Tag: The Bearpit

1340. The Bearpit (122)

It is always, always good to find pieces by Skor85. She is probably one of the unsung heroes of the Bristol street art scene, occasionally turning out these extraordinary fantasy dreamlike pieces in all of the spots I like to visit.

Skor85, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018
Skor85, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018

In this piece Skor85 has painted a futuristic/medieval character sitting on the ground clutching a gem in one hand and a weapon in the other. The words ‘Think truth’ give the piece an overall message…maybe it relates to gun law in America, I’m not sure.

Skor85, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018
Skor85, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018

Her command of the colours and tones in this piece is obvious, and I love the way she gives the effect of a pastel drawing rather than a spray can work. I admire her work a lot.

1339. The Bearpit (121)

I recently saw this fabulous piece by Decay in The Bearpit only a few days after I stumbled across an identical one in Shoreditch a few days earlier. I think that this is all part of a new approach to his work in 2018, and one which will be interesting to observe.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018

I am accustomed to seeing his abstract concentric rings in shades of red, grey, white and black with a small face at the centre, which I love, but I await with eagerness the direction his liberation will take.

1337. The Bearpit (120)

Situated at the end of one of The Bearpit tunnels is a nice wall, which recently has been a bit of a mess. Because of this, it is easy to miss this small piece in one corner of the wall. It is a rather nice stencil of a panda carrying a boogie box (does that date me?) on his shoulder by Bristol-based artist J. West.

J. West, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018
J. West, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018

I have not seen an awful lot of his work on the streets, but what little I have seen I like. I have said it many times before, but it is so worth keeping your eyes open and seeing what is around you…you never know you might just come across a boogie box panda.

J. West, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2017
J. West, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2017

1333. The Bearpit (119)

There is quite a story behind this Mr Draws piece at The Bearpit and it offers a little insight into the goings on between artists. This particular spot is a favourite for Mr Draws and he sprays here often. The stripy piece below was another fun piece from this happy-go-lucky artist.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018

A day or two later the piece was sprayed over, but with nothing in particular, by an artist who had previously sprayed a piece here (another artist who I admire). I have to say though that this is poor form; to deface another artist’s work is disrespectful and not really in the spirit of the street art scene…it is the sort of thing that taggers do.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2018

Anyhow, Mr Draws cleverly incorporated the ‘new background’ into another piece by reinstating the original black outline and included a peace symbol for good measure. Unfortunately, a day or two later the piece was once again defaced.

I will not judge what lies behind this difference of opinion between the two artists, but I am sure there are better ways to deal with it. For me, I got two Mr Draws pieces for the price of one, so it’s not all bad.

1297. The Bearpit (118).

It is great to see the reappearance of these bunny rabbits in The Bearpit. Having spent a while populating Bristol with monsters, NEVERGIVEUP has returned to his rabbits, which were the first pieces of his that I became aware of last year.

NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018
NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018

These stylised rabbits are clean and characterful and always add a litlle bit of fun to The Bearpit.

It is becoming increasingly clear that The Bearpit is suffering once again from a drug and drink problem, with quite a sizeable community of homeless people gathering here with the cold weather. By no means are all homeless people drug addicts or alcoholics, but The Bearpit is a bit of a honeypot for both, which creates a slightly uneasy atmosphere at times. The long term solution has to be to do something about the housing crisis and providing these homeless people with a roof over their head and some dignity. From there they can try to stitch their lives back together. Sadly they will be persecuted as being the reason places like The Bearpit are ‘no-go’ areas rather than being a symptom of far greater problems created by extreme austerity.

The rabbits bring a little happiness.

1282. The Bearpit (117)

I had to wait a little while to take this picture by Mr Draws because a street cleaner had decided to park his cart in front of it for what seemed like an inordinately long time. The work looks like a bit of a quick one that incorporates two common elements Mr Draws uses in his pieces – letters making up his name and his beloved mountains.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018

I think it has to be said that this is not his finest work, but I don’t think that it matters too much, as he is continuously learning and developing his style and techniques. Not everything he tries to do will necessarily be his best yet. I do like his work very much and enjoy seeing what he does next.

1274. The Bearpit (117)

In the partial light of one of the tunnels leading out of The Bearpit a little while back, there was this rather lovely collaboration between Kid Crayon and Ugar. I had caught up with Ugar a few days later and he talked about his collaboration partner most fondly and touchingly called him Crayon Kid. Well it works for me.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017

It is not often that Kid Crayon takes to writing, but I guess this was one of those days. What is lovely about his piece here is that he has included his signature crayon, which has been missing (and much missed) of late.

Ugar, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017
Ugar, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017

I am really enjoying finding Ugar pieces around the place. As a relatively new entrant into the Bristol scene, his work adds to the incredible diversity of street art that the city has to offer. He mostly works with the letters of his name, although not always, and here gives us an UG, beautifully filled and decorated. Nice collaboration.

1262. The Bearpit (116)

I haven’t posted anything by J.Dior for quite a while now, mainly due to the fact that he appears to have left town almost as suddenly as he arrived. I still have several of his works in my archive, of which this was one, and will post them in good time. I get a feeling that he was not very much liked in the graffiti community because he appeared to disregard any of the ‘rules’. This is tricky territory, because the rules are so complicated that nobody I’ve spoken to can clearly explain them. Anyhow, obviously he upset a few people, and this piece has a note saying ‘how about respect Diore’ on it.

J. Dior, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017
J. Dior, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

As with all his work, this mural in The Bearpit tells a story and is executed in his typically naive style. I have to say that as part of the full spectrum of graffiti/street art in Bristol I am quite fond of J.Dior’s work. It all seems like a bit of a flash in the pan now, but his influence during the summer of 2017 was definitely felt in The Bearpit.

1251. The Bearpit (116)

More monsters from NEVERGIVEUP in The Bearpit. Although this one has been around for a while, I am posting it now because I didn’t want to flood the blog with too much of his work at once.

 

NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

I enjoyed his monster phase and his incredible work rate, however over the winter he seems to have slowed down a little and reverted to spraying bunnies. I am looking forward to seeing what direction he takes in the spring.

1248. The Bearpit (115)

This is a lesson in always making sure you get a photograph of a new piece when you can, even if the photograph is compromised by poor light conditions or weather of street furniture etc. If you don’t snap it up straight away, then the next time you see it it may be tagged.

Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

This piece by Laic217 appeared in The Bearpit in October after something of a quiet period in his street work. I managed to photograph it, but the morning sun was casting a shadow across the wall. I figured I would return to get a ‘clean’ picture. The next time I visited however the smiley face had been tagged, albeit rather tastefully, with a tribute. Annoying as it might seem, this is all part of the street/graffiti art scene.

Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

As always I like this work from Laic217, and hope he keeps it up. I have been enjoying the incredible progress he has made in the time that I have been doing this and get pleasure from seeing the direction his work goes in.