1533. Brunel Way bridge (7)

I love, love, love this collaboration piece by Face 1st and Tash Bee. Totally understated and beautifully sprayed on a concrete column under Brunel Way, this piece is tucked away and pretty much out of view. There is a serenity about the piece that works so very well, and the setting is just a perfect way to frame the piece.

Face 1st and Tasha Bee, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2018
Face 1st and Tasha Bee, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2018

I don’t know how long these two have been collaborating for, but there have been a spate of their joint pieces cropping up all over the place just recently. For me, this is the best yet. Their use of colour and form is similar, but each has a very distinctive look. The top section is by Face 1st and beneath it is a superb styalized portrait by Tash Bee. I have met neither of these artists, but it I keep looking, it is just a matter of time.

A happy find.

Girl with a pierced eardrum

 

Serenely you gaze

across the floating harbour

when you catch my eye.

 

by Scooj

 

Photograph taken with a compact zoom from the other side of the floating harbour. Street art by Banksy.

1532. River Avon

Regular readers will have seen an awful lot of this little fella in recent months and I make no apologies for that. Of all the bunnies that NEVERGIVEUP has painted around the city of Bristol I think that this one is my favourite to date.

NEVERGIVEUP, River Avon, Bristol, July 2018
NEVERGIVEUP, River Avon, Bristol, July 2018

It can be found on a random bit of brick wall, probably a derelict store room or something, on the footpath between Ashton Avenue Bridge and Brunel Way bridge alongsite the River Avon. I love it when Graffiti (a rather urban concept) blends in so perfectly with a rural setting. This is just brilliant.

1531. Stokes Croft

I have said many times before that I like artists from out of town coming to visit and leaving behind little gifts. I haven’t seen any new work from qWeRT in quite a while in Bristol, so it was great to stumble upon this one in Stokes croft last week.

qWeRT, Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2018
qWeRT, Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2018

These cute wheatpastes feature a goggle-eyed character, in this instance assuming the shape of a broom with its fingers creating a heart shape. It is difficult not to like these paste ups. I only wish qWeRT would make the trip from London more often.

1530. Brunel Way bridge (6)

I took a recent walk down to the Cumberland Basin recently and came across this standalone piece from Epok, which is really rather good. It is less angular than his usual work with soft, almost cartoon-like curves.

Epok, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2018
Epok, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2018

The wall is very busy with previous pieces on it, andf it all looks a bit fragmented. I think this piece would have benefitted from having a slightly larger backwash, especially to the right, but it is a tedious process. Nice gold and silver burner.

1529. Dean Lane skate park (130)

This is a fine three-way collaboration on the long wall at Dean Lane between ‘No Frills’ stablemates, Slimpickings, Biers and Howl. Whatever your views on writing, this is an incredibly neat and tidy collaboration which is really easy on the eye.

Slimpickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Slimpickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

I don’t know much at all about Slimpickings, but have seen quite a lot of his work around the place recently (to follow). I haven’t seen enough of his work or had the opportunity to meet him to be able to decypher his writing. I think it says TEB, but I am not confident.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

Biers I have featured a fair bit in this blog and I continue to enjoy his style immensely. There is something about the design of his letters that really chimes for me, I don’t know if there is a retro thing going on or what, but it feels comfortable.

Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

Finally, the right hand side of this collaboration is by Howl, and he is another artist with a very distinctive style, that often incorporates a dog, as in this example. This one is a real cutie with an orange swirl on his tummy.

All in all this is a cracking example of a top writing collaboration. Great work from No Frills.

1528. M32 roundabout J3 (86)

Hurrah, another Laic217 piece containing all the things I love about the artist, but this time there is a significant shift in the style and application of the spray paint.

Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018
Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018

The whole feel of the piece is much lighter touch from his usual deeply coloured and thickly layerd pieces. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it has a watercoloury kind of effect, which I think works really well.

Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018
Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018

As this artist develops, we are witnessing an amazing versatility emerge, and the more I see, the closer I am to thinking about creating a new category for the blog, along the lines of a gallery featuring all the work of a specific artist on one post. I’ll give it some more thought.

Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018
Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018

Inb the meantime just feast your eyes on this talented artist’s letters and skeletons.

1527. M32 roundabout J3 (85)

Adjacent to the M32 roundabout is a little side road where I like to park when I photograph street art in the area. There are always one or two caravans parked up here too, generally occupied by homeless people. Actually this is becoming quite a big issue in Bristol at the moment, as there are an awful lot of these old caravans appearing all over the city being used as temporary homes. The homeless suituation in the UK is reaching crisis point and austerity continues to hit the marginalised hardest.

Ryder and T-Rex, M32, Bristol, May 2018
Ryder and T-Rex, M32, Bristol, May 2018

On the upside, the caravans are used as canvases for many of the street artists as the ‘owners’ really don’t seem to mind the decoration. On this one we have a rather nice quick collaboration from T-Rex and Ryder. There is real movement in that dinosaur.

1526. City Road (7)

Oooh, I love this one from Face 1st, tucked around a corner in City Road, where I only periodically take a squint at the walls there that don’t change all that often. I’m glad I made the effort as this is Face 1st just how I like him.

Face 1st, City Road, Bristol, May 2018
Face 1st, City Road, Bristol, May 2018

Great colour selection, and I will never tire of his basic easy-on-the-eye premise of spelling out FACE with his swirls and a white face incorporated somewhere along the way. One of Bristol’s most prolific street artists.

1525. M32 roundabout J3 (85)

I originally had this piece down as ‘unknown’ artist, but managed to find out a bit from the signature ‘Pekoe’, which at first I thought was an unrelated tag. Pekoe is a Bristol-based artist originally from Wolverhampton, who describes herself as a self-employed illustrator and painter. In her linked-in profile she reveals:

I regularly paint walls around Bristol, usually with fellow crew members, as well as doodle constantly to keep honing my skills. I’m influenced by a wide range of artists, whether graffiti or modern, and also take inspiration from the worlds of pin up, tattoos, sneakers and hiphop.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018

It seems strange that she has only just entered my consciousness, but having found this, I have since found another and realise that one of my ‘Upfest unknowns’ is by her…both to follow soon.

Her interisting illustrative style really stands out from the crowd of burners and character pieces and feels like a spray sketch. It reminds me in style a little of Ant Carver who uses similar squiggle shadings in his portraits. Really looking forward to seeing more of her work about the place.