Tag: ASK

4820. St Werburghs tunnel (319)

Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2022
Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2022

A graffiti writer, whose work I simply don’t get to see enough of, is Rusk. I think this is mainly due to the fact that he paints a lot of walls I simply don’t get to see. When he paints in the more regular spots, there is a good chance I’ll get to see his work, and there are plenty of examples in this gallery. The problem is he likes to paint in different and unusual places, so I have to resort to his Instagram stream to enjoy much of his work.

Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2022
Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2022

This is a lovely piece painted in the tunnel for Bnie’s birthday paint jam is a beauty. The letters spelling RUSK are beautifully proportioned, but it is the fill that steals the day. A graded horizontal colour transition with stripes of adjacent colours thrown into the mix. The yellow/orange transition reminds me of the colour swirl in marbles… is that just me? This is another fine example of Rusk’s great writing.

4776. Cumberland Basin

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022

This is Sled One’s contribution to a recent paint jam along the long wall at Cumberland Basin. It is yet another outstanding example of his incredible artwork and creativity.

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022

The beautifully painted, mischievous squirrel looks to be lining up a shot with his acorn and catapult. The acorns in the background splash are a nice touch, to round off the piece nicely. It is these subtle touches that often serve to lift a piece from ‘good’ to ‘excellent’.

4773. Cumberland Basin

Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022
Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022

Character pieces don’t come much better than this remarkable dog, wrapped up in its lead. Sepr is the greatest. What makes this truly outstanding, figuratively and literally is the application of the shadow of the character. It is so sharp and crisp, and completely accurate, mirroring all aspects and details of the dog.

Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022
Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022

This would have to go down as one of my favourite pieces of the year, and that is saying something as it has been something of a special year. It may be small and ‘simple’ but it is technically and visually a masterpiece. Bravo Sepr!

4677. Brunel Way (171)

Soker, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022
Soker, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022

There isn’t an awful lot more that I can say about the work of Soker that I haven’t already said in multiple previous posts. This one is uncomplicated but so utterly on point.

Soker, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022
Soker, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022

This is a fantastic piece of writing, with well proportioned letter shapes, fabulously subtle shade progressions in the fills and a nice mauve bubble background. Perfection from Soker.

4596. M32 roundabout J3 (418)

Although from these pictures, it might look like I photographed this while the artist was finishing off, it is an illusion – the paint paraphernalia belongs to Corupt who was painting a piece along the top of the wall. This is of course yet another outstanding work from 3Dom during a bit of an ASK paint jam celebrating Mr Jago’s birthday.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

There are a number of motifs in the piece that we see a lot from 3Dom, such as eyeballs, stripy trousers, bleak landscape etc. I wonder if he has been watching the latest series of Stranger Things, as there is a gateway to the upside down maybe, or perhaps this is the upside down, the clouds might suggest it. All in all, this is just yet another outstanding surreal piece from one of the very best street artists around.

4578. Moon Street (94)

Even though the turnover of street/graffiti art in Moon Street is nothing like it used to be, it is still worth wandering down there from time to time, to pick up beauties like this one from Sled One. I think that the whole Stokes Croft area has become a bit of a graffiti wilderness, while it decides what impact the local gentrification has had on the sub-culture. Of course, many of the artists simply paint elsewhere, and there are many more of them in Bristol than there were only two or three years ago.

Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2022
Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2022

Sled One, however, has returned to Moon Street and painted a classic piece of writing, so typical of this talented artist. The letters spell out SLED, and the numeral ‘1’ completes his name. the design is balanced and well-proportioned and the fill colours contrast neatly with the black and gold patterned background.  I imagine that Sled One probably knocked this one off in an hour or two, but he has managed to keep it utterly onm-point. Great work.

4268. M32 roundabout J3 (387)

What a very nice piece of classic wildstyle writing this is from Soker, especially welcome as he has been fairly quiet in recent months, and as one of the godfathers of graffiti writing in Bristol, things just don’t feel quite right when he isn’t out there painting.

Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2022
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2022

The class and confidence ooze from this piece, which reads PUKE. I am not too sure about the back story to this one and I’m not too sure I want to know. Some classic features, the arrow and star, have been incorporated in this nicely proportioned piece. Great to see Soker out and about.

4204. Sparke Evans Park (27)

Some pieces simply ooze class, and this outstanding surreal artwork by Sled One is one of them. In my view, this is Sled One at his best, creating a fantastical and unusual scene using only spray paints and a brick wall canvass. Simply amazing.

Sled One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Sled One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022

The central part of a three piece collaboration (the rest to follow) features a baseball, but not any old baseball, no, this one has a mullet haircut, a bird beak, a mouse in his cap, a rather nasty looking baseball club, a spotty pair of boxer shorts all capped off with some comfortable slippers. Would anyone mind explaining to me what on earth is going on here? I don’t actually care too much, I just know that I love this piece a lot. Bravo!

4186. Cumberland Basin

It is not often that I am in the right place at the right time, but I got lucky with one of my lunchtime walks with the dog when I bumped into Ments and Sled One painting this collaboration. Actually I made my own luck a bit, because I spotted them painting from the other side of the river and gave myself enough time to swing by and have a chat.

Ments and Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021
Ments and Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021

Sled One reminded me, not for the first time, that it was he and Ments who first started painting this wall, before it became one of the more popular Bristol spots. I think it is good for artists and photographers/viewers alike due to the open space and length of wall, although with long shadows and reflections photography can at times be a bit of a challenge.

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

On the left of this beautifully prepped wall is Ments’ contribution, with a rather jazzy rendition of the ASK crew letters. Wall prep can definitely enhance a piece, and with this collaboration, the reddy-magenta works a real treat. There are definitely some strong Ments elements in the piece, but I am not certain I would have known it was by him if I hadn’t seen him painting it.

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

To the right is an interesting piece by Sled One, because it says 3Dom. It is most vexing, deceitful and confusing when artists write other artist’s names as a kind of shout-out to their mates, and makes misidentification a strong possibility. Again it was lucky I saw them painting this or I might have had egg on my face. This is a stylish collaboration from two very classy Bristol artists.

4175. Peel Street Green (3)

There are about eight panels of graffiti writing at Peel Street Green, and I have to confess that there are several by artists that I don’t recognise, which only goes to show that there is a great deal For me still to learn. No mistaking this lovely piece of writing, which is by Smak.

Smak, Peel Street Green, Bristol, January 2022
Smak, Peel Street Green, Bristol, January 2022

The colour palette works really well, and Smak does have a really good eye for his colour combinations. Spelling SMAK, there is a whole lot of movement in the piece, which is dynamic and full of interest. Swapping the base blue and orange from letter to letter is cleverly done, resulting in a complex piece that is easy on the eye. The work of a craftsman.