Tag: Writing

1030. Upfest 2017 (58)

It takes a little while to get to grips with this piece by Pref ID, but it is a really clever piece of writing. A quick look at his website indicates how he likes to disguise slogans by conflating all the words into one, creating something of a letter puzzle.

Pref ID, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pref ID, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

In this piece just off North Street Pref ID has written the words ‘Mind Bending’ – the blue letters say MIND and the white ones BENDING. It is a sophisticated work and has been really skilfully executed. Quite a different kind of piece.

Pref ID, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pref ID, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

My attempt to chat with the artist was not overly successful. I approached him and asked him who he was (a not unreasonable question at a street art festival), to which he replied “who the f*ck are you!” – so I told him who I was. He didn’t speak again. Maybe he was just having a bad hair day, or maybe he just took an instant dislike to me, who knows? It is a first though. I have met cagey artists and exuberant ones, modest ones, happy and sad ones, but this is the first time I have encountered such grumpiness. None of this however detracts from just how good this piece is.

Pref ID, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pref ID, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I shall be more careful in future if I see Pref ID in town.

 

1025. M32 roundabout J3 (47)

A street artist I have long admired is Facef1st, about whom I still know practically nothing. He keeps a low profile and that’s that. I guess it is because he mostly does his work on illegal walls and hoardings (although such things are tolerated much more in Bristol than in other cities).

FaceF1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017
FaceF1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017

In recent months he has taken to using muted colours that are much more subtle than some of the work you see around the place. This particular work is also rather larger than most of his pieces. It is difficult to judge from this picture, but the wall is probably about 12ft high.

FaceF1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017
FaceF1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017

The wildstyle writing of this piece is much more disguised, but you can make out the word FACE if you look hard. As always, the simplicity of the face itself is part of what makes these pieces so effective. I still enjoy finding his work dotted about the place, and have quite a few in my archive yet to be published.

1024. Dean Lane skate park (78)

This is the second piece that Xenz has sprayed in Dean Lane since Upfest (that I know of), and it is great to see his work here in Bristol. For a time he lived in Bristol and was active alongside Banksy and Inkie. According to his website, he now lives and works in London, so it is extra nice to see his work in Dean Lane…maybe he has moved back.

Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017
Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017

These beautiful birds perching on telegraph lines are something of a trademark  in many of his works, wildstyle writing or murals. They are full of charm and character, even though they are put together quite simply.

Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017
Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017

 

1017. Stokes Croft, Blue Mountain

On the day of ‘Boogie Down Bristol’, a mini festival organised by Inkie in the Full Moon pub, a great many graffiti artists converged on this area of Stokes Croft, and RAW (Read and Weep crew) were represented by Ryder and T-Rex who created this magnificent collaboration right next door to the pub.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

It was something of a miracle that they managed to get anything done, such was the pedestrian traffic stopping to admire the work and have a chat (including me).

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

I can honestly say that I think this is my favourite Ryder piece, it is in my view brilliant. The letters spell out Read and Weep and each one is individually crafted and filled with vibrant colours and patterns. Something of a masterclass for wannabe writers.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

Ryder has a signature element to his style, and that is to put eyes and other features into the holes of the letters, so in this instance the first ‘E’ has eyes and teeth.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

I also had the fortune to meet T-Rex for the first time, and having overcome the embarrassement of assuming that she was a male artist, we chatted for a while. Her work on this piece is magnificent also, with dinosaurs ‘bookending’ the writing with balance and skill.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

The plants decorating the whole collaboration are also by T-Rex.

Coming across this piece and finding Ryder and T-Rex while they were spraying was hugely fortunate. I had actually come down to the area to visit the It’s All 2 Much gallery which was hosting a Tom Miller exhibition. I suppose in life as well as in taking in the streets, you won’t see anything if you don’t look – a recurring theme on ‘Natural Adventures’.

Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Ryder and T-Rex, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

1015. M32 roundabout J3 (46)

Sometimes we are lucky enough to see work by artists that is quite different from their normal work, or the style for which they are known. This is a case in point. After Upfest, Wasp Elder (Sam Worthington) took a trip to the walls at the M32 roundabout with Kid Crayon and sprayed this excellent wildstyle piece. It is so unlike anything he normally creates as you can see from his website, Kid Crayon said he was just having a bit of fun.

Wasp Elder, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017
Wasp Elder, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2017

What I love about the piece is how the black letters have an amazing 3D feel, they seem to bulge out of the wall. Take a closer look and you can see the effect is created by clever shading…all so simple once you gert to look at it, although I’m sure it is not simple to do. Yet another Upfest extra for you to enjoy. Now gone of course.

1005. M32 roundabout J3 (45)

I know very little about the artist of this bold and interesting piece on the roundabout over the M32, other than that they might be called Biers. It is at times like this that I realise just how little I know about the Bristol street art scene, even though I like to think I know quite a lot.

Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2017
Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2017

I decided to post the piece anyway, albeit several months after I saw it, because It stands out from the crowd and is actually rather witty. Each time I look at it, it makes me smile. The whole piece is beautifully worked, and the lettering design and execution is outstanding. Ultimately who couldn’t love graffiti art with the caption ‘night of the living bread’?

996. Upfest 2017 (42)

I don’t know Hypo, but I’m sure that if I met him, I would like him. I say this because his Upfest profile reads: ‘Local Bedminster painter who really should know better…’ and that’s it. Short and sweet.

Hypo’s piece was one that developed in stages as Upfest progressed, and I would guess that this was due to the rain interruptions. It was good to be able to capture the piece at different times.

Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I am really rather fond of this piece, but I can’t quite pin down why. The haunting landscape in the letters looks like a window into another dimension. The shading on the letters is really clever and leads the eye to a vanishing point (you can even see the string attached to the VP in the picture above) and the dripping spheres offer a distraction. I can’t help finding my eyes moving over the piece constantly…it is difficult to kow where to settle.

Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

I can’t think that I have knowingly seen any of his work on the streets of Bristol but will keep my eyes and ears open for any news about him.

983. Upfest 2017 (36)

Watching the evolution of this piece by Ebee was fascinating. I don’t think the weather was very helpful, and it probably took a lot longer to complete than the artist might have originally envisaged.

Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee is from London and has been painting since the 1980s, which puts him in great company, and even from this piece you can see that his work is influenced by the early New York graffiti.

Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I like taking these ‘in progress’ shots because it is interesting to see how the artist sets about their work and the sequencing of how they lay down the composition.

Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Ebee, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This is a really accomplished piece of wildstyle writing that incorporates an element of 3D style to the letters, although they are contorted and in differing planes, which makes this different from more conventional 3D art. The piece spells out ‘Ebee’ although it takes a while to get your ‘eye in’. A lovely piece of writing.

976. The Bearpit (84)

I met Mr Draws at Upfest, and he seemed to be rather down in the dumps, and indicated that he was off spraying. This seemed to be a bit out of character for one of our most prolific street artists in Bristol. I guess it happens to everyone from time to time…getting fed up with the same old things. So it filled me with some joy to see that after a short break, he is ‘back at it’.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2017

He even says as much on this quick piece in the Bearpit. I have noticed from his Instagram feed that he has been spending a lot of time recently on his drawings and is enjoying mountains all over again, which is a good thing. I think this story serves as a reminder that life is tough, inspiration comes and goes, but there is still so much to enjoy. Glad that he is back on the streets again – I’ll be looking out for more.

917. Moon Street (33)

Still nothing from Upfest 2017 yet…be patient.

It is always great to see new work in Moon Street, it seems to have slowed a little in recent months. There seems to be a general tendency by some artists to move away from the Stokes Croft area because of the density (in all senses of the word) of bombers and taggers. A pity really.

This is a fine quick piece by Boogie, and the second of three street pieces that he left as gifts during his short visit to the city recently.

 

This really is one of my favourite walls in Bristol, and even though somebody tried to sabotage the artists by screwing two doors to the wall it hasn’t made the blindest bit of difference. Rather it has become part of the texture of the wall. Boogie has obvious talent and class, and I really like the way he makes a feature out of the two Os in his name. A fine piece.