6738. Unity Street

Bnie, Smak and Elvs, Unity Street, Bristol, January 2017
Bnie, Smak and Elvs, Unity Street, Bristol, January 2017

This is the third piece ‘rediscovered’ from dipping into my archive, and it is a fine collaboration from Bnie, Smak and Elvs. Once again, I am mystified by how it got left behind in the archive, but at least I am rectifying the situation by publishing it now.

Bnie, Unity Street, Bristol, January 2017
Bnie, Unity Street, Bristol, January 2017

Bnie’s work is always a joy. Her letters somehow work really well for graffiti writing – some combinations work much better than others. Here she has paid particular attention to some highly intricate fills, which I can only think were achieved using stencils. However they were realised, they are wonderfully technical and beautifully presented.

Smak, Unity Street, Bristol, January 2017
Smak, Unity Street, Bristol, January 2017

The middle piece is by Smak, whose work pretty much defines the ‘Bristol school’ of graffiti writing. Superb colours and a strong sense of flow through the piece, combining curves and straight lines skilfully. Simply an outstanding writer.

Elvs, Unity Street, Bristol, January 2017
Elvs, Unity Street, Bristol, January 2017

To the right is a fine piece by Elvs, whose work is so unique and distinct. He has worked so long and hard on his letters ELVS, that I would love to see what he could do with some other letters in his style – that would probably present a serious challenge and take him a little out of his comfort zone. Brilliant work from all three graffiti writers, demonstrating what their art form is all about.

6737. M32 roundabout J3 (653)

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016

I know exactly why I never posted this piece at the time I photographed it. Although I was blown away by it, I didn’t know who the artist was, and so it remained in my archive unseen. I have revisited it several times over the years, but now feel confident enough in suggesting it is by Hemper.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016

The location, the ASK tag, and the possibility that the disguised letters may spell HEMS and the sheer quality of the piece draws me to the conclusion that it is by Hemper. Whoever the artist, it remains one of my favourite pieces of crazy graffiti writing ever. Everything about it is near perfect, from concept to execution. Those stones/bubbles must have taken an age to paint, and the black ‘web’ draped around the letters is exceptional. The work of a genius.

6736. City Road (14)

Aspire, City Road, Bristol, March 2016
Aspire, City Road, Bristol, March 2016

Every now and again, I like to delve into my archives to see if there are any pieces that somehow were overlooked at the time, and I am always surprised by what I find. The next few posts are from 2016 and include this beautiful magpie by Aspire.

Aspire, City Road, Bristol, March 2016
Aspire, City Road, Bristol, March 2016

Aspire was one of my favourite Bristol artists in Bristol, and his depictions of birds in particular struck a chord with me as a trained naturalist. For a few short years, his work brightened up our streets before he packed his bags and moved to London, where I am told the streets are paved with gold. Fortunately, Aspire does return from time to time, but I miss his portfolio of stunning birds and their surroundings. As well as being a superb portrayal of a magpie, we also see evidence of his pixel clusters, something of a trademark for the artist. Those were the days!

6735. L Dub (63)

Donz, L Dub, Bristol, February 2025
Donz, L Dub, Bristol, February 2025

Donz is an interesting graffiti writer whose combination of letter shapes and, in particular, colour selections and fill patterns is quite unique. His work is further highlighted in this piece with the incorporation of a clean contrasting background buff.

Donz, L Dub, Bristol, February 2025
Donz, L Dub, Bristol, February 2025

The letters in this piece spell DONZ, and are beautifully contained within a clean black border. I think that what sets his work apart is his approach to his fills which are not blended, but rather, they are applied in contrasting splodges and decorated with complementary little circles. All I can say is that this is a very Donz look. We also have an introduction to the Art Beat Crew (ABC), which I haven’t noticed before.

6734. Greenway Bush Lane (4)

Sub, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, January 2025
Sub, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, January 2025

The great thing about a new graffiti spot, such as the long hoarding at Greenway Bush Lane, is that you can spread your wings a little and occupy as much space as you like without the awkwardness of painting over someone else’s work. Sub has ‘gone for it’ with his large SUB letters and a couple of smaller signatures, just in case you weren’t sure who he is.

Sub, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, January 2025
Sub, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, January 2025

Sub continues to develop his writing, and his familiar chunky letters and deep drop shadow (in two shades) are going from strength to strength. The pink plasma strip runs nicely through the letters, which in their monolithic form are rather flat. To me, it feels like he is locked a little into his format, and to go to the next level, he might need to try something different, and then import his discoveries back into his customary style. Having said that, he seems to be very happy doing what he is doing, and that is the most important thing.

6733. High Street Rochester

Hannah Adamaszek, High Street, Rochester, January 2025
Hannah Adamaszek, High Street, Rochester, January 2025

In January, I happened to find myself in Rochester, a lovely city that I have never been to before, where I was running a workshop. As is my wont when I am ‘on tour’, I got up early and strolled around town for an hour or so exploring. I was not expecting to find artwork from Hannah Adamaszek, but there it was, on a roadside sign – unmistakably Hannah.

Hannah Adamaszek, High Street, Rochester, January 2025
Hannah Adamaszek, High Street, Rochester, January 2025

Not only has Hannah Adamaszek painted the road sign for Seven Chakras Yoga Studio, but she has done a great job with decorating the columns of the small shopping arcade area, with some lovely Swiss cheese plant leaves, the trusted favourite of street artists everywhere.

Hannah Adamaszek, High Street, Rochester, January 2025
Hannah Adamaszek, High Street, Rochester, January 2025

I can only say that this was a super surprise and bonus on my Rochester Adventure, and confirmation that my street art radar is fully active and in good working order.

6732. St George skate park (23)

Mind 49, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025
Mind 49, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025

I missed this piece by Mind 49 last year, so it is looking a little worse for wear, although, given that it is in a skate park, it has worn well. I love the way that it has been painted onto a cracked ramp, which makes it feel like an organic part of the park, that it has always been there, kind of.

Mind 49, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025
Mind 49, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025

Mind 49 has been one of the great talents to emerge from the Bristol scene and has developed from a precocious talent, via an activist, into a fine painter of photorealistic portraits. Here, the beautiful profile with soft tones marking out light and shade of the face contrasts with the half-finished look of the shirt and hat. A truly fabulous piece.

Smut

A gallery of superb clean writing from the graffiti writer Smut

All photographs by Scooj

Smut, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Smut, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Smut, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2022
Smut, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2022
Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022
Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022
Smut, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Smut, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Smut, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, March 2022
Smut, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, March 2022
Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2022
Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2022
Smut, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2021
Smut, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2021
Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Smut, Purdown Battery, Bristol, September 2021
Smut, Purdown Battery, Bristol, September 2021
Smut, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021
Smut, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021

6731. M32 roundabout J3 (652)

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025

I came across Hemper while he was painting this beast, and I think that even he was wondering if he might have bitten off more than he could chew. It is a tribute to an old crew DMT, and quite unlike much of the work I am used to seeing by the artist, although there are hints of his style in the words within the DMT letters.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025

These pictures also demonstrate how the light can impact on the quality of photography. In the first picture, the sun is behind a cloud, in the second, the cloud has passed, and the sun is casting shadows of the trees onto the wall, all of this changed in the space of seconds. Hemper appears to have got his mojo going early this year, and is a very busy man, creating some superb graffiti writing.

6730. St Werburghs tunnel (474)

Haka, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Haka, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

So many of the combination pieces painted in Bristol leave me wondering who the painted character might be portraying (there are often modern cultural references to cartoon productions of the 1970s to now), but every once in a while the character is one I am familiar with, and this is one of those moments. The character in this Haka piece is Percival Proudfoot Plugsley or Plug member of the Bash Street Kids from the children’s comic Beano.

Haka, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Haka, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

Indeed, this is not the first time Haka has incorporated Plug into one of his pieces and other members of the comic strip. The letters are classic Haka letters, nicely overlapping and filled with two colour shades and some yellow decorations. Some nice shout-outs too, including the ever-present tribute to CK1.

Haka, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2023
Haka, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2023