Tag: Bristol

5247. Greenbank (81)

Kool Hand and Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023

I can’t believe we’re almost at the end of May, but it is true and with each day that passes more and more pieces of graffiti writing, and street art adorn our city walls. It can be a struggle at times to keep up, but a pleasurable struggle, if there is such a thing.

The light wasn’t particularly helpful on the day that I photographed this collaboration between Kool Hand and Daz Cat, but I might have just got away with it.

Kool Hand and Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023

To the left, a Kool crocodile chills up against a colourful palm tree, looking almost like a piece of quilt work (watch out Louis Masai!). On the right is a Daz Cat cat floating and mixing music. What is interesting about the collaboration is that Kool Hand’s work is quite flat, and Daz Cat’s has depth and perspective, bringing different aspects and styles to the piece. It is always good to see these two painting together.

5245. M32 Spot (162)

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

Conrico organised a paint jam under the M32 a week or so back, and a great many of the columns there were given a fresh coat of paint, including this banging vertical piece of writing from Ryder. The slogan accompanying this fiery piece is “play with fire – get burnt”, an apt phrase for the graffiti community.

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

Some artists have pure class, which is a gift that can’t be manufactured, and Ryder has class. There is a confidence and assertiveness about his work that eclipses others around him, and this is a great example of that. The fun piece (spelling out RYDER) incorporates character faces into the letters, something Ryder does a fair bit, and has a delicious colour selection with perfect fills, and a steady black outline. This is one of the best column pieces I have seen in a long while. Simply the best.

5244. St Werburghs tunnel (368)

Wxttsart, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Wxttsart, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023

I am enjoying the regular flow of MILK from Wxttsart, and this yellow and black number from a paint jam in the tunnel a little while back is another great example of his writing that is definitely crossing-over into calligraffiti.

Wxttsart, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Wxttsart, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023

His two-tone grey letters have a mid-line running through them and a yellow 3D shadow dropping off to the left, providing some depth to the writing. Adding a little bit of interest are some lightening strikes at the base of the letters and a few highlight spots, without which the piece might appear to be a little flat. Some nice work from Wxttsart.

5243. Cumberland Basin

Kosc, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Kosc, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023

Kosc has been smashing it for a long while now, both with his arty pieces and with his writing, and this is another fabulous example of his greyscale graffiti. I managed to catch up with Kosc last week as he was painting a new piece on the M32 roundabout, unfortunately I never saw the completed piece, as the entire wall was bombed by DBK before I returned a day or two later.

Kosc, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Kosc, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023

With clever use of light and dark shades and a midline ridge running through each of the letters, Kosc has managed to get the letters to pop out from the wall, creating a wonderful 3D effect. I would like to see Kosc experiment with anamorphic writing, because I think he would be excellent at it, and we don’t seem to have any anamorphic writers in Bristol at the moment, other than Zase. Another fine piece from Kosc.

5242. Brunel Way (207)

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2023
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2023

Last year, Maybe sprayed a piece that was all about hay fever, and the fact that this recent piece under Brunel Way is not dissimilar, leads me to believe that Maybe might be a pollen sufferer at this time of year. The main difference between the pieces is that this one is a little more direct and graphic in its content.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2023
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2023

Those of a fragile disposition should look away, as the character in the piece has her finger deeply inserted into her nostril, while green bogey faces (I am guessing) look on from the sidelines. The piece is nicely painted, creative and a little bit edgy in a schoolboy humour kind of way. Maybe certainly keeps us on our toes with his ideas and unique style.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022

Sunburn

.

Unfortunately

advice given not taken

wear a hat next time

.

by Scooj

5241. M32 Cycle path (217)

Laic217, Sako and Zake, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Laic217, Sako and Zake, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

Zake has been involved in a lot of collaborations already this year, but this one is a bit unusual, in that it includes Laic217 and Sako (an artist I am not familiar with). The collaboration is one in which the artists share a broad colour scheme, but each piece is discrete.

Laic217, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Laic217, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

Starting on the left, Laic217, who is going through a bit of a purple patch, has a rather dark, masked figure suspended over the letters LAIC. There are threads connecting the head and shoulders with the letters in something reminiscent of the Borg from Star Trek.  The head is highlighted with a halo of pink, which adds an extra dimension to the piece. Lovely work from Laic217.

Sako, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Sako, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

In the middle is a warehouse landscape by Sako and a fragmented planet earth at the bottom left. I certainly don’t know what this is about, but there must be a meaning in it somewhere. The scene reminds me of the Ikea store bit before the tills… a place I dislike for so many reasons. A great scene created with some atmosphere, which is an achievement given the subject.

Zake, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Zake, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

Finally, on the right, Zake continues with his ever-expanding repertoire, giving us his version of a six-armed god – inspired by the multitude of Hindu Goddesses with this characteristic. In Zake’s version, each arm is holding a spray can, of course, getting ready for some speed painting I would think. As usual, the light and shade work is exemplary, and the figure has enormous depth. A bright and rather eclectic collaboration from the three artists.

5240. Feeder Road

Dog Bless the Band, Feeder Road, Bristol, May 2023
Dog Bless the Band, Feeder Road, Bristol, May 2023

I said in a recent post that I had come across several Dog Bless the Band pieces that were completely new to me, and this is one of them. Hoardings are a bit of a bitter-sweet feature; they provide a great canvass for our street artists, but by definition, they are temporary and have a short lifespan. I guess they reflect the ephemeral nature of street art and graffiti culture.

Dog Bless the Band, Feeder Road, Bristol, May 2023
Dog Bless the Band, Feeder Road, Bristol, May 2023

His letters ‘MOTEL’ tickle me every time I see them. As is usually the case, Dog Bless the Band has used modest pastel shades for his fills, which contrast nicely with the background pink and red spotty backdrop. Another nice piece from this productive artist.

Prophesy

.

There will come a day

when the swifts do not return

and we will notice

.

by Scooj

Swifts

.

The sound I’ve longed for

heralds temperate summer

shrill cries on the breeze

.

by Scooj