Month: December 2023

5693. Dean Lane skate park (667)

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

Even when he paints a smaller, simpler piece, Hire puts in admirable effort, and I am not too sure that the words ‘quick one’ come into his vocabulary or thinking. In case it wasn’t obvious enough from the letters, Hire belongs to the BF crew, and occasionally substitutes his HIRE lettering for BF.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

Starting with the background, Hire pretty much always paints on a prepped wall, to help his letters stand out from the surrounding graffiti ‘noise’. His chrome letters are lifted by the clever use of the green and purple patterning that sits behind them, and the fine white lines bring a little bit of definition to the piece. Fantastic, thoughtful work from Hire and a great shout out to BF.

Christmas Cliché

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Chaos on the roads

and family arguments

with all the trimmings

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by Scooj

Fully dressed

Christmas tree, Bristol, December 2023
Christmas tree, Bristol, December 2023

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Tree decorating

handed from parent to child

a rite of passage

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by Scooj

5692. Frome Side (25)

Unity, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2023
Unity, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2023

Unity is smashing it out of the park these days, and to my huge joy, seems to be painting in Bristol a little bit more frequently than she has in the past… it is probably down to the sheer volume of RBF birthday celebration paint jams.

Unity, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2023
Unity, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2023

This Rugrats piece is simply brilliant, with Chuckie taking centre stage, along with an obligatory spray can. The character is wonderfully recreated, and the letters that Unity has written are outstanding. Polished off with a white flash, blue background and some building blocks, the whole thing is a visual feast, beautifully painted. It is a pity that it is painted in a spot where so few people will get to see it up close.

5691. M32 Cycle path (239)

Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2023
Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2023

There is a special reason for really admiring this piece by Slakarts, and that is the skill with which he has painted this roughly textured and flaky hoarding without appearing to compromise his final outcome in the slightest. The piece jumps out from the wall and oozes quality.

Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2023
Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2023

Slakarts, as I have mentioned recently, has seriously taken his foot off the gas with his street pieces, so it is always a real treat to find one. The piece tends towards the abstract, merging a couple of his iconic stylised faces into one. The yellow and green colour combination works particularly well on this rather dreary wall. Great stuff from Slakarts.

5690. M32 Spot (177)

T-Rex and Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023
T-Rex and Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023

One of the unwritten rules of photographing street art is always take pictures when you can, even if street furniture is in the way, because if you wait the piece might not still be there at all when you return. It is annoying that there is an obstruction in front of Rusk’s piece in this collaboration with T-Rex, but that is the reality, and it is the best picture I have.

T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023
T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023

T-Rex has been able to get out a fair bit this autumn, which is really great to see as moments will be limited with a little one to look after. Everything that T-Rex does so well is here to feast on, great letters, fabulous fills, a funky drop shadow in pink and black and of course the Tyrannosaurus Rex character. Lovely work.

Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023
Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023

Rusk has been so busy lately, in fact I can’t remember a time when he has been out painting so regularly. As precise as ever, this piece has a distinctive mid line running horizontally through the letters, with little flashes of white along it giving the impression of a shiny flat metallic surface, clever stuff. Great to see these two out painting together.

5689. Greenbank (101)

Cobo, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2023
Cobo, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2023

I did a double take when I first set eyes on this piece, because the first thought that came into my head was that this was a piece by Subtle (what has happened to him?), and although there is plenty here to support that thought it quickly became obvious that this was another chunky Cobo piece.

Cobo, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2023
Cobo, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2023

The richly coloured letters spell out COBER, and are big and bold, almost like rocks. The little character looks a bit like a seal or a dog, but they can both look alike, so I am not going to fixate about it. Overall this is a strong piece from Cobo who seems to be getting into a bit of a rhythm with a series of great pieces recently.

5688. Peel Street Green (22)

Daz Cat, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023
Daz Cat, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023

I have to say that I am missing the large ‘storytelling’ pieces that Daz Cat has produced over the last couple of years, and can only think that he is busy with other things to have time to put into his more complex pieces. I will have to make do with enjoying his quicker pieces that he is continuing to turn out reasonably regularly.

Daz Cat, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023
Daz Cat, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023

This is a wonderful blue cat in three-quarter profile, full of detail and character, which demonstrates just how far Daz Cat has developed over the last few years. There is a confidence and self-assuredness about his work now, as if he has nothing to prove, that comes across as relaxed and easy to look at. I hope he gets some time soon to pull together one of his storytelling pieces before too long.

5687. St Werburghs tunnel (391)

Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2023
Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2023

I think I might have to revisit my archives, because I have only recently become aware of the great work of Zaenone, but am told that he has painted in Bristol before. Perhaps I photographed but didn’t post his work because I didn’t know who he was – a little job for me over the Christmas break, maybe.

Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2023
Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2023

This is a lovely crisp and clean piece of writing, superbly presented on a yellow, grey and black background. I think that sometimes backgrounds are underrated, but they can make or break a piece, so thought is needed, and it is obvious that Zaenone has thought about this one. The letter fills and transitions are beautifully done and not overcomplicated or busy. I haven’t seen enough pieces by Zaenone to know whether he always incorporates ‘bookend’ characters, but in the two pieces I have seen, he has, and they are a unique and fun contribution, which really makes his work stand out. Looking forward to more from him in Bristol.

Tree ritual

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Tomorrow’s mission

selecting the perfect tree

for comfort and joy

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by Scooj