Month: December 2023

5679. Dean Lane skate park (664)

Abbie Laura Smith, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

On the side of a bin in Dean Lane, we make a return to the lone wheatpaster operating in Bristol, Abbie Laura Smith with her distinctive style of single black line drawing. The portrait piece is simple and beautiful and sits well in its location.

Abbie Laura Smith, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

There is a lot of thought that goes into wheatpasting in both the composition of the piece and deciding on the final location, and some consideration has to go into the formulation of the glue too. Abbie Laura Smith has managed well on all counts with this paste-up. I would definitely like to see more from her, and will be keeping my eyes peeled.

5678. M32 roundabout J3 (532)

Mind49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Well this one took me a little bit by surprise, because it is a piece of graffiti writing from Mind 49 who doesn’t usually major on his writing, in fact I think this is the first writing only piece I have seen from this talented artist. Some of his portrait and other pieces have included a few letters, but nothing on this scale.

Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Everything that you’d expect to see from a good graffiti writer is here… nice letter shapes, great colours and fills. The only thing that I think he needs to work on, and I am being super-picky, might be his outer border, which can be really unforgiving if the line is very thin. All in all, great to see something different from Mind 49, although, to be fair, all of his work is different from piece to piece. The piece fits a time context, with the ‘Free Palestine’ shout out.

Unrelenting

.

Heavy rain all day

streams either side of the road

the stuff of flooding

.

by Scooj

5677. Leonard Lane (42)

Peggy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Peggy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023

Over the last year or so, we have become used to seeing Peggy’s wonderful floral works, starting with a few modest pieces in Dean Lane, to now, and some large, complex and bold pieces. I love watching street artists grow in confidence and ambition, and Peggy is establishing herself, while sticking to her essential floral designs.

Peggy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Peggy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023

Leonard Lane is a bit of a ‘go to’ destination at the moment and is as colourful and vibrant as I have ever seen it. This piece bursts with energy and colour, lighting up the rather dimly lit alleyway. Lots of designed curls in pink, orange and yellow surround a central eye, in this piece that definitely grabs the attention. Great work from Peggy.

5676. M32 roundabout J3 (531)

Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

A year or two ago, Slakarts was one of the more prolific artists in Bristol. I have a feeling that he is busy with work these days, which is, of course,  good thing, but it means we get to see fewer pieces on the streets. These days, every piece is a very welcome surprise, like this one on the M32 roundabout.

Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Slakarts has developed his style considerably, developing his trademark faces into something altogether more sophisticated. This sophisticated abstract piece incorporates his face design into a busy mash up of facial features, letters and symbols to create a bright and exciting experience. I would love to see more of his work, but have to be grateful for small mercies.

Roo

A gallery of outstanding animal characters from London artist Roo.

Instargram: @roo_art

All photographs by Scooj

Roo, Lighthouse Community Garden, London, April 2023
Roo, Lighthouse Community Garden, London, April 2023
Roo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2023
Roo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2023
Roo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
Roo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
Sky and Roo 0007 5 March 2023_edited
Sky and Roo 0007 5 March 2023_edited
Sky and Roo 0007 5 March 2023_edited
Sky and Roo 0007 5 March 2023_edited
Roo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
Roo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
SkyHigh and Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
SkyHigh and Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
Roo, Leake Street, London, July 2019
Roo, Leake Street, London, July 2019
Roo, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018
Roo, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018
Roo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2018
Roo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2018

5675. Frome Side (23)

Pekoe, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2023
Pekoe, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2023

I am only an occasional visitor to the Frome Side spot, which sits underneath the M32, adjacent to the M32 Spot, and access is a little tricky, especially in the wet weather, but particularly for the dog. I tend to save up my visits for a time when I can go alone, which these days isn’t all that often. I actually combined this one with a big shop at the Eastville Tesco.

Pekoe, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2023
Pekoe, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2023

What a treat awaited, a full wall of RBF paint jam pieces to celebrate Bnie’s birthday with a Rugrats theme. Pekoe absolutely came up trumps with this piece. She has smashed it here, combining her writing with a brilliant portrait of a Rugrats character (Susie Carmichael), and painting each of the letters in the style of the cartoon series, including a letter brick, a ball and a skipping rope. What a brilliant piece from Pekoe, demonstrating her talents with both characters and writing.

5674. Dean Lane skate park (663)

Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

Awkward is an artist who pops up from time to time, pretty much always in the Dean Lane area. Most, if not all, of his work appears to contain a rather stressed looking character, the face only, often with a speech bubble with the word Awkward in it.

Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

This piece comes with a further two messages, the first is ‘Free Palestine’ and the second might be an observation of the weather when he was painting, ‘Then came the rain’. Awkward seems to be well acquainted with a few of the established writers in Bristol, but just doesn’t seem to paint as often, which is a bit of a shame.

Proper cold

.

Winter’s arrival

on message and read the script

mild interrupted

.

by Scooj

5673. Hepburn Road (23)

Biers, Hepburn Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Biers, Hepburn Lane, Bristol, November 2023

About a week ago I posted a piece by Biers which was not too dissimilar to this one. Similar colours and of course overall design of WD40, and incorporating a to cartoon character with ginger hair and glasses. The character from last week’s post was Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory, but I am stumped by this character.

Biers, Hepburn Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Biers, Hepburn Lane, Bristol, November 2023

I was lucky enough to bump into Biers while he was painting this alongside Bags, but he hadn’t started the character, so I couldn’t ask him directly who it was. It is good to see that Biers is out and about again with his very ‘Bristol’ style of graffiti writing. I have mentioned this before, and I don’t know if this is a perception or a real thing, but I think that different cities and districts have ‘house’ styles, and Biers typifies the Bristol ‘house’ style.