Category: 5. Street Art

3692. M32 roundabout J3 (320)

What a lovely surprise it was to come across this fabulous collaboration from Andy Council and Hemper when doing my rounds a week or so back. Two fabulous artists coming together to create this poignant piece.

Andy Council, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
Andy Council, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021

Andy Council has been doing more street (non-commissioned) work at the moment than I can remember for several years, and I am definitely not complaining about that. The collaboration is a tribute piece to artist and friend Wayne, although I am not too sure about the reference ‘save the wheals’. Andy Council has painted a rather sad looking whale with his customary ‘stitching’ together of components to make the whole. Very nice work indeed.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021

On the right, Hemper has written WAYNE with extraordinary skill with such beautiful letter shapes and and clever fills. There are never enough words to be able to describe Hemper’s work, and he is an artist who seems to be raising his own very high bar. Great to see this amazing collaboration.

3691. Dean Lane skate park (415)

When I saw this piece I heard a voice in my head shouting out the word aaciiid! In that rather annoying 1980s way, if you know what I mean. This is a lovely piece from Mr Draws in Dean Lane in which he uses letters other than his customary DRAW. Good to see.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021

I think that this is a beautifully executed piece with a good solid wall wash, great colour selections and some nice decorations in the form of blue horizontal lines with darker blue shadows. A tight piece from the Bristol stalwart.

3690. M32 Spot (113)

What an absolute pleasure it was meeting Daz Cat again while he was painting this very nice column piece a week or two back. He was out with CD.TC who I met for the first time and also seems to be a really decent fellow.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

Daz Cat was using his ladder (I want one of those) to add some finer detail to the main structure of the cat he had painted. He came down to chat and said he felt a bit heady. I asked him if it was the paint fumes and he said that it was not, that he was simply rather hungover… good on him.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

I consider this piece to be very good indeed. Not only has he used the column dimensions really well, but the sharp detail on the piece is very well crafted. Furthermore the cat is in profile orientation rather than face on, and so we see a different aspect and depth to the cat’s face. This is one of my favourite pieces of his to date, although there are so many outstanding ones to choose from.

3689. Brunel Way (103)

I have kept it as no secret that I have been struggling to keep on top of the sheer amount so street art and graffiti that is being painted in Bristol at the moment. I find myself constantly looking back into my monthly archives to see if there are any gems I have missed. Once I have hung up my camera for the last time, I will still have plenty of material to post, albeit historical.

Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021

This is a gorgeous piece from Ments, painted in April, that shows off his talents perfectly, incorporating his newer techniques with his older organic style of writing. Believe it or not, these abstract forms actually spell out MENTS although it takes a bit of creative thinking to make out some of the letters. A very nice piece indeed that fully deserved its moment in the spotlight last month. Blame the backlog.

3688. Dean Lane skate park (414)

I can’t be a hundred percent certain whether this was a collaboration or simply two pieces that had been painted adjacent to one another, but the black background leads me to believe it is the former.

Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

On the left is another wonderful piece from Flava136 painted on a recent visit to Bristol from his native Cheltenham/Stroud kind of area. It is an absolute scorcher with a lot of complex things going on in the fills and shadings of the goofy monster. Lovely precise work.

Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

To the right of the curved wall is a rather nice chrome set of letters spelling out VEK with a fine blue and green border, reflecting the colours of the 2DAE piece at the top of the wall, which I don’t think is a part of the collaboration, although I wouldn’t swear to it. Veks is having a bit of a busy time at the moment. I wonder how much all of these artists will be getting out once we resume a more ‘normal’ pre-Covid situation.

3687. Cumberland Basin

Here we have another fine piece from Dog Bless the Band in muted shades spelling out MOTEL. It has been written in a style that bucks the trend of the more traditional New York wildstyle writing and has a much freer and somewhat anarchic feel to it.

Dog Bless the Band, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Dog Bless the Band, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

Obviously it is the artist’s name that initially creates interest, but that is a bit of a side-show really. I love the subtle earthy tones of his work and ill discipline of his letter forms. The whole thing rather resembles the skin of a large mammal, like an elephant. Great work from an artist I know precious little about.

3686. Cumberland Basin

I am very much enjoying the high level of activity coming from Eman at the moment, and he really seems to be extending himself with a range of character pieces, including this very impressive skull from a few weeks ago.

Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021
Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021

I’m not sure how long Eman has been doing these kinds of pieces, but he seems to have a natural flair for them, and his soft blending as well as good proportions make this a piece that is easy on the eye. Adding to the impact of the skull is the neutral background with hints of colour that just give the whole thing a bit more oomph. Very nice work.

3685. Dean Lane skate park (413)

The phrases ‘it’s the early bird that catches the worm‘ or ‘you snooze, you lose‘ both come to mind in respect of this wonderful new piece from Pekoe. I had seen the piece posted on Instagram and said to myself that I would head on down to Dean Lane the next day to photograph it. How was I to know that a whole ton of scaffolding would appear overnight to obscure the portrait? D’oh!

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021

I think I have just about managed to get away with a reasonable capture of this fine ‘third eye’ piece from Pekoe. There are definitely some new techniques coming to the fore in her work at the moment, most notably the dotted outline cheeks, chin and nose. Once again the use of bold colours guarantees that this piece stands out from the crowd.

3684. Dean Lane skate park (412)

Wow, another epic piece from four of Bristol’s brightest young artists, Nugmoose, Sage, Slakarts and Mudra. I’m not too sure that this lot have a crew name sorted out, but it is definitely time they got their act together.

Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021
Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021

First up is another bold and unusual alien piece from Nugmoose in which there is something mysterious going on with the roots of a plant entering the character’s ear via a jar with alien writing on it. Imaginative and creative.

Sage and Slakarts, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021
Sage and Slakarts, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021

In the middle of the collaboration is some lovely writing from Sage adjacent to something rather different from Slakarts. The cartoon-style character resembles a farmer Giles type with a piece of grass dangling from his mouth – more creative stuff.

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021

Finally, the collaboration is rounded off with a delicious blend of writing with a character incorporated into it from Mudra. The eclectic shapes and sizes of letters spell out MUDRA encompassing a Freddie Mercuryesque character complete with moustache and specs. He signs off with his customary @ symbol.

This is a truly creative collaboration from a really decent group of lads, and I can’t wait to see more from them as the year unfolds.

3683. New Stadium Road (32)

There is currently no stopping Lee Roy who appears to be extending himself with a series of pieces that are painted close to the ground and spilling out on to it or cascading down steps.

Lee Roy, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021
Lee Roy, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021

It took me two attempts to photograph this rather dainty piece, because the first time I failed to frame it properly. It is so annoying when that happens. Written in big bold letters, this piece contains a variety of very interesting and original fills and lots of blue water drops. Lee Roy is definitely tapping into his creativity these days.