There are two excellent calligraphy writers in Bristol who stand out and who throw paint at walls on a fairly regular basis. One of them is Todoaciem and the other Stivs – this is a fine piece from the latter.
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
I like the way that Stivs has slotted this piece of writing into a rather slim piece of wall, where the embankment rises up to the main roundabout road. The writing that spells out STIVS y nicely constructed, and as well as the regular and disciplined lines, he has also incorporated some embellishment and drips which always adds kudos to a piece. Nicely sited, beautifully painted, great work from Stivs.
It’s that man again, Todoaciem, with one of his outstanding calligraphy pieces spelling out CIEM1. He really has been turning out some of the most consistently brilliant pieces of late and is fast establishing himself on the Bristol scene.
Todoaciem, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
There is something of a mini Spanish armada in Bristol at the moment, and along with the strong Polish contingent, the city is becoming a wonderful culturally diverse melting pot for street art. We are blessed to be able to see so much art on our walls each day in so many styles from so many resident artists.
The piece itself not only stands out for its uniformity of typeface, but also for those incredible gold fills and the striped blue and white 3D shadow. One to admire.
There has been a renaissance of sorts in Bristol over the last couple of years or so with the arrival of a merry band of Spanish artists, several of whom are outstanding graffiti writers. Front and centre of this throng is Todoaciem whose near-perfect writing form is a joy to behold.
Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
This piece on the M32 roundabout is typical of his structured ornate calligraphy style which spells out CIEM1, although it takes a trained eye to work this out – I am still learning. The colour selection works well and this combination of shades of pink and blue are often used by street artists because they make a piece stand out. Great graffiti writing.
On the long wall at Sparke Evans Park is this outstanding piece of regular calligraphic writing from Todoachiem. This is as good a piece of tidy format graffiti writing as you are going to see and was sprayed a couple of weeks ago as part of a Spanish crew Halloween paint jam in the park.
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2020
I am not entirely sure what the script actually says and I don’t think I am going to try and decipher it now – I suspect it might have to wait until I get to meet thee artist in person and ask him. The letters are sculpted with care and attention and the horizontal graded fill works very nicely. It is a piece that demands attention and stands out from the crowd.
I don’t get there too often, which is a bit of a shame, but there is a nice walk along the River Avon which contrasts two very different scenes; on one side is the muddy river with plenty of bankside vegetation and a variety of bird species an evidence of other wildlife such as otters on the other side is a long gallery of graffiti and street art displayed on the rear walls of buildings on an industrial estate.
Stivs, River Avon, Bristol, November 2020
Along this stretch I found this rather nice calligraphy piece by Stivs, an artist getting quite a lot of exposure on Natural Adventures at the moment. The orange and red colour selection is a winning combination and the script has some rather good harlequin reversals breaking up the lines. A fine piece from Stivs.
In have recently taken a couple of excursions into my archive (I have so much unposted material from earlier this year it is insane) and on one such search I found this lovely piece by Stivs at Dean Lane skatepark on the swimming pool wall.
Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 22020
At this particular spot, the high railings make taking front-on photographs rather tricky, but it is possible to get pictures from the side. This lovely piece from Stivs adopts his calligraphy style but in this case with fatter letters that have been filled with horizontal colour stripes and a silhouetted landscape/cityscape running through the middle. A very nice piece.
I have quite a few photographs of work by Todoaciem, but I haven’t posted many, maybe only one before. There are several writers in Bristol at the moment whose letters follow more of a calligraphy style, with regular shapes and details, including Stivs. I don’t know if it is a fashion or something longer-lasting. It is great to see though and this is a great example of the style.
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, September 2020
The piece looks almost like a heraldic banner, especially with the letter E? picked out with red in the middle. I have tried to decypher the lettering, but just can’t quite see it. More to come from Todoaciem soon.
Well this came as a bit of a surprise and something of a treat too. On my walk in to work a couple of weeks back, I thought I’d take a small detour down Jamaica Street, and there, big as you like, was this wonderful collaboration between Bristol’s Cheba and Lebanese calligraphy artist Ghaleb Hawila.
Cheba and Ghaleb Hawila, Jamaica Street, Bristol, August 2018
This kind of collaboration is quite unusual in Bristol, and I am not certain I have seen any calligraphy here before, although I have seen plenty in London. Additionally, this wall is an absolute bugger to photograph because it sits in a gated courtyard and the angles are all wrong…this is the best I could do.
Cheba has painted a silhouette clutching some bright object that is sending out shards of light. The silhouetted figure is filled decorated with Cheba’s trademark cosmic space scenery, which gives it some depth.
Ghaleb Hawila said this on his Instagram feed about the collaboration:
“You gotta believe in yourself; in the lights buried within you. Give yourself the permission to glow and grow.” A collaboration with my brother @cheba_bristol his magnificent work and personality. That’s exactly one year after meeting this crazy guy in Alay, Lebanon during the @ahlafawda and @risegallery cultural exchange. I spent four days at his beautiful house, with his hyper dog and lovely wife. We explored a lot in his studio and i just can’t sum the experience with words. It was an intensive restless art residency were you get to explore yourself more and more.
It is great to get a bit of insight into how these things are achieved. A wonderwall.
