Tag: Street art

1414. Ashley Road (18)

I like collaborations, I think they shed the street art community in a good and friendly light. This particular one is between Mr Draws, the writing, and NEVERGIVEUP whose bunny is unmistakable.

NEVERGIVEUP and Mr Draws, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2018
NEVERGIVEUP and Mr Draws, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2018

After his phase of spraying monsters everywhere it seems that NEVREGIVEUP has resumed with his rather friendly rabbits, there are a lot of them about, which is fitting I suppose.

NEVERGIVEUP and Mr Draws, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2018
NEVERGIVEUP and Mr Draws, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2018

The Mr Draws writing is playing with an idea he has used before, which is to spell out ‘draw’ in German (Zieht) and replacing the Z with a 3. I think however, that this word draw means to pull like drawing water from a well, but don’t quote me on it…I know no German at all. A fun collaboration.

1413. The Bearpit (128)

I wasn’t too sure whether to feature this work from Unlucky 15th or not, mainly because up until now I have not been clear in my own mind whether this is a tag or graffiti art. Then I thought, does it really matter? This motif has been appearing around Bristol for a while now, and it is only recently that I found out whom it is by. It is highly distinctive and the artist keeps it consistent.

Unlucky15th, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018
Unlucky15th, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018

I think what I would really like to see is some other ideas, to establish whether Unlucky 15th is a ‘one-trick-pony’ or a budding Bristol artist. There is a part of me that really likes this piece, and the overall message is a good one…I think there is another level to achieve though.

1412. M32 cycle path (12)

I think this might be the third piece I have posted by Howl since meeting him a couple of months back. His style of writing is something quite different and has a unique character. Of course, the little dog character is like a signature and adds to the uniqueness of Howl’s work.

Howl, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018
Howl, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2018

I particularly like the deep shadow in this piece with its blue dots, which contrasts nicely with the rest of the writing. I am pretty certain the whole thing spells out ‘HOWL’ although I must confess I have a little difficulty seeing it myself.

1411. M32 Spot (18)

I know very little about the artist who created this fun character down at the M32 Spot. I know he is called Roo, and he comes from London. I think he is probably mates with SkyHigh (also from London) because this piece is adjacent to the one by SkyHigh I posted recently and on Google image searches their work often appears together.

Roo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2018
Roo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2018

I actually really like this piece. It is very clean and fresh and there is a fun story going on. I like the addition of sort of bricks in the background, which brings the whole piece to life. It reminds me of a Hanna Barbera type cartoon. High praise. I would like to see more from Roo in Bristol.

1410. Golden Lion

Sometimes I am too lazy for my own good, not an attractive quality, and one that I think I might have managed to pass on to my offspring. Not too far from where I live is the Golden Lion pub on Gloucester Road. I had heard that Sepr was giving it a bit of a face lift, but just hadn’t passed that way with my camera, and rather than make a special trip to get some decent photographs, I hopped out of the car and took these with my cell phone.

Sepr, Golden Lion, Bristol, February 2018
Sepr, Golden Lion, Bristol, February 2018

It was a wet and cold day, and I noticed afterwards that all my pictures were a bit misty, but rather than go up there and take some decent ones, the lazy in me took over, and here you are with some not so great pictures of a wonderful mural from the not lazy Sepr.

Sepr, Golden Lion, Bristol, February 2018
Sepr, Golden Lion, Bristol, February 2018

This piece really is outstanding and it is so good that in Bristol we have plenty of establishments that will commission our great artists to produce great work like this.

1409. M32 roundabout J3 (73)

The four pedestrian/cyclist tunnels around the M32 roundabout are absolutely covered from top to bottom with graffiti and street art, most of it pretty useless if I am being honest, but in amongst it all there are some better pieces. One artist who frequents these tunnels and who I have recently started to post about is Nevla.

Nevla, M32, Bristol, February 2018
Nevla, M32, Bristol, February 2018

Nevla produces these cartoon style black and white pieces, which portray street characters in various poses – maybe they are friends and acquaintances or just figments of Nevla’s imagination. Either way, the style is fairly unique to Bristol, and I am looking forward to watching the artist develop.

1408. Stokes Croft

Every now and then, a significant piece of street art is created, one that becomes a landmark or a statement in the locality. This commission piece, Turbo Island’s coral reef, by Alex Lucas is one of those significant works. Turbo Island is a little patch of green created by a fork in the main road with Jamaica Street, directly opposite.

Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2017
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2017

The piece was completed on Christmas Eve 2017 and took some six weeks to complete. I am not entirely sure who the commission was from, but I think it is the company who own the building/offices.

Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018

Alex is steadily brightening up Bristol building by building and I think that this is one of her finest yet. Of course, my marine biology background means that I am particularly fond of this one.

Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018

The detail on the piece is typical of Alex’s work and each of the creatures is crammed with its own character from the rather grumpy shark at the top of the piece to the little hermit crab at the bottom right.

Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018

This is a piece that can be studied over a long while, making little discoveries each time you look at it. A huge asset to the area and worth hunting down if you happen to be visiting Bristol. Thank you Alex Lucas!

1407. M32 Roundabout J3 (72)

He keeps on painting them and I just keep on writing about them – this is another nice piece at the M32 by Face F1st. My first impression about this piece though it that it looks a little hurried…the lines are not very clean and the white surround looks like the work of a bomber.

Face F1st, M32, Bristol, March 2018
Face F1st, M32, Bristol, March 2018

The face, as with all his pieces, is simple and charming and provides the focal point for the rest of the decoration. Normally, the surrounding patterns spell out FACE, but I can’t see it in this piece. Not his best work, but worth including, I felt. I snapped up two more of his pieces on my way to work this morning.

1406. Newfoundland Street (3)

With collaborations in Bristol, there are few that are finer than those between Gemma Compton and Copyright. This particular mural is a triumph, and for me, what makes it really special is the backdrop of blue and white tiles. This is a gorgeous piece, and is at great odds with the busy road and traffic adjacent to it. An oasis of calm.

Copyright and Gemma Compton, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018
Copyright and Gemma Compton, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018

The central stencil of a girl with butterfly wings is by Copyright and provides a focal point in the centre of the piece with the warm colours contrasting with the blue and white surrounds.

Copyright and Gemma Compton, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018
Copyright and Gemma Compton, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018

I think that Gemma Compton may have done the girls wings, and certainly the other blue and white butterflies that adorn the mural.

Copyright and Gemma Compton, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018
Copyright and Gemma Compton, Newfoundland Street, Bristol, March 2018

As for the blue and white tiles, I am not too sure who did these, but I have seen tiles feature a lot in Gemma’s work before. I suspect they both worked on these. The overall effect is stunning, and I hope that we see more of these collaborations in 2018.

1405. Jardins de les Tres Xemeneies, Barcelona (2)

Once again I find myself in unfamiliar territory presenting a beautiful collaboration in Barcelona without knowing a single thing about it. Writing about street art away from home is a challenging enterprise and one that requires research time that I have difficulty freeing up. I seem to be much happier improvising my copy when writing about Bristol street art. What I am clumsily saying is that I am way out of my comfort zone with this one.

Bumble and Worm, Jardins de les Tres Xemeneies, Barcelona, March 2018
Bumble and Worm, Jardins de les Tres Xemeneies, Barcelona, March 2018

Firstly I goofed taking pictures of this collaboration between ‘Bumble and Worm’ and Meisone – I don’t have an image with both of the fish side by side. My bad.

The fish on the left is by Bumble and Worm who are Sarah Charlotte Watson and and David Goode Hill, who I think are a couple and collaborate as B&W. They are from Mallorca, although they sound like expats to me.

Meisone, Jardins de les Tres Xemeneies, Barcelona, March 2018
Meisone, Jardins de les Tres Xemeneies, Barcelona, March 2018

The fish on the right is by Meisone, a Chilean artist living in Barcelona. Regular readers will know that I am particularly partial to fish street art, tapping into my marine biologist roots, and this collaboration ticks all my boxes.