I think I said it quite recently that I don’t often get down to St Werburghs tunnel, which is a pity really because I miss out on a lot of gems like this one from Whysayit. I am beginning to think that he might simply be whysay or YSAE, because his Instagram handle which used to be Whysayit has changed to Whysissy and again to Whydot. However, I am not retrospectively going to correct all my posts. I shall call him Whysayit.
Whysayit, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, January 2018
Once again we such great quality of ideas and shading from this graffiti artist. When I see great writing, I often wonder whether the artists could do characters or something other than writing. There is something of a split between graff writers and street artists, but some have crossed the divide and others, such as Deamze and Voyder seem to be equally comfortable with both.
At a bus stop, just opposite Ashley Road, there is a hoarding which has slowly and steadily been claimed by graffiti artists. The building owner has tried to shoo them away, but it is a bit of a relentless tide. The initial graffiti that went up was mostly quick burners and none of it up to much, with the odd exception. Then with accelerated pace, more pieces have been going up recently and this lovely quick one from Jee See appeared a couple of weeks ago.
Jee See, Stokes Croft, Bristol, February 2018
Of course, it was over -sprayed a couple of days later, but I was very pleased to capture it. This is a revolutionary motif that Jee See likes to use a lot, and I have to say I really like it. It was a piece like this that first put him on my radar. Power to the people! Briz Graff.
This has been a winter where some of the giants of Bristol street art have awoken and decorated our walls with some of the finest works for a while. Sepr is one such giant who seems to be painting most weekends and turning out some really high-quality work.
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
What a stunner this is – ‘knock it on the head – before it knocks you on your arse’. I’ve not heard the expression before, but am willing to adopt it on the back of this wonderful Sepr work.
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
The common thread running through much of Sepr’s work is music, and musicians and here he has painted a pianist stretched out and toppling off his stool. For me, his works have a very strong retro feel and remind me of 1950’s cartoons – the hairstyle and the trilby are not of this decade.
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
These cartoons, beautifully drawn are pulled out from the wall by some expert shardos that govo it a bit of a 3D feel. Definitely worth a look.
The turnover of work in St Werburghs tunnel is quite eye-watering. I don’t visit very often, but every time I go, pretty much everything is new. I went down there deliberately this time to find this piece by Hazard.
Hazard, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, January 2018
It is hard not to be utterly captivated by her work (hers is on the right) which usually features a female portrait, either face on or profile, with beautifully ornate hair and head decorations.
Hazard, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, January 2018
I am not too sure who the piece on the left is by, but the contrast in styles is really interesting and in fact both work quite well together. I’m not sure that this was a collaboration, but I might be wrong. A fine piece.
There is a comment below from Tasha Bee who painted the lady on the left, she says it was a collaboration, and seeing the joint signature now, it all seems obvious.
I have driven past this piece dozens of times and caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye, but parking is tricky. Finally I found some time to double park, nip out and take these pictures.
Decay, Old Ashley Hill, Bristol, January 2018
It is a wonderful piece by Decay and one that is likely to be around for some time as it looks like a private commisssion. Many of his pieces, particularly in the centre of town get oversprayed, so it is nice to have a spot where it will be around for a while.
Decay, Old Ashley Hill, Bristol, January 2018
Decay is the master of these abstract designs and his work is easy to identify due to its distinctive shapes and use of the colours red, white, grey and black. This one is a stunner.
What a lucky bunch we are in Bristol to have so so many talented street artists walking among us. This is a magnificent collaboration by two Bristol old-timers (I don’t think they’d like me to call them that…probably, but it is more a mark of respect). The gorilla is by 3Dom and the writing by Epok.
3Dom and Epok, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
The gorilla is so unusual, I don’t think I have seen something by 3Dom like this before, and I’m not sure I would have known it was by him were it not for Instagram. I am fascinated by the chain and the gold medallion with the letters ASK on it. It is as fine a piece of craftsmanship as I have seen, so beautifully done and right out of the Cheo book of chains.
3Dom and Epok, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
The Epok writing is equally impressive, and again a little different from the usual angular and geometric pieces I am used to seeing, this is a little softer and so beautiful, a masterful piece.
3Dom and Epok, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
The two pieces coming together in such stark contrast are one of many tributes to the extraordinary Acid Collapse (Treze)who lost his fight against cancer very recently. I posted a piece by Acid Collapse in 2016, and I consider it to be one of the finest pieces I have ever seen. A huge loss.
I’m carol/ zurik . I’m treze’s wife and he wanted to upload this last photo that he never had until a few days ago. I just want to let u know that he didnt have any pain and everything was peaceful and quick as he wanted it. We fight together all this 3, almost 4 years against his cancer and in this time he was not just brave, he never, never complain about his illness, always looking the possitive side of everything. A lot of u who can get to know him and admire his work from the last 4 years until now (what he said it has been his best years ever), need to know that this work was made it with conviction and passion every time he has a day without chemo. He was a strong man who made everything what he wants: travel around the world painting , working on his tatoos , walk on the mountain and the street, and as he used to said: do stuffs .But the most important for him was to take care of you: his friends. I know the pain that u are feeling and as i promess to him i am here for u. Thank u for ur support and i am sure this is the best way to say goodbye to one of the most happy, humble, talented and friendly person in the world. He never lost the battle, he was a figther but he took in his mind the peace to accept what was inevitable until the last moment, and made it leaving everything behind closed and done. Always love u my guillem. With love: ur carol. #trezeforever
I have said it before (and I have said that before too), but I will say it again – I am really enjoying the work of Elvs. Having only comparatively recently established who he was, I seem to be finding a lot of his work, either contemporary or in my archives.
Elvs, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
This is a recent piece in Raleigh Road that really stands out. The fade of shading through the piece is masterful and I rather like the yellow frame and green patterning that his letters ‘ELVS’ are sitting on. The pink and black accents lift the edges of his letters expertly. A fine piece of writing.
It is great to see the reappearance of these bunny rabbits in The Bearpit. Having spent a while populating Bristol with monsters, NEVERGIVEUP has returned to his rabbits, which were the first pieces of his that I became aware of last year.
NEVERGIVEUP, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2018
These stylised rabbits are clean and characterful and always add a litlle bit of fun to The Bearpit.
It is becoming increasingly clear that The Bearpit is suffering once again from a drug and drink problem, with quite a sizeable community of homeless people gathering here with the cold weather. By no means are all homeless people drug addicts or alcoholics, but The Bearpit is a bit of a honeypot for both, which creates a slightly uneasy atmosphere at times. The long term solution has to be to do something about the housing crisis and providing these homeless people with a roof over their head and some dignity. From there they can try to stitch their lives back together. Sadly they will be persecuted as being the reason places like The Bearpit are ‘no-go’ areas rather than being a symptom of far greater problems created by extreme austerity.
John.Dot.S comes from Romania and sprays these figures dressed in aluminium. Often he includes an environmental theme, or encourages the viewer to see the piece and live in the moment. CCTV cameras are a popular motif or emblem for street artists and often represents a healthy dislike of overbearing societies, of ‘big brother’ states.
John.Dot.S, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This is a beautifully executed work which I believe is a stencil in greyscale. It is rekarkable how many greyscale pieces there were at this year’s festival. A fine fine piece from an artist I have not seen before. It would be good to see a return visit from him this year.
There is no way that these photographs do this extraordinary multi-layer stencil justice. The subtle layering and shading in the piece are so skilfully prepared and executed. This is a technical marvel by a lovely artist called P0G0 who produced one of the most memorable pieces of Upfest 2017.
P0G0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
The greyscale piece is offset by the scarlet fingernails of the subject and to finish the piece off P0G0 has added some hexagons in pastel shades…again in contrast with the rest of the piece.
P0G0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
P0G0 is one of the true gentlemen of the street art world, a warm and humble fellow who was happy to chat for a long while and who agreed to do an interview with me. Because his written English is not too good, he said he would be happier to do a face-to-face interview, but the logistics of doing so are tricky. So maybe a telephone interview would be best or perhaps I can grab him for half an hour if he makes it to Upfest 2018. A memorable piece and artist.
Natural adventures 