6613. River Avon (69)

Werm, River Avon, Bristol, December 2024
Werm, River Avon, Bristol, December 2024

Werm has an amazing capacity to concentrate on a particular style of lettering, focussing on that style for a period of time, and then trying something new and moving on, it feels like restlessness settles in after a few months and new challenges await. This is a wonderful piece that is new to me, and differs from his bilateral symmetry work that has been his hallmark for the last four months or so.

Werm, River Avon, Bristol, December 2024
Werm, River Avon, Bristol, December 2024

Werm paints on this stretch of wall a lot, and many of his older pieces are on display here, it is a bit of a Werm gallery. The colours in this piece work incredibly well together, and the shape and form of the letters with some interlocking between them is a new and exciting aspect. I look forward to seeing whether this is a new phase of design that Werm will be adopting, or whether it is a one-off.

6612. Dean Lane skate park (790)

Wispa, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024
Wispa, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024

It is always, always a great pleasure to welcome Wispa to Bristol, and finding her pieces (almost always an unannounced surprise) is such sweet joy. This recent piece was painted to celebrate Pekoe’s birthday, hence the shout out top left.

Wispa, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024
Wispa, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024

Wispa’s work is always immaculately turned out, and the clever fills in this piece read across from letter to letter. Simply a wonderful piece.

6611. Cumberland Basin.

Blam, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024
Blam, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024

Seriously quick one today – I have loads of Christmas preparations (housework) still to do, and very little time to do it in. This is a nice mega-tag type of piece by an artist I don’t know much about, called Blam, who I believe might live in Bristol, and who paints occasional pieces.

Blam, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024
Blam, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024

This spot is one I really like, and Blam has managed to fill the space well with this ultra-green combination piece.

6610. Cumberland Basin

Vane and Bnie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024
Vane and Bnie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024

This stunning collaboration from Vane and Bnie was painted a little while ago during a paint jam organised to wish Mena a swift recovery from her accident in Thailand. The character on the left is by Vane and the writing, spelling MENAS is by Bnie.

Vane and Bnie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024
Vane and Bnie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024

The colour selection in this collaboration is really quite something, with the purples, pinks and mint green working exceptionally well together. I don’t get to see much artwork by Vane, and Bnie hasn’t painted too much this year, so this collaboration was bonus and a bit of a treat. I hope all the good vibes created during this paint jam have helped Mena on her journey to recovery.

6609. Gloucester Road

Hazard, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2024
Hazard, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2024

I found and photographed this piece a little while ago, and perhaps should have waited and got some better pictures, once the site in front of it was cleared. The huge mural was an unsigned mystery, and so I have held back on posting it. Once again, I have Paul H to thank for his detective work in finding out that it is by Hazard. Well, well, well, who’d have thought it?

Hazard, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2024
Hazard, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2024

Hazard has a particular style that is quite easy to pick out, but this commission on the side of the Anchor pub on Gloucester Road is nothing like her usual style, and I don’t think I would have ever guessed it was by her, especially as she left Bristol about two years ago.

Hazard, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2024
Hazard, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2024

There is so much to like about this mural, which tells the Bristol story, with balloons and the Clifton Suspension Bridge, some colourful Georgian houses, a swan, a gull and of course an anchor. It really is a magnificent mural, but I simply don’t understand why she didn’t sign it… curious. Driving south along the Gloucester Road, this piece has quickly become something of a landmark.

Shade One

A gallery of extraordinary portrait pieces by the magnificent Shade One.

Instagram: @shad.eone

All photographs by Scooj

Heat One and Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Heat One and Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Shade One, St John's Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Shade One, St John’s Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Shade One, Goldie and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Shade One, Goldie and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Dibz and Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Dibz and Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Shade One and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Shade One and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Shade One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Shade One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

6608. Sparke Evans Park (112)

Bazamataz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2024
Bazamataz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2024

It would be a bit of an understatement to say that I really like this piece. I don’t know what it is about it, perhaps it is the unique fills for each of the constituent parts of the letters NESK, or perhaps the freshness of an artist I am not familiar with. Probably a combination of the two.

Bazamataz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2024
Bazamataz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2024

The artist is Bazamataz (thank you, Paul H), and the colourful piece stands out brilliantly on the grey backwash and above the autumn-brown leaves. It all comes together so well and stands out a mile. The 3D drop shadow might be a little lost, and could have been a bit more prominent, but it is a small matter really. Wonderful work.

6607. North Street

Kid Krishna, North Street, Bristol, November 2024
Kid Krishna, North Street, Bristol, November 2024

When I say that this piece is in North Street, I wouldn’t want to send people off to Bedminster unintentionally. This is the North Street that is part of the A38 that branches off the Bear Pit roundabout. The piece by Kid Krishna is on the hoarding outside what used to be the Blue Mountain.

Kid Krishna, North Street, Bristol, November 2024
Kid Krishna, North Street, Bristol, November 2024

The combination piece contains the usual cryptic writing from Kid Krishna, spelling CRIE, and the character aspect is in the form of a partial skull. I think that there is some special part of Kid Krishna’s brain that is able to visualise and create these pieces, which are really quite different from much of the other stuff on the streets of Bristol. Often his characters are partial or hinted at, rather than being overt full-on, which makes it all the more intriguing.

6606. St Werburghs tunnel (467)

Hypo and ZBomb, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
Hypo and ZBomb, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

Hypo has been quite busy in St Werburghs tunnel of late and here he has teamed up with ZBomb, to create this rather nice collaborative wall. The only common factor between the two pieces is the blue background, but it qualifies as a collaboration because of that and the fact that they painted together.

Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

The Hypo letters are less elaborate than some of his recent pieces and the horizontal fills – I can see at least six colours – create a nice traditional feel to the piece. The whole thing sits nicely on the background, and is beautifully bordered with a yellow line and a few icicle drips.

ZBomb, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
ZBomb, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

I don’t know much at all about ZBomb, but I am sure I have seen other work by the artist about the place. This is a real case of say what you see… the letter Z painted over an archetypal cartoon bomb. The piece is eye catching and instantly fun, sometimes the simplest of ideas can be the most enjoyable. A nice collaboration.

6605. St Werburghs tunnel (446)

Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

These pictures are proof that it is always worth taking pictures (however bad the conditions might be) of street/graffiti art if you can, because the next time you swing by the piece might have gone. There was a van parked in front of this writing by Nips when I passed by, but I thought I’d try to photograph the piece, even from rather weird angles, just in case it didn’t last. It didn’t, so the strategy worked, and I get to share the graffiti writing, even if the pictures aren’t the best.

Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

Nips is one of my favourite artists in Bristol at the moment. Her simple and no-nonsense approach to her letters and her creative fills, in this case nicely worked blue and grey blended colours and spots,  tick my boxes and make me happy. She is one of a handful of artists that always bring a smile to my face when I find their work.