5450. River Avon (49)

Todoaciem, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023
Todoaciem, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023

This is a piece that I thought I had posted, which makes me think that it might have been painted some time ago. Having said that, it might be a recent piece. It is so difficult to keep on top of street and graffiti art in Bristol at the moment, because I have never known the turnover to be so high, nor the number of new entrants into the urban art community. Each time I go out, which is most days, I can find between 5 and 10 new pieces, which gives you some idea of the scale of activity in our vibrant city.

Todoaciem, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023
Todoaciem, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023

Todoaciem is one of two top-class calligraffiti writers in Bristol, the other being Stivs. Most of the time Todoaciem will write the letters CIEM in a Gothic style typeface, maintaining strict conventions in the letter shapes and forms. There is no room for error, as even small mistakes would be obvious in the overall look of the piece. From the photographs and from memory, it is difficult to tell if this is chrome and red or white and red, but I think it is the former. Whatever the colours, the form is fabulous and the piece another fine example of great calligraffiti from Todoaciem.

5364. Dean Lane skate park (620)

Todoaciem, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Todoaciem, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Although totally unplanned, I have managed to post two consecutive pieces from the same wall. The previous one was by Dibz, with his tag-style graffiti, and this one from Todoaciem is a delightful calligraffiti script piece, which is really rather unusual.

Todoaciem, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Todoaciem, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Todoaciem and Stivs probably jointly hold the crown for calligraffiti in Bristol, and you can understand why. This piece takes the regular standard form of calligraffiti to a new level by introducing a script-style font and the result is really effective. Painted on a blue and green bubble background, the whole thing is a delicious feast for the eye.

5359. Sparke Evans Park (72)

Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023

A shiny and rather wonderful piece of calligraffiti from Todoaciem, spelling out CIEM on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park alongside his Sunday Lovers friends. This is a rather special piece from Todoaciem, and it looks like he spent a lot of time on it, with some clever fills and attention to detail.

Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023

The letters are filled with two tones of yellow, giving the effect of being shiny metal, perhaps gold. This sparkling effect is further augmented with some subtle little stars spread around the letters. The blue borders and drop shadow work really well against the yellow, and overall this is a very strong and assured piece of calligraffiti.

5323. St Werburghs tunnel (370)

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2023
Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2023

I have missed several recent Stivs pieces (wrong place, wrong time), so it was good to find and photograph this one . The artist has returned to his calligraffiti, having spent some weeks painting portrait pieces, although this one is a little more stylised and mainstream than his typical calligraffiti style.

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2023
Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2023

The strange orange and green colour combination  works surprisingly well, but why wouldn’t it? I guess they are colours often seen together in nature. Instead of writing STIVS, he is playing with us and has written STYVZ. This is a nice quick one from Stivs.

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.

5212. New Stadium Road (51)

Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2023
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2023

It feels like Todoaciem (who writes CIEM) has been a little quiet over the winter months, perhaps returning to his native Spain to keep away from the miserable British weather (my speculation), so it is great to see his work gracing the walls of our city once again.

Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2023
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2023

This outstanding piece of calligraffiti shows off Todoaciem’s skill as a writer. Set out on a modest wall, with minimal footfall, the piece oozes class and really stands out. I know that there is at least one other recent piece by the artist in another part of Bristol (watch this space) so, with any luck, it is the start of some high quality calligraffiti to look forwar to this summer.

5184. Dean Lane skate park (592)

Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

This is a rather unusual piece by Stivs, and I have to say I’m really not very sure what it all means, so I decided to do a bit of a Google Interweb search. I think that the piece splits into two. On the left is a reference to an Australian film called Chopper and a character called Mark ‘Chopper’ Read who I assume says at some point in the film “Neville Fuck’n Bartos”. One for a quiet evening maybe. The other half is some stunning calligraffiti spelling out Jules.

Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

Stivs has been pushing the boundaries recently with character pieces and portraits, mostly linked to films, and his portfolio is about so much more than just his outstanding calligraffiti. The writing looks like it might be a tribute to Jules – I don’t know much more than that about it. My only reservation about this piece is the background, I can only guess that it has some significance.

5110. M32 Cycle path (204)

Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023
Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023

This is a rather classy piece of writing from Wxttsart which was painted alongside a stunning portrait by Rozalita, and both of them stand out, with red being the dominant background colour used.

Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023
Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023

As always, Wxttsart’s work spells out MILK, although up until recently I have had difficulty in describing the letter style. I think I have almost cracked it though. The uniformity of the letters and stylised script font suggests that the work could be described as calligraffiti, but it also has a slightly abstract feel to it too, so I like to call Wxttsart’s artwork ‘abstract calligraffiti’, which works for me. Whatever you want to call it, it has an impact. Almost time for a gallery of his work – watch this space.

Todoaciem

A gallery of outstanding calligraffiti, from the Bristol-based, Spanish writer Todoaciem, aka Ciem1

Instagram: @todoaciem

All photographs by Scooj

Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2023
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2023
Todoaciem, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2022
Todoaciem, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2022
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2022
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2022
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Todoaciem, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2021
Todoaciem, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2021
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2021
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2021
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, November 2020
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, November 2020
Todoaciem, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
Todoaciem, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2020
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2020
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, September 2020
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, September 2020
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2020
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2020

4752. M32 roundabout J3 (433)

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2022
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2022

This piece is another fabulous tribute to Sear by Stivs. Hidden behind a small tree on the M32c roundabout, this calligrafitti piece brings out all that is best in Stivs, including his compassion for a fellow artist.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2022
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2022

The rich colours painted on a black background have a rather sombre tone and are perfectly fitting for a tribute piece.  The letters are beautifully proportioned and regular in size, with near-perfect accuracy and tightness. The drips simply add a great finishing touch.