Tag: Calligraffiti

5728. M32 roundabout J3 (539)

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

I would say that we haven’t seen nearly enough of Stivs’ work in the latter half of this year, so it was particularly gratifying to find this piece on the M32 roundabout, and even though it didn’t last very long, it was noticed.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

The calligraffiti writing was painted as a birthday piece for his brother Kelvin, and I can’t really think of a better present than a tribute piece of artwork like this, I know I’d be made up by such a gesture. The beautifully proportioned letters are given an extra lift from the wall by the clever use of  the green drop shadow, which itself has a black border. Care and attention was given to the piece, as demonstrated by the sand coloured background and subtle wisps of paint around the letters. Great work from Stivs.

5724. M32 Cycle path (243)

Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

I haven’t seen many pieces by Todoaciem this year, and I hope that his lack of painting on the streets is because he has other important things happening in his life, such as employment or family etc. The rarity makes each piece even more enjoyable to find, and this piece of calligraffiti alongside the M32 motorway is an absolute belter.

Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

The writing spells out CIEM ONE in rich gold and purple tones, the colours of royalty. A light dusting of light blue serves to lift the letters a little. Todoaciem is a master of calligraffiti, and his letter proportions and shapes are outstanding, to leave us with a superb example of this style of writing.

5468. River Avon (51)

Wxttsart, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023
Wxttsart, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023

With the turnover of art in Bristol being such as it is, I get an awful lot of pieces left behind in my archives, and then I forget whether I have posted them or not. I guess that this is a bit of a first-world problem, but it troubles me a little. I was certain that I had posted this piece by Wxttsart, but it would seem as though I hadn’t. It is still in great condition, so perhaps it is relatively recent, and I am mistaking it for another similar piece. Anyhoo, it is a bit of a blinder.

Wxttsart, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023
Wxttsart, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023

I describe Wxttsart’s work as a bit of a blend of calligraffiti with a touch of anti-style. I’m not too sure how the artist would describe it, but it is unique and always recognisable. The red script letters spelling MILK are nicely proportioned (a feature of calligraffiti) and have been bestowed with a deep 3D drop shadow in lilac shades. The whole thing is set on a fine green cloudy backdrop which contrasts well with the letters. This is another great piece from Wxttsart.

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.