Tag: Brunel Way

3655. Brunel Way (99)

Stivs continues to turn out some of the best calligraphy writing in Bristol and this is an absolute beauty under Brunel Way. The photographs simply don’t do this piece justice… in the context of the slightly gloomy spot, the bright blue and purple letters illuminated the space and demanded to be looked at. A real humdinger.

Stivs, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
Stivs, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021

I am not even going to attempt to tell you what the letters spell out, although I was thinking of having a go, I can tell you however that it is not his customary STIVS. I think the really clever touch lies with the thin bright blue outline on the black background that gives the whole thing a little lift. A nice piece.

3652. Brunel Way (98)

This piece has quenched my thirst a little. Over the last year I haven’t seen too many Rusk pieces, and although he was never a ‘once a week’ artist, I would expect to see more from him in a normal year. Of course this is not a normal anything.

Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021

This is quite a large burner, on a wall I hate to photograph because of the light reflections and poor light quality. Rusk has written a beautifully finished intertwining set of letters with magnificent fills along with a bonus character of Mighty Mouse, although he has swapped his customary red cape for a blue one. Really nice stuff from Rusk.

3635. Brunel Way (97)

And they just keep coming. Rosalita (Raw) has been smashing it all over Bristol during the last six months and if I am honest, I couldn’t be happier about it. There is something about her work that feels very honest, at times brutal but so very full of soul. The subjects and the rich colours she uses are quite unusual in the street art world and her work stands out because of it.

Rosalita, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
Rosalita, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021

This piece, at the end of the Brunel Way concrete support depicts a lady carrying a heavy load, in fact a caravan, on her back, looking like a Sherpa Porter. Entitled “if this is my home, where do I go?” This is a powerful piece on the subject of right to roam. So good.

3627. Brunel Way (96)

Because of its association with graffiti and street art, Bristol is a bit of a magnet for visiting artists and what fortune that Kane Rose paid a visit while painting alongside the No Frills crew a few weeks back. I don’t know the artist, but know that he is a tattoo artists who also paints walls, like so many of our own Bristol artists.

Kane Rose, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
Kane Rose, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021

When I first saw this I wondered whether it might have been by SkyHigh, because there is a definite similarity of styles. I have to confess that I had to wait until I saw the piece appear on Instagram before I could be sure of the artist. The block letters, each with a different colour and style, on first inspection appears to spell USA, but I have a feeling it actually says UPSTART. A lovely piece.

3564. Brunel Way Bridge (95)

Another very nice large piece of graffiti writing from Subtle, one of several recent works after quite a long quiet period. It seems that like many other artists Subtle is painting in bursts of activity, hitting loads of walls in a matter of a few days.

Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2021
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2021

I also think that Subtle must have bought a job-lot of paint, because his recent works have contained similar colour palettes. The letters here are a little more ornate than usual, and the pink boundary and dark stripes are very nice decorations to the piece. Classy as always.

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.

3518. Brunel Way bridge (93)

It is coincidental, not planned, that I have followed up a Daz Cat piece with a Kool Hand piece, these two being great friends and frequent collaborators. The curved ends of the long concrete bridge support on the south side of the river are great for portrait pieces, and Kool Hand has used the space well for one of his orangutan pieces.

Kool Hand, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Kool Hand, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

I have seen one of his like this before, where the orangutan is balancing on its hand, in a way that only these large apes can do. I don’t know what the fascination with orangutans is for Kool Hand, but I guess it is no different from Daz Cat mostly painting cats for example. 

Kool Hand, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018
Kool Hand, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018

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.

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.

3489. Brunel Way bridge (90)

My heart always beats a little faster when I find a new Sepr piece, and this one, part of a full wall collaboration, is pure Sepr at his creative best. As with so many of the great Bristol character painters, it is often very difficult to know what is going on, but art I guess is partly the intention of the artist and partly the interpretation of the viewer.

Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The rather concerned character seems to be holding a mask with a happy face on it, so maybe this piece is about hiding our true feelings and emotions behind a happy facade. The soft touch and expert spray work from Sepr is epitomised by the shades of orange on the character’s shirt giving the material depth and texture. This is a tour de force from one of the very best in Bristol.