741. Wilder Street (14)

I saw this piece a day or so after I met Cheba for the first time, while on my way to the ‘paint jam’ in The Bearpit on 8 April 2017. This wall and several others on the garage on Wilder street were being prepped by Cheba and Alex from Where the Wall, who ‘curate’ many of the walls in Wilder Street.

Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

This piece is a classic cosmos fantasy space scene that Cheba specialises in. On the one hand, and perhaps at first sight, his works look quite simple, on the other hand they are complex and detailed, and he has mastered the technique for these cosmos scenes.

Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
Cheba, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017

What I find interesting is that not many other artists spray these kinds of scenes, and when they do, they are rarely as well executed as this. I imagine though that they might not be to everyone’s taste.

740. Dean Lane skate park (44)

You’ve got to be slightly crazy not to love an owl…I think I might have said this before somewhere in this blog. It took me a long time to post this piece, it has been sitting in my archives, because I wanted to be sure who the artist was. It is by the French artist Braga Last1 and was sprayed during a visit to Bristol in September 2016.

Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

I love it when artists from all over Europe, and indeed, the world come to visit Bristol and leave pieces for our citizens to enjoy. It certainly validates Bristol’s claim to being a world class street/graffiti art destination, something that is becoming a bit of a USP for the city.

Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Braga Last1, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

This is a beautiful piece and captures the form of the owl so well. The eyes are absolutely amazing. Despite being in Dean Lane, the piece stood in place unmarked for a couple of months before eventually being painted over – a mark of respect from other artists.

 

 

 

 

739. Raleigh Road, Tobacco Factory (6)

This is a subtle piece that I photographed in August 2016, and so I am guessing must have been part of Upfest 2016. It is by Lost Monkeys who produced this wonderful tiger at the same time. I hadn’t been aware that he did two pieces for Upfest.

Lost Monkey, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2016
Lost Monkey, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2016

I love the use of colour in what appears to be a black and white piece, and it has the appearance of having been drawn with charcoal…beautifully done. I couldn’t get a great shot of it, because it was stuck behind a parked car when I saw it.

Lost Monkey, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2016
Lost Monkey, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2016

There is a story going on here, but I am not too sure what. The figures and lines remind me a little of Bristol’s own Shab. This is a fabulous understated piece by a very accomplished artist.

 

738. Moon Street (28)

Another one from the archives, this time a collaborative pair of pieces from Kleiner Shames (now living in London) and Whysayit. I have a feeling that I may hove posted these pieces before, but if I did, I can’t find them.

Whysayit and Kleiner Shames, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
Whysayit and Kleiner Shames, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016

There is something about the simple use of colours in these pieces that really makes them stand out…the red colouring in the Kleiner Shames piece is wonderfully worked.

 

Kleiner Shames, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
Kleiner Shames, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016

Whysayit offers his usual curvy and distinctive lettering, spelling out YSAE. This was not the only time these two sprayed together and they obviously enjoyed working as a pair.

Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016

737. Raleigh Road, vector (11)

This is a picture from some time ago…another that slipped through the net. It happens all the time. It is a piece by Voyder, who is quite one of the best writers in Bristol. I took this when the gates were shut, and so the angle of the picture is not too clever, and unfortunately there are some rather unattractive bin bags to one side.

Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016

The colour gradient is beautifully worked, and the brush stroke effect masterful. The highlight of the piece though surely has to be the neon pink squiggle, which is made to stand out not only by its colour, but also by the feint shadow it casts. Brilliant.

Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016

736. Dean Lane skate park (43)

I took this picture some time ago, and have never been able to find out who it was by. I felt, though that it was worth posting, because it is really quite unusual and not the kind of thing you normally see at Dean Lane.

Unknown artist, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2016
Unknown artist, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2016

I like the piece a great deal, it is very well executed and the colours spectacular. What is going on here for the girl with the green sneakers? Who is this by?

 

735. Horfield skate park (1)

Horfield skate park is part of the Horfield leisure centre and is adorned with graffiti. I see it very much as a practice area and this is the first time I have seen a piece worth photographing.

Whysayit, Horfield skate park, Bristol, April 2017
Whysayit, Horfield skate park, Bristol, April 2017

Instantly recognisable as a Whysayit piece, the colours and shapes stood out beautifully on the gloriously sunny day that I photographed this. Of all the graffiti artists in Bristol, I would think that Whysayit probably covers the most ground, although he has a tendency to spray mostly in North Bristol. This is a nice piece.

734. Dean Lane skate park (42)

This collaboration was in Dean Lane for quite a while before eventually being painted over by Inkie. I have held back on writing about it, because I wasn’t at all familiar with its creators. Of course, good things come to those who wait, and I eventually tracked down the artists thanks to the miracles of the Interweb.

Paris, Haka and Mustard Tiger, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017
Paris, Haka and Mustard Tiger, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017

The collaboration is by Paris, Haka and Mustard Tiger, who must have been passing through, as they aren’t local Bristol artists. It is a curious piece and quite different from much of the stuff we see around here. Even the colours used are quite unusual.

Paris, Haka and Mustard Tiger, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017
Paris, Haka and Mustard Tiger, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017

The left third is by Paris, the middle section by Haka and the right hand side, a rather psychedelic piece, is by Mustard Tiger. I rather like each of the individual pieces in isolation, but I am not sure the collaboration works as a whole. It might just be a familiarity thing, but I don’t really see the thread between the pieces (colours, story, style)…I might be missing something. There is also a small tribute to CK One.

Paris, Haka and Mustard Tiger, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017
Paris, Haka and Mustard Tiger, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2017

733. M32 Spot (3)

I find it difficult to believe that I have only posted one other piece by Angry Face in this blog before. My bad. I will have to rectify this over the coming weeks. His pieces can be found dotted all over the place in the city, and mostly are variants on the theme of…surprise, surprise…an angry face.

Angry Face, M32 spot, Bristol, January 2017
Angry Face, M32 spot, Bristol, January 2017

This one works particularly well on one of the concrete supports underneath the M32 motorway. Probably an under-rated graffiti artist in Bristol, I would guess due to his more clandestine approach to graffiti. I like the edge he brings to the city.

732. Raleigh Road, vector (10)

This is the second of two consecutive posts of work from Soker at the same Raleigh Road spot. This one was actually sprayed before the one in the previous post. There is little more to say about the quality of Soker’s work, it speaks for itself.

Soker, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2017
Soker, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2017

I expect there will be more from Soker on this site over the coming weeks.