There is no doubt in my mind. I simply have to publish a gallery of great graffiti writing by Noise, because his work is now so completely bedded down in Bristol, something he has managed to do in a relatively short amount of time. As well as working solo, he has also teamed up with a host of other Bristol artists in his celebrated collaborations, which has helped him to become super-established.
Noise, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024
This magnificent gold and red piece, painted on one of my favourite walls, is big and bold, and has the tiniest nod to calligraffiti on the up ticks on the tops of some of the letters. I like the shout-outs to Dibz and Fade, who were probably painting other walls in Dean Lane at the time, and interestingly the words ‘Joburg-Bristol’ which makes me think that perhaps Noise has South African connections.
Living in Bristol (as I do) and tracking down street/graffiti art (as I do) it is impossible not to be familiar with a stylised fox mega-tag that appears in all corners of the city. The foxes are painted by Foksymoron, and this is by far the largest one I have seen yet, in Dean Lane for Dean Lane Hardcore.
Foksymoron, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024
This skate ramp has often been decorated by Feek for the Dean Lane Hardcore event, but not this time, and Foksymoron appears to have done a pretty good job, filling the space. Foxes have a long and studied history in Bristol, and it is great to see so many featured on the street art scene. I have a host of foxes by Foksymoron in my archives, and feel that perhaps I ought to dig them out and post them all together… watch this space
Although Cort tends to have a presence in Bristol most of the time, I don’t find myself posting his work all that often. He is an artist who definitely likes to do things his own way and although he can come across as a little unfriendly, I suspect that he is probably quite introverted and likes to keep himself to himself.
Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol June 2024
It is very difficult to describe Cort’s style, but am going to have a go anyway. His letters are often quite unruly and veer towards anti-style, except that there is an irregular regularity about them. I always rather like his fills, which feel quite artistic to me, and I can see links to the art of Miro (is that just me?). Cort has included a little line drawing cartoon character, which adds a little bit of fun to the overall work. This is a nice piece from Cort.
I think that this is the last in my recent series of wonderful paste-ups by Abbie Laura Smith – some I found, all of which I have now posted, and some I didn’t. The good news is that I believe Abbie is going to be ‘out and about’ in her words, soon, so that will be a lot of fun trying to hunt them down.
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2024
This portrait paste-up is notable for its inclusion of a pink/blue/purple colour wash in the subject’s hair. I have a feeling that there might be some concealed writing in the girl’s hair, although I can’t be sure. The portrait is beautifully drawn, and the girl has the faintest sultry look about her. This is a nicely crafted piece, well placed on one of the concrete columns underneath Brunel Way. I have a feeling it might still be there.
Raid has slowed down a little, only a little mind, but his presence is felt whenever he paints one of his RAID writings. This one has to be marked out as being slightly different from his usual work on account of the inclusion of a character – a welcome addition.
Raid, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
The glaringly obvious feature of this piece is the camouflage fill, which is something I have seen quite a lot of, I would guess that it is probably easier to do than some fills, because the shapes and colour patchwork are quite random, and forgiving of little mistakes. The character is a bit of fun, but has very different characteristics to the confidence demonstrated in the writing. It will be interesting to see if Raid continues with the inclusion of characters. I noticed that his Instagram account appears to have disappeared, which is a pity.
I have mentioned a couple of times in posts recently that Minto has been pretty busy lately, and this is another in a string of graffiti writing pieces. The writing and overall piece is a little more coherent than some of the ‘deconstructed’ pieces of late.
Minto, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2024
There is lots of colour and movement in this piece, in which the letters MINTO are picked out in pinks and oranges. The piece is a good one for a nice sunny day, for sure. I particularly like the two traces of stars on the sides of the letter ‘M’. good stuff from Minto.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
Andrew Burns Colwill is one of Bristol’s finest artists, whether painting on canvass or enormous walls like this one in Cheltenham Road. A man so full of character, who has lived life to the full, is kind and thoughtful, and in the limited opportunities I have had with him, is great company. His talent is immediately obvious, and he tops my list of artists in Bristol.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
Andrew Burns Colwill paints quite a lot of commissions like this one, but because they aren’t in the usual graffiti/street art spots, they can often go unnoticed and without fanfare. This piece is very much themed around Bristol and Isambard Kingdom Brunel in particular, with a portrait of the great engineer himself, the SS Great Britain, the Clifton suspension bridge and The Great Western Railway. The piece is called ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ and in the current context of rioting around the country, how resonant these words would seem to be.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
The full piece is difficult to photograph, because it is painted on two sides of the building, and it is four stories high. ABC uses a clever device at the ground-floor level with the draughtsman’s hands included as part of the artwork, painting the archways, as if it were a work in progress.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
Above that are scenes of the 19th century docks and railway. The top two floors are more contemporary in style and speak of the present day.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
There is quite a lot of trompe l’oeil work on the upper levels, with four extra windows painted alongside the existing real ones. The arts are heavily represented with pens, brushes, pencils and written music adorning the walls. Two young people complete the scene alongside a dove of peace. This is a truly magnificent mural painted in Andrew Burns Colwill’s understated wash style. Awesome. Bravo!
This piece, by visiting artist Awor1, was one of at least three painted in Bristol, but is the only one I managed to photograph in time. The graffiti writing was painted during a small paint jam on the long wall of Cumberland Basin.
Awor1, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
I don’t know where Awor1 hails from, and I am not familiar with any previous work by the artist, so don’t have any benchmark to compare this piece with. Certainly, Awor1 is an accomplished writer, and the clever use of brown shades (not my favourite colours) running through the letters combined with fine white highlights creates an almost metallic feel to the fills. The whole thing is set on a black background and decorated with green plasma and purple spheres. Nice work from Awor1.
Natural adventures 