Tag: Graffiti

4330. Dean Lane skate park (476)

I am coming to the conclusion that I have already said as much as I can about the work of brilliant graffiti writer Dibz. I have run out of superlatives, something that actually happened years ago. Dibz is an artist that I like to try and post every time that I photograph his work, because it demonstrates the high end of graffiti writing in the city, but this frequency makes it difficult to write anything interesting or original.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

This is one of the best walls in the whole of Bristol and one which Dibz favours. His wall preparation has paid off, with the grey-blue backwash providing a perfect neutral setting for the antics of Disney’s Merlin and his owl from the cartoon film The Sword in the Stone – a film I have never seen.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

The writing is outstanding, the colour transitions perfect, the spray cans inspired and the characters crisp, sharp and engaging. This is a masterclass from one of Bristol’s very best.

4329. River Avon (28)

I am assuming that the colour selection used in this piece by Werm on the footpath/cycle path alongside the River Avon is in honour and support of Ukraine in its struggles against the Russian dictator Putin. This is one half of a collaborative wall with 3F fino, which I will post in due course.

Werm, River Avon, Bristol, March 2022
Werm, River Avon, Bristol, March 2022

Since favouring these block letters, several months ago, Werm has been churning them out with regularity and I have struggled to post them all – perhaps I need to a) retire and spend more time doing this or b) post several at a time (something I might do more often with all artists) or 3) get over it and ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ as my son might say.

The improvement I have seen since I first met Werm, then painting as Eman, has been speedy and dramatic. He is a quick learner and practices over and over again, which obviously pays off.

4328. M32 roundabout J3 (399)

I can’t quite work something out. I have only been aware of Klashwhensober for a couple of months, and although I have seen some of his ‘Sober’, ‘Soba’, ‘Klash’ and ‘Flash’ pieces for a little while longer, he seems to be everywhere I look at the moment. Did I miss something before, or has he gone completely nuts. I think I have photographed at least ten of his pieces in my last three or four trips out.

Klashwhensober, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Klashwhensober, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022

This Sober piece is a bit of a beauty on the M32 roundabout. The letters are unmistakably Klashwhensober’s, but it is the fills that are superb, with the red and blue ‘sprinkles’ transitioning along the horizontal divide of colour. The white highlights help the piece to ‘pop’ out giving it the 3D effect. And the whole thing is beautifully finished. There is a lot to like about this piece of writing.

4327. Dean Lane skate park (475)

There are all sorts of conventions in the world of graffiti and street art, and broadly speaking most artists remain within the boundaries, albeit on a vast spectrum. There are some artists who seem to linger on the fringes of convention, either through their content or style, and I would class Taboo as one of those.

Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

Although Taboo’s writing and character combinations are reasonably conventional, his lettering style and incorporation of characters is not, and this is what sets him apart from other artists. In this piece ‘reality is not enough’ his unusual letters, spelling out ‘Taboo’ in chrome, serve as a backdrop to a C. S. Lewis character from Alice in Wonderland, the caterpillar puffing on a hookah. This is wonderful hallucinogenic stuff, and I am rather sure that the author would probably approve.

4326. Greenbank (33)

Smak is an artist who always delivers work of the highest quality, even when painting quick ones. This piece is one half of a recent collaboration with fellow artist Sled One, whose cheese piece I posted a couple of weeks ago.

Smak, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Smak, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

This is another piece in support of Ukraine, and at the top left of the piece was a board (out of shot) saying ‘no war’ on a Ukrainian flag background. It is heartwarming to see so many pieces in Bristol in support of Ukraine and soon I will be dedicating a gallery to these special pieces. Smak, as ever, has smashed it with this piece of graffiti writing, using wonderful tones of blues and yellows to decorate his name. Outstanding graffiti writing at its best.

4325. M32 roundabout J3 (398)

I don’t see pieces from Serm all that often, so it was a pleasant surprise to come across this one a couple of weeks ago on the roundabout. The colours, I am guessing, represent the colours of Ukraine, and I imagine that this is another piece in support of the Ukrainian people suffering at the hands of the Russian dictator Putin.

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022

It is interesting that we have two artists with very similar names, Serm and Werm, and both like to write using these large block capitals, most likely a coincidence, but maybe there is something about the letters that lend themselves to this style. Very nice writing indeed from Serm.

Billy

A gallery of fabulous murals from Bristol artist Billy Colours, BILLY, BIÜY

Instagram: @billycolours

all photographs by Scooj

Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2026
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2026
Billy, Braggs Lane, Bristol, December 2024
Billy, Braggs Lane, Bristol, December 2024
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Billy, Upfest 2024, Myrtle Street, Bristol, May 2024
Billy, Upfest 2024, Myrtle Street, Bristol, May 2024
Billy, Elton Street, Bristol, October 2023
Billy, Elton Street, Bristol, October 2023
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, The Paintworks, Bristol, August 2022
Billy, The Paintworks, Bristol, August 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Billy and Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Billy and Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
Billy, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, May 2021
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, May 2021
Billy and Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Billy and Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Morny and Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Merny and Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020

4324. M32 roudabout J3 (397)

Like so many of the artists in Bristol, Varo seems to go through very busy periods and then goes quiet for a while, before returning with a burst of activity. I managed to catch up with Varo briefly just as he was finishing off this extraordinary piece. The conversation was a little fragmented, because Varo’s English is a little bit basic, and my Spanish non-existent. We discussed the surreal and crazy nature of the piece.

Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022

Normally Varo’s work is quite easy to identify, but this piece is completely off the wall and had I not been there, I’m not sure that I would have been able to identify the artist. It feels like a comic-book Picasso, if you get my meaning, but to try and work out what the story is might just do my head in, so I am not going to attempt to interpret it. I prefer to stick with the ‘crazy’ descriptor. It is great to see something so utterly different and challenging.

4323. Greenbank (32)

This is the second piece from Laic217 that I have seen that is overtly in support of Ukraine, and this time the content and style is much more what we would expect from him. The masked characters, that Laic217 has been painting on and off for years, now take on a rather more sinister and relevant meaning in the context of war.

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

Set on a backdrop of a Ukrainian flag, the two characters cannot be seen, but are hidden from view by their heavy masks and headgear, rendering them anonymous. It is this anonymity (particularly of the Russian aggressors) of all that is going on in the war that contributes to our feeling of helplessness. News clips and short moments of footage, distressing interviews and reports leave us with the bare bones of a picture, and we make up the gaps in our imaginations.

This one is for Ukrainian artists and writers. Perfect.

4322. Horfield skate park (8)

This is a poignant stencil piece from John D’oh up at Horfield skate park. As is so often the case, John D’oh perfectly captures the moment and presents it to us with a political slant. His work can often include strong, assertive and for some, uncomfortable messages, but they capture a mood in a contemporary way.

John D'oh, Horfield Skate Park, Bristol, March 2022
John D’oh, Horfield Skate Park, Bristol, March 2022

The blue and yellow give this piece away as being about the Russian invasion of Ukraine by the ruthless and deluded dictator Putin. A little girl crouches in front of an urban landscape with a red cross emblazoned on it and between them is a hand rising from the ground on which there is a discarded stethoscope. The caption is too awful; ‘war ends lives before they have begun’. This piece speaks to the horrors unfolding in cities like Mariupol, where innocent people, women and children, have been murdered while seeking refuge. I do hope that Putin and his generals and political supporters get lynched when this is all over.