5198. M32 roundabout J3 (473)

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Kosc is always on fire, whether it is his graffiti writing or his character pieces, he never disappoints. This is another outstanding piece of writing painted in day glow orange tones, a colour that he favours, but one that fades if left out inn the elements for too long.

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

The letters spell out Kosc and have his trademark ‘rivets’ in place at certain junctions in the lettering, making the whole thing look like a piece of metalwork. The transition of fill colours is exceptional, and the shading within each letter creates a fabulous 3D effect. I think that Kosc may have missed a bit of shading on the far left part of the letter ‘K’, a minor detail, but you can’t unsee it.

5197. M32 roundabout J3 (472)

Hicka, Pekoe and Maes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hicka, Pekoe and Maes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

At first inspection, this ‘Goosebumps’ collaboration looks like it was painted by three artists; Hicks, Pekoe and Maes, and that would be a fair assumption, but there was another hand in the piece provided by Still, who I met with Maes while they were finishing off the piece. Pekoe and Hicka has just left, moments before I arrived.

Hicka, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hicka, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

To the left is a fabulous creepy piece of writing by Hicka, augmented by Still, who was adding some finishing touches the first time I passed by. There is a lovely bubbly organic feel to the letter fills, and the whole thing oozes from the wall. The clever purple shading gives it a bit of a 3D lift too.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Pekoe is always a delight, and her green portrait piece sits beautifully with the theme. The piece is a bit creepy, but also really attractive and I think that Pekoe has absolutely smashed it. The red lips and pupils of her eyes really stand out from the green skin tones, and the white zig-zags on the black hair give it a shiny look.

Maes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Maes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Finally on the right is some writing by Maes. You can probably tell that Maes is at the start of his journey with graffiti writing, but is doing really well. He was receiving some coaching from Still. His chunky letters have drips and dots and a little bit of what looks like snow-capping on the top left of each letter. With regular practice, I can see Maes improving, he certainly already is making his mark about the place. Overall this is a really decent collaboration.

5196. Sparke Evans Park (71)

Smak, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023
Smak, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023

Another instalment from the Burberry check paint jam in Sparke Evans Park, and this one is by Smak. The artist has really gone to town on this one and spread himself out a bit, with a truly awesome piece of graffiti writing.

Smak, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023
Smak, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023

You can make out the letters SMAK, although with all the patterning, if you didn’t know what you were looking for it could be a bit tricky. As you might expect, the technique and skill in this piece are second to none, and you are seeing graffiti writing at its absolute best. It is great to see a spike in activity from Smak.

5195. Dean Lane skate park (595)

Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

Javiceus, to give Ceus his full name, has undergone as slight reinvention, and returned from his winter slumbers with a different look to his work, which is altogether lighter and more airy, if that makes sense. He continues to write the letters CEUS, but they somehow feel different.

Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

There is a heavenly appearance to this piece, probably conveyed by a background of blue and white, looking a little bit like clouds on a sunny day. The letters in a light lilac colour are nicely formed and executed, with an orange disc, which looks a little like a disfigured smily face, making up the ‘E’. More in this style to come from Ceus very soon.

5194. M32 roundabout J3 (471)

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

In this piece, part of a recent paint jam on the St Paul’s side of the roundabout, we see Laic217 at his magnificent best. A rather evil looking skeleton is set on a fabulous backdrop of church windows in true horror film style, brandishing a gold medallion with the letter L for Laic.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

As with all his pieces, the folds of the fabric of the skeleton’s robe are beautifully painted and convey a texture that many artists struggle to portray. Light and shade play a large part in Laic217’s work, creating depth and perspective. This is an outstanding piece from the master of skeletons.

Remember him

.

Sorting through boxes

the stench of cigarette smoke

I remember dad

.

by Scooj

5193. Peel Street Green (11)

Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, April 2023
Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, April 2023

In his own words, Mote has had a little bit of a quiet patch lately, although I have to say I hadn’t noticed as there is always so much of his work about the place to find. He assures me, though, that he has rediscovered his mojo and his enthusiasm for painting on the streets again, which can only be a good thing.

Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, April 2023
Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, April 2023

This is quite a large piece at the end of the wall in Peel Street Green, featuring another crazy, creative monster. The cartoon style used by Mote renders all of his characters as rather loveable, no matter how many nasty teeth or strange eyes they might have. Mote has left us with a very tidily painted and crisply finished piece here, which is great to see.

5192. Various locations

Slim Pickings (TES), Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021

I mentioned a few days back that In hadn’t posted anything like as many pieces by Slim Pickings (TES) as I should have done over the last few years, so I set out to remedy that by doing a trawl through my archives. This is what I came up with, and this is just for 2021, so I expect to do another of these mini-galleries for subsequent years.

Writing TES, Slim Pickings (the name of his Instagram account when I first encountered his work) maintains the exact same general form for his letters, tinkering at the edges with colour changes and some other playful additions. Here are the pieces I should have posted before:

Slim Pickings (TES) Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2021
Slim Pickings (TES) Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), L Dub, Bristol, March 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), L Dub, Bristol, March 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021

Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2021
Slim Pickings (TES), Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2021

Beauty

.

When my bashful gaze

lingers too long on your face

take it in good faith

.

by Scooj

5191. M2 Cycle path (213)

Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

There is always something rather nice when a new artist starts to land pieces about the place, it keeps things fresh, and adds to the incredible volume and diversity of street/graffiti art in Bristol. Bean has hit the ground running and stamped his brand in several popular spots, including on the M32 cycle path, where this is the second one that I have found here.

Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Although I have seen a piece of writing from Bean, I think that the main focus is on character pieces, which are cartoon in style and usually pretty bright and bold. A common theme in street art is for the character to be holding a spray can, reflecting the work of the artist themselves. This blue-faced, red-haired character is holding a rather nice orange can. This piece is beautifully presented, with great shading and highlights. I am looking forward to a whole lot more from Bean this year.