Another clear day and a couple of excursions to find more street art and graffiti. I saw enough artwork to keep me out of mischief for some while.
Sepr, Grosvenor Road, Bristol, November 2015
I have seen this particular Sepr work many times, but always in the car, and parking nearby can be difficult, so I have never stopped to photograph it. Sepr has sprayed numerous shop fronts dotted around Bristol but somehow this one looks perfect for its setting in St Pauls. My only minor observation is the missing apostrophe.
It has been a beautiful, cold, blue-sky day today, so I set off for St Pauls to discover some of the street art I haven’t yet seen. There is so much in the area and I really only scratched the surface. There appear to be a few crews who work the area, and there is an even spread of commissioned work, permitted work and illegal spraying.
PWA, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2015
This wall in particular caught the eye. It was painted in early June 2012 by the PWA Crew (Pirate Wall Art). The crew includes Face F1st, Soap, Drest, Sikoh, Luvm and Meta. It will take me a while to work out who paints what in this crew, but the angel face, top left, is by Face F1st and the top right face is by Drest.
Face F1st, PWA, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2015
What I particularly like about this mural is the beautiful floral patterning that appears on all four elements. I look forward to uncovering more of their stuff.
PWA, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2015
The PWA crew also have a vibrant Facebook page which is well worth a visit.
More from the wonderful Rowdy in this Montpelier hotspot for street art. This mural is called ‘Lilo’. I am not too sure what it depicts, but it may have a ‘fat cat’ reference there. Who knows? I’d better find Rowdy and ask him.
Rowdy is best known for his pictures of crocodiles with large triangular teeth (see the trousers?). He is a Bristol artist whose work is very well known locally, but he has painted throughout the country and internationally. He has been spraying for a long time and is well established on the Bristol scene. He has a playful mischief in his work.
Rowdy, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2015
This mural is called ‘Boxing Fox’ and is sprayed on a garage door, only a few yards away from his collaboration with Mau Mau, and another of his pictures called ‘Lilo’ which I will post soon. A Rowdy hot-spot.
Rowdy, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2015
As with a great many of the Bristol artists, there is a respectful nod to Mibsy and to Robbo (King Robbo, a street artist and ‘competitor’ of Banksy’s, who died in August 2014 aged 45).
What a great name for a street. I try to imagine what it was like before it was developed. Although this rather naive mural is signed by Fung, I can find out nothing about the artist and I would guess it is an early work before a reputation has been developed. I could of course be wrong.
Fung?, Nine Trees Hill, Bristol, September 2015
This photograph is interesting for another reason, and it can be found on the hoarding that has been left on the ground in front of the pink face, see below:
Fung?, Nine Trees Hill, Bristol, September 2015
There is a scene drawn with marker pens – rather violent from what I can see – with the heading ‘We be collectin’ body parts of raffers (?) to impress her’. I can only imagine that this is an early work by a youngster as the themes and artwork are quite childish. What I like about it is that someone is giving it a go and developing their art and articulating their thoughts.
Inkie is a hugely influential artist on the Bristol, and indeed world, street art scene. Originally from Clifton in Bristol he now works in London. His works are celebrated alongside Banksy, Nick Walker and 3D…he even has his own Wikipedia page, so he must be important.
Inkie, Nelson Street, Bristol
I walked past three of his works today, but have been puzzled and most intrigued by this one. My first impression and assumption was that it was not completed, but that would seem to be mad…Interweb to the rescue.
The work was completed as one of the central pieces for the ‘See no Evil’ event in 2012, which Inkie himself organised. I have featured several other remaining artworks from the event in previous posts.
The ownership of the host building was set to change hands in November 2012 and the departing landlord started to remove the street art prior to selling, but only removed a part of it before leaving it as we see it today. The following link is a news item from the time. The comments at the end make for really interesting reading, and show the spectrum of views about street art in a light that might not at first be obvious.