really beautiful. In all this is a masterful piece.
A new wall (for me) and a new artist (for me) is a rare and pleasurable thing in documenting the spectrum of opportunity and talent in Bristol’s street/graffiti art community. This unusual and interesting piece (there is a story unfolding here) is, I think, by Rosalita of PWA (Pirate Wall Art). The reason I believe this, is because Rosalita was tagged in an Instagram post by Soap (also PWA) who had been painting the wall on the same day and which I posted a few days ago.
Rosalita, Star and Garter, Bristol, November 2018
I love the Russian doll idea and the two halves exposing a heart. The doll’s lips are stitched together suggesting some frustration perhaps. Like I said before, there is a story here…perhaps one of heartbreak. For sure though it is an unusual piece.
This is another piece that is a little old now, but only recently found during one of my not-so-regular walks through St Pauls. It was sprayed by Mr Sleven as part of the celebrations for the St Pauls carnival which was resurrected in 2018 after a few years off.
Mr Sleven, Brighton Street, Bristol, November 2018
The piece is an interesting one, with themed colours peculiar to the carnival and a naive style that almost looks like the whole thing has been coloured in with felt-tips. This work reminds me a little of Pekoe’s style which is interesting as I believe the two have worked together in the past.
Consistency. A word that comes to mind when I think about graffiti writing by Soker. His work is always immaculate, beautifully conceived and generally just brilliant in every way.
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
This piece is the third that I have posted from this magnificent paint jam earlier in the month, featuring mainly artists from ASK plus one or two guests…more on them later. The crew have really raised the bar this time.
Silent Hobo has absolutely mastered these columns under the M32. His characters lend themselves really well to the tall thin format of the concrete pillars and there is now rather a gathering of these gentle giants seeking refuge from the roaring motorway above.
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018
I have said before that Silent Hobo portrays these youths with such empathy, really getting under the skin of what it is like to be a young person in a modern world. I feel at times that his characters come across as rather sombre or sad, and I think that has something to do with the closed eyes. There is a kind of visual tautology going on here of a piece of street art portraying a street/graff artist. A common and enjoyable theme.
I have known this spot for a long while now, and have visited it a couple of times in the past, but there hasn’t been much that I have been able to get my teeth in to…that is until now. This is a really fabulous piece of writing from PWA’s Soap. Great design, vibrant colours and lovely crisp lines.
Soap, Star and Garter, Bristol, November 2018
I particularly like the way the colours bleed out of the top right hand side in smokey clouds – a clever effect. PWA (Pirate Wall Art) have really been showing the way over the last six months or so, and are a dominant force in the Bristol street art scene. Great spot, great work from Soap.
Back in one of his favourite spots, Deamze is at it again with one of his wildstyle writing plus cartoon combos.On this occasion no amount of research is going to help me identify the cartoon character. It is one of those that you either know or you don’t.
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, October 2018
These pieces seem to come so easily to Deamze, and yet I’m sure there is a lot of hard work that goes into producing each one, especially as his lines are so sharp and precise. I wonder if after so much practice Deamze can simply freestyle these or whether he follows a plan – as I’ve not yet met him (I think we have different biological clocks) I’ve never been able to ask him. One day maybe.
The first time I saw this figure by Face 1st it had some posters rather unhelpfully draped over her face. On returning some days later, the posters were gone and she was revealed in all her glory.
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
At any one time there must be four or five pieces by Face 1st on this roundabout, and as soon as one is covered over, another one seems to appear. This one belongs to the group of full figure ‘face girls’ that the artist has started doing lately and I have to say I am a big fan. There is always something soft and beautiful in his work, never threatening or aggressive. Another winner.
Natural adventures 