Tag: Urban

Thursday doors

Door 32

Door, Stokes Croft, Bristol
Door, Stokes Croft, Bristol

This week I am bringing things back down to earth with a resounding thud…can you hear it? THUD. From the glorious lobby doors in Barcelona last week to two doors in Stokes Croft, Bristol, which couldn’t be further removed from their Spanish cousins.

Graffiti and tagging is rife in this particular spot, and there is scarcely a square inch of wood or wall that has not been scrawled on. In one sense, it is what brings a unique character to this small, but ferociously independent area of the city, but in another sense, it also highlights social, political and cultural unrest combined with urban poverty.

Colourful as it may seem, I don’t think I’d like to live behind this door, or the one below for that matter, but some people do live there and have to put up with the disrespect shown to their property.

Door, Stokes Croft, Bristol
Door, Stokes Croft, Bristol

So something less beautiful and unsettling this week…all part of Thursday doors.

by Scooj

More doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0

1479. Dean Lane skate park (122)

I haven’t posted much from Hire for a while, and sadly I got to this one just a few moments too late it looks like. It is a real shame that some idiot has run a white line through this piece, and the beautiful Sikoh and Dibz piece next to it. Arturo has little to be proud of in my view.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

The amazing thing about this piece is that it is not a collaboration, the whole thing is by Hire, the Gothic influenced writing on the left and the dayglo bunny on the right. I like the way he has put these pieces side by side with their contrasting backgrounds. The colours used for the writing would make Decay very happy (he uses exactly this palette form most of his work). And, just in case you weren’t sure, the bunny helps us out with the location of the piece. Fine work.

1478. The Bearpit (144)

In recent months I have become aware of a tag appearing all over the place, that is better than your average tag, and of course being a fish it gets my seal of approval. I have no idea who it is by, but I think they might belong to DBK crew, as those letters are never too far away.

Unknown fish tag, The Bearpit, Bristol, May 2018
Unknown fish tag, The Bearpit, Bristol, May 2018

The first of four tags was in The Bearpit not too long ago. Lots of drug references here.

Unknown fish tag, Bristol, May 2018
Unknown fish tag, Bristol, May 2018

I am not too sure what the letters spell, but to me it looks like ‘SOA’ and then I guess it is possible that the tail fin is also a letter.

Unknown fish tag, Anchor Road, Bristol, May 2018
Unknown fish tag, Anchor Road, Bristol, May 2018

As with all tags, the graffiti artist has got the consistency down to a T and can probably run one off pretty swiftly.

Unknown fish tag, Armada Place, Bristol, May 2018
Unknown fish tag, Armada Place, Bristol, May 2018

As I am writing this, It occurs to me that the whole thing says SOAK, and that the fish tail does form a letter, the letter K. Soak is a graffiti artist in Bristol who I featured not too long ago. It all makes sense now.

1477. The Bearpit (143)

Well this pasteup is a little out of the ordinary, and not something I would immediately associate with Object…, but it is a reasonably recent piece from this Bristol (Stokes Croft) based artist which appeared with one or two others in The Bearpit.

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

I would probably not like to delve too deeply into what is going on here, frankly it all looks a little bit scary. Regulars will know that I love a good wheatpaste, and this one certainly stands out with its arresting subject and exaggerated features. And what large teeth you have grandma…

1476. Millpond Street (3)

My understanding is that every now and again, Bristol Drain Services like to give their office building a makeover. They provide the paint and the artists crete something special. This wall which was previously occupied by Kid Crayon and SPZero76 has recently been given an abstract refresh by the fabulous Paul Monsters.

Paul Monsters, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2018
Paul Monsters, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2018

His colourful geometric designs are instantly recognisable and can lift any wall, no matter how bland, into the status of artwork. I hope to catch up with Paul in the run up to Upfest 2018, or at the very least at the festival itself, for which he is one of the central organisers.

Ninja unarmed

 

Ignominious

day for the cat, her claws trimmed;

Ruben celebrates.

 

by Scooj

1474. Dean Lane skate park (121)

On the lovely curved wall of Dean Lane skate park, this bright and cheery piece by Mr Draws was sprayed on 20 April to mark the 420 campaign. Regulars will know that I have long enjoyed the work of Mr Draws, and although his freestyle is not to everyone’s taste, it works for me.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018

Mr Draws is going through one of his incredibly productive phases at the moment and I simply can’t keep up…there is too much in Bristol to cover in two posts per day, let alone all my other material from New York, Barcelona and London. I’ll do my best to keep it all coming.

1473. Lower Lamb Street

Three cheers for the toucan – in what is probably the closest graffiti spot to my work. Imagine how delighted I was to see this recent adition of one of Touc’s beautiful birds. A simple idea, but nicely done and eminently collectable.

Touc, Lower Lamb Street, Bristol, April 2018
Touc, Lower Lamb Street, Bristol, April 2018

Somehow, bringing an exotic bird like a toucan into the urban environment achieves more than simply a splash of colour, it brings with it the magic of rainforests and of hope. It certainly worked for Guiness.

1472. Frogmore Street (6)

I have been aware of the work of this Bristol artist for some while now, but didn’t know much else about him. Well a little stroke of luck…a delay to my usual bus…encouraged me to walk home after work and I decided to take a slightly different route. As I dropped down the steps from Park Street into Frogmore Street I saw this beautiful display of foil butterflies pressed into the road tarmac.

Duncan McKellar, Frogmore Street, Bristol, April 2018
Duncan McKellar, Frogmore Street, Bristol, April 2018

The gentleman in the pictute is actually the artist, Duncan McKellar, who likes to bring a smile to the citizens of Bristol with his unusual artistic displays that appear from time to time. I guess one might describe him as an installation artist, but what he does brilliantly is bring to life many of the things we fail to see around us, such as statues and trees and puts them front and centre of our consciousness with his art.

Duncan McKellar, Frogmore Street, Bristol, April 2018
Duncan McKellar, Frogmore Street, Bristol, April 2018

I particularly like this foil piece because it is an unusual experimental technique which Duncan was trialling. We stopped for a lengthy chat, and I will certainly be following his artistic adventures with great interest. More from Duncan to come soon.

1470. Upfest 2017 (169)

What an extraordinary piece by Title at the Ashton Gate site. The character to those of you not familiar with Marvel comics is Thanos, who I believe makes an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – a film I haven’t seen yet, but will do when the DVD arrives.

Title, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Title, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The detail in the face and expression bring this ‘photorealistic’ piece to life. Title, from Birmingham is a full time artist, taking commissions around the country. He enjoys festivals, which he can focus on while trying to balance a busy work schedule and family life.

Title, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Title, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Would be good to see him again at Upfest, but I don’t see his name down for 2018, so mnaybe another time.