Tag: Wall

133. North Street, The Steam Crane

At the far Eastern end of North Street, where it joins with Dean Lane, you will find The Steam Crane pub. There is a side alley that gives access to the rear of the pub, and on one of the walls is this wonderful piece by Pakone, which was created as part of Upfest 2015.

Pakone, the Steam Crane, Bristol, January 2016
Pakone, the Steam Crane, Bristol, January 2016

Pakone is an artist from Brest in France and is a member of the C29 crew. This piece is difficult to capture in photographs because of the narrow setting, but his detail and depth are beautifully crafted and show his dream-like ideas.

Pakone, the Steam Crane, Bristol, January 2016
Pakone, the Steam Crane, Bristol, January 2016

This was a bit of a hidden gem on my most recent wanderings around the area.

Pakone, the Steam Crane, Bristol, January 2016
Pakone, the Steam Crane, Bristol, January 2016

8/10

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

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

 

 

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

123. North Street, Standard (1)

This seasonal piece by Cheo is quite a contrast from its political predecessor that adorned this wall during Upfest 2015. I am constantly excited by the range of subjects and styles that the street art scene is capable of producing in Bristol.

Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016

This is a cheerful and fun cartoonesque piece so typical of Cheo who must be one of Bristol’s most prolific artists. I will try to dig out the piece that was on this same wall before. Watch this space.

Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016

7/10

121. Soldeu, Andorra (3)

This is the last of three short blogs about graffiti/street art in Soldeu. I had a little time to kill on our last day before heading home, so I went for a short walk from the top to the bottom of the village. At the lower end I discovered this small work that was more complex than graffiti and appeared to be a an abstract mural. There is nothing else like it in the village.

Unknown artist, Soldeu, Andorra, February 2016
Unknown artist, Soldeu, Andorra, February 2016

I like that it has been sprayed on a rather utilitarian electricity building, to brighten it up a little.

On the coach journey to Barcelona Airport I was treated to hundreds of burners under road bridges and on industrial buildings. I will have to return for a weekend break.

4/10