ASK – Page 2 – Natural adventures

6737. M32 roundabout J3 (653)

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016

I know exactly why I never posted this piece at the time I photographed it. Although I was blown away by it, I didn’t know who the artist was, and so it remained in my archive unseen. I have revisited it several times over the years, but now feel confident enough in suggesting it is by Hemper.

The location, the ASK tag, and the possibility that the disguised letters may spell HEMS and the sheer quality of the piece draws me to the conclusion that it is by Hemper. Whoever the artist, it remains one of my favourite pieces of crazy graffiti writing ever. Everything about it is near perfect, from concept to execution. Those stones/bubbles must have taken an age to paint, and the black ‘web’ draped around the letters is exceptional. The work of a genius.

6408. Dean Lane skate park (760)

Turoe and Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024

Two of the Bristol masters have been at work in this fabulous collaboration in Dean Lane. Turoe and Soker have been writing for way longer than I have been posting about street art and are without doubt part of the established scene in the city. Although they don’t paint as often as some other graffiti writers, their work is always immaculate.

Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024

The colour selection of both pieces is superb, with cool steel blues dominating. There aren’t the words to describe how good Turoe’s writing is. There is some wildstyle work, but it is not fussy or over-complicated. The colour transitions in the fills are exquisite and the 3D drop shadow with a vanishing point just beneath the piece sets the piece up perfectly.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024

Soker’s piece is rather more elongated and has a slight metallic quality. The letters SOKER are clearly marked out, but it is the design of the letters that is so attractive. What a pity I photographed it when it was in the shade, as I expect that in the sunlight it would give off a quite different aura. Simply a wonderful collaboration.

6197. Dean Lane skate park (731)

I expect that this piece, like most of his writing, was freestyled by Sled One. What I mean by that is that he most likely painted it straight off the top of his head, without a sketch in a black book, or anything like that. To be able to do that suggests not only confidence but also incredible talent.

Sled One has written SLED, with each letter being defined by a different colour/pattern regime, helping to pick them out. There are so many details and points of interest, but two that stand out are the barbed wire at the base of the ‘L’ and the downward facing arrow between the ‘E’ and ‘D’. All of these details combine to create a superb piece of wildstyle graffiti writing.

5895. St Werburghs tunnel (413)

Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2024

With this piece in St Werburghs tunnel, Inkie demonstrates his versatility, and shows that he can paint way outside his ‘house’ style that is so familiar to folk in Bristol. This piece was painted during the incredibly well attended February paint jam organised by Ryder.

Inkie has painted something of a tribute to Galaxian, a computer game from 1979 that could be found in pretty much every pub or arcade in the early 1980s usually alongside Asteroids. The INKIE letters have been painted in the Galaxian brand style, and he has included rows of spaceships in formation. This is a wonderfully painted piece of ’80s nostalgia, which would have resonated with most of the other artists who participated in the paint jam.

5639. Sparke Evans Park (85)

Smak, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, October 2023

This was the piece by Smak that I had intended to post yesterday, but my system (a bit like a production line) got all into a muddle. This is a really classy piece with some hints of 1930s design in some of the letters, given a contemporary twist.

The piece was painted alongside a mammoth Halloween paint jam from two all-female crews, RBF and FKB (Full Killer Burners). Note to self – post the FKB pieces in a single post. Smak’s work is simply so classy, both in his overall design and in his extraordinary talent and skill. The colours used in this piece are rich and sumptuous, giving a commanding and confident aura to the piece. Brilliant work from Smak.

5529. St Werburghs tunnel (385)

Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023

Today is the first day of a short break in Cornwall, and my focus is on dusting off my fishing gear and preparing myself for a day outdoors in the fresh air. Of course, my routine is likely to be a little disrupted, and my posts might get a little erratic as the week wears on, but that is fine. Today’s post features a fabulous piece by Inkie in the tunnel, from a paint jam at the end of August.

I am spoilt. There was a time when I used to get super-excited when I found work by Inkie, whose reputation precedes him, but these days I am fairly nonchalant about it, and even the presence of Goldie in this work in progress shot seem quite normal. Perhaps I have been doing this too long and am losing my edge.

The piece by Inkie is out of the top drawer, and I guess that in a paint jam of this calibre, everyone is under a little pressure to turn out their best work. Beautiful letters, outstanding fills and a sumptuous 3D drop shadow combine perfectly to render an archetypal Inkie piece. We are blessed.

5473. M32 roundabout J3 (506)

Sled One, M32 roundbout, Bristol, August 2023

I would have to say that seeing new artwork pretty much every day of my life fills me with deep pleasure, but there are some artists that max out that feeling and one of them is Sled One. Possibly better known for his wild and surreal character pieces, Sled One is a fantastically accomplished graffiti writer too, as this piece on the roundabout demonstrates.

I guess the thing that stands out in this beautifully crafted piece is the fill in the letters SLED1. To me the fill looks like an old stone wall with a choppy sea alongside. Whatever it is meant to be, what is remarkable is that it is contiguous throughout the letters, creating a scene to be viewed through the letters. Some mint-green flashes add further interest. This is a masterful piece of writing from one of Bristol’s best.

You can view a gallery of Sled One’s extraordinary work here

5432. M32 roundabout J3 (503)

Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2018

You’d need to go back to 2018 to remember this beauty from Soker. I don’t know how, but this piece got stranded and forgotten deep within my archive, and a quick delve has unearthed it for me to post today. Soker is one of the very best writers in Bristol, which is why it is a little surprising that I never posted this one.

The first thing to grab the attention is the classy colour palette. The fills in the seamlessly intertwined letters are of the very highest class, drifting from which, through yellow to oranges with consummate ease. The letters spelling SOKEM are pretty much perfect, and so cleanly finished. The buffed wall helps the piece to stand out and the pink and purple spots the cherry on the top. As close to perfect wildstyle writing as you will see.

4820. St Werburghs tunnel (319)

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.

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

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.

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’.

	hitandrun1964 on 7897. Dean Lane skate park…
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