Having only recently started to post pieces by Dopes, it was particularly gratifying to find this absolute beauty recently. Sprayed during a recent paint jam celebrating the opening of a relocated eatery, this piece really stood out, and ticks a lot of my boxes.
Dopes, City Road, Bristol, October 2021
The multi-coloured, beautifully and skilfully patterned fills are truly exceptional, and the white spots and trims provide the depth and 3D look. Dopes’ letter shapes are all very nice too, particularly the elaborate D. This is a belter of a piece of graffiti writing from the RAW man.
As with my previous post, this Subtle piece has languished in the ‘departure lounge’ of Natural Adventures since September. I had intended to publish it almost immediately, as I like to try and do with pieces that I really admire, but somehow it got leap-frogged and then fell down the list. I am very happy to have revived it.
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Subtle has not painted a huge amount this year, so finding this one was a real pleasure. This is a beautiful and touching tribute piece by Subtle for his cousin Sarah, who sadly passed away in September this year. It must have been difficult to paint, but probably means a lot to him, and to the family. It is a beautiful thing to do.
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Although Subtle doesn’t often do characters, I think that this is very nicely done, and it is something he should consider doing more of – the ones I have seen I have liked, and they offset the writing really well. A very fine tribute piece.
This lovely piece of graffiti writing from Claro_que_sssnoh has been sitting in my ‘departure lounge’ for months and months, it got left behind and dropped off my radar. In a recent clear up, I found it again, and have dusted it off for posting.
Claro_que_sssnoh, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2021
The colours work quite well, although I am not too sure about the pink and the red being comfortable bedfellows, something doesn’t quite feel right. The letters, spelling HONS, are in typical Claro style, that is long and thin, combining smooth curves with angular elements, and filled with lots of circles and other decorations. Glad to have hauled this out of the pending list.
And here is yet another fine piece from Tack Jucker, the artist who just keeps on giving. This wonderful Macaw parrot head is so striking… it is big and bold and quite an unusual thing to see on the Bristol scene. Funnily enough, I would normally expect to see a piece like this painted on a buffed wall, but somehow just sticking it over other graffiti seems to work really well.
I know that Tack works from sketches and photographs and I imagine that this is probably taken from a stock photograph online. There is nothing wrong with that, Aspire does the same thing with his birds, and you can often find the Googled picture he has used.
Tack Jucker, Cumberland basin, Bristol, October 2021
This is another lovely piece from this relative newcomer to Bristol, and I am loving his work.
I always like finding new artists and recently, a few columns under the M32 have become a bit of a playground for Typo, so expect to see a few posts in coming days from this artist.
Typo, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2021
Typo’s work is certainly rather different and is largely abstract in form, often accompanied by quite a lot of political or philosophical text. This colourful piece however has no words, other than the artist’s name cleverly incorporated into the overall design. Watch this space for a whole load more.
The Bristol street art scene simply wouldn’t be what it is without the metronomic consistency of artists like Face 1st. These artists provide the foundations upon which all other artists build their works and reputations, but without this underground culture, street art would likely struggle in the city. Just look at those towns which have no culture of graffiti or street art and then host a festival, the legacy although stunning dies off and appears to be fake. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing street art wherever it is, but people like Face 1st provide an authenticity that you simply can’t replicate through commissions alone.
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol October 2021
This is a revisiting of one of Face 1st’s favourite themes, a girl’s laughing face with a hairdo made out of the word FACE. Lovely colours, nicely painted and everything I would want it to be.
A timely commentary piece from John D’oh, that is rightly sceptical about our ability to face up to the challenges of climate change, when we can’t even keep our rivers clean. As somebody who has spent more than half my working life on protecting rivers and river-based recreation, it is a pity that our rivers are still subjected to the most terrible pollution, but on the other hand, we must recognise the huge improvements that have occurred since the 1980s when Britain was referred to as the ‘dirty man of Europe’. I fear, for a host of reasons, that the phrase may once again be used to describe our nation as we continue to prioritise company profits over environmental outcomes.
John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, October 2021
The single-layer stencil from John D’oh features Brian Cox (I think) pondering whether “COP26 is going to be like our rivers… full of shit”. I sincerely hope not, and we must all rally round this conference as best we can to push forward better outcomes for our planet. The hard work begins now, and it will be up to citizens to demand more from their governments, but also to take personal responsibility for modifying their own behaviours. Less talk, more doing.
A thought-provoking stencil piece – thank you, John D’oh.
On the news that Owen Paterson has resigned as an MP. There is no honour in this resignation that happened only after a massive reaction to some Conservative Party goal-post moving in the parliamentary standards committee operations, concocted to try and overturn Paterson’s suspension for breaking parliamentary rules. Sleaze bags the lot of them.
Paterson has a lot to answer for. As Secretary of State for the environment, a curious appointment as he was a climate change denier at the time, he waged war against the environmental movement deliberately discrediting it as the ‘green blob’ and referring to activists as ‘yogurt knitters’.
His appalling reign was eclipsed, unbelievably, by the utterly incompetent Liz Truss and dreadful creep Andrea Leadsom, both favoured high-fliers in the worst government in living memory.
I have only sympathy for Paterson’s family. His wife took her own life earlier this year, and that is awful on every level. While I feel sorry for him on a human level, it in no way changes my loathing for him as a politician.
