Tag: Street art

397. Charles Street (2)

I posted about this duo back in January this year, with a focus on the robin by the talented Aspire. At the time I didn’t know who had created the wheatpaste of a yellow telephone box with Marilyn Monroe in it. It was of course D7606…he even signed it!

D7606, Charles Street, Bristol, August 2016
D7606, Charles Street, Bristol, August 2016

Recently, the yellow telephone box has been replaced by an orange one and Monroe by Bowie, I am guessing that D7606 made this exchange during Upfest, as he was in Bristol doing his stuff during the festival.

D7606, Charles Street, Bristol, August 2016
D7606, Charles Street, Bristol, August 2016

Since becoming aware of D7606, and reading an excellent interview with him, I have really begun to enjoy his work, and with my weekly work trips to London, I encounter his treats all over the Shoreditch area. There is something fun about the repetition of themes that he pastes up, and he makes street art very accessible for wannabe graffiti artists (like me).

D7606, Charles Street, Bristol, August 2016
D7606, Charles Street, Bristol, August 2016

This is a wonderful vibrant, contemporary piece, and I love it. Aspire looking good as ever.

396. Moon Street (10)

There are not enough great words to describe the work of Sled One. He is one of the most talented graffiti/street artists in Bristol, whether it is wildstyle writing or freestyled scenes like this one, he is without doubt a master of his craft.

Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016
Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016

This is a crazy and fun picture, and as with most of his creative scenes, there is surely a story going on here. I don’t know what the story is, but  it incorporates a bull in a camper van and some other weird stuff going on. There are some similarities to the work of 3Dom, in that they both can create these dream-like landscapes and stories.

Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016
Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016

This piece needs looking at to enjoy it, and I looked and I enjoyed. Spend a while seeing all the little details and see if you can figure it out. Another triumph from the awesome Sled One.

Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016
Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2016

395. M32 Roundabout J3 (16)

On the West side of the M32 roundabout there is a long concrete wall which runs next to a pathway and which reduces in height along its length. About midway along this wall is this magnificent Epok piece.

Epok, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016
Epok, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016

So typically Epok wildstyle writing, and a fabulous selection of colours. It really is outstanding in every sense of the word. It is in the part of the wall where the pathway narrows, so it is very difficult to photograph pieces here unless taken from the sides, or using fisheye lenses.

Epok - detail, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016
Epok – detail, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016

Epok’s works have lovely simple and clean lines and blends smooth curves with angular shapes to create the EPOK letters. Always pleasurable to see.

394. Devon Road (7)

A little jaunt back to May this year, in fact polling day if I remember correctly, when I made my first and so far only trip down to Devon Road. So many treats in one day in one road.

Deamze, Devon Road, Bristol, May 2016
Deamze, Devon Road, Bristol, May 2016

This is not the only Deamze work in the road, there is also his Ren and Stimpy. I am not too good on cartoon characters, especially ones that weren’t part of my growing up, so I am not too sure who this little character is (is it batfink?)…nor the frog, Not that it matters too much, it is another great work by the master.

393. Chance Street, Shoreditch, London (1)

I think it is safe to say that Roa must make it into most street art/graffiti art enthusiasts’ top ten, particularly those interested in wildlife and nature. On my latest work trip to London, I had another overnight stay and took advantage by finding a hotel not too far from Shoreditch.

Roa, Chance Street, London, August 2016
Roa, Chance Street, London, August 2016

I walked towards Brick Lane and found this wonderful, enormous hedgehog. Roa’s work is almost always in black and white tones and is picked out especially well on brickwork. The style is unmistakable and unique, sometimes a difficult thing to achieve in a crowded and growing scene.

Roa, Chance Street, London, August 2016
Roa, Chance Street, London, August 2016

When I was a youth, hedgehogs were abundant, so much so that they were very regular victims of road kill, even in cities. I even used to feed a family of them in my London back garden. Now alas, they are very much in decline. In fact this Roa depiction is the only hedgehog I have seen for about twenty years. It is a wonderful reminder of the splendour of this little creature. Thank you Roa.

392. York Street, Weston-super-Mare

For me, the best bit of going to Weston-super-Mare is knowing that it is the home of JPS, and it really doesn’t take very long to find some of his works about the place. It is largely thanks to JPS that I have taken such an interest in street art in the first place. His pieces in Frogmore Street and at the ‘Arches’ on Gloucester Road, were among my first posts.

JPS, York Street, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
JPS, York Street, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016

His stencils are witty and often contain wordplay but have their real strength in their technical execution. JPS often references popular culture, TV and films in particular, and here he features a life-size Batman, and wonderful pun. I have seen images of this piece all over digital media, so it was a real pleasure to find it for real. I love it that the wall has been repainted and rendered (?) around this work – big respect.

JPS, York Street, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016
JPS, York Street, Weston-super-Mare, August 2016

On this particular visit to W-s-M I took many photographs of JPS works and I am mindful that I might have to do a bit of a compilation post, although I really don’t like doing that. I’ll have to have a think.

391. Upfest 2016 (35)

At the far west end of North Street in the Rising Sun pub garden there was a host of SSOSVA (Secret Society of Super Villain Artists) gathered under a covered area. There was a real party atmosphere going on, some very loud music and clearly all the artists were having a ball.

RIP, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
RIP, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

RIP is a stencil artist I have come across many times before although I am only familiar with his small single layer witty stencils. This piece was something of a pleasant surprise for me, to see a multi layer stencil, and a really rather classy one at that.

RIP, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
RIP, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

It is interesting that the more that you see of an artist, the more depth you get to discover. The range of styles and techniques can be incredibly broad from studio to street…just another aspect I love about the whole street art/graffiti scene.

 

390. Upfest 2016 (34)

There are some artists who are quite unique, because of their style, subject matter or materials. Shok 1 is one such artist. I don’t know if anyone else does what he does, or at least with so much skill.

Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

Shok 1 is a British artist who specialises in X-ray images. Watching him work was amazing. He uses a small image for reference, and then sprays out every detail on a large wall. His attention to detail is just exceptional. I watched him ‘mist’ an area on the bottom right of the piece, and over five minutes he must have sprayed the same spot twenty times, with different densities of spray.

Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

I don’t know where he got the X-ray of the unicorn from, but it must be a pretty rare thing.

Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

Shok 1 was a lead artist at Upfest and quite deservedly so. It is amazing to have one of his pieces in Bristol as I don’t recall seeing one here before. I hope he returns next year, or sooner. Almost pure perfection.

389. Upfest 2016 (33)

I never made it to Upfest 2015, which might be a blessing, as I would probably still be writing posts about it now if I had. I was struck though by how many ‘treats’ were hidden in the North Street area after the event.

23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

It was in searching carefully for these ‘treats’ that I started to find some lovely paste ups by 23Magpies, such as this chameleon. Her work is heavily focused on wildlife and the environment, and her feature piece for Upfest was this lovely fox and design.

23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I am a big fan of 23Magpies’ work and will be writing about some of the treats she left behind after this year’s festival. On this particular piece, you’ve got to love the detail of the bee on the rim, which the fox appears to be watching. Great stuff.

388. Upfest 2016 (32)

This artist has appeared regularly on this blog and requires no introduction. Aspire’s birds are in inspiration and a tonic for those who live in the city of Bristol. He is a prolific artist who brightens up the some of the darker places for example; The Bearpit and walls and hoardings in the Stokes Croft area.

Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

 

This is not the first Blue Jay that I have seen by Aspire, and I hope he will continue to do more. This one is special though, in that it was produced for Upfest and will remain intact for at least a year as it is within the playground of Ashton Gate School, in the company of some other great street art.

Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Alas! I didn’t make it to this site on the Saturday, and missed the opportunity of seeing Aspire at work and of meeting him. Note to self…make better use of the Saturday at Upfest 2017.

Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Aspire, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

“You are beautiful when you are who you are”