Anyone familiar with Bladerunner (the original) will be familiar with the Tyrell quote: ‘The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long – and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy’.
Pegasus, Camden Town, London, November 2017
This quote could equally well be applied to the extraordinary vocalist Amy Winehouse who died of a drugs overdose in July 2011. In the UK, and especially in North London there is a terrific fondness for this amazingly talented young woman whose moment in the spotlight was so short and fragmented. This wonderful stencil, by Pegasus, is a fine tribute to the singer.
Pegasus, Camden Town, London, November 2017
I have featured a couple of Pegasus pieces in previous posts, this one of Mother Teresa from last year’s upfest, and this one of Donald Trump. Pegasus is fond of creating works of iconic public figures and is not afraid of controversy.
This is a fabulous Rowdy piece which is not only bright and vibrant but is also a tribute/protest piece for the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire disaster. The crocodiles are festooned with flowers and there is a heart in the middle of the piece.
Rowdy, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
This piece demonstrates the reach of the tragedy in London, and I guess the whole wretched thing highlights a world we live in where profit and margins trump regulation and safety. Pitiful really. It is the same with environmental regulation – there are some that say it gets in the way of business and prosperity – try being prosperous when you have buggered up the environment, the place that provides our food, our water, our very life. Red tape is there for a reason, to keep us safe, and if it suppresses profit, then so be it. Right I’ll stop there before I go off on one.
Rowdy, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
I don’t generally get to see too much street work from Rowdy, so it is always nice when one crops up.
A few weeks ago this stunning and touching tribute piece appeared on the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) outdoor gallery wall. It is a wonderful collaboration between The Paintsmiths and Ryder.
The Paintsmiths and Ryder tribute to Raphael Dufresne, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2017
The tribute is to Raphael Dufresne, a popular musician on the local scene who passed away on 14 April 2017, suffering a fatal aneurism whilst at the gym. He was only 27 years old. This piece fills me with a sadness, but what a magnificent way to celebrate his life.
The Paintsmiths and Ryder tribute to Raphael Dufresne, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2017
I never heard his music, and feel sorry that I never had the chance of seeing him, it sounds like he had a good soul and attitude to life. He had links with PRSC, which is why this tribute is all the more poignant. Really terrific letters from Ryder and a superb portrait by The Paintsmiths. Sad.
The Paintsmiths and Ryder tribute to Raphael Dufresne, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2017
I came across this wall quite by accident. I was looking for somewhere to park in the Montpelier area – a challenge in itself, so that I could investigate some garages which I had checked out on Streetview.
Sepr, Richmond Road, Bristol, January 2017
I noticed some scaffolding and early stages of spraying of a tribute to DJ Derek, more about him here and here. The first day I visited nobody was spraying – maybe they had gone home for the day, so I returned the following day.
Deamze, Richmond Road, Bristol, January 2017
This time two artists were working on the piece. Obviously I stopped for a quick chat – one was Sepr, I didn’t speak to the other, but it might have been Deamze. It was good to ask about the piece, and to meet Sepr, who is, like my daughter, the owner of a panther chameleon.
Sepr, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2017
The piece is a really fitting tribute to the great, and very much missed, DJ Derek by two of the very best street artists in Bristol. And what a wall too. The right hand side of the collaboration, the protrait, is by Sepr and is quite unusual because most of his work is rather more cartoon-like and creative, let’s say.
Sepr, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2017
The portrait is a good likeness to DJ Derek, and I am sure it will remain here for quite some time.
Deamze, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2017
On the left hand side, we have some very recognisable writing from Deamze spelling out the words ‘One Love’ without any wildstyle disguise. I am guessing, but I don’t know that this might have been one of many catch phrases that DJ Derek was known for.
Deamze and Sepr, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2017
Everything about this tribute is good, the artists, the wall, the quiet location. It is great to honour important Bristol figures in this way.
This is a piece from my archives from way back in April 2016. It is a tribute piece to Buzz by the enigmatic OHMS.
OHMS, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, May 2016
The colour quality is poor due to the lighting conditions in the tunnel. The only way I am ever going to overcome these problems is to buy a much better camera with all the proper flash gadgets, but I have to say that is not my style. Another triumph from OHMS and the Splab Gang.
I was deeply moved today when I met a lady roughly my age spraying a cardboard stencil tribute to Dom. I stopped to ask her who Dom was. She told me through her tears that he was her son, aged 21, who died two days ago on a basketball court. Too tragic for words. Sometimes life is just so very tough. Such sadness. As a boy Dom used to skate here at Dean Lane skate park.
This is a rather nice wildstyle piece by 3Dom, which demonstrates his versatility. I would normally associate him with his otherworldly characters in curious postures. Not this time though, although the gaping mouth alludes to the kind of work he normally produces.
3Dom, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2016
A really beautiful work form one of Bristol’s best in the honeypot Moon Street. Looking at it more carefully it would appear to be a tribute piece, there is RIP and ‘For Madden’ written at the sides. I believe the tribute is for Madden Ekons – and the lettering spells this out. Madden was a graffiti artist who died in 2014. More tributes here.
I found this lovely tribute to DJ Derek, the first of many I suspect, along the Cheltenham Road at the back end of last week. It is by Lemak and I believe was completed on 3 April 2016.
Tribute to DJ Derek by Lemak, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, April 2016
Lemak originally comes from Fleetwood but is currently based in Bristol.He was originally inspired by stencil artists and first took to spraying in 2011. I think this work is very accomplished, and the stencil portrait of DJ Derek is a fine and fitting tribute.
Tribute to DJ Derek by Lemak, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, April 2016
DJ Derek, was a locally well known septuagenarian disc jockey who played at clubs all around Bristol and beyond. He mysteriously went missing in July and his body was found in March this year. More on this in my posts 31. Leonard Lane (3) and 146. The Bearpit (6).
Back in September I posted a tribute to Mibsy at this exact location.
Recently it would appear that another much loved member of the Bristol graffiti community has passed away, and tribute pieces are popping up everywhere, as tags, burners or full scale walls like this one.
Deamze, Ames and Skank, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2016Deamze, Ames and Skank, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2016
There is little documented information about Mike Buzz, but there is this quote taken from the Bristol Graffiti and Street Art FaceBook site; “one of the nicest guys in the graffiti game. Buzz says love life. Rocking in paradise”
Deamze, Ames and Skank, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2016Deamze, Ames and Skank, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2016
This is a lovely work by Deam, Ames and Skank, and once again reaffirms just how close the graffiti and street art community is in Bristol. It is also good to see that there is a small reference to Mibsy on this new work. There will be more posts on Buzz soon.
8/10
Jon5, Silent Hobo, Sepr, Deamze and Dotcom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015
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
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
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
Natural adventures 