3368. M32 roundabout J3 (269)

One of the pleasures of photographing street art and graffiti is that you get to meet many artists as they paint their creations. Most will make time for a quick chat, and over time you become acquaintances and sometimes friends. This was the first time I had met Any and indeed it was the first time I had seen his work in Bristol, which is not all that surprising as he has only recently come to Bristol from Poland. It is great to welcome yet another artist from Poland to join the merry throng in Bristol.

Any, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
Any, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020

Any is a graffiti writer who freestyles his work, which means that he paints from his head rather than a sketch in a black book. He said that it gives him freedom. I like the way that he has prepped the wall first and has taken care with this bright piece. The short word ‘ANY’ means that his pieces can take on an abstract look and I rather like that. There are some elements that are similar to Benjimagnetic’s work, particularly the triangles with single-line outlines.

Any, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Any, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020

Although this was the first piece I have seen by Any, I have noticed a couple more in the Stokes Croft area, which leads me to believe he probably lives in North Bristol somewhere. Welcome to the city of street art.

3367. Brigstocke Road

Finding one Sepr piece is always a treat but to find three is like Christmas coming early, and Christmas certainly came early for me a week or two back. I had taken the dog for a road walk – it is way to muddy in most of the parks at the moment and I was weaving around aimlessly in St Paul’s when I came across Dicky’s Barbershop and these three new pieces.

Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020
Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020

Each of the window shutters and the door shutter has a different prime colour piece on it. The door in the centre on a yellow background has a lady with an umbrella petting her dog who is upright on his hind legs.

Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020
Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020

On the left of the door is the blue panel in which a man is sitting and reading a book while a little bird is perching on the top of the book and pooping on the man’s toes.

Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020
Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020

The third panel, to the right of the door is set on a red background and hosts another man sitting cross-legged listening to music on his earphones while two birds flutter around him, looking like they are enjoying the music too.

Quite what any of this has to do with a barbershop I don’t know, but it brightens the place up no end.

Glide path

.

Within clear vision

comes the spirit of Christmas

ready to unwind

.

by Scooj

3366. M32 Cycle path (95)

This door is getting some great attention, with Daz Cat, Slakarts and now Soap all giving it a coat of paint in recent months. This is a classic piece of soap work, almost like a mega-tag and takes me back to when I first became aware of his style.

Soap, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
Soap, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020

I don’t know what Soap calls this character/tag but to me it looks like a double mouthed skull, clever stuff. I imagine that Soap can probably spray throw ups like this one in his sleep, although that probably belittles the skill needed to spray anything half-decent on a wall and this is way more than half-decent.

3365. M32 roundabout J3 (268)

Well this just about sums it up – another in the series of ‘Shite Year’ pieces by Turoe, this time on the M32 roundabout. When I first saw this piece I was a little bit miffed because it had been painted over a wonderful EAT collaboration piece from January this year, but then I thought, hey, it is about time something new was painted here.

Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020

The way the two halves of the piece have been written gives the impression that this is a collaboration between two artists, but it is in fact the work of a single artist.

Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020

Since returning to painting after a period away, there has been no stopping Turoe, and there are more pieces from this theme still to come. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake that next year brings a little more joy and peace. At least Trump won’t be in power to destabilise things further.

SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2020
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2020

How

.

How does it happen?

blue skies above and fine rain

weather miracles

.

by Scooj

3364. Dean Lane skate park (368)

Mr Draws continues to experiment and try new things, which is one of the reasons I love his work. His writing is perhaps less conventional than some writers in Bristol, but it has a freedom and joy about it, an unpretentiousness if you like.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

I like the way the colours overlap from one letter to the next and the random positioning of the letters adds interest. Great colours, simple and effective. Always great to see work from this Bristol legend.

3363. Ashfield Place (2)

One of my favourite Face 1st pieces used to occupy this space, so it is just as well that it has been painted over by another artist whose work I love, Silent Hobo. In fairness the old Face 1st piece had recently been tagged and was looking a little bit sorry for itself. I have a feeling that this piece might be a commission for the cafe opposite, but I can’t say so for sure.

Silent Hobo, Ashfield Place, Bristol, December 2020
Silent Hobo, Ashfield Place, Bristol, December 2020

Silent Hobo had been a very busy man this year and has produced a host of excellent new pieces all over the city and this is just the latest to come off the production line. In the heart of St Pauls, this young woman is enjoying a barbecue with a sunny topical beach in the background – just a dream for most of us in these pandemic times, indeed a dream for most of us in normal times. Silent Hobo conjures up a peaceful atmosphere in this laid back part of town.

Face 1st and Soap, Ashfield Place, Bristol, January 2018
Face 1st and Soap, Ashfield Place, Bristol, January 2018

Have I forgotten something?

.

That nagging feeling

stealing my focus away

something is missing

.

by Scooj

3362. M32 roundabout J3 (267)

There has been a renaissance of sorts in Bristol over the last couple of years or so with the arrival of a merry band of Spanish artists, several of whom are outstanding graffiti writers. Front and centre of this throng is Todoaciem whose near-perfect writing form is a joy to behold.

Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020

This piece on the M32 roundabout is typical of his structured ornate calligraphy style which spells out CIEM1, although it takes a trained eye to work this out – I am still learning. The colour selection works well and this combination of shades of pink and blue are often used by street artists because they make a piece stand out. Great graffiti writing.