A sum of three crowns
but sadly none the wiser
’70s decay.
by Scooj
2004. M32 Spot (39)
A little while back I posted a piece by an unknown artist, which regular readers will know I really don’t like doing, but I did it anyway because it was so unusual. When I posted the piece on my Instagram feed, a kind soul filled in the blanks for me and mentioned the artist in a comment. Brilliant, brilliant, I now know the artist to be Panskaribas (Pangiotis Skaribas) and feel somewhat pleased with myself for posting the first piece as he has an extraordinarily distinctive style.
There seems to be a mash-up of picasso and 1950s cartoons going on in this piece, or at least that is what I see. I love the doodled style of the character, but feel there is a lot of sophistication to it that might be missed without a proper look. Going through my archives, I have found more pieces by Panskaribas and am instantly taken with his artwork. I look forward to seeing more of this very unusual style.
2003. New Stadium Road (11)
Oner has been a very busy bee over the last couple of months, and his writing has appeared on pretty much every well-known wall in Bristol. This one is a fine example of chrome writing in the tunnel in New Stadium Road.
I really enjoy the range of work from Oner, which holds the single basic lettering ‘ONER’ or ‘ONEZ’ or ‘ONERS’, but comes in an elaborate range of colours and if I am honest quality. He is capable of producing great artwork like this piece with sharp clean lines but also seems to like nothing more than a quick throw up when he feels the urge. In terms of quality, I think this is one of the best that I have seen.
2002. M32 Spot (38)
In this game it is sometimes hard to work out whether artists are new to the scene or whether you have simply not seen any of their work before. Diced Mango very much fits into this category for me.
I only became aware of the artist a few weeks ago, and posted his piece in Dean Lane, and now, so soon afterwards, I found another one, this time in the M32 Spot. It is another portrait, painted in a rather naive style and with the bright colours that seem to be a feature of his work. I am looking forward to following the progress of Diced Mango and finding out a little bit more about the artist.
2001. Moon Street (58)
Right then, here we have yet another artist that I have not featured before, although I have known of his existence. This fine piece is by Mr Riks of the RAW crew. When I first saw it I could tell it was of the highest calibre and my first instinct was that it was by Deamze, because this is one of the spots he has used before. Three things were confusing me, it didn’t quite look like Deamze, it had a RAW tag and in any case he is in Hobart at the moment.
It wasn’t until I saw the piece on Instagram that I found out that it was by Mr Riks, and of course, as soon as you know it becomes obvious. There is something very assured about this piece of writing, and all the elements come together well. The simple white accents give it a 3D feel. All good.
2000. Dean Lane skate park (188)
Those rabbits, they just keep coming and you can never quite be sure where the next one is going to leap out at you from. You can be sure however that Nevergiveup will never give up and will keep spraying these little characters around not only Bristol, but wherever he finds himself.
This tall thin rabbit is on the gateway into the North Entrance of the Dean Lane skate park and is really skilfully sprayed on a highly textured stone surface. Just another reminder of the fun and quality created by this Polish artist.
1999. Dean Lane skate park (187)
Clean, sharp, crisp, brilliant design and a touch and tone that altogether scream out the name Dibz. This is a really classy piece from the local artist, and if I have any complaints at all it is that we just don’t see enough of his work around the place.
Everything about this is good and even if you are not a fan of graffiti writing you must be able to appreciate the quality of this piece. From the cerise background, which acts as a brilliant host colour for the rest of the piece, to the split colours used in the lettering and the graded shading therein, this piece oozes quality. I could go on, but feel that I am in danger of sounding a little too unctuous and so will leave you to judge the piece for yourselves. It is good though.
1998. M32 Spot (37)
Well I think we all know where Zake’s favourite place to spray his work is. I think all but one of my posts have described his work on these columns under the M32 leading into Bristol. This one is recent, and he has signed it much more boldly, unlike some of his earlier pieces which were difficult to identify. Maybe he is becoming more confident in his statements now.
There is something a little ghoulish in his characters, but particularly in these two, with the white of their eyes prominent and the slightly strange idea of one of them spewing out of the mouth of the other. He seems to use the column space really well, which is a skill in itself. I only wish that I could find a good time of day to come and take pictures. I expect it would be best at night with a flash, because the bright light during the day plays havoc with the camera’s automatic settings.
1997. Lower Ashley Road (1)
Yum yum, a lovely fresh hoarding went up a couple of weeks back in Lower Ashley Road and within a flash a whole bunch of writers were on it. They must have been disturbed though, because as soon as the outlines for their pieces gone up, the were apparently abandoned, unfinished. Glad to say though that they went back at a later date and completed their work. Hurrah!
This cracking piece by Smak is a very clever bit of graffiti writing. On Instagram he said it was two for the price of one, and you can see why. If you look carefully, he has written SMAK twice, with the letters from each word intertwining with the other. A masterful piece of work and one that really demonstrates just how good Smak is. Love this and the persistent ‘never say die’ attitude that goes with it. Looking forward to these boards becoming a new street art/graffiti art spot for at least a while.
Silence
City without cars
benefit of pitching snow
everything is calm.
by Scooj
- Bristol rarely gets snow, so this event is noteworthy, it is also worth highlighting that Bristolians have their own word for ‘settling’ (of snow) which is ‘pitching’ so I have used it in this haiku. Walking to work was a pleasure this morning on two counts, firstly the sheer beauty of seeing the world through a different lens and secondly the almost complete absence of cars. It set me thinking how beautiful the world would be with fewer cars on the road, they are a convenient nuisance.
Natural adventures 