5986. Brunel Way (270)

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2024
Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2024

The wonderful thing about art is that you can create situations or landscapes or portraits and so on that are utterly fictional, unlikely, impossible, weird and that you are in control of this creative universe. Alternatively, some artists try to capture real life either through accurate representations or abstract interpretations. Bean has painted something verging on the weird side with this piece.

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2024
Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2024

The character, who is wearing a rather curious hat, is holding his, or somebody else’s severed legs from which blue gloop is gushing. I’ll not attempt to interpret the piece, which is exceptionally painted in Bean’s trademark two-tone colour cartoon style. An entertaining and curious piece.

5970. Brunel Way (269)

Todoaciem, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2024
Todoaciem, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2024

We are blessed in Bristol with having not one, but three calligraffiti artists, each bringing their own take on the style. The three are Stivs, Wxttsart and Todoaciem. There may be others, but if so, they are a little under my radar. This outstanding piece under Brunel Way was painted beneath Brunel Way, next to a piece painted by compatriot Pura Decadencia (to come).

Todoaciem, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2024
Todoaciem, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2024

The letters spell CIEM, as you might expect, but what is really special here is the additional decorative scrolls on the edges of the script, creating a wonderful flourish. The colours blue and gold give it a regal look that works surprisingly well on the backdrop of black and pink spots. This is a top piece of calligraffiti from a confident and technically very skilled artist.

5964. Brunel Way (268)

Mr Crawls, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Mr Crawls, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

Everything about this piece by Mr Crawls is good. Utility box painting, in my view is providing a public service, and indeed in some countries is actively promoted, to turn these utilitarian metal monstrosities into something attractive and a talking point. This artwork is of course illegal and considered subversive, and yet what joy it brings.

Mr Crawls, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Mr Crawls, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

Mr Crawls has been using chrome backgrounds a lot lately and it works especially well here, providing a neutral backdrop to a stunning red and grey bird character piece. I think that the way this has come together and the location contribute towards making it my favourite piece by the artist so far (I think).

5938. Brunel Way (266)

Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023

Trawling through my archives in search of a particular piece definitely has some extra benefits, which mainly consist of unearthing ‘lost’ work that was either by an unknown artist at the time or simply got left behind due to the volume of photographs coming in each week. I was so pleased therefore, to stumble on this lovely wheatpaste by Abbie Laura Smith from last summer during my last rummage.

Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023

The small paste up, looks like it is slightly out of focus, but that is due to the double line outline of the portrait. I love the way that Abbie Laura Smith has placed this colourful piece on a colourfully tagged column, almost disguising it, and as I have said before, the placement of paste ups is just as important as the artwork, and she has smashed both elements with this one.  I am so pleased to have been able to share this, albeit ten months late.

5912. Brunel Way (265)

Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

It is such a pleasure to have a wheatpaster in Bristol, and one who pastes her pieces just often enough to make discovering each one an exciting event. This is a small one by Abbie Laura Smith on the bridge (Ashton Avenue Bridge) that crosses the River Avon, joining the south bank with Spike Island.

Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

The black and white portrait is beautifully drawn and conceals a whole ton of writing in the hair, which I am guessing is a poem or lyrics to a song. I can make out some phrases, but not the whole thing. I have a feeling that the piece might be called “When you can’t sleep…”, as that is the label Abbie Laura Smith gave the piece on her Instagram, although that might be a reference to when she created the portrait. All good stuff and I am looking forward to finding more.

5909. Brunel Way (264)

Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

I am so far behind with my posts that since this piece by Dibz and Fade was painted, the left hand side has gone, and the right hand side augmented. The more these two work together, the more difficult it becomes to determine who has painted what, and I was lucky enough to meet them yesterday and Fade said that the both contribute to both bits of their work, and that it might be easier to attribute the pieces to both of them, rather than trying to isolate one artist from the other.

Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

Having said all of that, on the left, the writing is the work of Fade, containing plenty of spots from the cheetah. Some great letter shapes and the crossover fade from orange to black is expertly handled.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

On the right the letters spell out Dibz, and the character, which I have only just realised as I write this, is the cheetah from the Cheetos snacks brand, hence the words “it’s not easy… being cheesy”. The cheetah and the writing have been incorporated into a full wall Alice in Wonderland piece from the pair, which I hope to be able to stitch together from several visits. There is no stopping this Dibz/Fade juggernaut.

5901. Brunel Way (263)

Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

This is the last of the pieces by Roo from a recent visit she and SkyHigh made to Bristol earlier in the month. The beautiful scene features a happy bumblebee over Bristol, with the Clifton Suspension bridge in the background. I managed to take the photograph, on a gorgeous day (what are these?) in a way that incorporated the real Clifton Suspension bridge behind the Environment Agency structure.

Roo’s style, as I have mentioned before is always cheerful, whatever the subject, and a welcome antidote to all the challenges and troubles of everyday life. No matter how crap you might be feeling, finding one of her pieces is guaranteed to cheer you up and offer a different perspective on things. We all need this reminder and what better way to deliver it than through the medium of street art. Thank you Roo.

5889. Brunel Way (262)

Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

As mentioned in a recent post, Roo and SkyHigh visited Bristol recently, and left a memorable mark on the walls of Brunel Way. Rther sadly SkyHigh’s masterpiece didn’t last too long, but I am pleased to report that Roo’s pieces are still making an impact on anyone wandering around the area.

Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

Roo’s work is simple, with bold outlines and solid fills. Her cartoon style is beyond charming and her characters always have a sunny disposition. Although the pieces are simple, this doesn’t mean that they are easy to paint, in fact the opposite is true, great skill is needed to produce the crisp and sharp lines, which are exposed to deeper scrutiny than more complex and busy pieces.

Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol ,March 2024
Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol ,March 2024

Not content only with painting her daisy on this little wall, Roo also found time to decorate one of the columns under Brunel Way. She painted another piece too, not all that far away, which I will feature soon. Roo and SkyHigh are always welcome in Bristol, spicing things up a little.

5884. Brunel Way (261)

SkyHigh, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
SkyHigh, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

How great it is that ShyHigh and Roo have friends/family in Bristol, because it means that if we get lucky, they swing by to visit and while here, decorate a few walls for us. Their latest visit yielded this exceptional piece from SkyHigh on the fat pillar wall underneath Brunel Way. Roo also painted a few nearby spots (to follow).

SkyHigh, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
SkyHigh, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

As I would expect, the large piece from SkyHigh is a wonderful mash up of letter styles to create the whole words SKY HIGH. Each letter is perfectly presented, and although discrete, somehow works with the letters adjacent. I love the ‘paper-based’ letters, ‘S’ written on note paper and the ‘i’ written on a ‘Hello my name is’ sticker. Brilliant work from a brilliant and creative writer. Come back soon.

5873. Brunel Way (260)

Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024

This fine column monster very nearly escaped my attention. Mote has painted so many columns under Brunel Way, that it becomes easy to miss new ones in the busy mix – there was certainly a double-take involved in finding this one.

Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024

Columns are fun to paint, but a real pain to photograph, especially the circular ones – square or rectangular columns are not so bad. This fish monster indicates a slight shift away from his bird monsters and has opened a whole new world of monster opportunity. I guess that Mote is going through phases or eras with his monster art. A nice modest piece.