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Coming together
‘O’ level geography
limestone clints and grykes
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by Scooj

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Coming together
‘O’ level geography
limestone clints and grykes
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by Scooj

At around the time Face 1st left Bristol about a year or so ago, he had been doing quite a lot of experimentation around his writing and different font ideas. On his visits back to Bristol, he has switched between his writing and his character combination pieces. This one is writing only.

The letters spell out FACE 1ST in a rather unusual typeface that looks like a first step towards calligraffiti, but has too many soft edges and freedom to be considered as that. I am a huge fan of Face 1st’s work and would like to see him painting more of his character pieces, and concentrating less on his writing, but I think that he might feel differently. A nice collaboration with PWA fellow Soap.

Our street philosopher, #DFTE, has been at it again, this time with a large mural piece painted during the recent Bristol Mural Collective paint jam in Lucky Lane. Nobody else does anything like this, so it is always easy to identify his work.

‘Dream big and believe in yourself’ are fine words, and just the confidence boost we could all do with from time to time. It reminds me of a wonderful piece of graffiti that used to be in the centre of Bristol that simply said ‘You look beautiful’. #DFTE’s big and bold letters have the most wonderful drips, something he has developed and perfected over time. I still haven’t yet met the artist, but it is just a matter of time I am sure.

It seems as though Creamylines has found a new lease of life, and although the last piece I posted by him was actually a repeat (thank you, Paul H for pointing this out), this is a spanking new piece in Dean Lane (one of several scattered around the city). This slab of concrete in the skate park lends itself really well to Creamylines’ bounded work (which makes me wonder whether he has ever painted up Purdown, it might suit him).

Instead of the more familiar portrait orientation, this is a landscape piece, that gives Creamylines more scope to broaden out his scene. Everything you’d want to see from this uplifting view is there. Water in the foreground, passing through to woodlands and fields and houses, all bathed in the light of a golden sun, with a couple of clouds and some birds. Calmness and joy.

Aha! how absolutely blooming brilliant to come across this outstanding piece from Ments, an artist whose abstract work I have long admired, but who rarely seems to paint these days. This piece was painted alongside Sled One, both of whom were pioneers in ‘colonising’ this particular wall – now a firm favourite with local and visiting artists.

There is a fluidity to Ments’ work, which comes across in this piece. Everything is carefully thought out, the colours and shapes, and even the scatter of blue shards bursting from left to right. A very classy piece that highlights how much Ments’ absence is felt.

While I was away on holiday, the Bristol Mural Collective held a paint jam in Lucky Lane. I had been told by Nina Raines, the organiser, that it was happening, and was really sorry to miss it. Because I wasn’t there, I don’t know whether this wonderful piece by Pelmo was already there or was painted on the day.

Pelmo has painted in Lucky Lane a couple of times before, so I am guessing he lives nearby. This is a fabulous composition of a man, with a paunch, sitting on a bench in a rather surreal landscape, including a couple of sunflowers in pots with music 🎵 tumbling from them. A bright, witty and rather peaceful mural by Pelmo.

Bogat only paints occasionally, but his pieces are instantly recognisable and impactful. He is not a ‘high-end’ character artist, but he manages to capture a down-to-earth style, without which the diversity of street art in Bristol would be all the poorer.

In this piece, the pink-faced character appears to be snarling a little. There is some nice shading and lines, especially round the cheeks. The ‘Bennie’ hat with the word BOGAT is nicely painted, but it is the zigzag eyes that grab the attention. I think the piece was painted for the Dean Lane Hardcore event held a week or so ago.

Soap doesn’t seem to paint all that often these days, especially since his PWA collaborator has moved to Herefordshire. It was therefore a wonderful surprise to come across this absolute belter from him a couple of weeks ago.

I cannot really express how much I like this piece of graffiti writing. The letters are in a fancy thin script style, which, once you get your eye in, you can see spells SOAP. What makes the piece special is how the letters in green interact with the stunning pink background and all its decorations. Brilliant work from Soap.

This is one of my favourite spots in Bristol, and is the perfect place for a double (and sometimes triple) collaboration. This time, Mesk has combined his talents with ES3 (an artist I don’t know), set on a sharp yellow background.

Mesk has kept things simple, which is incredibly effective in this case. His overlapping letters cascade from left to right in a slightly decreasing height. The tidy fill in four wavy horizontal bands is all that is needed here, and the solid border/drop shadow does some of the ‘heavy lifting’. A phenomenal piece.

To the right, ES3, who I assume was visiting Bristol, and whose work I am not familiar with, has painted a fun combination piece. A cat character with crazy eyes is painted alongside the letters ES3, which mirrors the fill style of the adjacent Mesk piece, but in red colours. The piece is rounded off with a drop shadow and blue border. Definitely a gratifying find.

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Out from dark places
on the hunt for a partner
giant house spider
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by Scooj