Tag: Urban

1233. Upfest 2017 (117)

Dzia was a featured artists at Upfest 2017 and as such he was afforded this magnificent wall at the climbing centre. Dzia was among a very strong Belgian contingent at the festival who really livened things up with their creativity and skill.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I didn’t manage to get to this site during the festival itself, and returned some time later when I was in the area to take these shots. The squirrel is absolutely magnificent, although possibly dwarfed a little by the size of the white wall.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Once you zoom in close though you get a real feel for this extraordinary piece from Dzia. His style is unmistakable, and his subject matter pretty much always from the natural world. He is a great advocate for wildlife street art.

Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Dzia, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I am constantly amazed at how the mish mash of lines and colours, which on their own seem directionless, come together to produce a perfect whole. Dzia is a hugely accomplished artist and it was a real treat to have him here in Bristol for Upfest.

1229. Brunel Way bridge (4)

Another piece from the ASK Halloween paint jam under Brunel Way. This is exceptional work from the exceptional Sled One with an interesting story woven into his wildstyle writing.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

On the left there appears to be a snail-like character and on the right a Grim Reaper figure that is making for the terrified looking snail (can a snail look terrified?). Meanwhile, Sled One has incorporated the letters SLED into the piece with artistry and skill.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017

Once again we see this master sprayer at his very best, creating a whole world in a space 3m x 2m. Incredible really.

1228. Dean Lane skate park (99)

Clearly very excited about the release of the recent Star Wars movie (and who wouldn’t be?), it would appear that Soker, who usually writes his name, may have been inspired to spray this R2D2 piece. It is possible there is more to it than that, but it matters not, this is a brilliant clean piece.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017

On one of the feature walls at Dean Lane, this piece works beautifully, the proportions are all nicely done and the colours assembled well. The piece also generated some good banter on his Instagram account with his stablemates Cheo and Voyder (Darth Voyder).

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017

All great fun.

1227. Ashley Road (16)

This is the second piece by Fiva (Fiver) to appear on this hoarding in recent weeks, the first was featured in a post recently and that one was the first work I have seen from this artist in a while. It seems he is on a roll, and that his inspiration would appear to have come from (I think) recently becoming a father.

Fiva, Ashley Road, Bristol, December 2017
Fiva, Ashley Road, Bristol, December 2017

I do like these kind of writing pieces which conflate words and styles to create a layered puzzle. This is accomplished work from a good artist, and I’d like to see more of his work on the streets – as a new father though I expect his opportunities might be limited.

1226. Wilder Street (21)

Wilder street is home to some of the best walls in Bristol, but the turnover here is not as high as in other parts of Bristol. I think it is because some of the walls are curated and pieces left on show for longer.

Laic217, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2017
Laic217, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2017

This is an interesting work by Laic217, who appears to have dropped his activity of late. I expect it is better viewed through 3D glasses, although I am never quite sure if artwork like this is done simply to give the effect of a 3D piece or if they actually work as well.

Laic217, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2017
Laic217, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2017

I love the way his signature is cleverly worked into the elbow of the skeleton character. Now where are those cardboard glasses?

1225. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (30)

The facade of the Carriageworks is living on borrowed time. The building has been in limbo for many years and is in a state of semi-dereliction. The owners appear to be waiting for the right offer to come in from potential developers before selling up. As a result, the bricked up archways have played host to some exceptional pieces of street art over the years, and has been a ‘go to’ location for locals and international artists alike.

Mr Klue, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2017
Mr Klue, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2017

The turnover of artwork has reduced dramatically as talk of redevelopment hots up but there has been a recent spate of work from local artists. One of those is the fabulous Mr Klue, whose abstract pieces I love and have featured countless times here before. He described this freestyle piece as a ‘quick ting’ on his Instagram account. I haven’t seen any street pieces by Mr Klue since Upfest, so this was a real pleasure to find and photograph. More please Mr K.

1224. Dean Lane skate park (98)

What a lovely Christmas present from Mr Draws. He sprayed this enormous chrome burner just before Christmas Day and what is difficult to convey is its size. It is an impressive and fun piece.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017

It is so good to have a regular feed of Mr Draws pieces, which he finds time to spray, in between woking in his studio on his mountains. I love this bloke.

1223. The Bearpit (113)

Back in October 2017, John D’oh had a lot of fun spraying a whole load of stencils in The Bearpit. This was one that he seemed to be particularly fond of.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

It would appear to be a homage to ‘Where the Wall’, a Bristol company that offers street art tours, wall curation and graffiti experiences. This would seem to be a genuine tribute, but with a history of cynicism towards and lampooning of the establishment, one can never be too sure with John D’oh.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

As a group, these stencils take on quite a dynamic colourful feel and it is interesting to see how different they look on different backgrounds. John D’oh has been very busy this winter and long may it continue.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

1222. Dighton Street (3)

There are two small spots at the end of Dighton Street which appear to get a new lick of paint roughly annually. Two years ago there were two musicians by Sepr and last year there were two pieces of wildstyle writing by Deamze. Now it seems the rotation continues between these two ASK members with the emergence of another two musicians by Sepr.

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017

On the right there is a trumpeting gentleman. Sepr betrays his long love for music with these pieces and conveys not only the interesting stylised characters but a sense of the music too.

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017

The piece on the left is a lady violinist (or is it a viola?). Unfortunately, even though these were only a few days old by the time I got to photograph them, the taggers had been at work. Kind of annoying really. I continue to love Sepr’s work.

1221. City Road (6)

The truth about Face F1st is that I simply can’t keep up with him at the moment, he is being so incredibly productive. Another thing about his work is that it is largely confined to Stokes Croft and the M32 roundabout. I think I have only ever seen one piece of his in Bedminster.

Face F1st, City Road, Bristol, December 2017
Face F1st, City Road, Bristol, December 2017

In this piece we see Face F1st using some rather more upbeat colours compared with the sober tones he usually uses. I’m afraid that the focus in the feature photograph is really poor, and I might have to replace the picture when I next get a chance. I really like this piece.