I don’t quite understand why, but I have posted very few pieces by 3rdeye on this blog, perhaps because he only paints occasionally, but I’m sure I have more in my archives somewhere. 3rdeye pieces are a rare thing, especially outside of festivals, so it was a considerable surprise and delight when I stumbled across this piece a little while back.
3rdeye, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Painted on a utility box and wall at the top end of the M32 Spot, underneath the motorway, 3rdeye has split the piece into two parts. On the utility box is one of his imaginary characters, perched on top of an eye with a thought cloud saying “sexual chocolate”. I have no idea what this means and won’t be asking.
3rdeye, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
On the adjacent wall, there are several cleverly concealed characters, painted in 3rdeye’s distinctive style, together with some letters, but I can’t quite make out what they are… it looks like E A E, but that doesn’t seem right. The piece is nicely signed at the top and demonstrates the strength in depth of talent in Bristol.
Well, well, well, how nice to see Cheo back again painting on the streets of Bristol. I wonder what has coaxed him out from what feels like a much too long absence, but whatever it is, it is great to see some fresh work from him. This is a superb, how could it be anything else?, collaboration from Dibz and Cheo.
Dibz and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
To fit the collaboration on this wall, Dibz has contracted his style somewhat, and I am not certain his writing says DIBZ, but I can’t quite make out what it does say. Everything about the writing is close to perfect – this guy performs miracles with a spray can. Cheo has painted one of his characters, complete with baseball hat and ski goggles. The t-shirt says Neo Geo, which is lost on me, and of course we have his signature bee – it is great to see Cheo out and about, and I look forward to seeing more from him over the summer.
Sled One, Lighthouse Community Garden, London, April 2023
Probably the last thing I was expecting to see on my work trip to London a couple of weeks back was this remarkably busy piece by Bristol’s Sled One. Finding it gave me a feeling of warm familiarity and a sense of Bristol pride. Unfortunately, there was some construction work going on around this panel, so the photographs are not as good as I’d like.
Sled One, Lighthouse Community Garden, London, April 2023
The letters spell out SLED and there is a numeral ‘1’ at the end. The scene is a basketball game, although I am not quite sure what the significance of that might be. To the right is a curious skeletal character, and the whole thing is typically Sled Oney surreal. What a discovery. what a day!
There is always something rather nice when a new artist starts to land pieces about the place, it keeps things fresh, and adds to the incredible volume and diversity of street/graffiti art in Bristol. Bean has hit the ground running and stamped his brand in several popular spots, including on the M32 cycle path, where this is the second one that I have found here.
Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Although I have seen a piece of writing from Bean, I think that the main focus is on character pieces, which are cartoon in style and usually pretty bright and bold. A common theme in street art is for the character to be holding a spray can, reflecting the work of the artist themselves. This blue-faced, red-haired character is holding a rather nice orange can. This piece is beautifully presented, with great shading and highlights. I am looking forward to a whole lot more from Bean this year.
This is a cheeky little piece by Enn Kay, on a small ramp at the southern end of the Daveside DIY skate park. Somehow Enn Kay manages to create a really soft finish to some of his pieces, and I don’t know how he does it. Maybe it is the pastel colours or his shading skills.
Enn Kay, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2023
I have a feeling that the monster character was painted on a pre-existing abstract piece, although it is possible that Enn Kay painted the background as well, but it doesn’t really fit with his style. It is always good to see his monster pieces about the place. Barp!
It seems that we have another new artist on the block who is already making a name for themselves with some imaginative character pieces dotted around the place. The artist’s name is Bean, and what better way to introduce Bean than with this fabulous character piece in Dean Lane.
Bean, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2023
I have a feeling that the way Bean works is to draft up a digital sketch and reproduce it on a large scale with spray paints. The way the solid fills work would indicate that approach. Some nice touched here, the monocle and zip certainly add something. I have a feeling that we are going to see an awful lot of Bean this year, judging by the work rate over the last month or two.
Cort is a quiet artist who, it would seem, likes to keep himself to himself. I have met him on two or three occasions, but I think it would be fair to say we have probably exchanged about ten words between us. He had just finished painting this rather attractive piece alongside Hire, and was sitting on the grass chilling.
Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
I have long admired Corts work, which is different from most of the stuff you see in Bristol, but in recent years he has started to add characters to his writing and here he included a bear, who has a passing resemblance to Fozzy Bear. The letters spell Kortos, and are unruly in their shapes, but reasonably uniform in size. Cort’s signature fill incorporating circles or dots can be seen on the K R and S. This is a fun, vibrant piece from another of the Polish contingent of artists.
I have said in recent posts featuring Zake that his work is getting ever more adventurous and zany, well this piece on the M32 roundabout pretty much supports my assertion. This is Zake pushing boundaries and having fun.
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
This piece was painted as part of a PWA crew paint jam, and combining with the crew has certainly nudged his work along, perhaps being inspired and encouraged by his friends. The face is huge and green and slightly unsettling, due to the absence of pupils. Zake’s mastery of light and shade conveys real depth and creates definition of features. This is an excellent character portrait from Zake – where to next for this artist? Whole bodies? Photorealism?
Looking at a single wall and how it changes over time.
3. Long hoarding at the top end of the M32 Spot
Logoe and Haka, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2019 Logoe and Haka, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2020 Smak, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020 Soap and Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2020 Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020 Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020 3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020 Smak and Mena, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020 Smak and Mena, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020 T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021 Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021 Conrico, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021 Dott Rotten, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2021 Pekoe and Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021 Hemper, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21 Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2021 Minto, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2022 Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2022 Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022 Cuomo, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022 Klashwhensober, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022 Mudra and Saor, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022 Dopes, Jaksta and Neddy Ned Ned, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023 Saik0134, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023 Werm, Pekoe and Fade, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023 Noise, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2023 Bnie and Wispa, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
T-Rex and Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023 Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023 T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023 Evey, Pekoe and Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2024 Evey, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2024 Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2024 Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2024 Zaenone and The Mole, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2024 Zaenone, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2024 The Mole, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2024 Slim Pickings (Tes) and Biers, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2024 Krops, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2024 Logoe and Nova, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024 Nova, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024 Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024 ESKA, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2024 Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2024 Stivs and Mest, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2025 Stivs, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2025 Mest, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2025 Desi and Mr Two Gram, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2025 Desi, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2025 Mr Two Gram, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2025
I follow Wispa (Willo the Wisp) on Instagram, and it seems that not only is she talented and prolific with her art, but she seems to travel extensively to paint with friends wherever she pitches up. Fortunately, she appears to have some RBF friends in Bristol, and we are treated to her work every now and again.
Wispa, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2023
This piece under Brunel Way is a real cracker, with so much to enjoy. The first impression is how bright and colourful the piece is, but it is so much more than that. The fills in the letters are strong and the lines between colours straight and sharp. Of course, the character on the left tops the piece off beautifully, but it would be just as strong without it, demonstrating the quality of her writing. I hope she returns soon, although there is a little extra piece she painted on this visit.