Tag: Graffiti

3887. St Werburghs Tunnel (255)

This is another piece of old-school writing from graffiti artist Sake. I don’t know how it has happened, but Sake has only really come onto my radar in the last couple of months, having met him in St Werburghs tunnel. I have a feeling that I might have photographed a number of his pieces in the past, but just haven’t published any of them. I will need to do a thorough search of my archives, but time is a real constraint for me at the moment.

Sake, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2021
Sake, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2021

In this piece, Sake spells out his name with classic lettering filled with stars and bars and a lovely 3D shadow in blue. Having spoken to the artist a couple of times, it would appear that he is a bit of a purist and doesn’t have a lot of time for ‘toys’ (new or unskilled writers). I think that he harbours great affection for the early days of graffiti writing when things were more edgy and spray paints more difficult too use. He does well to recreate these old-school pieces.

3886. Upfest 2021 75×75 (44)

What an absolute delight to find this beautiful mural by Bex Glover which has been painted as part of Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days initiative. Set on the side of a North Street shop, Bex Glover brings her unique design style and colour combinations that spreads the wonder of British nature to our streets.

Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

This mural celebrates the hedgehog, a native mammal that has been in steep decline for some years now, just another casualty of our human carelessness and disregard for our environment. These three little characters are beautifully painted and appear to be following a yellow trail – perhaps it is their yellow brick road at the end of the rainbow.

Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

I am a huge admirer of Bex Glover’s work which always stands out from the crowd and her connection with nature certainly chimes with me. Lovely stuff.

3885. St Werburghs tunnel (255)

Throughout the whole of the last year, Benjimagnetic has been consistently turning out superb BEN pieces, and this is one of the more recent one of them. I love the way that he has been developing his style and that recently he has simplified the look of his work without compromising his technical ability.

Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

This piece from the tunnel is notable for its extraordinary fills, particularly in the blue segments. This graffiti writing is clean and sharp, and the white border that lifts the letters is superbly consistent – the work of an experienced hand. It must surely be time for a Benjimagnetic gallery?

3884. M32 Cycle path (136)

When I saw this piece for the first time, I was instantly drawn to it – there was something about the form and colours and of course the penguin. It had been painted alongside work from LRS artists Eman and 3F fino, but I didn’t know who the artist was. I got lucky a week or two later when I met the artist, Apex_aloy, during a paint jam at Cumberland Basin and was able to put a name to the piece.

Apex_aloy, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2021
Apex_aloy, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2021

I believe Apex_aloy comes from a town near Bristol and visits from time to time, which is something I’ll have to look out for. I had difficulty making out the letters initially, but they spell out STIKA, and have been worked nicely to complement the colours of the penguin. The piece was painted freehand and has turned out rather well. A few more minutes working on the backwash would have taken it up a level… small details. Looking forward to seeing more from Apex_aloy.

SPZero76

A gallery of extraordinary cartoon-style pieces from the magnificent SPZero76

Crews – Lost Souls and EAT

All photographs by Scooj

SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023
SPZero76, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023
SPZero76, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023
SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
SPZero76, Thomas Lane, Bristol, March 2021
SPZero76, Thomas Lane, Bristol, March 2021
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2020
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2020
SPZero76, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2020
SPZero76, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2020
SPZero76, Squirl and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
SPZero76, Squirl and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, Jabnuary 2019
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, December 2018
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, December 2018
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, December 2018
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, December 2018
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, December 2018
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
SPzero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2018
SPzero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2018
SPzero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2018
SPzero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2018
SPZero76, Upfest, Bristol, July2017
SPZero76, Upfest, Bristol, July2017
SPZero76, Anchor Road, Bristol, October 2017
SPZero76, Anchor Road, Bristol, October 2017
SPZero76, Anchor Road, Bristol, October 2017
SPZero76, Anchor Road, Bristol, October 2017
SPZero76, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017
SPZero76, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon and SPZero, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon and SPZero, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon and SPZero, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017
Kid Crayon and SPZero, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2017
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2017
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, May 2017
SPZero76, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76, St Werberghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2016
SPZero76, St Werberghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2016
SPZero76, St Werberghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2016
SPZero76, St Werberghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2016
SPZero 76, M32, Bristol, June 2016
SPZero 76, M32, Bristol, June 2016
SPZero76 and Mr Wigz, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 17 April 2016
SPZero76 and Mr Wigz, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 17 April 2016
SPZero76 and Mr Wigz, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 17 April 2016
SPZero76 and Mr Wigz, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 17 April 2016
SPZero76, Gloucester Road, Bristol February 2016
SPZero76, Gloucester Road, Bristol February 2016
SPZero76, Gloucester Road, Bristol February 2016
SPZero76, Gloucester Road, Bristol February 2016
SPZero76, Gloucester Road, Bristol February 2016
SPZero76, Gloucester Road, Bristol February 2016

3883. Dean Lane skate park (424)

I tend to know what I expect to see from Dibz, so it always comes as a bit of a surprise when he turns out something different, and this was one such surprise from a week or two back at Dean Lane.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021

The style of the piece might be rather different from the usual fare, but the quality is up with his customary high standard. The desert island scene is cleverly thought out with both day and night views captured inside and outside the DIBZ lettering respectively. Clean, tidy and dreaming of holidays. Soon a time will come when we can put our dreams aside and achieve our heart’s desire, soon.

3882. Upfest 2021 75×75 (43)

This modest piece by Emma Philippa Maeve is one of the smallest of Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days, and could easily be missed by many due to its location just off North Street and the recess it sits in. It is a really interesting piece and quite unlike anything else from the event, demonstrating the breadth of styles and talent that is on display in Bedminster.

Emma Philippa Maeve, Merrywood Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Emma Philippa Maeve, Merrywood Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

The bright and colourful piece looks like an etching scratched into the surface of the wall and her work is influenced by her travels. Emma Philippa Maeve has a very interesting website that shows you more of her work and tells you a little about her inspiration. She uses the term Flaneuse, derived from Flaneur, to describe her lifestyle, and it is a subject close to my own heart. To explore for the sake of making new discoveries and learning more about what is around you… keeping your eyes open is what it is all about. Fabulous.

3881. Cumberland Basin

As a long-time admirer of Flava136’s work, it was a real treat to meet the artist for the first time during a paint jam on the long wall at Cumberland Basin. As is so often the case when meeting these folk, he was an awful lot younger than I had expected, but isn’t that what old people say about everyone?

Flava136, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021
Flava136, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021

Watching Flava136 bring this piece together was an education, and his skill and technique shone through in his ability to keep such clean lines throughout. The design and colour selections of this one are quite exceptional, and I think this might be my favourite of his yet.

Flava136, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
Flava136, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021

Featuring a kind of mash-up of a monster and some abstract artwork, Flava136’s work is always instantly recognisable and definitely a crowd-pleaser. Although he doesn’t live in Bristol, he manages to visit reasonably regularly which can only be a good thing. Excellent piece.

3880. Upfest 2021 75×75 (42)

Damn, damn, damn those damn parked cars. This is a notoriously difficult wall to photograph, and while Epod was painting this incredible piece, I commented on the fact and said that clean photographs of his work would be something of a rarity. Somebody needs to put in some double yellow lines!

Epod, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Epod, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

I spent a little while chatting with Epod, an artist from London, about the piece and how it reminded me a little of artists like Yvette Tanguy and René Magritte. So I gues what I was saying was that there was an element of dreamlike surrealism and symbolism going on in this piece.

Epod, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Epod, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

I am so disappointed with these photographs, and short of camping on the street for days, simply don’t know how I will ever get clean shots of what is a truly stunning piece.

Epod, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Epod, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

The final photograph at least gives you a feel for the skill and talent that Epod has and the wonderful concept behind this piece. This is one that if you live in Bristol or are visiting the city you will need to see for yourself. A superb mural.

3879. Cumberland Basin

More often than not, I try to avoid posting pictures with shadows on them, because they can obscure the artwork or distract the eye. In this instance though I think the shadows add to the overall drama of the piece by 3F fino.

3F Fino, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021
3F Fino, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021

The piece, from a little while back, shares a theme that 3F fino has painted before of a portrait of a masked figure. Set in an urban landscape at sunset (or sunrise, it is always difficult to know which) the piece is incorporated into the brickwork of the wall, something I always like. A nice eye-catching piece.