Tag: Urban

3382. Brunel Way Bridge (81)

A beautiful and typically imaginative piece of writing from Sled One, painted alongside a Ments piece I posted last week. The colour palette is rather unusual set on a pale yellow background, certainly uplifting in this rather dark place.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020

The letters spell out MENTS, which is confusing, because I spent ages trying to find his usual SLED letters. I’m not sure what the symbolism of the brick walls and barbed wire is, but it might be a comment on the pandemic restrictions we have all had to suffer for so long. An interesting piece.

3381. Cumberland Basin

I am writing this on Christmas Eve Eve (last night) and really ought to be asleep, so please excuse typos or nonsense. I have Paul H to thank for this post. Last week I had been down to the river to check out Brunel Way and to walk the dog. On the way back to the car I bumped into Paul and we chatted for a while under darkening skies. I jumped into the car to head over to Dean Lane and then the heavens opened. Just as I got back to the car, Paul called me and said I simply had to get over to the other side of the river by the Create Centre to see a whole bunch of new stuff. I was reluctant because of the rain, and I had to get back to work to chair a Zoom meeting. I had just enough time and braved the weather. It was so worth it too. This is the first piece from a fabulous paint jam from the day before.

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2020
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2020

Ments has always been a favourite of mine because of his organic, abstract writing style of which this is a perfect example. It would seem I got there just in time, because such was the force of the rain that some of the paint was running (can that happen?). Thanks Paul, thanks Ments, fabulous piece.

3380. St Werburghs tunnel (214)

On a recent trip to St Werburghs tunnel it was so very nice to be greeted by this monster face piece from CD.TC. There has definitely been an uptick in the frequency with which CD.TC has been hitting the walls this year, unless I have been missing something in the past.

CD.TC, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020
CD.TC, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020

This was painted at the same time as a Daz Cat piece a few yards away and the two will often be found painting together. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting either of them, but they are out so often, it is only a matter of time.

This particular piece by CD.TC is rather more elaborate than usual, and I am guessing he took a little more time over it. The addition of horns creates an even more terrifying character. There is sure an influence of tribal masks in his pieces. Nice work.

3379. Dean Lane skate park (371)

I haven’t seen too many of these TESs over the last few months, and the ones I have seen have been ‘quick ones’ in the main, so stumbling across this one at Dean Lane was something of a treat.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

I know the artist as Slim Pickings (after an old Instagram handle) but many call him Tes, based on the letters he writes. This has all the features you’d expect; perfect shapes for his letters and a thick solid fill, a beautiful 3D shading in gold set on a pink ‘cloudy’ backdrop. The white spots and bright green drips add the finishing touches. This is a classy piece.

3378. M32 Cycle path (96)

I took this photograph as the light was fading at the end of an impromptu paint jam along the M32 cycle path. This would explain the slightly dour appearance of the piece, which is actually a bright and cheerful work from Smak.

Smak, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020
Smak, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020

The graffiti writing reaches the usual high standards associated with Smak, with superb fills and sharp lines that he delivers with such consistency. He has included a little character with this piece, a cat (looking a bit like a tiger) drinking milk from a bottle with a straw (a paper one I hope).

3377. Ashley Road (21)

Shutters have become a much prominent feature of the city this year because of the increased frequency that shops have had to remain closed due to a sequence of lockdowns and restrictions. This has offered up an opportunity for street artists to either paint new shutters, or for older shutters to be appreciated by a wider public. I guess I am looking for a silver lining to this terrible pandemic… clutching at straws maybe.

Pekoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, December 2020
Pekoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, December 2020

Anyhoo, this is a wonderful addition to the shutter pieces from Pekoe, who has hit a bit of a purple patch lately. I love this portrait, the way it fills the space so perfectly, slightly off-centre and the face is in three-quarters profile, which I love. The woman’s black hair and decorations are particularly nicely done. I think that this is my favourite shutter piece of the year. Bravo! Pekoe.

3376. St Luke’s Road (1)

The great thing about visiting areas of Bristol one doesn’t normally go to is that you open your eyes to a whole new culture and architectural environment. So when visiting Totterdown to photograph the new Banksy recently, I was exposed to quite a few pieces and murals that I had been aware of but had never seen. One row of houses in particular caught the eye due to the very large murals on their garden-facing walls, which could be viewed from the road below. The row of houses is on St Luke’s Road.

Gage Graphics, St Luke's Road, Bristol, December 2020
Gage Graphics, St Luke’s Road, Bristol, December 2020

The artist of this mural (along with several others) is Gage Graphics aka Ollie Gillard and who writes graffiti under the name Serif. This is an outstanding mural that shows a section cut through the ground, exposing different rock strata that lead up to the root system of a tree. The tree is bending in an autumn breeze and fits perfectly between two windows. All the while a milky daytime full moon looks on. What a wonderful thing to have on your house, and a fabulous gift for the citizens of the area to enjoy.

3375. M32 roundabout J3 (270)

My heart sings when I find a new Rusk piece, especially when I discover it without knowing about it in advance. It feels like quite a long time since I last saw one of his pieces of graffiti writing so this was a real bonus.

Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020

The colour scheme in this one works incredibly in my view with the green matched with the yellow and oranges, and the way he has integrated them is so easy on the eye. Surprisingly, the pink and black 3D shadow works really well too – who’d have thought? Some expert white highlights and blue drips finish the piece nicely.  A pleasure.

3374. St Werburghs tunnel (213)

Slakarts has been very busy lately, especially with his three-quarter cartoony profile throw up pieces, so it was great to come across this rather more traditional-looking piece from him in the tunnel recently.

Slakarts, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020
Slakarts, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020

Slakarts’ work is very distinct and rather different from most of the character pieces you see around Bristol. This particular face is rather austere and serious and contains some nice detail, such as the lines around the eyes. Some great shading and spots round this piece off nicely. I definitely feel a Slakarts gallery coming on very soon.

3373. Brunel Way bridge (80)

Underneath Brunel Way in the damp and tortured light conditions is this rather lovely tribute piece by Ments to a person called Sam, you can probably make out the letters.

Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020

This is quite an unusual piece by Ments and I think is in part quite experimental. His work is usually organic in nature with fluidity being a central effect. In this piece however, Ments has introduced some quite solid forms and even what appears to be a rock foundation – a more geological approach perhaps. The bright colours speak of joy and happiness. This is a wonderful tribute piece beautifully thought out and painted.