Tag: Street art

466. Jamaica Street (8)

The Paintsmiths tend to paint commissions, perhaps the most memorable recent example being the Donald Trump Boris Johnson kiss. Grotesque.  This time they have created something altogether more palatable.

The Paintsmiths, Jamaica Street, Bristol, October 2016
The Paintsmiths, Jamaica Street, Bristol, October 2016
This tribute to Prince is actually a promotion piece for a concert at Colston Hall to celebrate the music and life of the great artist and is probably sponsored by the British Film Industry Black Star season.

The Paintsmiths, Jamaica Street, Bristol, October 2016
The Paintsmiths, Jamaica Street, Bristol, October 2016
The piece itself is flawless and really uses the space of the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft Outdoor Gallery to its max. The Paintsmiths never disappoint.

465. Stokes Croft, somewhere

If my virtual pile of ‘to do’ images was somehow converted into real actual photographs, it would be a very very big stack of pictures indeed. Lurking deep in this pile there are still some images of work done by Tian earlier in the year when he was on his ‘UK tour’.

Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
This is one of the pasteups, of which there were about 9 or 10, and it features an actress from the 1960s, I would guess, but I am not too sure who it is. All of the pasteups from this particular visit contained famous leading ladies from films of the ’60s and ’70s presented with a slight red/pink tint, which added to the old feel of the pictures.

Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2016
Tian’s visit and wheatpaste bombing was a pure delight, in fact one of the highlights of 2016 street art in Bristol. I do hope he returns next year with more wonderful creative art.

464.Magdalene Place (2)

When I saw this I thought of Klue…ok so I begin with a really cheesy pun, but starting off a post can be difficult you know, so any way in is a welcome way as far as I can see. This is a lovely little piece by Mr Klue, tucked away in the borderlands between St Pauls and St Werberghs.

Mr Klue, Magdalene Place, Bristol, June 2016
Mr Klue, Magdalene Place, Bristol, June 2016
Mr Klue usually works with abstract continuous shapes with curves and angles, sort of what dreams might look like (I realise that only makes sense to me). Here he creates a scene of a man sitting at a desk with his PC and a window to look out of. It could be me working at home! Again, there is a dream like quality to the work and the pastel colours have a calming effect. Although I photographed this piece in June 2016, I think it was painted back in September 2015, which would explain the deterioration in some of the paint. Quality piece though.

463. Dean Lane skate park (23)

There are many things I love about photographing street/graffiti art and one of them is that I am constantly discovering new (to me) artists. Although he is well established, I have only recently registered the utterly incredible Ments.

Ments, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2016
Ments, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2016
His unusual organic style of wildstyle writing is really impressive and so different from most of the other writers in Bristol. On his Instagram feed, Ments said of this, “wasn’t keen on  this one but it’s all fun and games”. If only I had a tenth of his artistic talent.

462. Wilder Street (10)

Well Feoflip really is the man of the moment. Before Upfest 2016 I hadn’t seen any of his work, or if I had, it had passed me by. Now it seems I can’t go anywhere in Bristol without stumbling upon one of his incredible pieces.

Feoflip, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
This face has something of the Easter Island statues about it, maybe given the Picasso treatment. I think it is a stunning piece, but the colours and shades he uses lends his work to blending in with its surroundings. Rarely do his pieces jump out and grab you by the collar, and many folk will just walk on by oblivious. But if you do happen to stop and take a look, you are in for a real treat. These are beautifully detailed and creatively styalised pieces that would look comfortable in many contemporary art galleries.

Feoflip, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Beautiful work…and more of his to come.

461. Dean Lane skate park (22)

This is another intricate piece from Dibz dating back to June this year. Dibz lives locally and tends to save his spraying for the walls at Dean Lane skate park. I recently featured another of his works from an adjacent wall.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2016
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2016
This is really well worked wildstyle writing, all very carefully planned from his black book. His Instagram feed is well worth a look, as it shown the extent and sheer complexity of some of his ideas. A really talented Bristol graffiti artist.

460. North Street

On a shop front in North Street, there is this tiny micro-stencil by John D’oh. It is really beautiful, and something of a departure from his more political art. Saucy, and I love it.

John D'oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
John D’oh, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

459. M32 Roundabout J3 (19)

I can’t go too long without posting a piece by Sled One. If I only had to write about only a handful of graffiti/street artists in Bristol, Sled One would be right up there. His versatility is extraordinary, his colour pallets always superb and he seems to spray pretty much anywhere he can in Bristol.

Sled One, M32, Bristol, July 2016
Sled One, M32, Bristol, July 2016

This is a quick wildstyle piece which just shows off all his talents. I truly believe that Sled One will become a Bristol legend. He is already making such a mark. Just enjoy this artist. I do

458. Upfest 2016 (55)

My favourite piece of the 2015 Upfest was the incredible geisha by Dan Kitchener on the wall of the Salvation Army shop. It was fantastic then to have DanK return to Bristol this year. His spot was slightly off the beaten track, and I didn’t find him until the Sunday when it was all a bit drizzly.

Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Dan Kitchener had pretty much stopped spraying for a while and was leaning over the lift and chatting to a friend when I took a couple of the pictures. He really wasn’t too impressed with the weather.

Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The piece, once it was revealed, turned out to be something of a reflection of the weather in which it was produced. In fact much of Dan Kitchener’s work creates the effect of wet night time scenes viewed through a car windscreen…or that is how it feels to me.

Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Looking closely at the woman with the umbrella, allows you to see that part of the picture away from all the distraction around it, and it is just beautiful. Step back and add in all the bright lights and you have the most vibrant scene.

Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I am always so impressed with his work, and I could look at these scenes he creates for hours, studying all the details and effects. It is hard to believe that he paints these things with spray cans. Yet another artist at the very top of his game.

Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

457. Upfest 2016 (54)

This brilliant swirling ‘Bristol’ by Voyder really felt like the signature piece for this year’s Upfest. Visitors to the festival were queuing up to take selfies and group pictures in front of this piece. I wonder how many of them knew it was Voyder’s work – it matters not, they saw it for what it is, a joyful celebration of Bristol art.

Voyder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Voyder, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Voyder is a prolific graffiti artist and many of his pieces seem to be inaccessible, especially if you aren’t prepared to enter derelict sites, so it is especially nice to have one of his pieces in an area with high footfall. Around the time of upfest, Voyder was spraying quite a lot of these ribbon effect pieces, most memorably the Lichtenstein piece neat the Tobacco Factory, now long gone. This is just more stunning stuff from one of the best Bristol writers.