Tag: Graffiti

4552. Brunel Way (162)

Conrico has a fabulous touch. His work often looks more like a brush painting than one created with a spray can. I know he uses banana caps a fair amount, because he told me, and he gave me one once to try at home, and these might help with the level of detail he achieves.

Conrico, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2022
Conrico, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2022

The partially submerged turtle, swimming through foamy waves is beautifully painted, in particular the well observed colourful scales of the shell. I would consider Conrico to be a true artist who has obvious talent and has managed to upscale his work onto larger canvasses really successfully. A fine piece.

4551. Cattle Market Road (12)

On my tours of different spots around Bristol, I have bumped into Mote several times now, and each time it has been a genuine pleasure to converse with him. I am really enjoying his solid fill monsters, each quite different from the last. It is always good to see an artist turn out variations of an idea instead of perfecting an idea, although both approaches are completely ok.

Mote, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, June 2022

These two monsters are lurking behind a scooter stop, which I actually feel adds to the overall composition. It is as if they are looking after the scooters, and almost feels like a deliberate coming together, and the red colours match so well. I like the cartoon style that Mote uses that has the faintest touch of Gerald Scarfe about it – probably those swirly lines.

4550. Dean Lane skate park (506)

A quick one today – there is a lot going on in the real world – it is not every day that the worst Prime Minister ever resigns, and it felt for a little while late night that he never would.

Zake has been on fire this year, and due to his productivity rate, some of his pieces have been painted over by the time I have got to them. I got to this one in time, at least.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

This piece is a fairly typical Zake face with all the fabulous touches he brings to the shadows of the face, giving the whole thing depth and a 3D quality. I suspect that this was rather a ‘quick one’ but nicely finished nonetheless.

4549. Dean Lane skate park (505)

Anyone who reads these posts regularly will know that I consider Dibz to be one of the best wildstyle writers, in Bristol and indeed in the country. In this outstanding piece in Dean Lane he has combined his talents with the elusive Ulow, who treats us to his talents from time to time.

Ulow and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Ulow and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

The letters, in a dazzling transition from yellow to dark red, spell out DIBZ. The letters are so clean and crisp, and the fades between shades so seamless, there are few words that can describe the expertise on show. Just to cap it all, the pink highlights at the bottom of some of the letters create the most fantastic 3D effect of reflected light. Just brilliant.

Ulow, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Ulow, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

The character, I am guessing it is Wolverine, is by Ulow, and demonstrates his fantastic shading skills that give his pieces a soft, rounded appearance, almost organic. Ulow is definitely an artist whose street art work I’d like to see more of.

4548. Brunel Way (161)

Tack Jucker has been painting in Bristol for a little under a year now, but in that time he has made a great impression with his animal and hand pieces, he especially seems to favour his monkeys and apes, and perhaps will fill the void left behind by Nightwayss in that respect.

Tack Jucker, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2022
Tack Jucker, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2022

This piece is on the same wall where I first met the artist in October last year, and like the piece he was painting then, features a monkey. The structure of the portrait is skilfully done, with loads of depth in the features of the face contrasting with the textures of the fur. Although the monkey appears to be a little fierce, it certainly grabs the attention and there is no question that passers-by would notice it. I am looking forward to more from Tack Jucker.

4547. M32 Cycle path (178)

The most consistently prolific artist over the last seven years is without doubt Face 1st. His tireless drive to keep producing wonderful pieces is enviable and really rather awesome. I don’t know where he gets the energy, or the cash for paint from. I guess I don’t need to know, but simply enjoy the benefits of his heroic efforts.

Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022

This is a rather nice FACE piece with a girl’s face in place of the ‘A’. The letters are large and bold, as if carved out of stone, and the grey of the letters contrasts wonderfully well with the Orange hair of the smiling girl. When the world grinds to a halt, Face 1st will still be out there painting letters and smiling girls on walls. It is just what he does.

4546. New Stadium Road (41)

I was going to run this post as an extra one yesterday for our American friends and use the cheesy pun “Happy Phourth of July”. I’m rather pleased I didn’t though, although quite happy to run with it today.

Phour, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2022
Phour, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2022

Phour continues to plug away at his aesthetically pleasing letters (and the sound they make as a word), leaving them at numerous spots around the city. There are some letters that work really well with graffiti writing, and Phour pretty much hits the jackpot. This piece has some great colours and is neatly finished with strong, clean black boundaries. This is a nice one to add to the collection.

4545. Sparke Evans Park (50)

I had to include this piece by Jody, even though it is only a half-piece, because it is absolutely fantastic. It was painted during the 50th birthday paint jam for Turoe a few weeks ago, which generated some outstanding writing and character pieces. Unfortunately, as I have found out to my cost, you snooze, you lose, and I just didn’t get down to the wall in time to photograph Jody’s portrait in full. The left-hand side had been sliced off (neatly, at least) by a newer piece by Cort.

Jody, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022
Jody, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022

I feel I ought to know who the character is in this piece, but I don’t. It is remarkable to think that Jody can create something so brilliant in only four hours, and it is humbling to see the amazing work that these artists produce. A half beauty from Jody.

4544. Dean Lane skate park (504)

I have an unwritten rule about taking pictures of street art, and it that one should always take a picture when you have the opportunity, even if the light is bad, or there are obstructions, because when you return to the spot, for a cleaner shot, it might have been overpainted. These photographs of a recent Stiff piece in Dean Lane have dappled sunlight across them, but they are the only pictures I have, it didn’t last long and wasn’t there when I went back.

Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

I was lucky enough to meet Stiff for the first time just over a week ago, while he was painting with the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective in Cumberland Basin, and he confirmed to me that he enjoys painting monsters and using the colour green. Stiff doesn’t paint very often, so the chances of meeting him are rather slight. This piece, like his others, is creative, fun and monsterish, and painted with a lightness of touch that is without pretension. Another one for the collection of beasts.

4543. Upfest 2022 (25)

Not only is Upfest great for the people of Bristol and surrounding area, introducing them to the magnificent world of street art, but it is also a massive pull for artists too.  Artists are drawn from all over the globe to attend this important event on the calendar, but many artists are local to Bristol who rarely paint walls, but have the opportunity to transfer their studio skills to a more accessible format. Some even get a taste for it.

Rosie McLay, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Rosie McLay, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Rosie Mclay is a Bristol artist who has painted at Upfest before, but in between festivals she continues with her studio artwork, which I have seen her selling in the Tobacco Factory market once or twice, and fine stuff it is too. This piece is really rather beautiful, and she has used the larger format to great advantage. The ‘study’ has two feet joined by a piece of string which is wrapped around the big toes of each foot. The string is fraying in the middle. Colour and tone is added with the yellow circle and red triangle, although I am not quite sure what the whole thing is about. I am a fan of her work, and perhaps I ought to buy something next time I see her selling sketches.

Rosie McLay, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Rosie McLay, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018