Carrying on the theme of female artists today, this is a superb piece of graffiti writing from Bloem. There seems to be no stopping her so far this year, and that can only be a good thing. What is so unusual about Bloem’s work, for an artist who is relatively new to graffiti writing, is the precision and clarity of her lines, which comes with incredible can control.
Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2025
The irregular letters BLOEM pop so well from the wall, thanks to the brilliant white drop shadow. The red letter fill is blended so brilliantly, it isn’t possible to be sure where one shade ends and the next begins. On top of that, the circles and spots are perfectly applied throughout. Wrapping the whole piece up is a black and green border, which has a life of its own with ‘flames’ and drips. Every component of this piece comes together so well, and in Bloem we have an emerging superstar.
Something happened to Daz Cat while he was travelling in Southeast Asia over the winter. It is almost as if he had an epiphany after which his art has moved on to a new level. A glance at this gallery of his work shows how much he has developed over the years, but this transformation is a bit of a step change.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Daz Cats work was already becoming more sophisticated, but since returning to the UK there is more fluidity in his work, which is more three dimensional, and he is trying out new things, such as the profile portrait of the girl in this piece. This is an exceptional and original piece of street art, and I think it might be my new favourite by Daz Cat. Whilst I was photographing it, a passer-by who was walking his dog, singled out this piece and said how much he admired it. Keep it up Daz Cat, this is special.
Hemper and Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2022
Hemper does seem to love his collaborative walls, and has partnered so many Bristol graffiti writers over the years. In this piece in the tunnel he has paired up with Benjimagnetic, who has been a little quiet of late.
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2022
To the left is a superb piece of organic writing, so organic in fact that it is sprouting shoots and leaves, from Hemper. Spelling out HEMS, this is an utterly awesome piece of writing and shows off his talents to the maximum. I cannot really express how this piece is close to technical perfection and incredibly beautiful to boot, which is not always the case with technically great pieces. A masterclass in writing from Hemper.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2022
To the right of the collaborative space is a bright and colourful piece that really brings out the best in Benjimagnetic. The letter fills, using straight lines, create a wonderful structural effect that gives the writing so much depth and texture. It is always a great pleasure to see any new pieces from Benjimagnetic.
Today I might get a chance to investigate a spot or two for the first time in 11 days. I wonder how much new stuff there is out there…
When you immerse yourself in the world of street art and graffiti writing in the way that I and many others do, you develop a deep sense of how good the art is in terms of technical skills, emotional grab, story telling, colour sense and so on. And sometimes you need only glance at a piece for a second to realise that it is truly outstanding and on a different level. This is how I felt when I saw this from Smak in Dean Lane a week or so back.
Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
It feels like seeing something in CinemaScope for the first time when you are used to a smaller format. The letters spelling SMAK are perfectly arranged and the colours and fills, with a metallic feel, are outstanding. For me, this is a great example of perfect graffiti writing, and such a wonderful Christmas gift from Smak.
There is so much construction work going on in Bristol it is quite mind-boggling, and this in the shadow of ten years of austerity and now a coronavirus recession – there are obviously still large bags of money out there. Construction usually means that, for a short while at least, temporary hoardings will be installed, and if you are lucky the constructors may commission street artists to paint them in the hope that they don’t get covered in unattractive tags.
Kin Dose, Temple Way, Bristol, September 2020
Temple way is no stranger to construction, but may be a stranger to the talents of Kin Dose whose meerkat piece is outstanding in every way. Kin Dose uses an airbrush technique that allows him to create the detail in the fur and the tree branch and so on. Sit back and enjoy this wonderful masterpiece from one of the very best.
Clean, sharp, crisp, brilliant design and a touch and tone that altogether scream out the name Dibz. This is a really classy piece from the local artist, and if I have any complaints at all it is that we just don’t see enough of his work around the place.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2019
Everything about this is good and even if you are not a fan of graffiti writing you must be able to appreciate the quality of this piece. From the cerise background, which acts as a brilliant host colour for the rest of the piece, to the split colours used in the lettering and the graded shading therein, this piece oozes quality. I could go on, but feel that I am in danger of sounding a little too unctuous and so will leave you to judge the piece for yourselves. It is good though.
I think that this was probably the most photographed wall at Upfest 2017. It is certainly one of the best, if not the best, spot at the festival and this time it was given a magnificent makeover by Kobra.
Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
It is a fascinating rendition of John Lennon in the style so typical of Kobra, using geometric shapes and contrasting colours as an overlay to the portrait. As a strong statement in street art, this piece is exceptional, and pretty much stole the show amongst the visiting public. I have only one slight uncertainty about the piece and that is the relevance of John Lennon to Bristol – but perhaps I am being a little parochial about this.
Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Many of the visitors who came to the festival would not have seen this piece without the cherry-picker parked in front of it, which wasn’t removed until the Monday or Tuesday after the event, which is a real pity.
Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Since seeing this piece, tmy first by Kobra, I was lucky enough to come across a couple more in Williamsburg, New York, which I hope to post here if I ever get through my growing backlogs.
Kobra, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Make no mistake though the scale and nature of this piece make it a real winner, a stunner and a must-see wall if you happen to visit Bristol, before it goes this July.
There are two artists in Bristol who are performing at the top of their game at the moment, Deamze and Voyder. Deamze consistantly turns out superb wildstyle pieces and absorbs styles and characters into his pieces with ease, but it is Voyder who, in my opinion, is hitting a new level with his work.
Deamze, Waterloo Place, Bristol, April 2017
This bright collaboration can be found on the wall at the back of the Sofa Project in Old Market. It is so, so good that it really does have to be seen in the flesh. There is a consistent thread of the colour scheme and a diagonal line through both pieces that cuts through the writing, and with which both artists have treated the line as a breaking point in the work – so thought out and skilful.
Deamze, Waterloo Place, Bristol, April 2017
I would like to focus a little – which is hard to do with two such immense pieces – on Voyder’s half of the collaboration, because I think this is the best piece I have seen from him, ever. The neon line zig-zagging through the Lichtenstein influenced brush strokes is masterful. Look at the shadows and the light that radiates from the neon. Just amazing.
Voyder, Waterloo Place, Bristol, April 2017
Voyder has mastered his technique, and I don’t quite know where he goes from here. He has just been getting better and better with every piece and I consider him to be the king of writing in Bristol right now. If you don’t agree, just get down and take a close look at this piece. The best collaborative piece of the year so far as far as I am concerned. Love it (just in case you hadn’t figured that yet).
There is a lot to say about this remarkable recent piece by 3Dom in Wilder Street. I found out, while speaking to Alex from Where the Wall, that strictly speaking 3Dom did not have permission to spray the piece. Furthermore he sprayed over one of the landmark pieces left behind by Shalak Attack and Bruno Smokey when they visited Bristol last year.
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
I get the feeling that 3Dom got away with this misdemeanour on two counts…firstly his status as a local artist and secondly it is quite simply outstanding. The work in my eyes represents quite a departure from the usual wild and weird characters normally associated with his work. Here we see an intricate and beautiful study of floral patterns, shapes and colours, so very different from his previous work.
3Dom, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
This is a truly outstanding piece and worth a trip to Wilder Street to grab a look. I noticed via 3Dom’s Insta account that he not so very long ago produced a similar style piece in London. This is the mark of an artist exploring new ideas and expressions, not something all are blessed with. I look forward to maybe seeing more of this stuff, which I understand was freestyled. Bravo!
Natural adventures 