Tag: ASK

3541. Brunel Way bridge (94)

It is a great pity that Epok is a rare visitor to Bristol these days, preferring to paint in Gloucestershire, where I presume he must live. The upshot of this is that each of his pieces in the city is very precious, like this one as part of an ASK collaboration from a while back.

Epok, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Epok, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

This wall is a nightmare to photograph due to the amount of glare streaming in from the left hand side. Even on overcast days it is tricky. This is a spectacular geometric piece from Epok, combining his straight lines and angles with circles and semi-circles, spelling out EPOK. Although part of a five-way collaboration, this section of the wall was shared by Epok and painting pal Piro who combined styles and colour schemes. Good to see a new Epok piece in town.

3508. Brunel Way bridge (92)

I don’t get to see nearly enough work from Piro, he tends to paint in some secret abandoned building locations in the Stroud Area which I have never been to. Just occasionally though he paints in Bristol and this was part of a long collaborative wall from a few weeks ago.

Piro, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Piro, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

His style is most akin to Epok, who he often paints alongside and did so again on this occasion. These highly designed letters spell out PIRO, although I cannot be entirely certain. The combination of straight lines, curves and colours is beautifully put together and has a touch of Art Deco influence about it.

3498. Dean Lane skate park (390)

Unheralded and therefore unexpected, was this sumptuous recent piece from Inkie in Dean Lane. On his own Instagram feed Inkie describes this piece as a ‘Wildstyle painting in Boogie Down Bristol for new @sam_krats & @mc_craig_g NYC track ‘Culture’ coming soon’. So that gives us a little clue to what the writing says – CULTURE.

Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021

Inkie paints quite a few of these music-linked pieces, and I am never quite sure if they are commissions or simply promoting music for his friends. In a way I don’t really care what his motivation is, more the high quality of his outstanding artwork – years of hard graft and huge talent make this stuff look quite easy, the sign of a master at work.

3491. Brunel Way bridge (91)

This is the third component of an extraordinary collaboration by Smak, who painted this writing on a shared pink background along with Ments and Sled One. What made this super-extraordinary was that on the same day this was sprayed, the other side of the wall was being painted by 3Dom, Feek, Piro, Epok and Sepr. For followers of street/graffiti art, this was a truly momentous occasion.

Smak, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Smak, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

As we are accustomed to seeing from Smak, this is a highly accomplished piece of work. The blend of angular letters combined with spheres and a fluid metallic look to some elements makes for a fascinating and creative piece. There is so much skill, experience and patience in this piece, a triumph.

3484. M32 Cycle path (110)

I often use the word ‘modest’ when describing Hemper’s work, but I use it in the sense that he turns up and paints with the minimum of bluster. His graffiti writing is always outstanding and often very showy, like this one, but somehow he just gets on with it and keeps a low profile. That he doesn’t have an Instagram account probably reinforces my perception of his modesty.

Hemper, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2021
Hemper, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2021

This is a special piece, painted next to and at the same time as a Benjimagnetic BEN that I posted a few days ago. Each letter is discrete in colour and decoration, but there is a stylistic flow that carries through from left to right. The letters spell out HEMS and splash this wall with colour and joy. This is high-end graffiti writing at its beat.

3479. Brunel Way bridge (90)

There are times when you have to just sit down and absorb a piece, to enjoy it to the maximum, and marvel at its splendour. This amazing piece by Sled One is one of those, and I don’t think that anything I write will actually add anything to the majesty of this work.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The regal character, part of a wider collaboration set on a pink background, is as unsettling as it is crazy. A lizard-like queen with a full set of pearls (is it Queen Victoria?) is holding a sceptre which looks like it has a fly on the end.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The surreal piece might be political commentary, or it might not, with Sled One it is customary to not really know what is going on. Accepting that there is a great story there somewhere is probably enough and we all have to let our imaginations run wild. I love this a lot.

3463. Cumberland Basin

I can’t recall seeing these two collaborating before, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, simply that my memory doesn’t serve me as well as it used to. Sepr and Acer One is a partnership that I wouldn’t have predicted, as their styles are very contrasting, but this new wall is Cumberland Basin is absolutely spiffing.

Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

The central section is by Acer One and is an amazingly technical piece of writing, based on a geometric design style for which he is known. Standing up close, it is near impossible to work out what these letters say, but by stepping back, the brain interprets it more easily and it says ‘More Love’ – I don’t think any of us can argue with that.

Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

The central panel is bookended by two exquisite characters from Sepr. On the left is a devilish Cupid whose love arrows are finding mischief, in particular with a seagull who appears to be smitten.

Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

To the right a female Cupid character is also firing love arrows across the piece. I don’t quite know what these two characters symbolise, but they are brilliantly painted and a lot of fun. Maybe they are a representation of the frustrations of lockdown and our distance from our loved ones.

All in all a superb collaboration and well worth a visit.

Sepr and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Sepr and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021

3461. Brunel Way bridge (88)

Of all the ‘masters’ of Bristol graffiti writing, I think that Hemper is probably the least represented on Natural Adventures. I am not entirely sure why that might be. Perhaps it is the modest approach he takes to his highly technical freestyle work, or to the fact that he normally paints with other artists, which might take the attention away. I don’t know. Anyhow, I really ought to address this imbalance – perhaps with a gallery.

Hemper, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2021
Hemper, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2021

In this piece under Brunel Way, Hemper spells out HEMS with some glorious curvy letters filled with a couple of shade of purple and embellished in a way that gives it a shiny 3D effect – how does he achieve that shiny thing? Some very clever white additions that give it a reflective quality. This is a real technical banger.

3397. Cumberland Basin

The third piece from an outstanding recent paint jam on the long wall at Cumberland Basin that I have posted on Natural Adventures is by Sled One, and features a Raccoon (something that SPZero76 is a specialist in painting) off on its travels.

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2020
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2020

I saw a little video clip on Sled One’s Instagram feed which had a little raccoon dropping a piece of ice into some water and getting utterly confused when the ice just disappeared like magic… so beyond the poor mammal’s comprehension. I think this piece is a retelling of that little snippet of film through the imaginative lens of Sled One. This surreal piece is rooted in experience and naturally has been painted with supreme expertise. Classic Sled One.

3385. M32 roundabout J3 (271)

Coming across a Soker piece is never disappointing and when it is a variation away from his usual letters SOKER or SOKEM it is especially noteworthy. This wonderfully colourful burner spells out Super FREAK. I don’t know what the reference is, but I do know that the result is superb.

Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something about Soker’s style that is uniquely his and that makes identification relatively easy… maybe it is the curves in the letters or the 3D shadow, I don’t know, but most of the time it is possible to get it right. The fills in the letters are to die for, and overall this is the work of a craftsman at the very top of his game.