Minto has been turning out a series of outstanding pieces lately, and it feels like he has a new energy in his work. This one has a base of turquoise shades which make a strong visual impact.
His piece is organised around the well disguised letters MINTO, but what brings his work to life is the detailing and the plethora of shapes, shadows, patterns, lines and if you look carefully, characters. His pieces are always a feast for the eyes and worth studying for a little while.
More from the irrepressible John D’oh and his gallery of column stencils underneath the M32 motorway. I have reason to believe that he has recently painted a whole load more in this spot, so I will be planning a jaunt over there soon, maybe even today.
The subject of this stencil is rather gloomy, with the Grim Reaper standing over a clock at two minutes to twelve and the ominous words ‘Time is ticking’. I guess for humanity. But then I hear the birds sing, and I am filled with hope.
.
Warm sunny May day
a day-long birdsong chorus
nothing else matters
.
by Scooj
Sled one, a self-confessed fair weather painter, has been getting going this spring with some beauties, including this outstanding piece as part of a small collaboration on the long wall at Cumberland Basin.
I suspect that this piece is a celebration of spring itself, with a cartoon sun playing a wind instrument from which a flower is emerging. Some stylised clouds round off the scene perfectly. It is incredible to think that most of Sled One’s work is painted without sketches, just straight off the top of his head. An extraordinary talent. More to come soon.
Two significant things are happening today. Most importantly, Arsenal will be getting their hands on the Premier League trophy at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park this afternoon, and fans can properly celebrate. Also important is that this weekend is the second of three in the Upfest Street Art Festival in Bristol, which I will be popping down to later on this morning. In the meantime, here is a beautiful piece of graffiti writing from Mesk, AKA Lazureness.
This is a wonderfully fresh piece, set on a white buffed wall, with a lovely clean look to it. The green fills, transitioning through the MESK letters, work incredibly well together, and along with the black drop shadow and small yellow strip detailing, leave us with a near perfect piece. So good to see.
Lupa is Lupa. Her work comes straight out of the school of ‘what you see is what you get’, and I love it. There is an authenticity about her presentation, which can look a little scruffy around the edges sometimes, that gets to the heart and soul of graffiti writing in Bristol.
This piece features her characteristically chunky letters, filled with a nice combination of purple and mint green and some reversed out spots and lines. I believe that I have only met Lupa once – I think it was at the Cheltenham Paint Festival – but her artwork transmits positive vibes and a cheerful, carefree disposition. Her work always cheers me up. You can see her updated gallery here.
Conrico has had a productive year so far and in my view has been creating some of his best and most varied work, showing that within his unique ‘paintbrush’ style, he can conjure up exotic scenes, stunning portraits and throw in some writing too.
This is a wonderful piece that transitions between two perpendicular hoardings on the corner at the end of the Greenbank ‘wall’. Two cats, one on each board pose in front of a flaming background, and this cat looking backwards is accompanied by a tidy ‘CONRICO’ alongside it.
The second cat is walking towards the corner. There are two possible outcomes when these felines meet – familial recognition and love or a stand-off. They look like siblings to me, so I suspect the former outcome. A lovely story creatively told by Conrico. One for the cat-lovers.
Boom! This is a banging piece of graffiti writing from Oust. Full of movement and positive vibes. Parts of the writing feel like they are reaching out from the wall, thanks to the depth of the 3D drop shadow and letter fills.
Set on a grey buffed wall, the blue and red colours are perfectly matched, with the fill variations of blue looking wonderful. The subtle grey and white bubbles around the perimeter of the piece accentuate the energy of the letters. A fine piece from Oust.
I believe Vermo to be one of the most unusual graffiti writers I have come across. His letters are separated by space and appear as hovering ‘bubbles’ which are connected only by the void between them.
This technique lends itself very well to being slapped onto any wall, regardless of what already exists there, without the need to prep the wall or buff it. In this combination piece, the letters are accompanied by a little character pointing, in the bottom left-hand corner. There is white plasma bolt running across the piece, which at first glance might look a bit like the piece has been dogged, but it is definitely part of the composition. Something different from Vermo.
.
Swifts circle the air
screeching fair their arrival
for now all is well
.
by Scooj
Natural adventures 