I think this has become a favourite spot for Bristol street artist Rezwonk who last December painted two pieces in Moon street, one of them in this exact location.
Rezwonk, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2018
His work, based on what I have seen of it so far, seems to focus on letters, often spelling our Rezwonk in some way. This one is, I think, the best I have seen so far, the initial ‘R’ is beautifully picked out in the middle sitting on a perfect circle of pink. His name repeated all around the outside. The drips are lovely and there is something a bit different here. Nice piece. Sadly I don’t think this one lasted even a week before it got bombed. He has however already replaced it (post to follow soon).
Set in a wall on a hill very close to where I work is this beautiful old weathered door. It is the perfect ‘secret garden’ door, but it is not the secrets that hide on the other side of this wall that grabbed my attention, rather it is the small stone sculptures that pepper the outside of the wall along its length.
Commemerative plaque , Bob Ballard, Bristol, Thursday Doors
The artwork is by the late Bob Ballard, an artist from Bristol, and I found this tribute on the Society of Graphic Fine Art website which tells you a little more about him:
Bob Ballard was born in London in 1944. He had worked full time as an artist since 1989, when he won a Goldsmiths Travel Bursary (drawing and studying Romanesque art in Spain). Thereafter he was awarded many prizes, including the Bruckhaus Derringer Award from the Royal Watercolour Society. Bob’s work encompassed abstract and representative styles in a wide range of media, such as sculpture, print, oils, watercolour and pastels. Later in his career he was a senior lecturer at the University of the West of England, and senior tutor and research associate for COREOX, University of Oxford. Bob was a council member for both the Society of Graphic Fine Art (SGFA) and the Bath Society of Artists (BSA). He lived in Bristol with his wife Maggie.
Bob Ballard attached a number of small sculptures to the wall which the curious would notice. Little gifts of artwork that brighten up a day. I love this wall, I love the door and I love the sculptures.
Guerilla artwork, Bob Ballard, Bristol, Thursday DoorsGuerilla artwork, Bob Ballard, Bristol, Thursday DoorsGuerilla artwork, Bob Ballard, Bristol, Thursday DoorsGuerilla artwork, Bob Ballard, Bristol, Thursday Doors
I found this quote from Bob Ballard on his Facebook feed, which I rather like:
“ In my work I always try to place the unknown next to the known. Defamiliarisation is the essence of art. The closer you look at it the greater the distance from which it stares back at you.”
I bee W is an artist I admire very much. I first met him at Upfest 2016, and knew of his work before that, but this is the first time I have written about him, which surely can’t be right. His intricate stencils are often set on reasonably plain backgrounds, which brings out the central subject.
I bee W, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
This ‘pigs might fly’ piece was created during the Spring paint jam in The Bearpit and I think carries a message, but I am not entirely sure whether it is connected to the clampdown on graffiti in The Bearpit or not.
I bee W, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
It is a nice composition and contrasts well with the surrounding graffiti, helping it to stand out. It is like a gallery piece, and I like that.
I have featured a lot of new artists on this blog recently, and this is the latest of them. Daz Cat is a Bristol-based illustrator and graffiti artist who I think is reasonably recent of the street art scene, although I would happily be corrected as there is not an awful lot of information in the Internet to go by.
Daz Cat, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
His works tend to feature the heads of cats or dogs and often a little message – the one here ‘in fine style’ is used in other pieces too. He has had a recent burst of activity with some pieces, of which this is one, that were painted during the Spring Paint Jam in The Bearpit. More of his work, and perhaps more insight to follow soon.
Painted in The Bearpit for the Spring Paint Jam, this unusual piece is the work of the versatile Bristol artist Georgie. Georgie is a leading light in bringing street art to the people of Bristol through paint jams and her determination to preserve the notion of legal walls for the many street/graffiti artists in the city.
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
This piece itself is a stunning and intricate stencil work, which has been skilfully layered to create rich visual textures as you run your eye across it. Furthermore it is the kind of work that you don’t see enough of in The Bearpit.
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, April 2018
When you take a close look, you can really see all the detailed work that has gone into creating this piece. Hats off to Georgie.
It’s that man Touc again, this time he has brought his little ray of sunsuine toucan to Dean Lane, a perfect roost for such a bird. There is something very endearing about this elaborate tag, and I am looking forward to finding and snapping up as many as possible.
Touc, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Of course, the first two I have posted are in the two most obvious locations, The Bearpit and Dean Lane. I have found one or two others which I will share in due course. Happy Toucan.
I have only seen Pelmo’s work a couple of times, but I know that I really love his work. The soft tone and style of his cartoon characters carries with it a light-hearted humour, and his pieces tell complex stories. His work reminds me a little of Gary Larson’s Far Side cartoons, but there is a little more tenderness to Pelmo’s work.
Pelmo, West Street, Bristol, April 2018
I think that this wall was part of Upfest 2016, but I never made it here before as it is really quite a long way from the Upfest main area. This is a highly accomplished piece and in it is a deftness and confidence in the scene that Pelmo has created. It is so easy on the eye, it almost feels that it is just part of the street scenery. It is easy to drift into the world he has created.
Pelmo, West Street, Bristol, April 2018
I love his attention to detail, things like the hand rail that the character on the right is holding and the shadows cast by the bicycle and the street bins. Of course for the cat lovers there is a splendid moggie sprawled out on the wall. I also rather like the way that the rubble sacks in front of the piece almost feel like they are incorporated into the whole experience. I love this and really look forward to seeing his work at Upfest 2018.
