Month: January 2021

3445. Frome side (8)

I think this piece was painted way back in October last year, but I only recently photographed it when I ventured down into this spot. I have noticed that there are some new pieces visible from the slip road and that I really ought to get myself down there again soon.

Claro_Que_sssnoh, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Claro_Que_sssnoh, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

This intricate piece of graffiti writing from Claro_que_sssnoh spells out SNOH is an absolute stunner, and there are so many elements in it to admire. The letters are elaborate and composed of two colours, plus outlines, tracking the curves and lines. The whole thing is set on an orange and red bubble background which is in tuning set on a black and white grid. Technically this is a belter, and it looks pretty good too.

The white stuff

.

Waking to the white

it came, it pitched, it melted

a fleeting visit

.

by Scooj

3444. L Dub (23)

You don’t get to see too many pieces by DJ Perks, unless you decide to take the short trip out to L Dub, where there are usually several of his pieces at any one time. This is certainly a favourite spot of his.

DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, January 2021
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, January 2021

Every time I see something from DJ Perks I am struck by how his pieces are growing in sophistication, confidence and quality. This is a lovely collection of interlocking letters with a random colourful fill where the letters are defined by the yellow solid colour between them. The glowing green and red fringes add an additional classy touch. This is a very fine piece indeed.

3443. Brunel Way bridge (85)

One of the most dramatic turnarounds on the Bristol graffiti art scene has to be the return of Turoe since his absence midway through last year which I think was due to ill health. He has been prolific since, most notably for his ‘Shyte Year’ series, condensing into two, or sometimes one word, 2020. This is a return to his Turoe writing.

Turoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, Jauary 2021
Turoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, Jauary 2021

Painted alongside some No Frills colleagues, this one is a real beauty in gold and red. It is a reasonably straightforward piece with a nice solid gold fill and striking red 3D shadows. There is a subtle white border, barely noticeable that lifts the whole thing. A very nice piece indeed.

Snow

.

Febrile atmosphere

teenagers expecting snow

might never happen

.

by Scooj

3442. L Dub (22)

Lockdown isn’t all bad (although it is pretty bad, granted) because it seems that it triggers some activity from certain street artists, including Laic217. Since the New Year, Laic217 has been hitting walls fairly regularly and that is a great thing – I am guessing that perhaps he can’t work or has been furloughed or something like that.

Laic217, L Dub, Bristol, January 2021
Laic217, L Dub, Bristol, January 2021

This piece, close to another one at L Dub shows Laic217 at his graffiti art best, a skeleton figure in a subversive pose giving a double bird in a flaming background. As usual, the creases and folds in the hat and clothes is a speciality of his and something that seems to come so naturally these days. A fine fiery piece.

3441. Dean Lane skate park (383)

Biers, Bags and a bed! Dean Lane sometimes plays host to the occasional fly-tipper, which I have to confess is a pet hate of mine. The kind of person who thinks that it is OK to simply throw their waste away in the street or on other people’s property are the scum of the earth. Inconsiderate and stupid, I have no time for them – rant over.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

This is a rather colourful collaboration from No Frills stable mates Biers and Bags. On the left is a really beautifully worked BIERS split into three distinct horizontal frills with serrated edges, which must have taken a bit of time to do. The whole thing is bounded by a bright yellow 3D shadow.

Bags, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Bags, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

The other half of the collaboration is by Bags who is completely under-represented on Natural Adventures. I don’t really know why that is, I have plenty of his pieces in my archives, but rarely post them – I might have to remedy that. Bags has gone for a diagonal split across his letters. The yellow half works really well, but the red half looks like he ran out of paint and the fill resembles that of a throw up, which is a pity. A nice collaboration on one of the best walls in Bristol.

Ice

.

A perfect circle

skimmed from a gardening trugg

smashed to smithereens

.

by Scooj

3440. Frome side (7)

There are some pieces that will have very limited audiences, and this is one of them. Soap has painted one of his trademark smiley mouth-skull pieces on the back of a pillar under the M32 overlooking the River Frome. The only way of getting to see it is by dropping down under the motorway and walking along the reinforced bank of the River Frome. It can’t even be seen from the overlooking M32 Spot.

Soap, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Soap, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

One might ask why paint something that so few people will see, but that might be missing the point a bit about the motivations behind why graffiti and street artists do what they do. It tends to be for the love of doing it. This is a particularly nice example of his mouthy face, with a lovely yellow background and sharp lines with some nice fills. The white highlights work really well to give it that 3D lift. A great column piece.

3439. Cumberland Basin

As gentrification in the city picks up pace, traditional graffiti hot spots are becoming fewer and fewer – there is often a stay of execution while hoardings go up around a development, but eventually these come down revealing pristine new student accommodations or other unaffordable housing, inappropriate for the communities that live near these developments. One of the knock-on effects is that the turnover of street art/graffiti on the remaining walls has increased considerably. This wall in the Cumberland Basin is a great example of a wall that is changing more and more frequently.

Slakarts, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2020
Slakarts, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2020

Slakarts gives us a double-vision version of his smiling three-quarter profile mega-tag in this happy piece alongside Rezwonk, just to the right. Slakarts has been turning these out on a reasonably regular basis over the last six months or so but they all face the same direction – it would be interesting to see if he could replicate them looking the other way. There is something quite seductive about this piece – it is unusual and set in a vibrant context. Expect more like this before too long.