Tag: Urban

132. Cheltenham Road, Loans 2 go

Another Stokes Croft piece by Sepr on a shop shutter. This has been around for some while and is beginning to fade a little. It is rather difficult to photograph, because there are normally a couple of cars parked in front of the shop.

Sepr, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, January 2016
Sepr, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, January 2016

I like his signature in the number plate, and his “Yo Deams” comment in the top right (Deam is another local street artist). This piece reminds me a lot of the one Sepr did in St Pauls, probably around the same time.

Sepr remains one of my favourite Bristol street artists, but this work is not his best.

Plenty more Sepr pieces to come…

6.5/10

131. Dean Lane (5)

What I particularly like about Dean Lane is that it is a quiet residential road that spills out into North Street, the hub of Upfest street art. The spill-over art and graffiti that can be found in Dean Lane is more understated and less showy. It is art that you might stumble upon, rather than actively seek out.

Elaine Carr, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016
Elaine Carr, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016

The Bristol scene on these gates was completed last September by a local scenic artist  and prop/model maker, Elaine Carr. The subtle piece incorporates some of the iconic buildings found in Bristol, and really brightens up these ordinary gates.

Elaine Carr, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016
Elaine Carr, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016

Note to self…I must do a gallery of all the interpretations of the Clifton Suspension Bridge by street artists as a Bristol Special some time.

6.5/10

130. British Road

Another wonderful My Dog Sighs work that was painted at the same time as Upfest 2015, but not directly as part of the event. The owner of the house (on the corner of British Road and Victoria Place) asked My Dog Sighs if he would paint the ‘Hugs’ character on the side of her house, and this is the result.

My Dog Sighs, British Road, Bristol, September 2015
My Dog Sighs, British Road, Bristol, September 2015

Although quite different in subject matter to his eyes or his tin cans, there is something simple and charming about ‘Hugs’. I am a big fan, and very much hope that My Dog Sighs will make a return for the 2016 Upfest.

My Dog Sighs, British Road, Bristol, September 2015
My Dog Sighs, British Road, Bristol, September 2015

8/10

129. Moon Street (6)

I have seen a lot of work by DNT is Bristol, but I have been trying to dig out information about him before featuring any of his work. It has been difficult. Then I stumbled on this lovely YouTube clip which presents DNT as he is, and offers a short biography in his own words.

DNT, Moon Street, Bristol, December 2015
DNT, Moon Street, Bristol, December 2015

This small piece in Moon Street is relatively recent and rather unusual. It sits yards away from a 3Dom piece featured here a little while ago. The cat wins me over, even if it does have three eyes…after all, I have a cat with 26 fingers/claws.

7/10

128. St Francis Road

I have seen this incredible piece many times during my wanderings up and down North Street. It is literally eye-catching and, in my view, the outstanding work from the Upfest 2015 event.

My Dog Sighs, St Francis Road, Bristol, January 2015
My Dog Sighs, St Francis Road, Bristol, January 2015

The artist’ ‘My Dog Sighs‘ comes from Portsmouth and has recently found much success with sell out solo exhibitions in the UK, the US and in Israel.

My Dog Sighs, postcard printed to accompany the piece in St Francis Road
My Dog Sighs, postcard printed to accompany the piece in St Francis Road

An additional part to this particular work is to complete the puzzle. This was achieved by marrying up a postcard with the other eye, to complete the whole. I am lucky enough to have been given one of the postcards (I missed Upfest 2015 because I was away…that won’t be happening again!).

My Dog Sighs, St Francis Road, Bristol, January 2015
My Dog Sighs, St Francis Road, Bristol, January 2015

9/10

127. The Bearpit (3)

This is another wonderful Tom Miller from The Bearpit. It is called ‘Together’.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2016
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2016

I love his ‘Imaginite’ concept, and have always been a fan of the surrealists. His works look a bit like Yves Tanguy meets Jackson Pollock with some Magritte thrown in…or something like that.

8/10

126. Haymarket Walk

On my way out of The Bearpit earlier this week, I came across this wonderful recent tribute to David Bowie by Cheba, an established Bristol street artist.

Cheba, Haymarket Walk, Bristol, February 2016
Cheba, Haymarket Walk, Bristol, February 2016

This portrait (the first and last by Cheba, according to his twitter feed) takes up a wall in the side of the Premier Inn which overlooks The Bearpit.

Cheba, Haymarket Walk, Bristol, February 2016
Cheba, Haymarket Walk, Bristol, February 2016

Cheba has work all over Bristol, notably the recent piece adorning the whole front facade of the Full Moon pub in Stokes Croft which I will try to feature here soon.

7/10

125. The Bearpit (2)

A little while ago I puzzled over a rather surreal piece that had been painted at the Carriageworks in Stokes Croft. After some internet searches I found out it was by Tom Miller, a young graduate from the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016

He now has two new works in The Bearpit. This one is called ‘Portin‘. Common to all his works, this piece adheres to his style of ‘imaginite’, a word coined by Miller to describe what metaphysical imagination would look like in solid form.

Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016
Tom Miller, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2016

I look forward to seeing more of his work in Bristol, and will look out for his art exhibited in local galleries.

8/10

 

 

Abandoned

 

Long since forgotten,

neglected and unloved; your

ship will not come in.

 

by Scooj

124. The Bearpit (1)

Variously called The Bearpit, Bearpit, Bear Pit or Bear-pit…I will stick with the first.

This space has recently undergone something of a transformation, thanks largely to The Bearpit Improvement Group, and provides some excellent permitted gallery space to upcoming and established street artists in Bristol. Once something of a ‘no-go’ area it is fast becoming a ‘somewhere to go’ place, especially for me…expect lots of blogs from here.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015

I’ll start with a piece by one of my favourite Bristol artists – Kid Crayon. I saw this vibrant piece earlier this week walking in to work and was chuffed to bits to see it. It was not so long ago one of his wheatpastes, that I have featured before, was cleared away and I have missed it, but this new work more than makes up for it.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2015

I’ll be looking out for more of KCs work, but more often than not it finds me.

8/10