.
Do you remember?
Conversation opener
to warm our cold hearts
.
by Scooj
3632. M32 roundabout J3 (310)
Claro_que_sssnoh (grief… his name is difficult to type) and his Spanish fellows have been busy of late, actually it seems that most artists have, and my archive for March and April are swelling with unpublished pieces that will probably keep me busy well into retirement.
This is a lovely colourful HONS by this busy member of the HMR crew. His pieces are usually quite busy, with a lot going on in the letter and colour transitions, and his style is fairly distinctive, combining lots of curves with angular and regular straight lines. Always fun to see.
3631. St George skate park (13)
Sled One is a great champion for the ASK crew, and will often paint these animated letters in his inimitable style that creates so much movement and character. This is one of two such recent pieces.
The skate park at St George doesn’t have the best graffiti walls, most of the site is rolling mounds and shallow bowls, but this ramp and one at the other end offer graffiti artists some decent opportunities. This vibrant ASK would most likely have been freestyled and I imagine fairly quickly, such is the skill and talent of Sled One. More like this coming soon.
Clay
.
Claggy when too wet
sets to concrete in the dry
blooming Bristol clay.
.
by Scooj
Digging my allotment is a trial. The soil is clay based and no matter how much organic matter I chuck in, the clay seems to rise to the surface. When it is wet it is impossible to dig, everything sticks to everything. When it is dry, it becomes so hard that pushing a spade into it causes a jarring sensation and breaking the lumps is serious hard labour. Perhaps I should move.
3630. Cumberland Basin
Watching the progress of Big Hev is proving to be an uplifting experience. Her naive style is gradually becoming more sophisticated, and she is building on her themes. However, I think that she is very much at the start of her journey (one that I sincerely hope she pursues) and is learning from piece to piece.
Big Hev seems to like this spot, and why not, it is secluded and away from public gaze. Her customary portrait has fused a little with some abstract ideas and swirls and some hearts. I would consider this to be a practice piece, but all part of the formation of new and beautiful ideas.
3629. North Street Standard
I was passing by the North Street Standard about a week ago and there was a young lady sweeping the newly designed outside drinking area. I took the opportunity to ask her who had painted the shutters. She disappeared for what seemed a lifetime and eventually emerged to inform me that it was painted by Nick Harvey (Kin Dose). I thanked her kindly. What she hadn’t told me was that The Hass had a hand in the work too.
These shutters were probably in need of a makeover and with lockdown restrictions easing, what a great time to do it. The neon pink single-line drawings of people enjoying the bar is both striking and inspired and sets a tone for the establishment.
I would never have guessed the artists if I hadn’t been told, which is often the case with commissions, due to their bespoke nature. A fine street piece by these two miracle-workers.
3628. M32 Spot (112)
Simply stunning! This is a magnificent piece of graffiti writing from Dott Rotten, notable as much for its fabulous and striking colours as it is for the fabulous design and technical excellence.
I had a great chat with Dott Rotten last week, not far from here, and he told me that it hasn’t always been easy and that at one point he had considered giving up on graffiti writing altogether. Thank goodness he thought better of it as he is turning out some of the best work in Bristol at the moment. This is an instant classic in my eyes and yet another fine piece of work on this subterranean wall.
Old faithful
.
Rhododendron bush
although leggy and ancient
puts on a great show
.
by Scooj
I inherited this rhododendron from the previous owner some 28 years ago and it looked tired and leggy even then. It is in the wrong soil and really shouldn’t even be alive, but every year the flowers just seem to get better. This year is the best show ever.
3627. Brunel Way (96)
Because of its association with graffiti and street art, Bristol is a bit of a magnet for visiting artists and what fortune that Kane Rose paid a visit while painting alongside the No Frills crew a few weeks back. I don’t know the artist, but know that he is a tattoo artists who also paints walls, like so many of our own Bristol artists.
When I first saw this I wondered whether it might have been by SkyHigh, because there is a definite similarity of styles. I have to confess that I had to wait until I saw the piece appear on Instagram before I could be sure of the artist. The block letters, each with a different colour and style, on first inspection appears to spell USA, but I have a feeling it actually says UPSTART. A lovely piece.
3626. M32 roundabout J3 (309)
Ware or MickeyRaw is not an artist that I see too often on our walls, but he is part of the RAW crew and joins the team for paint jams every once in a while. His work is consistently of a really high standard, and it is a pity he doesn’t get out more often.
This piece, spelling out WARE is absolutely stunning. The central green letters with fabulous fill patterning are further embellished with red blue and orange arrow decorations. The whole thing is very intricate and tight and clearly the work of a very talented graffiti writer.
