Tag: Street art

22. Turbo Island

Nestled on the intersection between Stokes Croft and Jamaica Street there is a small green space called Turbo Island. Anyone who has lived in Bristol a while will know it as a place where alcoholics and drug addicts used to congregate.

Sepr, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2015
Sepr, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2015

However, things are changing and the ‘People’s Republic of Stokes Croft’ are trying to persuade Bristol City Council to return the space back to the community. One of the aims is to remove the advertising hoarding (not shown – to the left of this picture). It is certainly a better space than it was a few years ago.

During the Stokes Croft Festival of arts 2014, Sepr painted this ‘scarecrow and crows sitting down together’. A great sentiment. The mural is dedicated to Bob, but I don’t know the backstory.

7.5/10

21. Norrisville Road

Today was the first time I have stopped to take a look at this mural by Dora, on the edge of Montpelier.

Dora, Norrisville Road, Bristol, August 2015
Dora, Norrisville Road, Bristol, August 2015

Dora is an illustrator, designer and graffiti painter, based in Bristol. She has a rather good webpage that talks about her influences.

Having looked at her portfolio, I can’t help thinking that only one half of this wall is by her. I am not sure who the other artist might be.

Dora, Norrisville Road, Bristol, August 2015
Dora, Norrisville Road, Bristol, August 2015

It is always great to find something new.

6/10

 

20. Hanover Place

The artist of ‘Girl with the Pierced Eardrum’ needs no introduction from me. Banksy’s beautiful work appeared last year. I went to see it two days after it was completed, and already it had been spoiled by someone who had sprayed paint over the bottom left side of the work.

Banksy, Honover Place, Bristol, August 2015
Banksy, Honover Place, Bristol, August 2015

It appears that some restoration has happened since then, but the work was ‘clean’ for such a short while, which is a pity. Some would say it is all vandalism…you live by the sword, you die by the sword. I’m not sure I subscribe to that.

Banksy, Honover Place, Bristol, August 2015
Banksy, Honover Place, Bristol, August 2015

It was great to see it again today, it is beautiful.

 

 

19. Dighton Street

Sepr is considered to be one of a number of ‘third generation’ street artists hailing from Bristol.

He has a really distinctive style that has similarities to 1950s design and I sense some cubist influences. His last couple of works appear to incorporate a lot of grey and use of shadows, as well as featuring musicians.

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015

This pair of works are very new (August 2015) and I think, post-date his mural on North Street from this year’s Upfest.

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015

Really easy on the eye.

8/10

18. Hillgrove Street (1)

A fabulous walk into work today through the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft took me past one of the most eye-catching murals in Bristol.

This artwork is actually a combination of several artists overwriting each other’s work.

The original bare wall on the side of the house was painted in 2008 by Phlegm, an artist from Sheffield, renowned for his works all over the world. There was also a panda under the street name.

Panda, Hillgrove Street
Panda, Hillgrove Street

This first work was painted over by the MM13 crew who created the magnificent wave. They spared the panda.

Phlegm returned in June 2009 to add the characteristic figures on the left.

Phlegm, Hillgrove Street
Phlegm, Hillgrove Street

The whole thing is stunning; one of the best walls in Bristol.

Hillgrove Street, Bristol

9/10

17. North Street, hoarding (1)

I have not come across Dice 67 before. He is an artist from Cheltenham who likes to use a mix of stencils and freehand.

Dice 67, North Street, Bristol, July 2015
Dice 67, North Street, Bristol, July 2015

This political anti-austerity piece is slightly hidden away from view, and I am not sure if it is typical of Dice 67’s work. This was created as part of Upfest 2015.

Dice 67, North Street, Bristol, July 2015
Dice 67, North Street, Bristol, July 2015

I will be looking out for more of his work in Bristol.

6.5/10

16. Frogmore Street (2)

Looking through some archive images, I found another wheatpaste by Kid Crayon (see posts 7 and 11). This image was taken on 25 February 2015.

This one is just as strange as the others, but what fascinates me more is that it is no longer there, emphasising the ephemeral nature of some street art. There is a kind of ‘catch me while you can’ element to it all that I like.

This image was pasted directly above one of my favourite JPS works (see post 2).

Kid Crayon, JPS, Frogmore street, Bristol, February 2015
Kid Crayon, JPS, Frogmore street, Bristol, February 2015

Whilst not over keen on this particular work, there is something about the way KC operates in Bristol that works for me. I have revisited this post in April 2016, and must add that Kid Crayon has become one of my favourite Bristol street artists, and the more I look at this pasteup, the more I like it.

 

15. Leonard Lane (2)

Tucked away in Leonard Lane on a white plank of wood is this unusual piece of street art by Wolfskulljack. It would appear from her Facebook page that street art is a bit of a departure from her usual illustrations.

Wolfskulljack interestingly misspelled her name on the signature, which made me doubt its authenticity, but it is definitely hers.

Wolfskulljack, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015
Wolfskulljack, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015

This is the first time I have seen her street work and I suspect, given that she is an illustrator, that there won’t be too much more. She comes from Cheltenham and who knows, maybe if she does get a taste for street art, we’ll see more of it in Bristol.

A mysterious and beautifully detailed drawing

7/10

14. Leonard Lane (1)

I have found a very rich seam of fabulous wildlife street art in a tiny little lane in the centre of Bristol. I stumbled upon this by accident, and only now on searching the interweb, have found out that it is a very recent initiative organised by Human Nature.

This will be the first of several posts from Leonard Lane.

One of the most striking images in the lane is a beautiful stencil of a dodo by Stewy, another Bristol street artist, who works in Bristol, London, Brighton and Manchester amongst other cities.

Stewy, Dodo, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015
Stewy, Dodo, Leonard Lane, Bristol, August 2015

There are strong influences from Banksy in his work, and I particularly like the choice of site for the work. there is another of his stencils in the lane which I will come back to in another post.

This is a perfect storm for me… a street full of wildlife street art.

8/10

13. Hotwell Road, Esso garage

I took a stroll yesterday along the Hotwell Road and found these two murals. I hadn’t seen the fish at first, you can see it is just to the top right of the film mural.

Unknown artist, Hotwell Road, Bristol, August 2015
Unknown artist, Hotwell Road, Bristol, August 2015

I don’t know the artists of either of these. I think the fish has been there a while, but the rather more colourful film mural is dated 2015, and signed AC with a little ammonite icon. If you know the artists please post a reply.

Andy Council, Hotwell Road, Bristol, August 2015
Andy Council, Hotwell Road, Bristol, August 2015

UPDATE – it should have been obvious to me, but I have learned a great deal since this early post. The AC stands for Andy Council, who is one of the better known muralists in Bristol – his works can be found all over the city.

I love the fish. It feels like there should be more, but that appears to be it.

I like being surprised by finding more than you are looking for.