There was quite a good show of Christmas pieces this year including this colourful beauty by Taboo in Dean Lane skate park. As we expect, Taboo’s unconventional writing style challenges us and pushed the boundaries of what we are accustomed to. I love that about his work, he really is leading the way by thinking outside the box.
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Although his style is progressive, the format is more conventional with a character, in this instance Father Christmas, combined with the graffiti writing. Santa is looking a little worse for wear, enjoying some Christmas bubbly but the writing, spelling out TABOO, is uplifting and colourful to reflect the Christmas spirit. This is probably my favourite Christmas piece year.
I got lucky a few days back when I got to meet 3F Fino for the first time while he and some friends were spraying a column not too far away from the one featured in this post. I chatted for a while and it turns out that he has only recently arrived in Bristol, I think he said from Reading, it I might have got that wrong. He has only done a few pieces in Bristol so far, but looks like he’ll be something of a fixture on Natural Adventures going forward.
3F Fino, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
This piece resembles one he painted down in Cumberland Basin and features a woman (?) draped in a headscarf covering most of her face. Although a simple concept, the shading from left to right works really well. I look forward to seeing more from 3F Fino over the coming months/years.
I’ve had this Dott Rotten SPOILT piece in my queue for a little while, mainly because I thought I’d already posted it… turns out I hadn’t. It is yet another demonstration of this artist’s graffiti writing skills. I’d like to make comparisons with other artists in Bristol, but I have decided not to simply because we are so very fortunate in having so many outstandingly talented graffiti writers in our city. There surely cannot be another city in the world with such a collection of top drawer writers… suggestions please…
Dott Rotten, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
In this piece Dott Rotten spells out SPOILT in fabulous letter shapes with his trademark spots adding interest to the fills. The piece is complex, with joins overlapping one another… I don’t quite know how he keeps on top of it, and the subtle shadows add to the overall 3D effect. The piece doesn’t stop at the red boundary, but is set on cosmic cloudy background. Brilliant.
I shouldn’t think that I will be writing too many more posts from this end of Wilder Street in the future because behind this hoarding is a major new development (probably student accommodation) that is moving apace as the whole district becomes gentrified. In the meantime we can expect artists like Face 1st to continue decorating the hoardings until they come down.
Face 1st, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2020
This piece is going back to Face 1st basics, with a smiling girl with very big hair in blue and red spelling out FACE. From the look of it I would say that Face 1st probably sprayed this pretty quickly as all the elements are there, but the finessing isn’t quite what it could be. A lovely characterful piece nonetheless.
The second half of 2020 was not a productive one for Decay, in terms of street work, so it was great to see some new pieces during the Christmas holiday break. This is a very neat and tidy Christmas piece on the M32 cycle path.
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
I think that this is the first piece I have seen in Bristol since August, although he did make an appearance at the Cheltenham Paint Festival in September that I haven’t posted yet (note to self – post a few more from the festival soon). In this nicely styled piece spelling out DECAY, his little character, Chuck, is greeting us with a Christmas Ho ho ho! It will be interesting to see what happens with the new hard national lockdown imposed yesterday. I expect some artists will make time to get out and about and others may go to ground. We shall see.
I managed to get out to do some street art photography during the Christmas break without the dog. That meant that I could clamber down into the Frome side spot, which is behind and below the M32 Spot, with only my own safety to think about. The trip was well worth it, and I expect to post several pieces from this cavernous location in the coming weeks. One of the first pieces I saw was this rather nice burner from Conrico which I believe he had only painted the day before, so I was there at just the right time.
Conrico, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
For one reason or another I haven’t seen much Conrico work for the last few months. I think he has been painting a fair bit, but just not in the places that I tend to go to. The piece was painted during a particularly wet couple of days and is a warming fire set in a stormy sea kind of background. I like the piece very much, it has an untamed feel about it, bursting with colour and emotion. The message ‘F*ck the rain away’ tells its own story of frustration. Great to find.
Here is yet another banging portrait piece from the lovely Pekoe who is on something of a roll at the moment. If I didn’t already have a gallery of her work then I would certainly have to pull one together based on her last couple of month’s work alone.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
A bold blue face this time, again in a three-quarter profile, and such sumptuous pink lips. The hair is given the pink treatment too with the black lines and multitude of little decorations such as diamonds, hearts and teardrops. This is Pekoe at her commanding best. There is something about this piece that I find rather calming and serene… it might be the closed eyes and the colour selections.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
This was another of those pieces that I was lucky enough to find before I knew of its existence through social media and that always makes the discovery a little sweeter. I hope that Pekoe keeps this purple patch going because I am having great fun seeking out her work.
What a delightful surprise and late Christmas present from Epok and Sepr at the very top end of Stapleton Road. It is especially nice to see Epok back in Bristol, as he seems to do most of his writing in the Stroud area in abandoned buildings that I haven’t yet discovered.
Epok, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
I think the last piece I saw from Epok was back in July in the ASK collaboration in New Gatton Street, so this is a long-overdue treat. Epok’s writing really is out of the top drawer and his heavily designed shapes and colour schemes never cease to amaze. The letters here spell EPOK, but it might take a little while to ‘get your eye in’.
Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
To the right of the glorious Epok writing is a witty reflection of 2020 by Sepr. Last year will be remembered as the one when irrational panic buying of toilet roll became almost as widespread as the Covid-19 virus. Here Sepr has painted a loo roll (avec crown) seeing in the New Year with a bottle of wine.
Epok and Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
Finding this collaboration pretty much made my day and was a perfect way to wave goodbye to 2020.
One of the most consistent Bristol graffiti writers (plus characters) of 2020 was Taboo, whose imaginative and unconventional creations brightened up walls all over the city. Although not to everyone’s taste, his unique style and obvious (underplayed) talent brought us a succession of notable and humorous pieces.
Taboo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020
This one in St Werburghs tunnel takes us deep into his root style of oddly shaped letters (spelling TABOO), his favourite pink and black colours and a sense of anarchy that I really like. I had to auto-fix the colours on Photoshop for this one, without which the whole thing looked yellow from the horrible lighting in the tunnel.
Natural adventures 