Tag: Street art

1270. Camden Town van (2)

Following on swiftly from my last post, I have another van from Camden Town, beautifully decorated, this time by Sr.X, a Spanish street artist who now resides in London.

Sr. X, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Sr. X, Camden Town, London, November 2017

His work reminds me very much of the cartoons created by Glen Baxter. There is a retro feel going on here which is peppered with contemporary references and some quirky dark humour.

Sr. X, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Sr. X, Camden Town, London, November 2017

This is a beautifully worked piece that I feel very lucky to have stumbled across. It always pays to keep your eyes open. You can see more of Sr.X’s stunning work on his website.

1269. Camden Town van (1)

On a trip to Camden Town in November 2017 I took a very long stroll around the area part of which took in this backstreet where market sellers parked up their vans. This being Camden Town I guess it should have come as no surprise that the vans would have been finely decorated by London street artists.

Himbad and Dotmaster, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Himbad and Dotmaster, Camden Town, London, November 2017

This van played host to Himbad and Dotmaster whose collaboration works beautifully as Dotmaster’s stencilled children pull back covers to reveal a cutely frightening Himbad monster and host of monster eyes. I really love this piece and would love to see both of these artists make a trip to Bristol. One day maybe.

1268. M32 roundabout J3 (62)

This is a really unusual piece, especially for the M32 roundabout, but it has managed to stand the test of time very well. It is by an artist called Artezes (Cesar perales). I cannot find out much about the artist except that he visited Bristol in August 2017 and left a couple of lovely pieces of which this is one.

Artezes (Cesar Perales), M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017
Artezes (Cesar Perales), M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017

I would describe this piece as fine art street art – it feels as though the artist has had a classical training and then taken to the streets…only a feeling. Another artist who has done this is Bristol’s very own Tom Miller.

Artezes (Cesar Perales), M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017
Artezes (Cesar Perales), M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017

The subject for this piece is really interesting, and the hot cup of coffee has something magical about it, drawing the eye up towards the purple steam. This is a wonderful work by an irritatingly obscure artist.

1267. Hepburn Road (5)

I walk past this alley way most days, but it was not until recently that I learned that it was the centre of the Bristol drugs trade and after dark a dangerous and depraved place. I have been walking the alley for a couple of years, taking pictures, and although it was rather grubby, I never realised the extent of the drug dealing that was happening there.

DNT, Hepburn Road, Bristol, August 2017
DNT, Hepburn Road, Bristol, August 2017

Thankfully it has been cleaned up a bit, but the wonderful graffiti continues. This piece is by DNT who actually runs the Matchbox Gallery on the other side of Stokes Croft. It is an interesting piece because I have seen it replicated in other spots. I don’t know the background to it, but it is a bright and colourful piece that actually reminds me of the 1980s – I don’t expect to be thanked for that. Nice work from DNT.

1266. Dean Lane skate park (104)

Still delving back into my archives, I have dug this piece out, because I met the artist a couple of weeks back, and now what I’m looking for and looking at. The artist is called Howl and often works in tandem with his collaborator Gumbo.

Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

I met them at the M32 east side of the roundabout and enjoyed a long chat while they were waiting for paint to dry. I said at the time that I didn’t know who they were, but that I probably had unidentified photographs of their work, and I was right.

Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

Both artists belong to the What crew, which includes 45RPM, but they said that the crew was fairly dispersed these days. This piece is in my view beautifully executed. It spells out Howl and incorporates some clever shading and filling. The colour selection works really well with the contrasts bringing the piece to life. I am guessing the ‘O’ is a dog howling, it would rather make sense. All good, and nice to publish this one at last.

1265. Dean Lane skate park (103)

Another one from back in July last year, this time from Hire, who seems very much at home in Dean Lane. With a contrasting yellow background, this fabulous piece of gothic wildstyle writing stands out brilliantly.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017

Hire is a highly talented graffiti writer, who I can’t help feeling is slightly overlooked in the Bristol scene, so I am certainly playing my part in ‘bigging him up’. I cannot be sure, but I think this piece says HIRE. I think it is classy.

1264. Ashley Road (17)

You might have noticed that I am posting quite a few old pieces at the moment. I tend to do this from time to time when I look through my files and see some wonderful stuff that I never got round to sharing. Sometimes I have been holding onto pictures where I didn’t know who the artist was, but that was not the case here. Somehow this wonderful Laic217 piece just got through the net.

Laic217, Ashley Road, Bristol, July 2017
Laic217, Ashley Road, Bristol, July 2017

A spider with a skull and an Adidas logo (disguising the word Laic) – it is all here and a bit weird, but brilliant and such a striking combination of colours. The biologist in me feels I should point out that spiders have eight legs, but that is probably splitting hairs. A Fine piece from July 2017.

1263. Dean Lane skate park (103)

Biers is a really friendly artist who I have met on several occasions now. This was a piece from back in July 2017 which has been in my archive because Upfest posts tend to dominate my July/August time, and other street art snapped up around Upfest tend to get a little overlooked. But enough is enough, I am liberating a few images taken during last July since they are too good to ignore.

Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017
Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017

Biers, I think, is connected with the No Frills crew, although my understanding of crews is patchy at best. He often writes No Frills on his pieces or NFS. I managed to find him working on this piece, and was lucky enough to return a few days later and see it in its finished state. Sometimes work on these walls can last only a day or two, especially in the summer.

Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017
Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017

This is a nice clean piece that spells out Biers which once you get your graff goggles on you can easily read. I still find it interesting the way the layers go on in these pieces, with the fill going up first and the borders and finer lines last. Great skill required.

1262. The Bearpit (116)

I haven’t posted anything by J.Dior for quite a while now, mainly due to the fact that he appears to have left town almost as suddenly as he arrived. I still have several of his works in my archive, of which this was one, and will post them in good time. I get a feeling that he was not very much liked in the graffiti community because he appeared to disregard any of the ‘rules’. This is tricky territory, because the rules are so complicated that nobody I’ve spoken to can clearly explain them. Anyhow, obviously he upset a few people, and this piece has a note saying ‘how about respect Diore’ on it.

J. Dior, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
J. Dior, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

As with all his work, this mural in The Bearpit tells a story and is executed in his typically naive style. I have to say that as part of the full spectrum of graffiti/street art in Bristol I am quite fond of J.Dior’s work. It all seems like a bit of a flash in the pan now, but his influence during the summer of 2017 was definitely felt in The Bearpit.

1261. Upfest 2017 (125)

Funnily enough, this is another piece that I don’t recall very well from the festival itself – there were so many works at Ashton Gate that it has been impossible to recollect them all. However, looking at the images on my computer, this one really stands out as a beautiful  and colourful piece.

Onga, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Onga, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

To my shame, Onga hasn’t really crossed my radar before, despite having lived in Bristol for a few years, and contributing regularly to Upfest in the past. Maybe it is because he doesn’t spray on the walls I visit, I don’t know. I know from a biography I read that he enjoys festivals, and since I have only been to Upfest for the last two years and no other festivals at all, it might explain why our paths haven’t crossed before.

This is a fine piece that probably needs a little bit of scrutiny and unpicking as there is a story there somewhere.