305. Gathorne Road

 

UPDATE: Inkie informs me via Twitter that this piece is going nowhere and will remain in place after Upfest, which is great news.

This wonderful Inkie is enjoying the last days of the Raj. It was created for Upfest 2015, and will in all likelihood give way to another piece at the 2016 festival in July.

Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016
Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016

‘Best thing since sliced bread’ is a wonderful piece by Inkie, incorporating his large block writing, and the styalised girl with flowing hair. Interestingly the girl is in three quarter profile, rather than the silhouetted profile that is more common in his works.

Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016
Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016

On the wall of a bakery, this uplifting work fits so perfectly in this quiet street, immediately off North Street. I wonder what will replace it.

301. Lawfords Gate

Well, well, well. It is difficult to know what to say about this triptych other than, in Bristol street art terms, it is close to perfect. The collaborators are Deamze, Voyder and Soker, who I think quite often work together like this – I have an old post from Midland Street in which they collaborated with spectacular results.

This is big and eye-catching but I didn’t know it was here; it caught my eye as I was driving past on 11 June 2016. Sometimes you find a piece that just makes you happy. This was one of those finds.

Each part of the collaboration is beautifully worked, and all three artists are extremely accomplished. I will cease with the words and simply allow you to feast your eyes on the images below. Enjoy.

Deamze, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Deamze, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Deamze, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Deamze, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Voyder, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Voyder, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Voyder, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Voyder, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Soker, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Soker, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Soker, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016
Soker, Lawfords Gate, Bristol, June 2016

299. Wilder Street (6)

There is a small garage at the Western end of Wilder Street which has loads of graffiti art and street art decorating the outer walls. I think this is a rather recent phenomenon as the Google street view maps from June 2014 shows the building with plain white walls only. I have tried to photograph this particular wall a few times, but always there are cars parked in front of it. Patience certainly pays off.

Mr Klue, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016
Mr Klue, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016

This piece is another wonderful abstract offering from Mr Klue, only this time he has woven into his characteristic swirls and patterns some car wheels. It is really effective and relevant to the site. I am guessing that this was a permitted work rather than a commission, but can’t be sure. It is a fine piece though.

287. Unity Street (1)

The area around Gardiner Haskins, the Bristol department store, is somewhere I like to go about once a month, as the turnover here is lower than at other favoured haunts for graffiti artists in Bristol. On my most recent visit I came across this lovely 3Dom piece.

3Dom, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2016
3Dom, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2016

3Dom has a very fine wildstyle style and this is a really perfect example of it. The cat, of course is slightly weird but brilliant. I love most of 3Dom’s work and this is certainly one that works for me. More pieces to come from this road soon.

UPDATE: the cat is by Sled One. Thank you 3Dom for your Instagram correction.

SledOne, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2016
SledOne, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2016

286. St Werburghs Tunnel (1)

This piece can be found in one of the Bristol hotspots that I have yet to feature in the blog – criminal really. I have been to the St Werberghs tunnel, which leads to the city farm, several times and there is always tons of new material each time I go. The main problem with this location is that the artificial light in the middle, and natural light at the tunnel ends, makes photographing the pieces really difficult.

Sled One detail, St Werberghs, Bristol, May 2016
Sled One detail, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2016

This is an incredibly nicely worked piece of writing by Sled One. He is quite the master of disguising his wildstyle, and the colour combinations he uses never disappoint. The photographs probably don’t do this piece justice – it is a stunner.

283. The Bearpit (21)

In Bristol, most of the political street art seems to be created by stencil specialists. I guess the technique lends itself to writing messages and combining them with famous, iconic or striking figures.

Dice 67, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2016
Dice 67, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2016

In this beautifully executed example by Dice 67, we see a homeless man holding up a banner, while behind him there is a group of Tory politicians, in what appears to be a police line up. The Prime Minister is accompanied by Gove, Hunt, Osborne and one other. The Tory manufactured mantra since the coalition has been ‘we’re all in it together’. Obviously it is not the case, as the wealthy continue to get wealthier and the poorest in our communities are dropping through the cracks.

Dice 67, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2016
Dice 67, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2016

Whether I agree or not with this piece is irrelevant in so much as it is a fantastic work and worthy of greater exposure. Dice 67 is a brilliant stencil artist, and I always love it when he visits Bristol and leaves something like this behind.

Dice 67, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2016
Dice 67, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2016

He signs off the piece with his usual spray cans. A great work.

279. Midland Street (4)

It is rewarding to know that these pages occasionally get read by people who are able to help me with identification and clarification. One such intervention was made recently by a blogger (with no site) called Norman. The information he gave me has enabled me to post this piece, which I have been sitting on since March 2016.

Soker, Midland Street, Bristol, March 2016
Soker, Midland Street, Bristol, March 2016

Norman posted a comment on my blog about this amazing piece by Deamze which is on the wall adjacent to this one. He said that the piece next to Deamze was by Soker (Sokem). But it is not that straightforward, this piece is actually not only in orbnate wildstyle, but also an anagram of Sokem – Omske. Now, of course it is obvious!

Soker, Midland Street, Bristol, March 2016
Soker, Midland Street, Bristol, March 2016

These two pieces together (Deamze and Soker) are amongst my favourite of the year. Soker is a master of wildstyle writing in Bristol, and this is an exceptional work. I love the character smoking a joint – he looks like something out of a kids adventure cartoon. I have Norman to thank in being able, at last, to share it with you.

275. Clift House Road (2)

Following on from post 274, I feature another new artist to this blog at exactly the same site on Clift House Road.

Hannah Adamaszek, Clift House Road, Bristol, June 2016
Hannah Adamaszek, Clift House Road, Bristol, June 2016

This is in complete contrast to the fiery piece by SNUB23 that occupied the wall previously. The elfin figure by Hannah Adamaszek is calm and painted in cool colours that transform this wall completely. Surely a demonstration on how street art makes a profound impact on the immediate surroundings and environment where it appears.

Hannah Adamaszek, Clift House Road, Bristol, June 2016
Hannah Adamaszek, Clift House Road, Bristol, June 2016

Hannah has very recently just completed a piece in London, and was a visitor to Bristol for the Bristol Arts Trail, when she completed a piece at the Tobacco Factory. I am guessing that this may have been painted at the same time. Hannah has a spiritual approach to her work, and this quote from her website seems to capture it:

“Art is not just for viewing but an experience.  By merging Art and Zen, we are taken on a welcome journey of peaceful reflection in out chaotic lives.”

A lovely tranquil piece by a highly accomplished artist.

273. North Street Green (2)

This lovely wall seems to have an orderly rotation and large bags of respect. Rarely is anything here tagged, and the pieces appear to remain for several weeks before being painted over. The piece before this one was the Cheo gorilla, and it has since been replaced by a recent Mr Draws work.

Copyright and E.Lee, North Street, Bristol, May 2016
Copyright and E.Lee, North Street, Bristol, May 2016

This is a lovely collaboration by Copyright and E.Lee (who is from Chicago, and spent a little time in Bristol recently). The two figures are characteristic of Copyright’s work, so I am assuming that the frames are by E.Lee, who I think has the most distinctive signature of any street artist – a red stamped seal with the letters EL merged together.

Copyright and E.Lee, North Street, Bristol, May 2016
Copyright and E.Lee, North Street, Bristol, May 2016

I am really loving copyright’s work at the moment, both sprayed and pasted. He is gifted.

269. Dean Lane skate park (9)

There are a great many talented artists out there, I mean really talented, that choose to paint on the walls of our streets from time to time. I guess these people must enjoy it, because the work is often so fleeting, and the footfall of appreciating viewers is small. What I am rather clumsily trying to say is that creating street art, because you can must be very fulfilling, and that is a good thing.

Lemak, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016
Lemak, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016

This incredible piece is by Lemak, and in my view is technically brilliant. However, it is tucked around the back of some skating ramps and will be seen by so few people before it is over-painted. I have my photograph, and I am very happy with that, but a part of me feels sad that all the effort that has gone into this remarkable stencil? work will be lost so soon.

Lemak, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016
Lemak, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016

I have been writing about street art long enough to know that the ephemeral nature of it is understood and accepted by all, but when confronted by a piece such as this I wish it weren’t so. Lemak was the artist who created this beautiful tribute to DJ Derek back in April 2016.

Lemak detail, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016
Lemak detail, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016