3769. Upfest 2021 75×75 (6)

Oh my goodness! There are some pieces that you look at and, well, they simply take your breath away. For me, this is one of those pieces. Painted for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event, this astonishing collaboration from Mishfit and Mazcan simply blew me away, and I look at now as I am writing and wonder at its magnificence.

Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

These two portraits work so incredibly well together and are perfect for the space vacated by Caro Pepe and AgeAge. To the left is a stunning portrait from Mishfit painted with incredible graded skin tones and a beautiful headdress, the colours of which are reflected in a cloud to the right of the subject. I haven’t seen any of Mishfit’s work before, but what an introduction.

Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Mazcan on the other hand has visited Upfest on a couple of occasions, but this piece is definitely a step up from before, and I think she must have been practising. This blue face has quite a lot of attitude and there is so much depth and bone structure created with clever use of shading. The red streaks in the hair add so much to the depth and contrast of the piece too.

Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Genuinely, this is a bloody brilliant collaboration and will definitely stick in my memory for a long, long time.

3768. Brunel Way (114)

This is another opportunity to showcase the wonderful and slightly different work of Bristol artist Maybe. This artist burst on to the scene earlier this year, painting pretty much exclusively in a stretch of concrete columns supporting Brunel Way, a busy road crossing over the river Avon at Cumberland Basin. His small pieces are little treasures and rather fun to seek out.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The first piece is one of Maybe’s trademark reversible faces combined within a rectangle, each painted in its own wonderful colours and shades. There is something about the simplicity of these pieces that makes them rather calming and easy to look at and enjoy.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The second piece is a rather clever little design of a moon eating a banana in some kind of reflective motif idea. I am a fan of Maybe, and am enjoying the progress being made. I look forward to maybe finding some pieces in other parts of Bristol.

3767. Frome side (11)

The nice thing about dropping down beneath the M32, where a canalised section of the River Frome flows, is that it seems to be a popular spot for visiting artists to paint, often accompanied by Bristol friends showing them around.

Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021
Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021

This delightful piece by Wee Nuls was painted a few weeks back by the Belfast-based artist who, it appears, cut her teeth with spray painting in Bristol some time ago. I love this kind of portrait piece that sits comfortably alongside Slakarts, Pekoe and others who create bright and colourful faces about the city. I hope that Wee Nuls makes more trips to Bristol soon.

Thursday doors – 1 July 2021

Doors 153 – archive street art and graffiti doors

I have found it difficult to get out and about photographing doors recently, so this selection is another trawl through my archives of street art and graffiti art doors from last year. All of these doors were originally featured as posts on street art in October and November 2021, but are being repurposed for Thursday doors. If you recognise these from the first time round, please forgive me. Enjoy:

Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2020
Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2020

Nevergiveup, Brunel Way, Bristool, October 2020
Nevergiveup, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020

Silent Hobo, Mina Road, Bristol, October 2020
Silent Hobo, Mina Road, Bristol, October 2020

Utility box painted with a flower, Bristol, October 2020
Utility box painted with a flower, Bristol, October 2020

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020

That’s yer lot this week I’m afraid. Maybe just maybe I’ll get out to photograph some doors before the next time we meet. Until then, have a lovely weekend.

If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors  from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.

by Scooj

3766. M32 roundabout J3 (330)

I think that Eman is the artist I have seen the most of in recent weeks, I think that the times and days and locations that we visit somehow coincide. This time I was lucky enough to catch him painting his first portrait piece in collaboration with Evey, although she had not yet arrived when I took this WIP shot.

Eman, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Eman, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

Obviously any blue female portrait will be compared in some way to the most reproduced Chinese Girl portrait by Vladimir Trechikoff and this isn’t too far away from that. It is great to see Eman trying new things, he seems to have an appetite for pushing himself hard and with great results.

Evey and Eman, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Evey and Eman, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

Evey, who turned up after I had gone, has added some orange flowers and her letters EVEN to the right of the piece and reminds us that ‘all black lives still matter’ keeping the BLM movement in the agenda. This is a rather lovely collaboration, and quite unusual in its structure. Great to see.

3765. Brunel Way (113)

It would appear that Zake is off the leash. Over the past month, I have seen and photographed several Zake pieces that seem to get better and better. This is the first one in a series, and a good starting point.

Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

I first came across Zake’s work on the columns under the M32 several of which still remain, which is remarkable really and shows the respect from other artists. Although this is not his best work, it does hark back to those earlier pieces. There is some great uplighting going on here and an exaggerated characterful face. Watch this space for more from Zake.

3764. Cumberland Basin

If this piece hadn’t been signed, and hadn’t appeared on Instagram, I am not sure that I would have ever identified the artist as Georgie. I know that she varies her styles and techniques quite a lot, but this one, in my eyes, is totally different. Painted as part of the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective paint jam from a little while back, this piece perfectly fits the aspect of the wall at this point.

Georgie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Georgie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

It is funny, but I thought I had photographed dozens of Georgie’s pieces, but it turns out that it is actually only a handful. This slender elf figure appears to be doing some kind of yoga or exercise routine, but is very clearly connected to nature, which is a popular contemporary theme these days. I think the whole piece has a hint of 1930s illustration about it, except for the rabbit, which I don’t think adds anything to the painting (sorry). Great to see Georgie getting out and about.

3763. M32 roundabout J3 (329)

Ooh, a very lovely piece from Ryder on the M32 roundabout, full of fun and movement. Part of a wider collaboration, but worth singling out because it is just too good to share the limelight.

Ryder, M32 roundbout, Bristol, June 2021
Ryder, M32 roundbout, Bristol, June 2021

What could be better than a RYDER riding on a skateboard – all in bright green and five cheeky little characters. If nothing else the piece is a memorable one that definitely stands out from the crowd. This is Ryder at his playful best.

3762. L Dub (28)

What a truly great surprise, on a recent trip to L Dub (Lawrence Weston), to see this old school collaboration from 2Keen and DJ Perks. It was especially nice to see as 2Keen doesn’t paint all that often and this is something of a rarity.

2 Keen, LDub, Bristol, June 2021
2 Keen, LDub, Bristol, June 2021

I have met 2Keen a number of times, particularly when he was painting the REDLAND piece (below) not far from where I live, a few years ago, and he is a very nice chap whose failing eyesight makes his painting achievements all the more impressive. His old school characters are very recognisable, having exaggerated cartoon-like features. This one is especially good.

DJPerks, LDub, Bristol, June 2021
DJPerks, LDub, Bristol, June 2021

The writing from DJ Perks is also very nicely done, with the shading in the green letters providing some real depth. It seems that DJ Perks is an absolute natural and continues to go from strength to strength.

All in all a very nice collaboration.

2Keen, Ryder and Aspire, Redland Court Road, Bristol, May 2017
2Keen, Ryder and Aspire, Redland Court Road, Bristol, May 2017

Acer One

A gallery of outstanding graffiti writing and cityscapes from Bristol artist Acer One.

All photographs by Scooj

Conrico and Acer One, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, May 2021
Conrico and Acer One, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, May 2021

Acer One, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, May 2021
Acer One, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, May 2021

Sepr an Acer One, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021
Sepr an Acer One, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One and Andy Council, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021
Acer One and Andy Council, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One, Bedminster, Bristol, April 2021
Acer One, Bedminster, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One, Bedminster, Bristol, April 2021
Acer One, Bedminster, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
Acer One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021

Acer One, Temple Way, Bristol, September 2020
Acer One, Temple Way, Bristol, September 2020

Acer One, St Werburghs, Bristol February b2021
Acer One, St Werburghs, Bristol February b2021

Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021

Sepr and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Sepr and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

Awkward and Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Awkward and Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

AcerOne, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2019
AcerOne, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2019