Ooh! this is a very nice piece of graffiti writing from Noise, which was painted in collaboration with Werm for the ‘World Wall Stylers’ December 2023 challenge (@worldwallstylers), which I think incorporated the colours gold and red. Noise followed the brief well.
Noise, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
I like Noise’s large letters, that really impose themselves, and the fact that the ‘I’ sits over the ‘O and S’ which in turn sit over the ‘N and E’. The gold fill is nice and solid with only a few decorative elements, leaving the letters looking uncluttered. This is yet another decent piece from Noise.
One of the nice things about pausing and going back through archives is that it gives me a chance to post those pieces I had always intended to, but never quite got round to doing. This fun spray can character piece by 3F Fino is one of those.
3F Fino, Mina Road, Bristol, March 2023
This piece in Mina road spent much of its time being obscured by all sorts of shop paraphernalia and rarely saw the light of day, however, I got lucky and managed to capture it when it was partially exposed. The character, with a nozzle for a head, is standing in a pile of what look like banana caps. I felt, that this was a piece that demonstrated 3F Fino’s development really well, and he did a great job on the fabric shadows and textures, and the same with the shapes and orientations of the caps. A really good piece from the artist, who appears to have stopped painting in Bristol (although I saw a piece by him last week). Time for a gallery? I think so.
My rummage through my graffiti archives continues with this beauty from Lupa, painted last February. I have said before that I am attracted to her slightly crude style, which is definitely not to detract from it, but to distinguish it from some of the other writers who paint with knife-edge precision. There is room for all styles on the walls of Bristol.
Lupa, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Lupa’s letters are large and chunky, giving plenty of scope for creating interesting fills. In this case, she has used some lovely shades of purple and lilac which are carefully blended in several different ways, overlayed with some symbol decorations. Her trademark face in the ‘U’ is looking a little sad, and is joined with a simple smiley on top of the ‘A’. An attractive piece from a graffiti writer whose work definitely appeals to me.
I did another bit of digging through my archives, something I like to do from time to unearth some overlooked or ‘left behind’ pieces, and found this beauty by Zaenone, which I photographed in St Werburghs tunnel a year ago before I had clocked the artist.
Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
The large, bold letters spell ZANE, but in this one are not accompanied by character bookends, unlike the other pieces I have posted by the artist. The fill is simply magnificent, incorporating a range of blue and green colours that drift into one another, and decorated with dozens of little symbols and marks. The whole thing is a really beautiful piece of graffiti writing, and I am so pleased to have found it in my archive and put a name to it too.
At around the time that this piece is published, my beloved Arsenal FC will be a few minutes into their first league match in a couple of weeks, against Crystal Palace, and I will be at the Emirates Stadium cheering them on. The result of the game could determine my mood for the next few days, so I am keeping my fingers very firmly crossed. Naturally, I have had to plan my day carefully, and I wrote this post last night, to provide continuity of publishing my daily two street/graffiti art posts at around 11.55 and 12.55 UK time.
Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Raid is another artist who has been regularly hitting the walls of Bristol throughout last year, constantly adjusting and refining his letters to great effect. This one in the tunnel is a little bit more like some of the first pieces I saw of his, back in March last year, with an ornate lower case ‘a’. There is a very nice colourful fill with a cosmic feel to it, and enough of a background to help the letters pop. Definitely time for a gallery, even though I have less than one year’s worth of photographs of Raid’s work. Watch this space.
I am rather fond of Jevoissoul’s work. It doesn’t have the sharpness or precision of writers like Dibz or Smak, nor does it create extraordinary characters in the way that Sled One or 3Dom can, for example, but it has a charm and authenticity that underpins the vast spectrum of art and graffiti that we see in Bristol. On such solid foundations great things are built.
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Jevoissoul has painted two of his characters with ‘Popeye’ smiles. The fills and shading is basic and effective, creating some contrast and depth in its simplest form. No Jevoissoul piece is complete without the word ‘slow’ in attendance, although I don’t know why he writes it, nor why it is pointed at the character on the left. One for the next conversation I have with the artist.
I recognised the style, but couldn’t put a name to it when I first saw and photographed this classy piece up on Purdown. I had to do a google search when I got home and then the penny dropped that ‘Sentinel 793’ is the music moniker that is used by Benjimagnetic, so here is a piece using his graffiti writing skills to promote his music skills.
Benjimagnetic, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
I guess this cross advertising worked to a degree as I have just been listening to some of his tracks, and although not really my cup of tea, they are nicely produced. The writing and the dancing character in particular, are, on reflection, easy to spot as Benjimagnetic pieces in retrospect. The blue and gold colours work really nicely together in this unusual piece.
Carla James, Hatherly Road, Bristol, December 2023
It has taken me an eternity to stop and photograph this stunning nature mural by Carla James, something that has been on my ‘to do’ list for a couple of years at least. I managed to walk up to the spot just before Christmas whilst seeking out some presents for my family. I have only seen Carla James’ work once before, and that was at Upfest 21. Curiously enough, one of the presents that I bought for my son was a beautiful fish print by another Upfest artist, Rosie McLay.
Carla James, Hatherly Road, Bristol, December 2023
Carla James has created a beautiful vision in which there is a seamless transition from a tropical reef below to forest foliage and airborne creatures. There is a calmness and huge sense of the balance of nature in the piece, with some lovely illustrations of turtles, fish, plants and butterflies. The central hummingbird is the link between this piece and her outstanding Upfest mural. Carla James’ website is a treasure trove, and her biography explains the connection with tropical and exotic scenes. At last, one I can tick off my list.
Carla James, Exeter Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023
Vigorously waving the banner for paste-ups in Bristol, pretty much single-handedly, is Abbey Laura Smith with her intriguing black and white portraits. Regular readers of Natural Adventures will know that I am an admirer of paste-ups or wheatpastes, and will drone on about how we just don’t see many in the city these days. This niche art form must not be confused with bill posters, which in my view are a plague, driven by the selfish interests of advertising for a product or a cause – they (in my very humble view) are not art in themselves despite being illustrated in most cases by graphic designers or artists, but are tomorrow’s litter, and today’s eyesore. Well we all have opinions, and that is mine, so there!
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023
Wheatpasting is as much about the siting of the piece as the art itself, and Abbie Laura Smith has done a great job in thinking about the placement of this portrait on a utility box in Cumberland Basin. The artwork itself is a clean and crisp line drawing of a pretty lady, with some nice ‘graffiti drips’ at the base. I hope that Abbie’s efforts encourage a revival of this lost art in Bristol.
As the leaves die and fall on the hedge that skirts the railings between the skate park and the swimming pool wall in Dean Lane, it becomes easier to see what has been painted on the wall behind, although once revealed, it is difficult to know how long the pieces have been there. I like to think I am reasonably on the ball with this kind of thing, but I really don’t know how old this piece by Trafficity is.
Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Trafficity is a rolling constant in the Bristol street art scene. Painting the same ZIOM letters in the same way, with only the colour palette and some small details to distinguish between pieces. I particularly like the colours he has used in this piece, especially as they blend well with the few dangly leaves from the hedge. Always consistent, always classy.
