Tag: Tag

3194. Brunel Way bridge (55)

I am really enjoying the stylistic variations of Varo’s bull at the moment. He is an artist who has emerged on the Bristol scene over the last couple of years, and his mega-tags are becoming more sophisticated and experimental with each outing.

Varo, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020
Varo, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020

This bull is part of a larger collaborative spread with other artists including Kool Hand and Daz Cat (to follow). This time the bull’s head is in profile rather than face on and has a rather cheeky grin. I think that Varo is on to a great theme here, painting the same subject in a variety of styles… endless material and interest value. I can’t wait to see more.

3172. Purdown HAA Battery (11)

It’s that man again Varo with his recognisable mega-tag of a bull’s head, no doubt inspired by his Spanish heritage. This piece is a variation on his throw-up version and is rather an attractive looking beast with a rather foppish haircut.

Varo, Purdown, Bristol, August 2020
Varo, Purdown, Bristol, August 2020

There is something of Picasso in this piece, deliberate or otherwise and although it is nothing like it, it reminds me of Guernica, or his bull’s head sculpture made from a bicycle seat and handlebars. I like the cheeky boldness of the piece. Great fun.

3135. M32 roundabout J3 (249)

Varo is a really interesting artist whose work is most recognised for the large and dominant bull super-tag that he paints around the place, but this somewhat betrays his talent as a great writer. This colourful piece appeared on the M32 roundabout a week or two back and shows off Varo’s talent.

Varo, M32, Bristol, August 2020
Varo, M32, Bristol, August 2020

The left hand side is a beautiful piece of writing, spelling out the name VARO, with a quite unique 3D shading that gives the whole thing a sense of movement and energy. On the right is a fabulous 3D rendering of his bull tag which has something of the exotic about it – maybe something to do with its Spanish creator. A wonderful And energising piece.

2952. Dean Lane skate park (313)

Something a little different from Slim Pickings in May 2017 in which the artist is experimenting with a straight-line version of his ‘super tag’. The piece demonstrates the versatility of the artist, and is something of a rarity.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017

I must confess however that I am not wholly convinced by the success of the experiment, and while it is nice to see something different I feel that Slim Pickings just hasn’t quite carried it off with the same panache that he manages with his more usual curvy variant.

2734.Dean Lane skate park (277)

It is such an obvious thing to say, but I can’t stop myself… this is a two for the price of one wall from Slim Pickings (TES). It is not often that you get to see two pieces by the same artist side-by-side, especially painted around the same time. What is nice about these it that you can compare the subtle differences between the two designs, both of which are beautifully clean by the way.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020

I don’t know the derivation of his TES pieces, but I suspect they began as a tag and have evolved over time into these elaborate and aesthetically pleasing works. The one on the left has some excellent colour choices with a wavy separation and some nice drips on the T. Woz Yer = was here, possibly one of the oldest mottos used in graffiti.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020

On the right is a slightly older form of his TES with little accent marks to the bottom left and right of the letter sequence. There is a single solid fill, but in this one the whole thing is finished off with a red boundary line. Spotting the difference between the two is rather fun, perhaps he should do this more often.

2449. Turbo Island

FTurbo Island is a dynamic spot in Bristol. It is in the heart of Stokes Croft and attracts a spectrum of visitors, many high or drunk, who use the space to sit and while away the day. It also has a nice wall that the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) try to curate, but tagging is a real problem here which is a great shame.

Hazard, Turbo Island, Bristol, September 2019
Hazard, Turbo Island, Bristol, September 2019

I decided to go ahead and post this beautiful portrait by Hazard in spite of the tags because I don’t  think it had been up for much more than a day when I photographed it. I spoke to Hazard about it when I met her at the Cheltenham Art Festival and she was fairly philosophical about it and said ‘well it’s Turbo Island, isn’t it?’.

The portrait is another in shades of blue and red and is really beautiful. There is something even more annoying about the tags that are indiscriminate in their destruction, can’t the DBK lot appreciate beauty? Are they incapable of leaving some beautiful things alone? Untouched it would have looked a little bit like the pieces below:

 

Hazard, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2018
Hazard and Tasha Bee, M32, Bristol, January 2019

Thursday doors – 30 May 2019

Doors 73 – Bristol doors, various.

Another slightly rushed post this week, a random selection of Bristol doors that might have seen better days, but are all the more characterful for their journeys.

Tagged door, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Tagged door, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019

Lakota back door, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Lakota back door, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019

Just a door somewhere in Bristol, March 2019
Just a door somewhere in Bristol, March 2019

Doors, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019
Doors, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019

Important notice, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019
Important notice, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019

Warehouse doors, Gardiner Haskins building, Bristol, March 2019
Warehouse doors, Gardiner Haskins building, Bristol, March 2019

Warehouse doors, Gardiner Haskins building, Bristol, March 2019
Warehouse doors, Gardiner Haskins building, Bristol, March 2019

And that’s it for another week.

For more doors take a good look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the mastermind behind Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.

 

by Scooj

2195. M32 Cycle path (25)

The street art posts I bring you here on Natural Adventures are only a fraction of the total that appear on the streets of Bristol every day. My archives swell under the sheer volume of photographs and our computer barely functions due, in part, to disc space issues (time for a new one?). This means that I have to be reasonably selective about what I post, and this piece on my first trawl was marginal, because I have so many Soap pieces.

Soap, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2019
Soap, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2019

On a further inspection though it made the cut. I think that it is a wonderful piece, but the colours somehow send the whole thing into the background and if you weren’t on the ball you could easily miss this piece and walk straight on by. A lovely crown and halo, and ‘hair made of Soap tags. Glad I pulled this one out of the folder and posted it.

2088. Moon Street (62)

It is not often that you see a piece of work bombed by the artist who originated it, but here we have just such an example from Rezwonk. The original piece in Moon Street survived intact for quite a while before it got a bit tagged, but it seems that Rezwonk decided to go the whole hog with this throw up.

Rezwonk, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Rezwonk, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019

It would appear that Rezwonk has quite a spectrum of styles in his work from tags, which are dotted all around Bristol, to characters, such as his big bird, to burners like these to high-end graphic design pieces. A versatile artist.

Rezwonk, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2019
Rezwonk, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2019

I have seen this particular ‘REZER’ burner in a number of places including The Bearpit. I think that Rezwonk must have goner on a bit of a spree. All good.

2059. St Werburghs tunnel (64)

There is no question about it, Soap seems to have found a new lease of life and appears to be a happy artist. His recent pieces have been an expansion of his basic form and have a sense of joy about them. This one in St Werburghs tunnel is a real beauty.

Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019
Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019

As well as adding a body to the cheerful mouths, Soap has also adorned the character with hair, cleverly crafted from multi coloured tags – the white one on the left shows clearly what it looks like. He has incorporated further white motifs in the ‘hair’ which look good too. His work is really coming to life and building in sophistication and I really like it. I think other observers are similarly enjoying this journey. Keep it going.