Tag: Urban

1069. Dean Lane skatepark (81)

A great hold the microphone piece by one of Bristols great writers, Soker. This piece is a little unusual, because Soker usually writes ‘SOKEM’ and I think this is the first picture I have where he has written smething else.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017

The colours are ones he has used before and he works the gradient between the colours skilfully with a kind of bubble effect, which is repeated in the deep purple background to the piece. I am not too sure what the piece refers to, there may have been an event or something, or maybe it was just for fun.

1067. Bedminster

Fish and chips, horse and carriage, Morecambe and Wise…these are all things that we are accustomed to seeing together and so it is with Ryder and T-Rex. This is a rather nice little collaboration in Bedminster by these two painting buddies.

Ryder and T-Rex, Bedminster, Bristol, September 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Bedminster, Bristol, September 2017

The radioactive R on the left is an icon that Ryder uses quite a lot, particularly when he is doing a quick throw-up. This one is a little more elaborate than some I have seen recently.

Ryder and T-Rex, Bedminster, Bristol, September 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Bedminster, Bristol, September 2017

The dinosaur is obviously by T-Rex, this time opting for a rather fetching lilac colour, which seems to be in vogue at the moment in Bristol. There is something familiar and comforting about a collaboration between these two.

Ryder and T-Rex, Bedminster, Bristol, September 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Bedminster, Bristol, September 2017

1066. The Bearpit (96)

I have always liked the work of Object… and his unswerving political ideology that cuts through all of his work. In this small piece in The Bearpit his message is clear ‘Plant more, chop less…’.

Object..., Moon Street, Bristol, August 2017
Object…, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2017

I am not too sure what the figure in this work represents, it looks a little like an alien to me. However I subscribe to the overall sentiment.

1065. Moon Street (36)

Right up at the north end of Moon Street you will still find this nice writing from Whysayit. Unfirtunately, every time I pass it, which tends to be in the mornings…these days I get the bus home…it is in shadow, so these pictures don’t really bring out the full colour Whysayit has used.

Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2017
Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2017

His choice of colours is unusual, especially the lilac background. Maybe he buys his paint from the same place as Face F1st. The writing spells out YSAE, which I guess stands for ‘Why Say’. Always nice to find work by this modest graffiti artist.

1063. Upfest 2017 (75)

These are two really beautiful pieces that I wish I’d spent more time looking at during my walk around North Street Green at Upfest. Each of them is calming and serene, and they make a fine pair. I am not sure if the co-location was by accident or by design, but it works very well.

Paintily, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Paintily, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The left hand side is by Paintily, a Bristol-based artist originally from Brighton. There is something about this stencil that I like a lot, and the stripes on the face of the girl finish the piece off beautifully. I have not seen any of her work before, but would love to see her take her work to the streets.

Taina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Taina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The right hand side is by Taina, and has the feel of a children’s book illustration. Such a simple idea and so beautifully painted, there is a whole story unfolding here, and one I want to know more about.  Taina is a Swiss-Finnish artist based in Zurich whose work I think I could very well fall in love with. A quick look at this website might give you an insight as to why I like her work so much. I definitely want her to return next year.

Paintily and Taina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Paintily and Taina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

1062. Upfest 2017 (74)

This stunning work was the official piece from Oze Arv this year, although he left behind several other pieces in Bristol before he departed. I had not seen his work before Upfest, but everything I have seen I like a lot.

Oze Arv, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Oze Arv, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

There is something about black and white check in street art that I really like, and here it blends beautifully with the softer abstract shapes. There is a story being told here, and the two orange circles contain elements central to this story. I like pretty much everything about this piece, and look forward to posting more from this Portuguese artist before too long.

Oze Arv, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Oze Arv, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

1061. Upfest 2017 (73)

More mischief from Jake the Dog and his master costume designer Losthills at Upfest this year. In the first picture we see Jake as a late 1970s punk, complete with colourful mohican haircut, chain and earring, holding an anarchy badge.

Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

In the second picture, which was taken in the back yard of The Steamcrane pub, Jake is dressed as some kind of robot with a heart. This is probably influenced by a film or something, but I am not too sure. All good fun though. Plenty more to come.

Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Losthills, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

1060. Upfest 2017 (72)

Spot the Badger has an interesting story to tell about how badgers became the ‘thing’, and the Upfest programme biography reads:

Why Badgers? I’ve always been drawing and making things but lacked direction in my output. I needed a focus, and ‘Spot The Badger’ is where I found it. A weekly competition in my local paper to ‘spot’ a tic-tac sized Badger hidden in one of the paid-for ads, I created a stencil of this little Badger and began to draw him in different styles, leading me to where I am today.

For a self-taught artist, there are some really nice design features in this piece, but of course the badger is king.

Spot The Badger, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Spot The Badger, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Spot the Badger is a Bristol-based artist and this piece for Upfest contains that most iconic of Bristol landmarks, the Clifton suspension bridge. I do love these reference points that Bristol artists add to their works. (Yet another note to self…post a special suspension bridge collection).

1059. Upfest 2017 (71)

There is a lot of fun in this piece by Mas972, and I enjoyed watching it progress over the Upfest weekend. I managed to grab a little time chatting with the artist and told him I remembered his piece from last year. What I didn’t say to him though was that I thought this piece was much better, but that is just a personal opinion.

Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I was interested to see how Mas972 went about this piece and by the time I first visited he had already completed the background and begun work on the characters.

Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I have huge admiration for these artists and the way the approach their work. They have vision, talent and experience which they apply adeptly to create these marvels.

Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The characters in this piece are beautifully crafted and so full of mischief. I like the way the yellow eyes and teeth really stand out, bringing them alive.

Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Mas972, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

A nice touch is that these cheerleading characters are wearing bibs which carry the letters M A S. I do very much hope Mas972 returns next year.

 

 

1058. Armada Place (13)

Moon Street remains one of my favourite graffiti spots in Bristol, but it has to be said that lately turnover there has been pretty slow, and some of the works not even worth photographing. This is an exception from a little while back by Thelochnessmonster.

Thelochnessmonster, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2017
Thelochnessmonster, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2017

I’m never too sure what is going on in Thelochnessmonster’s pieces, but they are always colourful and very different from most of the stuff you see on the streets. I have a feeling this has something to do with the nuclear industry and the consequences of it, some of which might be mutations of an interesting sort.

Thelochnessmonster, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2017
Thelochnessmonster, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2017

Always good to see these unusual pieces.