I haven’t seen many pieces by Todoaciem this year, and I hope that his lack of painting on the streets is because he has other important things happening in his life, such as employment or family etc. The rarity makes each piece even more enjoyable to find, and this piece of calligraffiti alongside the M32 motorway is an absolute belter.
Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
The writing spells out CIEM ONE in rich gold and purple tones, the colours of royalty. A light dusting of light blue serves to lift the letters a little. Todoaciem is a master of calligraffiti, and his letter proportions and shapes are outstanding, to leave us with a superb example of this style of writing.
Dibz and Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
There is just enough time to squeeze one more utterly awesome piece from Dibz and Jody before the year is out. Although not overtly Christmassy, this piece does have a sense of celebration and festival about it.
Dibz and Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
The wildstyle writing is from Dibz, and has a camouflage influenced design, offset perfectly with dark purple drop shadows. The letters, which of course are perfectly sharp and well finished, create a wonderful frame for the central portrait by Jody.
Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Jody has actually painted a lot on the streets this year, which has been a huge bonus, and he has definitely saved one of his best for this end-of-year collaboration. There is a sadness and calm in the portrait, and it feels religious or spiritual in nature. Simply stunning.
Chill, Face 1st and Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
This might be the last time I post about the PWA crew this year, and what a productive year it has been from this fabulous group of artists who have kept us entertained and enthralled during 2023. This collaboration, tucked behind the fence of the swimming pool, is by Chill, Face 1st and Zake.
Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
To the left, chill says it all next to his character piece with the words ‘last one or not, 2023 was hot’. Chill’s cartoon character takes on something of a surreal appearance with lots of eyes, everywhere, and an extra mouth in the ear. Interesting and fun stuff from Chill.
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
In the middle is a little girl character by Face 1st, and guess what… she is having a lot of fun with a couple of spray cans, one in each hand. A small nod to the vampire genre, with fangs and blood dripping from her mouth, this girl is perhaps not as happy as most that Face 1st paints.
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
On the right, Zake, who I think has run Klashwhensober pretty close as Bristol’s most productive artist of 2023, has painted a rather grotesque laughing face. Lots of mouth and teeth to deal with in this one, and the rather haunting eyes with no pupils that Zake often paints, adding mystery and some edge to the character. All good stuff from the PWA folks. I can’t wait to see what they create in the new year.
Counterintuitively, now that I have a little bit more time on my hands during the Christmas break, I am finding it harder to make time to write my blog. Perhaps it is the disruption to my routines – and I am a grumpy old man who has become rather fond of routine, which makes me a good companion for the dog. Regular patterns work for both of us. Today’s piece is a piece by Nips in Sparke Evans Park.
Nips, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, December 2023
I haven’t posted all of Nips’ pieces, that I have seen, but will try to remedy this in the New Year, because I rather like her straightforward no-nonsense approach to graffiti writing. There is a lack of pretentiousness in her work, that is refreshing. The most notable thing about this piece is the outstanding fill design and execution. Modest and yet impactful, this is a really enjoyable piece from an artist I know little about.
Happy Christmas. Enjoy this magnificent ‘green man’ piece by Unity, which was painted as part of Pekoe’s RBF birthday paint jam in early December. It has a strong Christmas feel which is why I saved it for today. Where pagan meets Victorian Christmas.
Unity, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
I mentioned a day or two ago that Unity is painting a little more often in Bristol, and it is so good that she is, especially when she creates something as special as this one. Enjoy your day wherever you are.
Biers has had a very busy couple of months, producing some rally nice work along the war. This is a fabulous WD40 piece on the M32 Cycle path, following his usual formula of his letters accompanied by a character, although this time the character is at the right-hand end, rather than peering through the hole of the ‘0’.
Biers, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2023
The chrome writing is very nicely presented, although unless you knew it said WD40 is, in my view, very difficult to read. The character has defeated me, except I wonder if he is one of those little characters from Star Wars – Jawas I think they are called. Probably not, but my knowledge of popular culture is limited. May I wish you a very pleasant and restful Christmas Eve.
Dibz, Fade and Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Good morning and happy Christmas Eve. A busy day for most, I expect, and definitely for me. One of my tasks today is to make a ‘Sussex Pond’ pudding, which is our alternative to Christmas pudding, which the kids and I don’t much care for. I’ll keep this short.
Dibz, Fade and Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Wonderful work from Dibz, Fade and Jody, who have teamed up several times this year to produce some outstanding collaborations. This is a true collaboration where all the contributions are in the one piece. Jody painted the wolf, and Dibz the letters, so I expect that Fade painted the wonderful background.
Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Jody steals thee show a little with his magnificent wolf portrait in the centre of the piece. It is so good to see so many street pieces from him this year, and I hope he continues into next year.
This year, as in most recent years, Pekoe really celebrated her birthday in style with the RBF crew and associates. Wispa came along for the ride and painted this fabulous writing/character combination piece.
Wispa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Unfortunately I don’t know who the rather cute character with attitude is, but she is painted as beautifully as you’d expect from Wispa, who always finished her work so well, with crispness and sharpness. All aspects of this piece come together really well. Bravo Wispa!
Natural adventures 