3192. M32 Spot (80)

Yet another outstanding piece from Inkie in this purple patch we are lucky enough to be witnessing in Bristol at the moment. I am guessing that Inkie has a bit of time on his hands at the moment… maybe it is a pandemic thing and if it is then it is an upside as far as I am concerned.

Inkie, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020
Inkie, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020

Alongside some of his friends (posts to follow soon) this appeared about a week or so ago at the top end of Stapleton Road. It is an absolute classic and painted in colours that he has used before, from memory he painted a van in similar shades. Those of you who follow Thursday Doors, might well see this piece again sometime in the future (door hidden under the I and E). I will never tire of his work and am really enjoying this current spate.

Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019

3187. Cheltenham 2020 (5)

This is the last post in this little digression from the Cheltenham Paint Festival (although I will post some more in the coming weeks) and it falls to the brilliant Bristol artist Sepr to round off his cluster. Some of the best pieces at the CPF are painted on the pavilion in Pittville Park and this is no exception.

Sepr, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020
Sepr, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020

Sepr’s style is so appealing to me, the retrospective style so reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s and illustrations that used to appear in children’s books. The story here is of a man on the telephone listening to a penguin with a guitar and maracas. Go figure… stunningly executed work as always.

3179. Alfred Street (4)

As part of a recent paint jam, the walls of the Dare To nightclub were given something of a stupendous makeover and would be the envy of many a building in Bristol. This piece was one of four on this elevation and is by Inkie.

Inkie, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2020
Inkie, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2020

It would seem that Inkie is spending a lot of time in the Bristol area at the moment and is hitting a lot of walls. I can’t think of a time when I have seen so many new pieces from him in such a short space of time. We are being spoilt. This is a particularly nice one in pink, featuring the one and only Pink Panther. A real beauty and so typically Inkie if you know what I mean.

3159. Dean Lane skate park (348)

Soker never disappoints. His graffiti writing is always of the highest possible quality and he sets a very high bar for other writers in Bristol to aspire to. This is a super little piece alongside Inkie in Dean Lane from a week or two back.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020

The letters are filled with three slightly different shades of blue with some nice bubbles running through the middle. There is some partial 3D shading in yellow with a vanishing point behind the piece and the whole thing is set off perfectly with some red decorations around the perimeter. Clean and crisp, a great example of great writing.

3149. Dean Lane skate park (344)

It is always a treat to find an Inkie piece, and to come across two new ones in the space of about month is a great excuse for celebration. This one appeared a week or two back on the long wall at Dean Lane alongside Soker and Zooki (an artist I am unfamilar with).

Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020

The shapes of the letters and the style of 3D fills are so recognisable in his work and it only takes a second to identify his pieces. The colour transitions in the fills are expert an the overall colour selections with the blue 3D shading and red clouds are brave, but work fantasticlly well. A fine piece from a top artist, and a nice tribute to Desire.

3144. Raleigh Road (9)

At last Cheo has broken cover. He seems to have spent much of the last six months on his studio work and commercial activities and painting walls has taken a back seat. This new piece on the wall outside the Souk Kitchen (a favourite for Upfest) is actually a kind of promotion for an augmented reality piece he has done recently.

Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2020
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2020

The crisp piece shows a character fusion with a television set – a proper old one like we grew up with… It is called ‘Retro Flow’ and is the first time Cheo has worked with augmented reality. It is so good to see something on the street from Cheo after such a long break, looking forward to more soon.

3106. North Street

I’m not entirely certain I have seen a collaboration between Andy Council and Soker before so this recent piece on North Street is something of a wonderful surprise. The whole thhing is beautifully balanced and the colour selections work perfectly. The Soker burner in the middle is book-ended with the front and back of a dragon with parts of the back running the length of the whole piece for continuity.

Soker, North Street, Bristol, July 2020
Soker, North Street, Bristol, July 2020

I’ll start with the Soker writing, which as ever is top notch with a five colour horizontal fill that works really well and some pink/mauve 3D shading that adds real depth to the lettering. On its own this is remarkable.

Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, July 2020
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, July 2020

The front end of the dragon by Andy Council is made up of individual components stitched together with pink looping thread. There is movement and power in this dragon, but its form is a figment of our imaginations. Very clever.

Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, July 2020
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, July 2020

The rear end of the dragon is more of the same, but some of the component parts begin to resemble feathers flutteing away, which I am sure is no accident, because Andy Council’s usual preference for dinosaurs woud include scales and primitive feathers (derived from scales). A wonderful collaboration from thes two godfathers of Bristol street art.

3082. Cumberland Basin

Sled One is simply knocking out great pieces at the moment, all of equally high quality and imaginatively pioneering. This sausage on a mobile phone is such a great example of his creativity… a sausage? who’d have thought it?

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2020
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2020

Of course this is a mash up of writing (SLED) and a character, something that Sled One is a master of. Other writers will often add a character to the side of their work, but they rarely synthesise them into the piece itself. He has a rare talent. It is so good to see Sled One hitting the streets so frequently and it is worth making hay while the sun shines, because he can go quiet for extended periods (work demands probably). Sausages.

3078. M32 roundabout J3 (238)

This fine piece by Soker was a part of the graffiti writer paint jam from a week or so back. I do think that there is a lot to be said for prepping a wall beforehand for artists of a certain calibre such as Soker, that makes a kind of statement that this work is worth proper treatment – some might view this as taking the edge out of graffiti and I would understand that, but I like it.

Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

This piece is on the face of it wonderfully simple, until you take a look at the orange fills with blue drips and the use of five colours graded horizontally in the letters. The purple spots just add something special (Imagine the piece without them). Great work from a graffiti master.

3075. M32 roundabout J3 (237)

Inkie’s work is consistently outstanding. What a privilege it was to happen upon a paint jam a short while ago at which some of the great and the good of the Bristol and London graffiti writing scene converged on the walls of the M32 roundabout on two consecutive days. A highlight of the year so far.

Inkie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Inkie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

This piece needs no introduction. Rather I suggest that you simply admire the burning tones and typical ‘fairground’ lettering style that has become representative of the Bristol street art scene. A huge surprise and a red hot piece – happy days.