Tag: Graffiti

5050. Cumberland Basin

Lee Roy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Lee Roy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

It feels like Lee Roy is a man in a hurry. I haven’t seen much from him over the last couple of years and now all of a sudden his work is appearing all over the city and it is difficult to keep up. This is a recent one on the long wall at Cumberland Basin.

Lee Roy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Lee Roy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

Lee Roy likes to paint his letters in a rather unconventional style, verging on anti-style. The letters are beautifully designed, but unruly and unfettered. There is scope for the artist to do whatever he likes, and he does. Weirdly, some kind of order is restored with the inclusion of a strand of barbed wire running through the piece. This is a really imaginative, creative and curious piece from Lee Roy. Watch this space for a whole bunch more from him.

5049. Brunel Way (194)

Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023

I wonder sometimes whether Zake gets the credit he deserves, for the sheer volume of work he gets through and the variety of locations and walls he paints. Sometimes he paints with friends and sometimes alone, but wherever you look in Bristol, there is never a Zake piece far away.

Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023

I remember that the first Zake pieces I became aware of were on columns under the M32 at the skate spot there. How far he has come since then in developing and refining his style. This column piece showcases perfectly his use of shading to create enormous depth. It is extraordinary how deep the mouth appears to be, and what folds of skin on the chin, cheeks and eyes. This is a really classy column piece from Zake.

5048. M32 Cycle path (199)

 

Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023

It is a curious thing when an artist paints over their own work, but that is what happened in this instance. Maybe Pekoe didn’t like her last portrait piece here, or maybe she didn’t want to paint over anyone else’s work out of politeness, who knows, but the replacement is an upgrade in my view, and anything from her is always a bonus in my book.

Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023

The portrait is painted in purple tones, with blue hair, and the girl carries a slightly anxious expression. Many of Pekoe’s portraits are tinged with sadness, but I don’t think that is the case here, for a start, there are no tears. Some subtle shading brings depth to the face, and the white circles emphasise the lips and eyes. This is another beautiful piece from Pekoe.

Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023

5047. Dean Lane skate park (568)

Corupt, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Corupt, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023

I was lucky with my timing when I found this piece. The paint was still wet, and there was a lovely smell of spray paint hanging in the air. It is always good to capture fresh work in skate parks, because the wear and tear from skaters kicks in very quickly.

Corupt, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Corupt, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023

It just so happens that Corupt was sitting on the other side of the wall, watching Stivs, with Mozzarella, painting another wall. I stopped for a nice chat with both of them. As always with Corupt, this piece is perfectly finished, with very clean lines and fills. It seems that he prefers to write STICK rather than CORUPT these days, which works equally well. So much about photographing and chronicling street/graffiti art is about timing, and I got it just right on this particular day.

5046. L Dub (41)

Wxttsart and Rudini Dudini, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023
Wxttsart and Rudini Dudini, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023

I knew that upgrading my mobile phone was a good idea, not just because my old one was becoming a liability, but because the new one has a camera with the capability of going slightly wide-angle, without distorting images too much. At last I have a better chance of capturing those pieces painted in narrow spaces. This collaboration is one such piece.

Rudini Dudini, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023
Rudini Dudini, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023

Wxttsart and Rudini Dudini have joined forces to create this beautifully book-ended graffiti writing piece. The characters at each end of the writing are by Rudini Dudini, and are conducting some form of martial art… Krack!!

Rudini Dudini, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023
Rudini Dudini, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023

The cartoon-style characters are fairly typical of Rudini Dudini’s work and are playing out a story. The characters in blue are fighting off the attackers in grey and guarding the writing in the middle.

Wxttsart, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023
Wxttsart, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023

Which brings us on to yet another stunning piece of stylised calligraffiti writing by Wxttsart, spelling as you would expect ‘MILK’. This really is an exceptionally well executed piece with loads of texture and interest in the letters. From where I sit, he is just getting better and better.

5045. M32 roundabout J3 (453)

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

Face 1st has come up with this belter during this PWA paint jam on the M32 roundabout recently. Not one laughing girl, but three, and of course, one of them has an exploding head.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

It would appear that Face 1st has been experimenting recently with finding ways of breaking up his heads, with explosions or slices. I’m not too sure what his unconscious mind is doing here, but it certainly makes for a creative display that is never presented in a gory way, more as a passing interest. Face 1st continues to delight.

5044. Coach and Horses

Kleiner Shames, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2023
Kleiner Shames, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2023

Kleiner Shames has managed to find a moment to return to Bristol and leave this fabulous FOIS piece on the wall of the Coach and Horses. Seeing this simply serves to remind me just what we are missing since the artist made his move to London a few years ago.

Kleiner Shames, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2023
Kleiner Shames, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2023

This large piece is part of a collaborative wall painted recently with 3Dom and Sepr (to follow soon). Kleiner Shames is probably the classiest writer about. His incredible eye for design, form, colour and shape is unparalleled, and he pretty much always nails it every time. The observant among you may have noticed the Dott Rotten ‘spoilt’ piece nestling, untouched, above the FOIS. This is a very fine piece on a special wall.

5043. Greenbank (74)

Soap, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023
Soap, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023

This is the final piece from a joyful collaborative paint jam from the PWA crew a few weeks ago. This section is by Soap, and rounds off the whole thing perfectly. It will be a sad day indeed when the last remaining hoardings are removed from Greenbank, and this creative space is returned to bland indifference.

Soap, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023
Soap, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023

Soap spells out his name in chrome and yellow, with a thick blue and thin white border, set on a pink background shared by all the pieces in the collaborative space. The inclusion of the Ice King and a Face 1st inspired girl, making up the ‘O’ and ‘A’ respectively is something Soap seems to be working on at the moment and is consistent with a piece of his that I posted a few days ago. This was a rip-roaring PWA paint jam.

Soap, Face 1st, Chill and Zake, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023
Soap, Face 1st, Chill and Zake, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023

5042. Sparke Evans Park (63)

Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023

Stivs is definitely best known for his calligraffiti writing, which is straight out of the top drawer, but recently he has been treating us to his talents as a character artist, and I am seriously impressed with what he is painting, including this new belter in Spark Evans Park.

Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023

I have met Stivs with his dog, Mozarella, a couple of times in recent days, and he definitely seems to be enjoying his character pieces as much as his calligraffiti. The piece is entitled ‘Chop’ and in his Instagram post Stivs references the film Ninja Scroll, and it would seem this is an homage to the Japanese animation. The artwork is outstanding, with brilliant use of shading on the flesh, to give depth. What a privilege to have such a talented artist in Bristol.

5041. Cheltenham Road

Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, February 2023
Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, February 2023

Rowdy doesn’t paint all that often, so it is always a huge pleasure to see his work when he does. This shop is literally around the corner from where I live, and has recently had a facelift, painted by Rowdy. It had already had the Rowdy treatment before, but this is a serious upgrade.

Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, February 2023
Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, February 2023

Of course, we have Rowdy’s famous crocodile design, not just one, but a float of them (correct collective noun – a bask, if they are on land). It is the reclining cat, however, on the top panel that steals the show for me, a cat that has appeared sveral times elsewhere in Bristol, which makes me think that I ought to publish a Rowdy gallery sometime soon.