Tag: Street art

894. Little Paradise (1)

I was on the hunt for a new spot in Bedminster, wandering around an area I am not so familiar with, and would you believe it? I came across this fabulous Feoflip piece in the charmingly named Little Paradise.

Feoflip, Little Paradise, Bristol July 2017
Feoflip, Little Paradise, Bristol July 2017

This must have been yet another of his little surprises left behind for Bristolians to enjoy from last year’s Upfest. His work is just amazing, and this is a perfect example from him. What is amazing is that several other Bristol graff spotters also found this piece recently, even though it has been here for some time. Scarily, we obviously walk the same routes. I sometimes wonder if I have a doppelganger.

893. Lower Approach Road (5)

Another fine piece at this relatively new location at Temple Meads station. This is a lovely work from Kid Crayon featuring a group of people and their obsessions with their mobile phones. Possibly representative of the crowds of people departing from and arriving at the station each and every day.

Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017

I am not sure if any of these characters are based on real people, but the fellow on the right eating his phone has an uncanny resemblance to Paul Monsters (Paul Roberts) who painted a collaboration with Copyright just around the corner.

Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017

Somehow no Kid Crayon piece feels complete without purple or blue-faced people, and here he offers lashings of them. The young girl actually looks quite sinister, reminiscent of the character from The Addams Family played by Christina Ricci.

Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon, Lower Approach road, Bristol, June 2017

Quite who the pretty lady with the squinty eye at the centre of the picture is I don’t know, but I love the detail of her necklace and freckled nose. All in all this is a superb piece from Kid Crayon…full of stories and beautifully executed.

Kid Crayon, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017

892. Moon Street (32)

Once more we see a pairing of Laic217 and Cort on this hoarding panel in Moon Street. Unfortunately I arrived to photograph it just a little too late, and the Cort half has been dogged with a throw up. This is an all too familiar sight in the Stokes Croft area and can at times be really frustrating, and indeed has driven some artists away from the area, which is a real pity.

Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, June 2017
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, June 2017

The Laic217 half of this collaboration features a rather menacing skull wearing a red bucket had with horns sticking through the top. the word ‘inferno’ stitched into the brim of the hat suggests that this may indeed be Satan.

Laic217 and Cort, Moon Street, Bristol, June 2017
Laic217 and Cort, Moon Street, Bristol, June 2017

Another nice piece from these artists and another weekly (at least) dose of Laic217.

I have just noticed that the shadow on the pavement in the bottom picture looks a little like it could be the shadow cast by Satan.

891. North Street Hoardings (8)

I think that Sirens must have been squatting uncomfortably on the ground for a while during the creation of this calming piece in North Street. It is tucked in amongst scaffolding and a small alcove, often used by graffiti artists and taggers. The space smells…well what should I say? a bit like a WC, and I guess that plenty of pub goers relieve themselves here after an evening out.

Sirens, North Street hoarding, Bristol, June 2017
Sirens, North Street hoarding, Bristol, June 2017

How fabulous then to see this uplifting piece so typical of Sirens. Silhouetted houses and rooftops with a magnificent setting sun; an inspirational piece so full of hope. I know that Sirens likes to surprise people with his choice of location and he has excelled with this one. I imagine many will walk past it none the wiser, but those who look around will see it and benefit from the joy it brings. Nice one Sirens!

890. Bedminster

On one of my lunchtime jaunts I got lucky enough to meet Andy Council working on a piece that didn’t incorporate animals, which judging from our conversation, I think is something of a ‘day off’ for him.

Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

He was working on quite an awkward low stretch of wall on a ramp, but has managed to craft an impressive cityscape in his most distinctive style.

Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

The location is a spot new to me, and there is a host of other treasures there from local graffiti artists. I’ll come on to these over the coming weeks.

Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

What I particularly like about this work is the vibrant colours and use of the space. It shows how a bit of time spent in the hands of a skilled artist can improve the local environment of what was previously a dull grey utilitarian tiled pathway. Nice to meet Andy for the first time too.

888. Upfest 2016 (155)

So I decided to round off this batch of last year’s Upfest posts with a very Bristol piece. This wonderful side of a bus was sprayed by the ASK crew, which comprises a great many of the Bristol graffiti/street artists I have covered in Natural Adventures passim. It would be fitting to end the 2016 posts with this, but I still have plenty more. I have decided to intersperse them with future posts, but obviously I’ll be concentrating on Upfest 2017 over the coming weeks.

ASK crew, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
ASK crew, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Please don’t ask me to identify all the members of ASK, it could take me a while. The ASK (After School Klub) crew tend to dominate the street art scene in Bristol, but there is always plenty of space for others, and I don’t think they are too precious. Great colourful bus, but pretty dismal pictures. Nice eye – probably by Voyder.

 

887. Upfest 2016 (154)

This is an extraordinary piece by Random, called ‘Prisoner 46664’ and is a portrait of Nelson Mandela. Random, originally from Liverpool, lives in North Wales and works with stencils, sculpture and wheatpastes, which scores lots of points with me.

Random, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Random, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The work is an ingenious stencil with letters cut into it, placed over a red background. The letters are like a wordle of key associations with Nelson Mandela, such as ‘Freedom’ and ‘political’ and ‘rebel’ and ‘statesman’.

Random, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Random, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

A magnificent piece from Random.

886. Upfest 2016 (153)

I have said it in a previous post, but the children at Ashton Gate Primary School are the luckiest in Bristol. so many pieces decking the walls of their playground. I believe that it was a one-off though, and they’ll not be using the school again for Upfest. The reason for this is that it is a bit off the beaten track, and the artists reported that not many people came to see them working, and they felt a little isolated.

3rdeye, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
3rdeye, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is a wonderful piece by 3rdeye, an established artist who has been involved in the graffiti scene since the 1980s.

3rdeye, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
3rdeye, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

His characters are simple and bold but have some emotional depth and feeling. I really like this work. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to photograph it properly, so the composition is slightly out of context. A great colourful piece.

885. Upfest 2016 (152)

You rarely meet anyone who doesn’t have a fondness for Baloo and his ‘the bear necessities’ song from the Disney adaptation of Kiplings’ the Jungle Book. It was the film I saw most frequently as a child – six times – in the days before videos. I had the LP, and pretty much know the entire film word for word, even now.

Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Mr Bear, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

A digression. This is a fine stencil from Bristol born and bred Mr Bear. I must confess to not knowing much at all about this artist, and I haven’t come across his work, or at least, not knowingly. He is a member of SSOSVA and started painting in 1997 under the moniker ‘Bas’.

884. Upfest 2016 (151)

Rumbl is another street artist from the rather large Dutch contingent that attended Upfest 2016. I must confess that when I first saw this piece I didn’t much like it. Now that I have looked a little more carefully and researched some of his other work, I think I get it now, and actually rather like it.

Rumbl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Rumbl, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is a perfect Upfest wall and he has made a good job of it. He has a love of American illustration of the 1960s and you can see that clearly in this work. The stylised horse and cowboy boots…sort of Woody meets Lucky Luke meets John Wayne. I do now rather like this – pity it took me so long to post it.