Tag: Street art

1006. East Street

Situated on top of the Besley Hill estate agent’s premises and commanding a grand view from East Street over to the Steam Crane is this colourful and detailed piece by Loch Ness. Having seen Loch Ness at work on more than one occasion, I know that he takes his time and really concentrates hard on every detail of his work.

Loch Ness, East Street, Bristol, March 2017
Loch Ness, East Street, Bristol, March 2017

This particular piece features a whole bunch of monsters perched on top of a row of houses enjoying themselves playing and fishing. There is a nice little touch on the right hand side, where you can see two hot air balloons, something for which Bristol is famous – indeed Cameron balloons is directly behind this shop.

Loch Ness, East Street, Bristol, March 2017
Loch Ness, East Street, Bristol, March 2017

Loch Ness fills his pieces with colour and energy and there is always a lot going on. This is a fine and entertaining piece which brightens up this end of the high street.

1005. M32 roundabout J3 (45)

I know very little about the artist of this bold and interesting piece on the roundabout over the M32, other than that they might be called Biers. It is at times like this that I realise just how little I know about the Bristol street art scene, even though I like to think I know quite a lot.

Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2017
Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2017

I decided to post the piece anyway, albeit several months after I saw it, because It stands out from the crowd and is actually rather witty. Each time I look at it, it makes me smile. The whole piece is beautifully worked, and the lettering design and execution is outstanding. Ultimately who couldn’t love graffiti art with the caption ‘night of the living bread’?

1004. The Bearpit (89)

I took these pictures a while ago, but have always had the intention of posting them. First though I had to do a bit of homework. The piece appeared in The Bearpit back in January 2017, and was not by any of the artists I am familiar with.

The work itself is on the face of it quite simple, featuring a key, a knife, a feather and some twigs. Once you step back, you will notice the whole thing spells out LOVE…there is a lot of thought and symbolism in this and it is a much more complex piece than one might think on first inspection.

Riky Boy, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Riky Boy, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

The colours of the piece , whether accidental or deliberate, are significant because the red white and green are the colours of the Italian flag and the artist Riky Boy comes from Milan. I am guessing he was passing through Bristol and left us a present, because I haven’t seen any of his work here since.

Looking at his Instagram account, it would seem that the ‘key’ motif is one he uses a lot, and would appear to have some deeper significance for the artist. I find this work and other pieces I have seen online rather intriguing. Riky Boy’s style is quite unique and raw, but there is a great deal of emotion and intellegence behind his work. A really satisfying find.

1003. The Bearpit (88)

Another old one from the archive dating back to January 2017. This is a really great semi-abstract piece from the hugely talented Mr Klue. In this piece he uses his favoured colour scheme of purples and blues and incorporates a vanishing point around which the whole work focuses.

Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

I like his work very much, but haven’t seen too much of it on the streets lately – in fact the most recent piece I saw was the one he did for Upfest.

Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

I look forward to more of his work on the streets of Bristol. I hope I don’t have to wait too long.

1002. Dean Lane skate park (77)

You will notice that this recent series of posts is a bit of a catch up from archives that I have held on to, but can hold on no longer…they all have to see the light of day at some point.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017

This is a wonderful jagged bunny by Hire from way back in January, before I knew who the artist was. This piece got left behind. I think I have several more old pieces from Hire and I fully intend to get round to posting them one day.

The green rabbit on the ping background works particularly well I think. You might notice he sprayed this over a Mr Draws piece, one I never saw! The bunny looks as cold as I felt when out walking to take this picture. I am not really looking forward to the inexorable march of Winter. You might notice he sprayed this over a Mr Draws piece, one I never saw!

1001. North Street

Just a quick one that I have been meaning to post for ever – since Upfest last year in fact. This is a small piece by the imaginative and creative Feoflip, who was in my view one of the highlights of Upfest 2016.

Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, November 2017
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, November 2016

This is a plug socket brought to life and animated, looking almost like a little dog. It is a 2-pin socket betraying the continental background of the artist. This utility box has since been sprayed green…and had a little Upfest 2017 treatment!

1000. Moon Street (36)

I am confused. Some time ago I was told that Skor85 is a female artist, however I read in the Upfest biography that Skor85 is referred to as he. I will avoid any further gender designation until I am absolutely certain.

Skor85, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2017
Skor85, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2017

This is an old piece from back in January on the wall of the Lakota in Moon Street. The work is typically understated although it comes to life with the cleverly drawn outlines interrupted with zig-zags. I do like the work on Skor85 more of which you can see on this Facebook page.

999. Upfest 2017 (45)

I can see that this abstract piece may or may not be to everyone’s taste, however since seeing his work last year at Upfest I am a fan of the artist Angerami. He had two pieces at Upfest 2016, a fish his official piece and an owl tucked away in an alleyway.

Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This abstract piece is what I would call ‘architectural’ although that might not be the correct term. It is a bold work that may have some hint of or not to the animal kingdom, but that might just be my interpretation.

Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Angerami has a thorough website, and one of the most extensive biographies I have seen for a street artist – he also keeps it up to date – well worth a visit. It would appear, from looking at his artwork series that this piece is one of a series ‘from inside to outside’.

Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Angerami, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I stopped for a quick chat with Angerami and told him how much I liked his pieces last year, which he appreciated. A gentle and quiet man who appears to be highly thoughtful and I would guess academic. Hope he returns next year for a hat trick.

998. Upfest 2017 (44)

One of the most striking and rather psychadelic pieces of this year’s Upfest was this portrait incorporating a glitched abstract background in the form of 3D colouring. The work is from the Brisish artist (Dan) Newso.

Newso, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Newso, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is quite a difficult and busy piece to look at. Do you look at the face and get distracted (I do), or look at the abstract surround and get pulled into the face? Either way it is amost impossible to look at the whole. A very clever piece.

Newso, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Newso, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

On his website, Newso has published a biography, which reads:

‘Throughout 2016 Dan Newso developed his work combining figurative with abstract content in a glitch or implied collage style. This work is often painted on compressed cement board to give the feeling of a painting on a concrete wall.

Since 2008 he has been well known in Birmingham’s post-industrial creative quarter Digbeth, painting murals in public spaces. This work has largely been self funded and has been a process of getting to know the community to open up spaces to paint.

He paints commissioned artwork and murals in varied styles to suit clients needs; he has painted internationally with the latest project of 2016 being a residency in Perth, Western Australia.’

Newso, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Newso, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I like this piece, even though it confuses my ageing eyes. I hope he makes it back to Upfest next year.

 

 

997. Upfest 2017 (43)

Jay Sharples, a Manchester-based former graphic designer, produced this magnificent bold piece, which I guess is a gorilla or something similar for Upfest.  The simple use of only a few colours and thick black outlines makes for a memorable and eye-catchiing piece.

Jay Sharples, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Jay Sharples, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Jay is a leading figure in the Manchester street art community and has a close involvement with the Wellington House Art Jam events and the Outhouse Project.