Ooh! The colours of this wonderful piece by Hypo burst out of the wall and immediately infect the viewer with a sense of optimism and wellbeing (results based on a survey of one!). A sensibly neutral buffed wall add to the sense of energy and excitement generated by this cornucopia of colour.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
The letters spell out HYPO as you’d probably expect, with a couple of nice graffiti arrows incorporated. I really like the way that Hypo produces something utterly different with each of his pieces, although there is always an underlying style that seems to permeate through. A delightful piece from Hypo.
Dibz, Shade One and Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
This is one of the last pieces I photographed in 2023, and what a belter of a collaboration it is, bringing together the outstanding skills of Dibz, Shade One and Rusk. As always, the light under Brunel Way rarely allows photographs to do the street/grafitti art pieces justice, but I think that it is possible to see what a classy collaboration this one is.
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
On the left is some superb writing from Dibz, which is a tribute piece to a supporter of his work, ‘Marie’. What this piece of graffiti writing shows is that you can give Dibz any number or combination of letters, and he will be able to create something beautiful with them. The pink and black drop shadow against the gold letters works so very well.
Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Shade One’s work is really something special, and this portrait piece of a young person wearing a hoodie and baseball cap set against the moon and silhouetted buildings, is exceptional. The portrait is painted in greyscale, and although there is a lack of colour, it doesn’t matter one jot, because the shade and shadows provide perfect depth and texture. A very fine piece indeed.
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
On the right, Rusk, who is often found painting alongside Shade One, has created some gorgeous letters spelling RUSK, reflecting the gold and pink colours seen in Dibz’ piece. By using two tones of gold (bronze/brown) transitioning horizontally through the letters, it gives the illusion that the letters are a solid bar being tilted and catching the light in different ways. A tight and classy piece and collaboration.
Although she has been writing for a little while, Lupa only made her first appearance on Natural Adventures last summer, and I have tried to keep her represented as much as I can. I do feel though that I need to trawl through my archives to dig out some of her older pieces.
Lupa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
This is a lovely green piece of chunky writing that, helped by a thick 3D drop shadow, pops out from the wall. Lupa’s finishing is sometimes a little crude, but in a way that is her style, so it kind of works. In this piece, it is the fills that excel, with a blend of green colours and shapes working very nicely together. Rounded off with a couple of trademark faces, this is a piece full of fun.
In my opinion, a much overlooked artist is Whysayit, who writes the letters YSAE in a distinctive anti-style all of his own. Indeed the whole PLB crew, to which he belongs, are an elusive bunch, who don’t get nearly as much recognition as they deserve, but maybe that is the way they like it. I first became aware of his work when he used to paint alongside Kleiner Shames a few years back, and I recently published a gallery of his fine work.
Whysayit, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
This colourful piece is brought alive by the striking red background, which definitely helps it to stand out. Imagine if it had been painted on an unbuffed wall, it could struggle to be noticed. The pastel shades transition across the letters from pinks to blues to light green in a pleasing way. A drop shadow in blue is bordered off not with one line, but two, a black and a peach. Nice work all round from this unsung hero.
Benjimagneic, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024
I wasn’t expecting this and it took me a minute or two to work out that it was by Benjimagnetic, which in retrospect is utterly obvious. I think that the absence of colours threw me a bit, as most of his work is pretty colourful.
Benjimagneic, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024
The letters spell out BEN and the piece is signed Ben, so I don’t know how I was being so thick – sometimes we don’t see the wood for the trees. There is a simplicity about the piece, which is an avenue that Benjimagnetic has been following of late, moving away from his busy explosive pieces that I am more used to seeing. I have to say I am enjoying the transition. A fine piece of graffiti writing.
One of the artists I have most enjoyed over the past 12 months or so has been Hypo, who has been out and about a lot during that period (in part due to poor health and recovery). I think that part of the secret to his success is his choice of letters, which are really playful, and allow a lot of flexibility. Some letters and combinations of letters simply don’t work as well as others.
Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024
I sense a little bit of a Hemper influence in this piece, which is quite elaborate and intricate. Hypo has selected some cheerful light colours that interlock, creating an integrated whole that is nice to look at. I’m not too sure that the copper outline quite works, but on the whole this is a fine piece of writing.
I suggested recently that we would be seeing a lot more from Minto in Bristol, because I believe he has moved westwards from London, and so it seems to be, confirmed by another original and captivating piece on the M32 roundabout at the end of last year.
Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
The letters MINTO are very well disguised in this piece of multiple characters, I can see at least four of them. There is plenty to look at in the piece, and the paint work is really classy, even Minto’s signature is classy. A really nice imaginative piece, and I expect to see a whole lot more from Minto in 2024.
It was dark when I took these pictures. I had been doing a little Christmas food shopping in the wonderful Italian delicatessen C&T Licata and Son Ltd in Picton Street, just around the corner. I figured I’d walk home via Picon Lane, just on the off chance that there might be something there that I hadn’t seen before, and was rewarded with this amazing Mind 49 piece alongside Kosc.
Mind 49, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2023
The light conditions are a little poor, but the quality of the piece from Mind 49 is clear to see. He has painted a fabulous transition halfway along the frog where it changes from full colour to chrome and grey, while maintaining the patterning and depth. The piece is rounded off with a nice big chrome 49 and an interesting patterned green background. I daresay the whole thing looks rather better in the daylight, but I don’t pass by this way all that often and thought I’d post these pictures rather than delay.
I was absolutely thrilled to meet Bloem for the first time at the weekend, when she was painting a new piece alongside SUB (yet to appear on these pages) at the M32 Spot at the top end of Stapleton Road. As is always the case with meeting most street artists for the first time, she was nothing like I had imagined and, in my old eyes, so very young.
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
This piece is a variation of one that she has painted in this spot before back in June 2023, but even in that short time there has been a definite tightening up and improvement in her can control and technique. The idea is a good one, and so original, you simply don’t see anything like her work from anyone else in Bristol. I am expecting great things from Bloem this year, and hope I am fortunate enough to watch her painting again sometime.
As with my last post, I have been a little distracted by my birthday today and have very limited time to write a blog post. I will let Phour do the talking with this magnificent large piece of writing in Peel Street Green.
Phour, Peel Street Green, Bristol, December 2023
This chrome piece is loud, bold and confident. It is unapologetic and unfussy. Sometimes big fat ‘in your face’ graffiti writing can be just the ticket, and I think Phour has done a great job with this one.
Natural adventures 