5103. M32 Cycle path (203)

Klashwhensober, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023
Klashwhensober, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023

This is a really classy piece by Klashwhensober, which reveals a raw talent combined with dedication from the artist, developed over the last couple of years. The writing is not as busy as many of his pieces and feels like a moment of clarity, or a pause, in his rapid-fire execution of ‘SOBERs’.

Klashwhensober, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023
Klashwhensober, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023

There is a reason that bees and wasps adopt the black and yellow colours, which is to advertise their stinging capability and ward off predators. The colour combination cuts through the chaos of colour all around us. The letters are set on three bubbly patterns in blues, greens and purple/orange, which break through the letters at certain points. It is the SOBER that is the star of the show though painted in a thin yellow font, with a beautifully proportioned black 3D drop shadow, which works so well to create depth to the letters. This is a confident and strong piece from Klashwhensober, one of his best yet.

4987. St Werburghs tunnel (345)

3F fino, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
3F fino, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

The turnover in St Werburghs tunnel is always high in Winter, but this winter it has gone off the scale. New pieces emerge daily, and there have been a plethora of paint jams involving several artists painting together. I hope to get down there today, having been away for a week, and expect to find quite a lot of new work.

3F fino, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
3F fino, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

This lovely piece by 3f Fino is slightly haunting, with a yellow-coated character hanging, phantom-like, over the green and purple FINO letters. The folds in the clothing have been worked really well, with some great shading and highlight work. Overall something a little bit different and also rather good from the LRS artist.

4860. River Avon (36)

Zake, River Avon, Bristol, November 2022
Zake, River Avon, Bristol, November 2022

I should know by now, not to bother with going down to Sparke Evans Park and the River Avon on sunny days. The results are always patchy at best. But there is another school of thought that says always photograph what you can when you see it, because it might not be there the next time you visit. I don’t know if this lovely portrait piece by Zake falls into that category, as I haven’t been back to take a look.

Zake, River Avon, Bristol, November 2022
Zake, River Avon, Bristol, November 2022

Zake has been enjoying himself recently with these rather more cartoon style pieces that still contain his mastery of light and shade, but have introduced a little bit more in terms of character and emotion. This is a fabulous piece painted alongside PWA crew mates.

4343. Cattle Market Road (10)

A mural artist who is rapidly developing a name for herself in Bristol is Farrah, and some recent additions to her portfolio include this wonderful piece in Cattle Market Road.

Farrah, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2022
Farrah, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2022

Farrah, with her abstract pieces, seems to be as comfortable with a commission as she does with a roadside hoarding like this one, and there seems to be something of a civic appetite for her work, for example I have noticed a number of planters around the city that have been decorated with her work.

Farrah, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2022
Farrah, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2022

This particular piece has a rather summery feel to it, reminiscent of sunflowers. The brush strokes have a movement to them and the blending of colours is so skilfully done. Farrah is an artist on the up and up.

2597. Upfest 2018 (168)

I have always liked Hannah Adamaszek’s murals and have seen a fair few of them over the years in Bristol. Usually portraits of striking women in soft tones, her work is must unlike anything else we commonly see on the streets of Bristol.

Hanna Adamaszek, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Hanna Adamaszek, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

It was a pity that this particular piece was tucked away on the wall of a beer garden under a rather grubby canopy that rather exaggerated its yellowness. Also Walls such as this are so difficult to look at and photograph, because of all the people sitting in front of them. This is a fine piece slightly impacted by circumstance. She’ll be back though I’m sureb with a better wall to paint.

2540. M32 roundabout J3 (174)

Having only recently ‘discovered’ Lobe, it seems that I am finding her work all over the place (and still have some to find). This is a lovely sunny piece at the M32 roundabout, with a rather unfortunate bit of graffiti just above it ‘viagra’ – I sometimes wonder what gets into people’s minds when they scrawl something like that.

Lobe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019
Lobe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019

Once again Lobe hits us with bold colours and strong lines and shading which is very much her style. Placing the bright yellow piece on a spotty pink background works really well. Another fine piece from Lobe.

1145. Camden Town, London

I knew where to look first when I emerged from the tube station in Camden Town, and on locating my first spot, I was rewarded with a small parking yard which had been pretty much resprayed since I was here a year ago. Unfortunately the gates were closed, which made photographing the side walls a little tricky, but this end wall, a gateway to an inner yard, was thankfully unobstructed and face on. The piece is of course by Stinkfish, who is also responsible for the most iconic piece in Stokes Croft, Bristol.

Stinkfish, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Stinkfish, Camden Town, London, November 2017

Stinkfish specialises in painting yellow portraits from photographs that he takes of people he meets, and adorns them with vibrant patterns of colour and light, creating a magical movement all around the piece. These characteristics make his work easy to identify.

Stinkfish, Camden Town, London, November 2017
Stinkfish, Camden Town, London, November 2017

His pieces are always great to look at and seem to ask many questions about who these characters are. I am not sure about the background, which looks like it is by another artist. In my view, the pieces fight for attention instead of complementing one another, so I would suggest that this was not a collaboration, but I am usually wrong about these things.

 

597. James Street (1)

Once in a while, you feel that you might be witnessing something rather special, and so it is with the art of Tom Miller. I would be the first to concede that his surrealist style isn’t to everyone’s taste, but what he has to offer, both on canvass and on walls, is very different, refreshing, challenging, intelligent, busy and bright. I think and hope he will go a long way.

Tom Miller, James Street, Bristol, January 2017
Tom Miller, James Street, Bristol, January 2017

He was busy painting this new wall on New Year’s Eve and into New Year. Dedication to his craft.

Tom Miller, James Street, Bristol, January 2017
Tom Miller, James Street, Bristol, January 2017

I am not entirely sure what the piece is depicting, but it looks a little like Buddha with a whole load of things going on around him and a rather nice little hut ion his head for a hat. Miller’s pieces are always bursting with energy and weirdness. Lots of body parts and face parts adorn his subjects. There is meaning to all of this I’m sure, but it is probably deeply rooted in the artist’s sub-conscious.

Tom Miller, James Street, Bristol, January 2017
Tom Miller, James Street, Bristol, January 2017

A wonderful new landmark on the Bristol street art trail, slightly off the beaten track, but worth the walk.

447. Brick Lane (1)

It is not so long ago that I hadn’t come across Osch. Now it seems he is popping up in my blog rather regularly. This is another in his series of orange/yellow circles with a scene going on inside. This particular piece incorporates another of his trademark styles, which is to have an unfurling ribbon effect.

Osch, Brick Lane, London, August 2016
Osch, Brick Lane, London, August 2016

I like this piece for several reasons, but particularly for its location and subject that reflect the adjacent tourist shop.

Osch, Brick Lane, London, August 2016
Osch, Brick Lane, London, August 2016

271. M32 Roundabout J3 (11)

I have been sitting on this piece for a long time. I think it is because there is something rather enigmatic about it, and I can’t think what I want to say. It is unmistakably by Sean Sepr, but somehow a little different from the custimary expression, both in the artwork and the subject.

Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
Sepr detail, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016

I feel it is a sad piece – a robot holding a heart – there is a lot of symbolism here. Sepr again has used limited colours – yellow, white and black – which brings out the contrast and shadows.

Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016

For me it is a piece that I like, but it is difficult to love…if that makes sense.