4420. Spark Evans Park (43)

It would seem that Mena and Stivs have birthdays about a week apart, and both, being popular artists, manage to rustle up a large group of artists for a birthday paintjam. These pieces were part of Mena’s celebrations.

Mena and Phour, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022
Mena and Phour, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022

A double hit in today’s post featuring both Phour and Mena. I haven’t posted much from Phour for a while, but lately he has been painting;g quite a lot, and this is a really nice example of his work, painted high up on the wall, with three horizontal colour fades, and some rather more animated letters than we might normally see from him.

I say the other writing is by Mena, which I think it is, but when it is someone’s birthday, their name is often the subject of other artist’s writing, so you can be tricked easily. Whoever it is by, it is nicely worked, with an interesting ‘fruit salad’ colour scheme, if you know what I mean. Happy belated Birthday.

4419. M32 roundabout J3 (407)

By the time I got to it, half of this collaborative wall had been taken out, within 24 hours of being painted, fortunately, this part by Mr Penfold survived. It can be frustrating when pieces are overpainted so quickly, but everyone who paints in Bristol knows the score.

Mr Penfold, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Penfold, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022

The work in this piece is so obviously by Mr Penfold, and needs no signature. Nobody else in Bristol creates these amazing abstract pieces. This one is a little different from some of his work, for example there are no shadows of any of the shapes, and it all feels a little bit more random than usual. Great to look at, and although short-lived, magnificent while it was there.

4418. M32 Cycle path (174)

Since moving to Weston-super-Mare, we simply haven’t seen enough of Decay in Bristol, and his appearances are very much missed. It was therefore not only a great surprise, but also thrilling to find this piece recently on the M32 Cycle path. It was also a little disappointing to learn that I had only just missed him, according to Klashwhensober who was still there painting.

Decay, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2022
Decay, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2022

Decay tends to create a new look each year and this time round we can see he is using his DK letters together with his little character ‘Chuck’ who has been ever present in all of his reincarnations over the years. Pink and blue seems to be a favoured colour combination for artists this year, and Decay has used these colours to great effect. A nicely worked and finished piece, making my day.

4417. Elton Street (5)

I remember the first time I met Mudra, in October 2020, it was a socially distanced conversation under Brunel Way. He had only recently arrived in Bristol and was starting to leave his mark. Fast-forward eighteen months and Mudra has become part of the furniture here, and massively developed and improved his artwork.

Mudra, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022
Mudra, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022

This recent piece is one of several, by different artists, in Elton Street and part of a rather fine public gallery. In this piece, he spells out his name in a collage style, with each letter created in a different font, and it even looks like the ‘@’ (Mudra’s trademark signature) may have been stencilled. This is a nicely done, artistic piece that sits comfortably in this outdoor gallery.

4416. Picton Lane (13)

I cannot really find the words to express just how good an artist Kosc is. His work seems to get better and better and as he progresses, he keeps raising the bar. Here we have an artist who seems to be at ease with his chosen materials and who creates outstanding work, but continues to push his boundaries.

Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022

This amazing piece in Picton Lane has a hint of the Sistine Chapel about it with two outstretched hands making finger contact set against a green leafy backdrop, including shadows cast against it. Kosc enjoys his anatomical pieces and appears to study the shape and form of bodies.

Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022

This piece feels like a study, and something that would sit comfortably in an artist’s studio, and is simply amazing to see in its location. Difficult to photograph without a wide-angle lens, but I think you can get a sense of it, and quite weird to think that there is door behind this. A supreme work from Kosc.

4415. Greenbank (42)

This piece is not bad for a tattoo artist, not bad at all, in fact it is blooming marvellous, and Etza has absolutely smashed it with this enormous floral piece, painted alongside his collaboration pal Chill. The piece is something really quite different and most arresting.

Etza, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Etza, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022

Etza has created a clean and sharp flower in rich red, yellow and black colours that has all the hallmarks of a sumptuous wallpaper design. There is a strong field of floral artist in the UK, including our own Alex Lucas, and Philth, who I think works out of London. This piece would sit proudly alongside those others, and proudly so. Finding this was a surprise and a pleasure.

4414. Greenbank (41)

Evey has been rather busy this spring with her friends from the RBF crew, and it is always such a pleasure to see her work. Evey has a rather simple style, that is always full of colour and seems always to have a happy disposition, bringing smiles to faces.

Evey, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Evey, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022

I don’t quite know why Evey spells out ‘Even’ with here letters, and it is quite unusual to have repeated letters in a tag (unless they are together, like an ‘OO’ for example). In this piece, Evey has draped her colourful letters with icing and some hundreds and thousands, giving them a celebratory feel.

4413. Dean Lane skate park (488)

It has been waaay too long waiting for this absolute stunner from Rusk, who seems to have gone to ground in recent months. What a way to return to the walls of Bristol, with this magnificent and rather unusual anamorphic piece.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022

Spelling out RUSK, the letters are made up of a ribbon or tape which is coloured blue on one side and pink on the other. All very skilfully done, and if you take a closer look, the ribbon has some arrows and bars decorating it. Set on a ‘wallpaper’ background with clouds, this is a truly excellent piece, not that I would expect anything less from Rusk. Welcome back.

4412. L Dub (36)

This is the second large piece from DJ Perks at LDub, painted on the pumping station, featuring some sensational writing alongside a cartoon character, in this case A rather worse-for-wear Donald Duck.

DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022

As mentioned in a recent post, DJ Perks is just growing from strength to strength, stretching himself. Of all the artists in Bristol, he ranks very highly in constantly pushing the boundaries of his work, strengthening his technique and skills, and not falling into the trap of repetition. It is so good to see, and what’s more he is turning out some extraordinarily strong pieces.

DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022

The writing is expertly done with the straight line transitions running vertically through the lettering finished to perfection. The character too is so well executed, and it is great to see that we see Donald Duck in a rather unfamiliar pose, after all it would have been very easy to present a stock image of Donald, but DJ Perks has chosen to go about it a different way. This is another outstanding example of DJ Perks’ great work.

4411. Dean Lane skate park (487)

It would seem that Hire has returned to a fairly regular rhythm, having not painted very much during the lockdowns. This is, of course, great news, and the work he is presenting at the moment is as good as it has ever been.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022

This stunner was painted a couple of weeks ago, and Hire has achieves a certain amount of symmetry in this piece, although a closer look will reveal that it isn’t symmetrical at all, it just looks that way. Hire has created a very clever piece indeed and it is beautifully presented and executed. So good to see him painting regularly.