Tag: Urban

1529. Dean Lane skate park (130)

This is a fine three-way collaboration on the long wall at Dean Lane between ‘No Frills’ stablemates, Slimpickings, Biers and Howl. Whatever your views on writing, this is an incredibly neat and tidy collaboration which is really easy on the eye.

Slimpickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Slimpickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

I don’t know much at all about Slimpickings, but have seen quite a lot of his work around the place recently (to follow). I haven’t seen enough of his work or had the opportunity to meet him to be able to decypher his writing. I think it says TEB, but I am not confident.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

Biers I have featured a fair bit in this blog and I continue to enjoy his style immensely. There is something about the design of his letters that really chimes for me, I don’t know if there is a retro thing going on or what, but it feels comfortable.

Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

Finally, the right hand side of this collaboration is by Howl, and he is another artist with a very distinctive style, that often incorporates a dog, as in this example. This one is a real cutie with an orange swirl on his tummy.

All in all this is a cracking example of a top writing collaboration. Great work from No Frills.

1528. M32 roundabout J3 (86)

Hurrah, another Laic217 piece containing all the things I love about the artist, but this time there is a significant shift in the style and application of the spray paint.

Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018
Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018

The whole feel of the piece is much lighter touch from his usual deeply coloured and thickly layerd pieces. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it has a watercoloury kind of effect, which I think works really well.

Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018
Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018

As this artist develops, we are witnessing an amazing versatility emerge, and the more I see, the closer I am to thinking about creating a new category for the blog, along the lines of a gallery featuring all the work of a specific artist on one post. I’ll give it some more thought.

Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018
Laic217, M32, Bristol, May 2018

Inb the meantime just feast your eyes on this talented artist’s letters and skeletons.

1527. M32 roundabout J3 (85)

Adjacent to the M32 roundabout is a little side road where I like to park when I photograph street art in the area. There are always one or two caravans parked up here too, generally occupied by homeless people. Actually this is becoming quite a big issue in Bristol at the moment, as there are an awful lot of these old caravans appearing all over the city being used as temporary homes. The homeless suituation in the UK is reaching crisis point and austerity continues to hit the marginalised hardest.

Ryder and T-Rex, M32, Bristol, May 2018
Ryder and T-Rex, M32, Bristol, May 2018

On the upside, the caravans are used as canvases for many of the street artists as the ‘owners’ really don’t seem to mind the decoration. On this one we have a rather nice quick collaboration from T-Rex and Ryder. There is real movement in that dinosaur.

1526. City Road (7)

Oooh, I love this one from Face 1st, tucked around a corner in City Road, where I only periodically take a squint at the walls there that don’t change all that often. I’m glad I made the effort as this is Face 1st just how I like him.

Face 1st, City Road, Bristol, May 2018
Face 1st, City Road, Bristol, May 2018

Great colour selection, and I will never tire of his basic easy-on-the-eye premise of spelling out FACE with his swirls and a white face incorporated somewhere along the way. One of Bristol’s most prolific street artists.

1525. M32 roundabout J3 (85)

I originally had this piece down as ‘unknown’ artist, but managed to find out a bit from the signature ‘Pekoe’, which at first I thought was an unrelated tag. Pekoe is a Bristol-based artist originally from Wolverhampton, who describes herself as a self-employed illustrator and painter. In her linked-in profile she reveals:

I regularly paint walls around Bristol, usually with fellow crew members, as well as doodle constantly to keep honing my skills. I’m influenced by a wide range of artists, whether graffiti or modern, and also take inspiration from the worlds of pin up, tattoos, sneakers and hiphop.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018

It seems strange that she has only just entered my consciousness, but having found this, I have since found another and realise that one of my ‘Upfest unknowns’ is by her…both to follow soon.

Her interisting illustrative style really stands out from the crowd of burners and character pieces and feels like a spray sketch. It reminds me in style a little of Ant Carver who uses similar squiggle shadings in his portraits. Really looking forward to seeing more of her work about the place.

1524. M32 roundabout J3 (84)

This is a not-quite-finished piece from the magnificent Sled One, and it was his contribution to the ASK paint jam at the M32 roundabout. He was actually a day late, because he had had a hangover the day of the paint jam and didn’t feel like painting – so these guys are human after all.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018

I am always completely amazed at how Sled One seems to be so at ease with his cans, he seems to create his work with the minimum of fuss and is able to put ehat is in hes head onto a wall. He is comfortable with both writing and creating fantastical characters, and is a real asset to The Paintsmiths, who he works for.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018

This piece, even incomplete, looks stunning and I will have to go back to get a finished picture.

Last week I was cutting the lower branches and shoots off a lime tree that lines the road where I live – the council used to do it but have no money for such things any more – so that I could park the car without smearing it with aphids and get out of it without walking into a jungle. Anyhow, I digress, while I was pruning, I looked up and saw Sled One. We stopped for a chat, and it turns out he lives only a few doors up from me…I can’t believe that we haven’t bumped into each other before.

1523. The Bearpit (150)

Object…is tireless in his campaigning to keep The Bearpit open as an available space for all…including artists. It seems that Bristol City Council are determined to clamp down on the amount of spraying that goes on in the Bearpit, and new graffiti is routinely painted over, leaving an ugly landscape of patchwork walls where the paint doesn’t quite match. Also, by painting blank walls, the Council are simply inviting the less savoury elements of the graffiti scene to make their mark with tags and throw ups.

Object...,The Bearpit, Bristol, May 2018
Object…,The Bearpit, Bristol, May 2018

This piece contains a quote from Tom Flemming Creative Consultancy, who I assume have been doing some work for BCC. It is a nice quote and one that I can relate to. The messy and the marginal – it works for me. The artwork from Object… is actually really good and contains many things I associate with the artist – feathers and wings joined to slightly contorted hand and of course the strong political message. I like the #BearpitIsBeautiful too. I doff my cap to Object… whose passion drive him and others forward.

1522. The Bearpit (149)

Once again I am introducing an artist new to these pages…I don’t know how I’m going to keep up with only two posts a day. Some good work may never see the light of day. This fine abstract piece is by Bristol-based artist Run Z, and it is one of two that I hve spotted in Bristol. I have not been aware of his work before and I think he is reasonably new to the scene.

Run Z, The Bearpit, Bristol, May 2018
Run Z, The Bearpit, Bristol, May 2018

There aren’t too many abstract artists on the streets of Bristol, so Run Z is among the elite group that includes Mr Klue and Decay, both of whose work I admire. This piece uses complementary colours in organic swirls, creating an overall effect that is rather pleasing to the eye. If you look close up, it is all a bit raw, but step back and it makes sense. Nice to see something a bit different.

1521. M32 roundabout J3 (83)

Right up there with my favourite Bristol artists is 3Dom. This dream-like piece was created during the recent ASK paint jam at the M32 roundabout and is just so typical of his weird and wonderful creative mind.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018

For those who know his work, there are several familiar themes going on here in this piece, including the purple striped trousers the character is wearing and the birdcage for a head. 3Dom often uses inanimate objects to create the face of his characters, bringing those inanimate objects to life and personality to the whole piece. I think a psychiatrist would probably have a field day with 3Dom’s work.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018

I love the little details like the fly, the lock on the birdcage and especially the upwards drips on the bicycle. I love this piece to bits.

1520. Dean Lane skate park (129)

As so often happens in this game, I go in search of one thing and find something else. I had seen a post on Instagram of a beautiful new collaboration by Face 1st and Tasha Bee in Dean Lane, quite unusual, because it is not a spot that Face 1st regularly paints and their collaborations seem to be a bit of a new thing at the moment. When I got there, it had already been overpainted.

Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

The good news is that the piece covering it is by Elvs, whose work is always of a brilliant standard. In this work he has chosen some dark and subtle colours to create his unique writing. You should be able to read the word ‘ELVS’ as well as some additional characters, in what looks like Japanese to me. I’m not sure what it says.

Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

The tragedy of Dean Lane (but also the thing that makes it so special) is the transient nature of the work there – blink and you miss it. I was sorry not to see the PWA collaboration, but at least I was rewarded with this superb Elvs burner.