Tag: Street art

1506. M32 roundabout J3 (78)

A few days ago, it would appear that the ASK crew and some friends held a paint jam down at the M32 roundabout. This tends to happen three or four times a year and is always a hugely welcome event. Over the next few days and weeks I will post all of the pieces from the session, starting with this outstanding work from Epok.

Epok, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018
Epok, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018

The first thing to notice about this is that the wall has been prepped really well – this is no throw up, but a fine work presented almost like a gallery. The nicely prepped wall complements the sharpness that Epok achieves with his work. Beautiful angular clean lines and fills, and a nicely chosen pallette. It might not be obvious, but the writing spells EPOK which is beautifully disguised. Epok never ever disappoints.

1505. M32 roundabout J3 (77)

Ah, how nice to see a fine collaboration piece by Cort and Laic217 down at the M32 roundabout. I was actually on the lookout for some ASK crew work, but this piece was also there.

Laic217 and Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 10

I think that this time Cort worked on all the writing while Laic217 concentrated on the bookend characters. I say this because the style of the writing is consistent throughout.

Laic217 and Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018
Laic217 and Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018

Laic217 is doing here what he does best, giving us skeletons busy spraying their work. His fantastic use of greyscale colouring is masterful and he is continually improving the textures of the different types of clothing worn by his characters.

Laic217 and Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018Laic217 and Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018
Laic217 and Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018

Of course, no Laic217 piece is fully complete without a bucket hat or brick wall – motifs that he usually adopts. I really like this collaboration, and it is great to see Laic217 up to his productive best again.

1504. The Bearpit (147)

Going back a little way, this piece was created as part of the Spring paint jam in The Bearpit. Giraffiti (loving that) is by the Graft Workshop, an organisation which to my shame I was unaware of, that run graffiti workshops and paint murals in the Bristol area. Graft Workshop are Rob, Sophie and Collette, and I am sure to be finding out more about them in future.

Graft Workshop, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
Graft Workshop, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018

The giraffe itself is nicely worked, but I especially like the writing on the bottom right. The main theme of the paint jam is reflected in the piece, with the message don’t bomb Syria – which dates the piece very specifically.

1503. Stokes Croft

I love this wall. It is next to a bus stop in Stokes Croft, and the hoarding was erected about two years ago or more around a building that had been a rather hip bar. For an eternity, it seemed, nobody tagged or sprayed the wall, but slowly the inevitable succession of vandalism and creativity emerged, and the hoarding has become part of the furniture for some of the more adventurous artists. I believe the owner of the site is not overjoyed.

Daz Cat, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2018
Daz Cat, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2018

This is a nice piece from Daz Cat, who once again presents us with a dog and not a cat although I think it is a very fine dog and not too unlike my own cocker spaniel. Sprayed at the time of Trump and May joining forces to bomb Syria, the message here is loud and clear. Definitely bomb walls not Syria.

Much of the work here is pretty rubbish, but every now and again we get a gem like this one.

1502. M32 roundabout J3 (76)

This is the second giant ‘thumbs up’ I have posted from Unlucky 15th, and probably only the second of many. The motif is finding its way around the city and the scale seems to be getting slightly bigger too.

Unlucky 15th, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2018
Unlucky 15th, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2018

A simpleidea, which is making an impact around the place. I suppose it is really a giant tag, but a lot of care has been taken with the white fill and black lines – this is not a quick throw up. Really interested to see where Unlucky 15th will take us with his work.

1501. East Street alley

Usually I curse bright sunlight and shadows when I am photographing street art, but on this occasion I think it adds to the picture. To me it feels like this blue bunny by NEVERGIVEUP is lurking or hiding in the doorway trying not to be found.

NEVERGIVEUP, East Street, Bristol, April 2018
NEVERGIVEUP, East Street, Bristol, April 2018

I would never have found this rather charming rabbit if I hadn’t run into NEVERGIVEUP when he was in Dean Lane skate park, prepping a wall, and struck up a conversation. He told me where this piece was in the context of a conversation during which I remarked on the fact that I liked the way he seems to spray absolutely everywhere in Bristol that he can find a wall, most other artists tend to stick to their favourite places. Bristol is becoming a bit of a warren to NEVERGIVEUP’s bunnies, which is a good thing.

1500. M32 cycle path (14)

Cort is an artist I don’t know very much about at all. I do know that he likes to paint with Laic217, and if you look very carefully at the feature image, to the left you can see the edge of one of Laic217’s skeletons in a red hoodie.

Cort, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018
Cort, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018

This piece by Cort is in two halves, which are sprayed in vert different and distinct styles, I have seen the piece posted on Instagram as two different works, which is understandable, but it is only when you stitch the two pieces together that you can make out the letters CORT – obvious really.

Cort, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018
Cort, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018

There is a lot I like about this piece from Cort, beyond the different styles, particularly the face in the C which has a very strong designed feel about it which reminds me of my childhood (60s?). Anyhow, this ranks very highly as one of my favourite pieces of writing so far this year.

1499. M32 roundabout J3 (75)

I have featured quite a few pieces by Nevla recently and this one is the least like all the others. Pretty much all of his work that I have seen so far is of cartoon characters. This one is slightly different in that it is a little less lighthearted than the rest, more of a study than a cartoon.

Nevla, M32, Bristol, January 2018
Nevla, M32, Bristol, January 2018

I am nearly at the end of the Nevla pieces that I have, and I haven’t seen any recent work although I am constantly on the look out. As I mentioned in a previous post, I like his unique style and would like to see him produce work in other hotspots around the city. Nice green face.

1498. Stokes Croft Corner wall (6)

As you drive towards Stokes Croft from The Bearpit roundabout you see, from quite a distance, this iconic wall with its rather old-looking Stinkfish piece on it. The bottom of the wall below the yellow and black portrait tends to be in relatively constant flux.

Mr Sleven, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2018
Mr Sleven, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2018

I am not sure who sprayed the Stokes Croft writing, but I have a hunch that it might have been Sesk. There are a whole bunch of graffiti writers in Bristol capable of creating this work. The characters on the left hand side of the piece are by Mr Sleven and represent members of the community some might recognise. They are holding up a banner “Make Bristol shit again, got drugs?” but I am not too sure what point Mr Sleven is trying to make.

Mr Sleven, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2018
Mr Sleven, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2018

The characters themselves are nicely done, and I am particularly drawn to how he has incorporated their eyes. The wall is now bright and colourful once again, but now I think it is the turn of the upper part of this wall to get a special makeover.

1497. Dean Lane skate park (127)

It is interesting how much a wall can change in a short space of time. In the last month, this wall has changed at least four times. This incarnation was a practice run by Jee See, whose Instagram handle is Goshiku Chavu (G C…get it?) which means ‘thank you’ in Japanese…I think) for a piece that he created here a day or two later (and which I have missed I think).

Top Cat by ?, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Top Cat by ?, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

In this piece he has painted probably the lagrest ‘Seismic’ I have seen from him. Now, I’m not too sure what the Top Cat thing is all about, but I love him to bits. I don’t think that Jee See created him, it just isn’t his style, and it isn’t clear which was here first.

Top Cat by ?, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Top Cat by ?, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

I don’t even know who the TC is by, there is no signature and there are several artists in Bristol capable of creating cartoon characters of this quality. The whole thing is rather nice, a little bit weird and now utterly gone.