I think that Sako is an occasional visitor to Bristol, or simply doesn’t paint all that often. This is only the second piece I have featured by Sako, and it is absolutely superb in my view, cleverly painted in subtle tints of rose and turquoise. Coincidentally, there is something about the mood and tone of the piece that is similar to my earlier post today by Andrew Burns Colwill.
Sako, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2023
Sako has used the limited space and shape of the column to perfection. There is an interesting relationship between the character and the built environment, and although I am not too sure what the story is here, I believe there is one being told. The colours are perfect together, and I would love to see more of this combination (note to self – buy these colours) on the streets. This is a great piece by Sako from back in the summer.
When I selected this Zake column piece to post I realised just how far behind I am with the blog these days, and that is entirely due to the huge volume of art dropping on the streets of Bristol. I venture out about four times a week, and each time probably photograph between six and ten new pieces on average, which equates to something like 24-40 new artworks each week every week. I usually post two pieces a day, sometimes three, so we are looking at about 20 posts maximum. You can see the deficit straight away, and this doesn’t include festivals such as Upfest or Cheltenham Paint Festival, where the pieces may reach 200 or so. This is a good problem to have, I guess, and maybe I have a project for my retirement, posting from the archives.
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2023
Zake will always be a column specialist, and many of his earliest pieces in Bristol were painted on columns only a hundred meters or so from here. In this one he has painted three faces stacked on top of one another, each with amazing depth and interesting expressions. Three for the price of one from Zake.
It would seem that Slakarts has been busy with real life lately, and his pieces are few and far between and tend to be ‘quick ones’ in contrast to the more sophisticated and designed pieces he was painting throughout 2021, 2022 and at the start of this year.
Slakarts, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2023
In this piece, Slakarts returns to his base character, cunningly fitted onto the column, with a slight stretch. Great fills and superb cutting-in of the black outlines throughout the piece. The selfish part of me wants to see more Slakarts pieces on the street for me to enjoy, but I am also happy that he might be busy with work/family or other distractions keeping him off the streets.
By the time this post is published I will be midway through leading a workshop for a partnership in Lincolnshire. I arrived in Lincoln yesterday evening, and have never been here before. I was pleasantly surprised by the old town, and the cathedral is one of the most impressive I have seen in England. It is a pity I will be here only for a day, and returning home immediately after the workshop. I digress… Maybe wasn’t very impressed with this piece, when he posted it on Instagram, and was minded to go over it, but he hasn’t so far, so maybe he has some affection for it after all.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
The subtle colours and gentle interlocking shapes make this more of an abstract piece than anything else, and as such does a good job, I think. The green shape has something of the pachyderm about it, and once seen can’t be unseen. I rather like this modest and gentle piece. My kind of thing.
I have a feeling that Zake might be slowing down a little, having had an incredible start to the year with an increase in both quality and quantity of his original character pieces. This incredible piece is painted on one of the columns (if not, a different face of the same column) where I first encountered Zake’s work back in July 2018, so it feels like a bit of a full circle, and my goodness, how he has developed over that time.
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
The long face (an inevitability on columns) has a double set of eyes, which are thankfully closed, and is spewing fiery water from the mouth. The colour selection works beautifully, and as ever Zake’s work is so full of depth, afforded by clever use of light and shade. This is a really striking piece, noticeable from quite some distance.
How truly wonderful to see a Skor85 piece for two big reasons; the first is that I haven’t seen any of her work in an absolute age, and secondly, she is one of the nicest, kindest and most bubbly artists in Bristol. Even better is that this is one of two pieces she painted during this paint jam organised in the M32 Spot by Conrico.
Skor85, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
The column piece looks like a mash-up of a portrait with a design idea, and kind of comes in a top and bottom half. The portrait below seems to portray happiness, but is somewhat at odds with the deer design above, which is more stylised and looks ready to go onto the front of a Christmas card. I am puzzled by the rune on the deer’s forehead… is it an expression or is it a tag? I think the former. The whole thing is a welcome return from Skor85.
I think that the Bristol artist who has stretched the most so far this year is Zake. He has consistently been expanding his repertoire pretty much with each new piece and is becoming more original with his designs and ideas. This recent wizard piece at the M32 Spot is a great example of how varied his work is becoming.
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2023
Although it is easy to see, in this column piece, the traits for which Zake is best known, namely the use of light and dark shading to create depth, it does not scream out Zake on the surface, and had it not been signed, it would have taken me a little while to work it out. An unusual and fun piece from the Spanish face specialist.
Conrico organised a paint jam under the M32 a week or so back, and a great many of the columns there were given a fresh coat of paint, including this banging vertical piece of writing from Ryder. The slogan accompanying this fiery piece is “play with fire – get burnt”, an apt phrase for the graffiti community.
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Some artists have pure class, which is a gift that can’t be manufactured, and Ryder has class. There is a confidence and assertiveness about his work that eclipses others around him, and this is a great example of that. The fun piece (spelling out RYDER) incorporates character faces into the letters, something Ryder does a fair bit, and has a delicious colour selection with perfect fills, and a steady black outline. This is one of the best column pieces I have seen in a long while. Simply the best.
Some artists are so prolific, that the only way for me to keep up with them is to post several pieces at once, and so I present to you a series of column pieces under Brunel Way by monster specialist, Mote.
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
This first piece is one of his more recent productions, incorporating three wobbly-lined monsters, stacked like a totem pole. The wobbly lines are a recent introduction in his work introduced this year, which give him freedom to be a little bit more creative. I am still sitting on the fence about them, because his original USP was based on the clean lines and bold curves. These might take a little bit of getting used to.
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
It is difficult to date some of these pieces, because although I photographed them in February (some of them not for the first time), several have been around for quite a while. I think this one, which looks like a bit of a monster mash-up, is relatively recent.
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
This column piece, with the big eye and wonky teeth, has been around for quite a while, but is surprisingly intact, because these columns are a favourite with taggers.
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
Another one that might date from the back end of last year is this purple gentle and rather goofy giant. The poor thing doesn’t look in the greatest condition, and has a pot-belly not too dissimilar to my own.
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
Finally, this is a small piece at the southernmost end of this stretch of columns and is probably the oldest piece in this selection. It obviously pre-dates the new bit of wall that has been added as part of the Daveside DIY skate park extension. Phew… I hope you have had your fill of Mote for now.
This is only the second piece by Lazo that I have seen, and I was fortunate enough to meet him when he was painting this column. As with his first piece, there is something very captivating about this portrait, and the style is quite different to that which we might expect to see in Bristol.
Lazo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Lazo’s long face is perfect for column artwork and looks amazing, especially if you crop out the yellow paint at the top of the piece. I particularly like the depth and tone he achieves with his ‘brushstrokes’. The eyes too have something rather special about them. I am looking forward to seeing more from Lazo this year.
Natural adventures 