Tag: ASK

1964. Dean Lane skate park (185)

The thing I love about Soker is that he is his own man. Quietly and without fanfare, he’ll just saunter down to Dean Lane and create something like this. No fuss, no bother, but just how good is it? If you ask me it is a brilliant , and he must be one of the best writers in the UK right now.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018

The salmon pink background is quite an unusual colour, and one I haven’t seen much of before. If nothing else, it helps the writing and black outline to it stand out. The three shades to the lettering fill are quite understated, but just to give the whole thing a bit of a spark, Soker has included five orange accents within the lettering. An outstanding piece and one I certainly wasn’t expecting to find.

1961. Armada Place (14)

Every once in a while, this spot gets some TLC which it surely deserves especially as much of the stuff that appears here is not great or gets tagged within an instant. This is one half of a collaborative session from Sepr (to follow) and Epok.

Epok, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2019
Epok, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2019

The piece was sprayed as an end of year celebration to see out 2018 (good riddance) and welcome in 2019. A sensational colour selection and all the hallmarks of a classic Epok piece – I love it to pieces.

1930. Wilder Street (25)

In my view, Sled One is the most inventive and creative artist working on the streets of Bristol at the moment, and this piece is an absolute master class. Sandwiched between writing from SMAK and Ments, this character piece acts as a focal point for this curated wall.

Sled One, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018 Sled One, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018

Many of Sled One’s pieces feature cat and mouse antics, and this one is a great example. The cat, a Samurai cat, is wearing a most glorious helmet onto which a mouse is clinging for dear life. I don’t know what it all means, but it is a visual marvel and so beautifully painted.

Smak, Sled One and Ments, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018 Smak, Sled One and Ments, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018

I love seeing Sled One’s work, but sadly it seems to be quite a rare occurrence these days. So, so good.

1902.M32 Spot (36)

This Deamze burner photobombed a recent post of a Silent Hobo column, but in my view deserves a post all of its own. This writing is one of the forms that Deamze uses in his work. It is much simpler than his wildstyle work, but still has a clean and sharp look to it.

Deamze, M32 spot, Bristol, November 2018
Deamze, M32 spot, Bristol, November 2018

The colours and drift of shading work really nicely and the whole thing stands out and looks so fresh. You could give a hundred artists a can and a wall and ask them to recreate this, but none would be as good. At the top of his game.

 

 

1890. Shoreditch, London (8)

One of the things I love most about seeing street art in other cities is when I see a piece by an I am familiar with – it gives me that warm glow of conceit, and so it was when I saw this lovely burner by Bristol’s Voyder.

Voyder, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Voyder, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

The last piece I saw by Voyder was at Upfest back in July, so to find this one in Shoreditch was definitely a special moment. This is such a clever piece, I cannot really do it justice in any explanation, but I will try. Everything you see is utterly deliberate – the blurring of the letters and the drips and splashes, what makes this extra special is how Voyder has created this with extreme skill in blending the colours through the piece and making the whole thing look a bit amateurish. To the trained eye, this is utterly brilliant, to others it might just look a bit rubbish.

1883. M32 roundabout J3 (109)

I’m not sure how often Andy Council participates in paint jams (I can’t recall any recent occasions) but he certainly joined in the spirit of this one down on the M32 roundabout between St Agnes and Easton.

Andy Council, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
Andy Council, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, November 2018

Andy Council is well-known for creating pictures of animals or birds that are composed of natural of built features. He has excelled himself with this beautiful duck-billed platypus swimming through a watery scene. This is a wall that just keeps on giving and will continue to do so until its next makeover and then its next.

1869. M32 roundabout J3 (107)

Sometimes words aren’t really enough to describe how good a piece of graffiti writing is, and this is a case in point. This is Deamze’s contribution to the recent paint jam by ASK and friends on the M32 roundabout, and it really leaves me speechless.

Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018

There is so much to like about this piece over and above the technical execution, for example the exquisite colour selections that match the other works on this wall, but not only that, the way Deamze uses the colours, especially the greens, lifts the piece from the wall. The leafy design within his letters is also really beautiful. In all this is a masterful piece.

1866. M32 roundabout J3 (106)

Consistency. A word that comes to mind when I think about graffiti writing by Soker. His work is always immaculate, beautifully conceived and generally just brilliant in every way.

Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018

This piece is the third that I have posted from this magnificent paint jam earlier in the month, featuring mainly artists from ASK plus one or two guests…more on them later. The crew have really raised the bar this time.

1863. New Stadium Road (10)

Back in one of his favourite spots, Deamze is at it again with one of his wildstyle writing plus cartoon combos.On this occasion no amount of research is going to help me identify the cartoon character. It is one of those that you either know or you don’t.

Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, October 2018

These pieces seem to come so easily to Deamze, and yet I’m sure there is a lot of hard work that goes into producing each one, especially as his lines are so sharp and precise. I wonder if after so much practice Deamze can simply freestyle these or whether he follows a plan – as I’ve not yet met him (I think we have different biological clocks) I’ve never been able to ask him. One day maybe.

1860. M32 roundabout J3 (103)

Hemper is something of an enigma, as indeed are so many street artists in Bristol. Other than that he has long experience spraying in the city and that he is highly regarded by his peers, I really know very little about him.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018

This is a wonderfully sophisticated piece of wildstyle writing that disguises the letters HEMS, each of the letters in alternate white or black paint. The interlocking of the letters is something of a marvel, and just looking at the piece makes my mind boggle. It really is very good.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018

I particularly like the little green spheres that set the whole thing off, and feel that without them it might have looked a little sterile. This is the second piece I have posted from a recent paint jam at this spot.