Tag: The Bearpit

1123. The Bearpit (106)

This is the second piece by an unknown artist I have posted in the space of a week, which is really unusual for me, but I don’t think I will ever uncover the mystery of this one as it is so unlike anything I have seen in Bristol before.

Unknown artist, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
Unknown artist, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

There are two faces adjacent to one another that ahve the appearance of having been etched out of the thick layers of paint laid down on this tunnel wall. They are in fact painted but in this really unusual style.

Unknown artist, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
Unknown artist, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

The face on the right hand side appears to be more complete that the other one and is lighting up a ‘cigarette’. The shading and colours used for the piece are from an interesting and varied palette; for example the thumb is made up of greens, yellows, pinks and reds.

Not knowing who the artist is was not a good enough excuse for not posting this piece. I like it a lot.

1119. The Bearpit (105)

This is the second of two wonderful pieces by Christian Hooker in The Bearpit which add a breath of fresh air to the place. It is a poster-sized paste up, with the same basic Trump design as the other piece I posted but the adornments are different.

Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

There is something about this, the image, the colours and the subversive nature of the whole that I really like. As I said in my last post, it is a pity I didn’t see any of his work in New York. Maybe next time.

Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

1106. The Bearpit (104)

Here we have another Bearpit piece by the irrepressible NEVERGIVEUP, whose monsters just keep on giving. In this piece there is an inclusion of the Clifton suspension bridge, but I am not certain that he sprayed this or whether it was a part of an existing mural. Somehow the style doesn’t look like his.

NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

As with all his monsters, NEVERGIVEUP creates a textured effect on the skin using concentric contours, in this case in red and yellow, dotted around the skin of the creature. I always like it when characters are themselves spraying. An archetypal piece from this artist.

1105. The Bearpit (103)

Without doubt, this is one of my favourite pieces of recent weeks. Bright and garish, I first saw this when driving around The Bearpit roundabout, and made a mental note to take a closer look next time I walked into work. Fortunately this large wheatpaste was still there, and I was able to look at it more carefully and find out who it was by.

Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

The artist is Christian Hooker who judging from his Instagram account handle is from New York (@nychooker). Quite what he was doing here I don’t know but I am really pleased that he visited the city and even more pleased that he left us a couple of gifts.

Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Christian Hooker, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

The pasteup itself is mocking Trump (I guess) and he posted it on Instagram under the heading ‘subvertising’ which is a term new to me, but I really rather like it. It is, a little like Lemak’s work, a stencil piece that has been printed off and pasted up. I simply love it. Having just visited NYC, I was a little disappointed not to see any of his work. Maybe next time.

1104. The Bearpit (102)

No prizes for guessing the artist who sprayed this in one of the tunnels in The Bearpit. It is a political piece with the slogans ‘I resist’ and ‘eat the rich’. The work depicts a hero figure (batman) saying ‘pay me I’m yours’ which is a fairly direct reference to corruption. if none of that helps with identifying this artist, then the organic style and tentacles should.

Object..., The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
Object…, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

It is, of course, by Object… and if the piece itself didn’t tell you that, then the signature at the bottom would have. I like his pieces. Edgy and no beating about the bush. Part of the fabric of The Bearpit.

1101. The Bearpit (101)

On Friday 28 July, the day before Upfest, I strolled to work via The Bearpit, which I like to do as often as I can. Clearly one of the Wheatpasters who regularly visit Bristol for Upfest, Losthills, had been hard at work, and this was the first of many of his pieces that I saw this year.

Losthills, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

It is a cheeky little paste up (which of his isn’t a little cheeky?) of Jake the Dog, living the dream as an Empire soldier from the Star Wars films. The piece is full of humour and is a cheerful thing to see on my pedestrian commute to work.

1098. The Bearpit (100)

The light in these images is a bit wishy washy, and doesn’t do this lovely mural by Meghan O’Malley justice at all. The mural wasn’t up for long, before it was overpainted, so I am pleased to have been able to see it, especially as it features three magnificent fish.

Meghan O'Malley, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Meghan O’Malley, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

I had to do a little research to find out more about the artist, and it turns out she is a murallist living in Bristol. A quick glance at her website should convince you that she is a highly accomplished artist who has an eye for the surreal. This fish piece however is simply beautiful.

Meghan O'Malley, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Meghan O’Malley, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

Having recently graduated in Drawing and Applied Arts from the University of the West of England (UWE), I very much hope to see more of her work on the streets in the near future. Definitely one to look out for.

I have just attended a communications conference in Bristol, at which I found out that this piece and two others in The Bearpit were part of a campaign organised by Wild Walls (part of Wildscreen) and that these three fish mimic the recycling icon. All good, except that I found this out by chance. My feeling is that campaign pieces need better calls to action, or they risk being lost in the white noise.

1078. The Bearpit (99)

Mr Draws has certainly made a great comeback since losing his mojo sometime back in July around the time of Upfest. This piece in The Bearpit harks back to a piece he did in Dean Lane a few months back, where he has corrupted his name into ‘Zieht’ which is German for draws.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

This is a colourful piece that has a layer of sophistication behind the ‘light’ style that Mr Draws tends to use. He really is one of the artists I most enjoy seeing about the place – always up for a chat and happy to talk about his work.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017

1077. The Bearpit (98)

I said in my post about the rather unusual Upfest piece by Will Coles that I would write about more of his work that he left behind in various places in Bristol. This is the first of those.

Will Coles, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Will Coles, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

The clever thing about this and his other pieces is that they are all disguised or camouflaged in some way and that most passers by will not see them. I only stumbled across this one myself, because I had noticed a new Mr Draws piece on the wall of the Gents, and looked up.

There is something funny about a skull with LOL written on it…I’m not sure what, but it tickled me anyway. More from Will Coles soon.

1076. The Bearpit (97)

One of the classiest pieces in The Bearpit for a little while appeared just over a week ago and took up the entire length of ont of the north side entrance ramp. This stunning piece is a collaboration between Sled One and Epok. As is often the case with work like this, the photographs really don’t do it justice and I would urge Bristolians to get down to The Bearpit to see it for themselves.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

There is a strong message here about the damage being done to our oceans by plastics – don’t get me going on this subject, because it vexes me because the torrent of pastic, large and microscopic, will kill off life in our oceans unless urgent action is taken. We sure know how to goof up our planet.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

The artwork in this piece is exquisite and incredibly detailed, just take a look at the pectoral fins of the fish above, to see how much work has gone into the colourse ripples and folds of the fins.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

Them whole thing is cleverly constructed, combining some abstract elements with life studies, but the whole effect is one of movement and swirling currents.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

It would be great to hear from the artists themselves what inspired them to do this piece. It is possible that it was a commission, but by whom I wonder. Next time I see Sled One, I’ll have to ask him.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

All in all a great piece and beautiful gift to the people of Bristol. Now, reduce that plastic waste!