I posted my first piece by Nevla about a week ago, and this is the second. Fortunately, I have a whole bunch more I can share, now that I know who the artist is.
Nevla, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2018
His cartoon style is something quite different and refreshing in Bristol as well as being really distinctive. His characters are usually framed by a red or blue border and tend to be black and white, almost as if he has drawn the cartoon using a flip chart and thick black marker pen. It is a pity that he favours tunnels, because the light is always poor and photographs dishonest.
A nice quick one from Mr Draws, which was to mark the arrival of storm Emma, one of a couple of snow events that hit the UK and Bristol during March this year.
Mr Draws, M32, Bristol, March 2018
I like this piece, it is modest and unassuming, but contains some lovely little details inside the dull chrome letters. As ever, always good to see Mr Draws’ work.
A few weeks back there was a bit of an informal paint jam at the M32, with artists from Swansea, Cardiff, Tiverton and Taunton all represented. I managed to be there at the right time and photograph the artists at work. The interesting thing for me was that most of these artists/graff writers were completely new to me.
Amoe, M32, Bristol, February 2018
This is a lovely piece by Karm Amoe from Cardiff. He has a website, but it doesn’t say too much and appears to be incomplete, so I really don’t have too much information on the artist.
Amoe, M32, Bristol, March 2018
There is something very pleasing about the form of his letters, and the colours he has selected are outstanding. The swirly pattern at the base of the piece and white at the top adds some real class. Nice to be able to see something new (to me).
Another Laic217 piece, this time on the long wall at Dean Lane which was sprayed at the same time as the NEVERGIVEUP piece just to the left. Both artists are part of the vibrant community of Polish street artists in Bristol, which also includes Hire and Skor85. It is nice when they work together.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018
This is only a small piece, but what a fabulous piece it is. I particularly like the folds in the leather (PVC?) jacket the skeleton is wearing. Laic217 has been improving so much over the last couple of years, but it is his understanding of materials that has really developed…his skeletons parading an extensive wardrobe. I look forward to seeing one wearing a fur coat…a challenge.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018
Laic217 has been busy lately, which is always a good thing in my book.
Perching high above the bustle and noise of Allen Street is this magnificent and regal lion by Sonny. It really is an outstanding piece and one of my favourites from my trip to New York.
Sonny, Allen Street, New York, October 2017
This is the second piece by Sonny I have featured from this trip, the first was a tiger in SoHo. His work in both these pieces has woven in patterns and colour to a quarter of the portrait that looks so natural and part of the animal itself.
Sonny, Allen Street, New York, October 2017
This piece, and indeed this street, should be on any street art hunter’s wish list.
Oooh, I love New York, and so it seems does Invader. Deep in the heart of Little Italy in SoHo this magnificent pixelated mosaic by the great French artist resides above a clam restaurant. The piece was given a helping hand by the LISA (Little Italy Street Art) project.
Invader, Mulberry Street, New York, October 2017
I have only ever seen a handful of Invader pieces in the flesh, and this one is quite the largest. A magnificent present for those who like to keep their eyes open.
Very close to where we were staying in New York was this large and imposing piece by the fabulous Shepard Fairey. The style is austere and seems to bear a resemblance to totalitarian state propaganda branding or dystopian future movie motifs such as in ‘the hunger games. The sentiment though is for the people.
Shepard Fairey, Bowery, New York, October 2018
I rather like this highly designed corporate look, and it certainly is a striking piece that yells out at passers by.
Photograps taken in St Werburghs tunnel are a real challenge. The colours are yellowed out if you don’t use a flash, and when you do use a flash (a non-sophisticated one like I use) you get horrible reflections obscuring the art. This piece by Fiver (Fiva) looks a bit dreary, but it was far from that in the flesh.
Fiva, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2016
Fiver is an artist I have featured a couple of times this winter, having not seen much from him for quite a long while. This is an old one, full of charm. I believe the character is Donkey Kong of Nintendo fame. A fun piece.
Back to the more recent stuff now. I am not used to seeing writing from NEVERGIVEUP, who is better known for his bunnies and monsters, so this one in Dean Lane comes as a bit of a surprise.
NEVERGIVEUP, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018
I can’t really make out what the letters say, probably because I haven’t seen much of his writing before and the style is typically unique. He does like to do things his way and is fast establishing himself into the Bristol street art scene.
I write my posts in batches, getting a few done in advance, when I have a moment to do them. This can be tricky while juggling a full-time job, two teenage children, a cat, a dog, a chameleon, an extremely hard-working wife, housework, an allotment, decorating and so on. Life is full, and it would be impossible to find the time to write two posts a day every day. Doing them in batches also carries economies of scale, where I can process a batch of photographs in one go and writing tends to come more freely once you are on a roll.
Why am I mentioning this? Well, by the time I publish this post on a fabulous piece by Kleiner Shames, I will be on a special short break trip in Barcelona with my daughter, and I wanted to say ‘hello from Barcelona’, but to say this I have had to think ahead and I am saying ‘hello from Barcelona’ from the comfort of my study which all feels a bit artificial really, but is helping me to get very excited about our trip.
Kleiner Shames, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2016
This is a fine piece of writing from one of my favourite Bristol artists who now lives in London. I have posted many of his works on this blog, and each of them is a winner. Concealed in this splash of colour is the word ‘FOIS’…time in French. Most of his pieces have this word, and at first I thought his street art name was Fois.
Kleiner Shames, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2016
This is another one that I have dug out of my archive, because it is simply just too good not to share.
Oh and ‘Hi from Barcelona’ I think I’m having a wonderful time.
Natural adventures 