Tag: Street art

1476. Millpond Street (3)

My understanding is that every now and again, Bristol Drain Services like to give their office building a makeover. They provide the paint and the artists crete something special. This wall which was previously occupied by Kid Crayon and SPZero76 has recently been given an abstract refresh by the fabulous Paul Monsters.

Paul Monsters, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2018
Paul Monsters, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2018

His colourful geometric designs are instantly recognisable and can lift any wall, no matter how bland, into the status of artwork. I hope to catch up with Paul in the run up to Upfest 2018, or at the very least at the festival itself, for which he is one of the central organisers.

1475. Hepburn Road (7)

Rezwonk has been a bit of a busy man recently, especially in the Stokes Croft area. This burner at the top end of Hepburn Road is a humorous tribute to Fab ice lollies, spelling out Rezer (Rezwonk). His work is undeniably classy and this has something special about it.

Rezwonk, Hepburn Road, Bristol, April 2018
Rezwonk, Hepburn Road, Bristol, April 2018

I have not seen any burners from Rezwonk before this one, but he uses writing an awful lot in his pieces, and it would seem that letters and writing are central to his work. Over the past few months Hepburn Road has become noticeably less threatening as the police and local authority clamped down on the drug dealing that used to plague this area. This spot is a favourite of DNT’s and I expect Rezwonks piece to be replaced before too long.

1474. Dean Lane skate park (121)

On the lovely curved wall of Dean Lane skate park, this bright and cheery piece by Mr Draws was sprayed on 20 April to mark the 420 campaign. Regulars will know that I have long enjoyed the work of Mr Draws, and although his freestyle is not to everyone’s taste, it works for me.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018

Mr Draws is going through one of his incredibly productive phases at the moment and I simply can’t keep up…there is too much in Bristol to cover in two posts per day, let alone all my other material from New York, Barcelona and London. I’ll do my best to keep it all coming.

1473. Lower Lamb Street

Three cheers for the toucan – in what is probably the closest graffiti spot to my work. Imagine how delighted I was to see this recent adition of one of Touc’s beautiful birds. A simple idea, but nicely done and eminently collectable.

Touc, Lower Lamb Street, Bristol, April 2018
Touc, Lower Lamb Street, Bristol, April 2018

Somehow, bringing an exotic bird like a toucan into the urban environment achieves more than simply a splash of colour, it brings with it the magic of rainforests and of hope. It certainly worked for Guiness.

1472. Frogmore Street (6)

I have been aware of the work of this Bristol artist for some while now, but didn’t know much else about him. Well a little stroke of luck…a delay to my usual bus…encouraged me to walk home after work and I decided to take a slightly different route. As I dropped down the steps from Park Street into Frogmore Street I saw this beautiful display of foil butterflies pressed into the road tarmac.

Duncan McKellar, Frogmore Street, Bristol, April 2018
Duncan McKellar, Frogmore Street, Bristol, April 2018

The gentleman in the pictute is actually the artist, Duncan McKellar, who likes to bring a smile to the citizens of Bristol with his unusual artistic displays that appear from time to time. I guess one might describe him as an installation artist, but what he does brilliantly is bring to life many of the things we fail to see around us, such as statues and trees and puts them front and centre of our consciousness with his art.

Duncan McKellar, Frogmore Street, Bristol, April 2018
Duncan McKellar, Frogmore Street, Bristol, April 2018

I particularly like this foil piece because it is an unusual experimental technique which Duncan was trialling. We stopped for a lengthy chat, and I will certainly be following his artistic adventures with great interest. More from Duncan to come soon.

1470. Upfest 2017 (169)

What an extraordinary piece by Title at the Ashton Gate site. The character to those of you not familiar with Marvel comics is Thanos, who I believe makes an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – a film I haven’t seen yet, but will do when the DVD arrives.

Title, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Title, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The detail in the face and expression bring this ‘photorealistic’ piece to life. Title, from Birmingham is a full time artist, taking commissions around the country. He enjoys festivals, which he can focus on while trying to balance a busy work schedule and family life.

Title, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Title, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Would be good to see him again at Upfest, but I don’t see his name down for 2018, so mnaybe another time.

1469. Upfest 2017 (168)

I think the prize for the busiest artists of Upfest 2017 goes to Pahnl who were not only the featured Festival artists for the year, but who also painted two walls with their intricate stencil work.

Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Actually, it was some days after the festival that they finally managed to finish this wall, but it was worth the wait. Their style of work has the look and feel of corporate identy and logos, with ‘toilet door man’ setting about various tasks and activities.

Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pahnl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The partnership certainly produced something out of the ordinary with their work, unlike anything else at the festival. there is more about this duo from Birmingham on their fine website.

1468. Upfest 2017 (167)

Some of the collaborations at Upfest 2017 were almost acidental or improvised. Others like this one were calculated and beautifully worked out. The artists, Carleen de Soza (left) and Dreph (right) painted portraits of each other, and in doing so switched colours for the skin tones and background.

Carleen De Sozer and Dreph, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Carleen De Sozer and Dreph, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I think both artists, who do a lot of portraits fgound it challenging being the subject of the artwork, but the final collaboration was outstanding and eye-catching.

Carleen De Sozer and Dreph, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Carleen De Sozer and Dreph, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The wall was a difficult one to photograph, because the light managed to shine down the back wall and bleached out the top of the frame. Also there were beams in the way, which didn’t quite fall centrally – probably not the best spot for a collaboration.

Carleen De Sozer and Dreph, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Carleen De Sozer and Dreph, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This piece was definitely one of the more memorable collaborations at the festival and I guess ther artists were relieved at having the partial cover to protect them from the rain showers.

 

1467. Upfest 2017 (166)

Annika Pixie has a lightness of touch that brings a spot of magic to her pieces. She is a fine artist and lovely warm person. For half the year she spends her time teaching in Thailand, and her Instagram feed is a constant stream of beaches and sunsets.

Annika Pixie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Annika Pixie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This piece for Upfest must have been completed early on the Saturday, because I never got to see her at work, which was a real pity – maybe this year.

1466. Upfest 2017 (165)

This is the last set of Losthills’ Jake the Dog pasteups from Upfest 2017 and what fun they are. Part of the joy of Upfest is finding these little gems attached to urban infrastructure in the Bedminster area, and if you are lucky, other pieces are left in other parts of town too. This was certainly the case with Losthills, and I still have a couple of those to share.

Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The Featured image at the top of this post sees Jake holding a ghost from the computer game Pacman. The Jake immediately above is dressed for the Daft Punk single Doin it Right.

Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I have no idea at all what cultural reference is being made in the wheatpaste above, but Jake appears to be wearing a basket hat and conducting electricity from his hands…if you know more feel free to let me know.

Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Finally, in the pasteup above, Jake is holdig a heart with the word Hex and is standing in a rather creepy horror-style environment. I am guessing this is a reference to the film Hex, which I will not have seens because horror movies frighten me and I won’t watch them.