Tag: Street art

103. Frogmore Street (5)

This collaboration rounds off, for the time being, the different works of Bristol artists in this area. The wall in question is directly below the Banksy, and adjacent to the 45RPM and RichT wall.

It is a cheerful piece by Silent Hobo, Cheo and Deam (who seems to sign himself with variants of Deam, Deamz or Deamze). Each artist has sprayed a separate part of the wall in their own distinct styles.

Cheo Silent Hobo and Deamze, Frogmore Street, Bristol, July 2015
Cheo Silent Hobo and Deamze, Frogmore Street, Bristol, July 2015

The wall has been repainted reasonably regularly, although this has remained for a couple of years. I fully expect it will change again this year. The wall gets a load of attention from visitors who come to look at the Banksy above it.

I am fond of this work.

8/10.

102. Moon Street (4)

This wall is famous. It is on the side of the Full Moon pub in Stokes Croft,  and is a favorite spot for street art. It is a great place to demonstrate the ever-changing nature of street art and graffiti walls.

'sandy claws', Moon Street, Bristo, December 2015l
‘sandy claws’, Moon Street, Bristo, December 2015l

Over the 2016 Christmas break, a ‘Sandy Claws’ character (from the Tim Burton film – The Nightmare Before Christmas) appeared on the recently plain painted wall. I don’t know the artist, but it looks like it was commissioned by the pub owners to draw attention to their Attic Bar.

Blank wall, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2016
Blank wall, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2016

A few days later the piece was gone and the wall painted over, and this is how it looks now.

SPQR Astronaut, Moon Street, Bristol, November 2014
SPQR Astronaut, Moon Street, Bristol, November 2014

However, I took a picture of the same wall in November 2014 and captured the SPQR ‘astronaut’ (which I had incorrectly believed to be a Banksy when I took the photograph). SPQR is a West Country ‘artisan’ who emulates the Banksy stencil style and dark humour. I’m not too sure who sprayed the embracing skeletons, but they rather tickle me.

It will be interesting to see what appears here next.

8.5/10 (astronaut)

101. Partition Street

I have visited the Three Tuns pub on many occasions. A few years ago it was an office favourite for farewell dos – at that time the public sector was being hit by harsh cuts, and many of my friends lost their jobs. It may become a favoured venue again as further cuts are in train for this year.

Zesk, Partition Street, Bristol, January 2016
Zesk, Partition Street, Bristol, January 2016

This cheerful mural by Zesk has appeared very recently (Early January 2016) and is something of a departure from his usual wildstyle burners. As with many of the street artists in Bristol, Zesk has close links with the hip hop music scene. There is little more I can tell you about him, but he keeps his Flickr account up to date.

Zesk, Partition Street, Bristol, January 2016
Zesk, Partition Street, Bristol, January 2016

There is something about this piece that reminds me of some of Inkie’s work. I think it will grow on me, especially as I will walk past it most days.

7.5/10

100. Bishop Road

Another recent tribute wall to Mibsy (Mibzy) Just off the Gloucester Road, by the Paintsmiths, a commercial outfit of two street artists, Felix ‘FLX’ Braun and Jack Dones.

The Paintsmiths, Bishop Road, Bristol, December 2015
The Paintsmiths, Bishop Road, Bristol, December 2015

This rather lighthearted but heartfelt tribute incorporates a Simpsons theme and plenty of doughnuts. I can only guess that Mibsy was fond of the Simpsons.

The Paintsmiths, Bishop Road, Bristol, December 2015
The Paintsmiths, Bishop Road, Bristol, December 2015

I haven’t knowingly seen any other murals by the paintsmiths, but I think that is because they tend to do commissions with specific clients.

The Paintsmiths, Bishop Road, Bristol, December 2015
The Paintsmiths, Bishop Road, Bristol, December 2015

 

 

David Jones

 

With your passing, our

lives will feel impoverished;

blue skies turned to grey.

 

by Scooj

 

99. Gloucester Road, No.226

Many of the shops on Gloucester Road have commissioned street art on their shutters, which is how some artists have managed to make some money from their craft. This one caught my eye for several reasons.

The sad story is that this family run butcher shop ‘Stutt and Son’ that has been trading since 1919 has recently been closed at short notice due to the ill health of Mr Stutt senior. The hurriedly scrawled note on the shutter is heartbreaking.

Zase, Gloucester Road, Bristol
Zase, Gloucester Road, Bristol

The artwork is by Zase, but is clearly one of his early works as it is unsophisticated and rather raw, compared to some of his more recent pieces, such as the one in Ashley Road. He has come a long way.

As for the Butcher, the shop will be sold and another trader will move in, reinforcing the transient nature of a commercial high street.

5/10

98. Stokes Croft, Slix (2)

I’ve been going through some old pictures from my iPhone today, and found a few street art images from a long while before I started this blog. This particular picture struck me, because I recently posted a 3Dom piece from this exact location.

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2014
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2014

This work, also by 3Dom, was photographed in July 2014…it seems that this wall is his.

3Dom Mibsy tribute, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2014
3Dom Mibsy tribute, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2014

There is also a subtle tribute to Mibsy. This is a nice work, but long since gone.

 

96. Park Row (3)

Before I started looking at graffiti and street art, and by that I mean really started looking at it, I had been aware of this colourful shop front  in Park Row. The artwork is so appropriate for the shop, which is not always how commissions turn out.

Silent Hobo & Mr. Riks, Park Row, Bristol
Silent Hobo & Mr. Riks, Park Row, Bristol

This is a commissioned piece for a shop, called Shark Bite, that sells surf, snow and skate boards. Once again Silent Hobo is responsible in this collaboration with Mr. Riks who often works with SH. Both artists are Bristol-based.

Silent Hobo & Mr. Riks, Park Row, Bristol
Silent Hobo & Mr. Riks, Park Row, Bristol

7/10

95. New John Street (2)

I took this picture on a sunny day back in September 2015. This wall is a collaboration between Soker and Cheo, each with their own distinct style. Soker and his wildstyle burner and Cheo spraying a cartoon and the signature bee.

Soker and Cheo, New John Street, Bristol, September 2015
Soker and Cheo, New John Street, Bristol, September 2015

I would guess that Cheo’s work is a selfie of the two of them, but this is only a guess.

Soker and Cheo, New John Street, Bristol, September 2015
Soker and Cheo, New John Street, Bristol, September 2015

7/10

 

94. Upper Maudlin Street

I was given a wonderful ‘Banksy’ wall calendar by my mother this Christmas. I noticed that this fabulous image of the Queen has been selected for the month of July. The manufacturers of the calendar are not the only people to have falsely attributed this stencil to Banksy. In July 2012, during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, all the newspapers heralded this artwork as a new ‘Banksy’.

Inkwell, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, December 2015
Inkwell, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, December 2015

The stencil was actually sprayed by IncWel, is called ‘Still Sane’ and is a direct reference to Bowie’s ‘Alladin Sane’ album cover of 1974. I have not been able to find anything else by IncWel, and there is little information on the Interweb about him.

Inkwell, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, December 2015
Inkwell, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, December 2015

For so many reasons I love this stencil.

9/10