A gallery of top drawer graffiti writing by Bristol’s artist Smak.
Instagram: @smaktown
All photographs taken by Scooj.
Smak
2264. M32 roundabout J3 (146)
I don’t know what I expected Elvs to look like before I met him but somehow it wasn’t what I saw. Maybe it was that he was much younger than I thought, but then isn’t everyone these days? I have been an admirer of Elvs’ work for a few years now, so it was great to catch him midway through doing a piece.
His work is so distinctive and intricate and appears to follow a general formula, the repetition of which, by his own admission, becomes recognisable as his work. I guess if you have done enough of these things you begin to master every curve and shadow and he seems to turn out perfect pieces every time. He didn’t seem to mind me chatting for a little while… it must be quite irritating having people asking inane questions, but if he was irritated he didn’t show it. Another great piece of graffiti writing from Elvs.
2263. Wilder Street (33)
One of the highlights of 2019 has been the emergence of Nightwayss on the streets of Bristol. Although he sprayed a couple of pieces last year he has really made his monkey mark all over Bristol this year and has become something of a regular on Natural Adventures.
I was fortunate enough to meet Nightwayss for the second time when he was painting this together with Laic217 (you can see laic217’s influence in the smiley faces), and he was happy to stop for a brief chat. Of course there is a monkey, sitting in a rather thoughtful pose, but it is the incredible effect Nightwayss has achieved in the face that intrigues me most, it almost looks like a chalk sketch rather than spray paint.
This was one of my favourite and most satisfying encounters this year so far, seeing two very different artists painting together and having fun. These guys really enjoy what they do and have the added joy of being really good at it.
This charming man
Bopping to The Smiths
in the Student Union
ahh! Those heady days
by Scooj
2262. Dean Lane skate park (219)
This is a rather nice burner from an artist we tend to associate with bunny rabbits, but whose work is in fact broad and varied, Nevergiveup. There is an awful lot to like about this carefully put together piece, which spells out ZBOK, which I believe means deviant (or something of that nature) in Polish. The beautiful deep red background frames the extraordinary interior filling that displays wonderful technique with sharp patterning of the letters.
Nevergiveup tends to sign these pieces NGU although he has several different aliases which he uses on his Instagram accounts, such as @followmyrabbits or @zbok_ngu or @ngufam_vandals. This is a nice tidy example ofhis versatility.
2261. St Werburghs tunnel (84)
Sandwiched between Eraze and Rusk (quite some sandwich) is this rather small and understated piece by Laic217, all the more unusual for the lack of a signature. The piece was painted back in May during what must have been quite some paint jam, during which at least ten artists converged on St Werburghs tunnel.
Laic217 had gone for a minimum of colours in the portrait but jazzed up the whole thing with a bright gold chain. The elements that link this piece to Laic217 are the zip fastener, the style of clothes and the dripping/melting effect. I’m not too sure about the ear on this piece, which appears to be a little high and large and almost blended into the cap.
Surface water
Motorway journey
perilous in driving rain
wipers on full speed
by Scooj
2260. Dean Lane skate park (218)
Vibrant and sharp, this is a magnbificent bit of graffiti writing from Rezwonk and the left-hand half of a collaborative wall with Rusk. What really brings this piece to life is the clean letters and striking blue trim, it’s really something special.
Rezwonk, or Rezer as he writes, has been incredibly busy with his street work this spring/summer and he seems to enjoy painting with othert artists, often with Decay and Nightwayss. It is funny how these artists rise through the mist of anonymity. I think Rezwonk first hit my radar back in the summer of 2017, before that I can’t recall ever seeing any of his work. This is one of his best (IMHO).
2259. Thomas Street (4)
DNT is on something of a roll at the moment, painting all spare corners in the Stokes Croft area, which is very much his ‘manor’. This piece is typical of his work using plenty of colour and shapes to create a recogniasble form, in this case a screaming monster face.
I like his style which is quite distinct and unlike other artists in Bristol. It is almost like a stained glass structure, with panels of different colours coming together to make a whole where the individual constituent parts on their own wouldn’t make any sense. It would appear that DNT has found his summer mojo and is enjoying his art at the moment.
Thursday doors – 13 June 2019
Doors 74 – Neglected Bristol doors
A few more doors that have seen better days, or if you’d like to look at them through a different lens, might have been given a second and rather more interesting life.
So there we are for another week.
If you’d like to see more doors take a good look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the orchestrator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
by Scooj
