Tag: Urban

2965. M32 Spot (72)

I was familiar with the M32 Spot some time before I started photographing street art, because I used to drop my then 12 year old son off for wet-weather skateboarding. The M32 Spot DIY skatepark was pretty much the only (free) skate park option when it rained, and for a skating obsessed boy this was the destination of choice. That boy turns 18 next weekend. Where did that time go?

Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
Feek, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020

This lovely piece by Feek, like so many pieces by the artist, really chimes with the skating community. The painting features a monster contributing to the DIY building of the skate park. My favourite bit… his signature in the teeth.

2964. M32 Spot (71)

I love this for lots of reasons. Firstly because it is by John D’oh and secondly because it is a stencil, but mainly because it is overtly critical of the Wetherspoon owner Tim Martin, one of the most odious characters to have emerged from the Brexit debate. This man ranks as one of the supreme self-interested businessmen who puts making money for his business and for himself above the interests of the country. This attitude was exposed in the early days of lock down when Martin was calling for leniency for pubs and to allow them to remain open. Sod the virus eh?

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020

Neatly placed on one of the columns under the M32, this piece is a beacon of hope, in that in poking fun at Wetherspoon it reinforces the responsible approach to protecting ourselves from coronavirus. I applaud this political commentary piece.

2963. M32 cycle path (60)

Of course you’d expect Rezwonk to be quick out of the blocks once the lock down restrictions eased, I guess it is the clause that allows you to ‘exercise’ for as long as you’d like that has made the difference to street artists being able to paint pieces without stressing about the rules.

 

Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

This is a complex REZER design in fairly basic colours, but it has been carried off with real style and panache. With pieces as complex as this, I just can’t get my head around how the artist sees what they are doing – incredible skills really. A high quality Rezwonk burner.

2962. Dean Lane skate park (315)

I don’t know this artist’s street name, but I call him Taboo because I use the convention of naming him after the letters he writes. His Instagram account is @forbidden_association which doesn’t tell us much more about him.

Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020

This new piece in Dean Lane is really nicely done and incorporates Tom Cat from Tom and Jerry. The letters, which spell out TABOO, are nicely done and have a chunky heavy look about them which is typical of the artist. If you are looking for a light touch, fine detail and finesse, you are unlikely to find it here, and yet the character element of the piece has a much softer touch. A really nice and rather unusual piece.

2961. St Werburghs tunnel (169)

I watched Zake as he was preparing for this piece, but, having not met him and not knowing what he looked like, I didn’t stop long enough to make introductions. Added to which he was teaching a friend how to use spray paints and I didn’t want to interfere, especially as I think it was the first time she had ever held a spray can.

Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2020
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2020

The final piece is fabulous and not unlike one that he painted at the other end of the tunnel back in November last year. The rather unusual face has a hand sprouting from the cheek, giving the whole thing a slightly more animated feel than a face on its own. I always love to see Zake’s work, and to have almost met him was an added bonus.

Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2019
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2019

 

2960. Wilder Street (40)

Ah what joy, a fabulous new piece from Hazard in the middle of St Paul’s. I understand the piece has been painted in lieu of the St Paul’s carnival, which of course won’t be happening this year.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2020
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2020

Hazard has painted a stylish and colourful face with an incredibly ornate headdress loaded up with feathers and flowers. It is a really stunning piece and sits right up there with some of her very best work.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2020
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2020

I sometimes have to pinch myself when I see her work here in her home town, we are truly blessed and privileged to see her pieces around us and in our manor. I suspect that unlike much of her work, this one will be around for a long while. An outstanding beauty from Hazard.

2959. M32 roundabout J3 (212)

What a very pleasant surprise finding this piece was. I haven’t seen a new piece from Angry Face for a few years, so stumbling across this one in the middle of the M32 roundabout a few days ago was a really great feeling. Of course it is all over Instagram now, but when I saw it I didn’t know about it and there is always something special about that feeling of discovery.

Angry Face, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Angry Face, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

Angry Face is one of those artists whose work delivers what it says ‘on the tin’, in his case… an angry face. Sometimes his work can be a bit rough and ready, but this one is rather neat and has some really nice detail. What you are guaranteed to get with this artist is a bit of edge. Really looking forward to seeing more from Angry Face soon.

2958. North Street

There is something about kingfishers and artists. They seem to represent beauty and freedom and perhaps the slightest connection with nature that our urban societies have, in the main, lost.

Kin Dose, North Street, Bristol, May 2020
Kin Dose, North Street, Bristol, May 2020

This shutter piece had been commissioned and painted during lock down, and I have a feeling that Kin Dose also painted the adjacent shop shutter at the same time, although I have not managed to photograph that yet.

Kin Dose, North Street, Bristol, May 2020
Kin Dose, North Street, Bristol, May 2020

The whole piece has a feeling of vibrancy and movement about it. The abstract background of pinks, blues and whites setting up a rich frame for the kingfisher itself. The bird is exquisitely painted (it is not the first time Kin Dose has painted a kingfisher in Bristol) and a massive asset to this end of North Street.

2957. Stapleton Road

I took a little tour of Bristol hot spots yesterday and there is a lot of new work to write about and post but I fear I will not get to share it all immdeiately. This piece was from a few days ago and is tucked under a railway bridge on Stapleton Road. It is of course by Face 1st.

Face 1st, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020
Face 1st, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020

This is a nice ‘traditional’ Face 1st piece with a pretty face and the word FACE spelled out in the hair. The colours are bright and the piece cheerful. You have to be quick though at the moment as turnover is very high. Another recent piece by the artist at the M32 roundabout lasted only moments… I missed it.

2956. M32 Spot (70)

What I love about John D’os work is that it lays down a historical (usually political) narrative of our time. This is the second version of this stencil in the area, I posted the other one a while back, and it records with an element of humour the madness of the run on loo paper at the start of lock down. As an additional note, you can’t move in supermarkets for bog roll at the moment, so what was the panic all about?

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020

I like the retro look of the piece and of course the setting in amongst an array of contemporary tagging. More to come from John D’oh who was a little busier than some other artists during full lock down, taking his allotted hour of exercise on the streets and walls we know so well.