Over the past four months or so, some seriously epic pieces have started to appear on the ceilings under the M32 and Brunel Way. These magnificent statements are by Risco, and artist I was not familiar with before August this year.
Risco, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
This piece under Brunel Way is a full skeleton in partial foetal position and was painted round about 21 November. I suspect it’ll be here for many years to come, I mean who else is going to go to such effort to tag or over-paint it? I think that Risco must use rollers on long poles to do this and it must be back-breaking work which makes this all the more impressive. Well worth a look.
Angry Face is so definitely back on the scene and that is great news. For me he represents the rather more edgy side of Bristol street/graffiti art, and his mega-tag comes in both rough tag and finessed forms.
Angry Face, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
This column piece under Brunel Way is nicely done, and the characteristic face with spiky and cracked teeth is nicely decorated with little white bubbles on the two shades of blue face. It is always nice to find new pieces by Angry Face, especially when you know they are out there from the social media postings of others.
I managed to catch up very briefly with Mr Klue as he and Mr Sleven were just finishing off this new piece in St Werburghs tunnel. The turnover of art in this end spot is relatively high because it has a good amount of daylight, and it is always worth photographing something new, because you just can’t be sure how long it will last.
Mr Sleven and Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2020
This is a true collaboration with the work and styles of both artists blending well together. The character with a TV head and outstretched arms is by Mr Sleven and the wispy orange and red abstract patterning by Mr Klue. These two collaborate quite often together and along with DNT and others form part of COM.64.
The two styles come together really well in this piece and the colours are striking. I like this one a lot.
Pekoe has been a very busy lady lately, with a flush of small portraits dotted around the city, which is very good news indeed. After years of writing about her work I finally got to meet her at a paint jam last weekend. Although this piece was photographed before I met her, I was able to tell her how much I liked it.
Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2020
Sometimes ‘street furniture’ interferes with taking photographs of street art, but in this instance I think it somehow adds to the ambience and environment. The bin, bike and coffee cup complement the scene, but the star here is definitely the outstanding yellow-faced portrait. I really like this piece, she has managed to create something special in quite a tight space and I like the way she has separated the portrait from the wall with a thick gold outline. A classy piece from the lovely Pekoe.
Last weekend, a chance meeting with Sam Spade (a street art hunter) in St Werburghs tunnel, led to one of those perfect moments for photographing street art and meeting artists. He told me that there was a lot of activity on the M32 cycle path, behind the Black Swan and that I ought to get myself over there. I was heading in that direction anyway, but the light was fading and I might just as easily have headed home. Luckily I went to take a look and there was a paint jam of about seven or eight artists just coming to an end, many of whom I hadn’t met before (more on that in posts to come).
Sled One, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020
This piece from Sled One had already been completed, and he was just hanging around watching the other artists as they completed their work. Sled One is one of the most gifted artists I know, and he seems to be able to create stunning work, graffiti writing or character pieces, with consummate ease. Here the letters spell out SLED (although it almost looks like he has slipped in an extra D) in a selection of letter shapes and colour shadings. The red and blue cloud clumps add an extra dimension to this fine piece of writing.
A gallery of fantastic graffiti writing and characters from Bristol’s Biers, AKA OYeah, WD40 and @Jimothy_slip from the No Frills crew.
Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025Biers, River Avon, Bristol, January 2025Biers, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2024Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019Slim Pickings (Tes) and Biers, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2024Biers, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2024Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024Biers, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2024Biers, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2024Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023Biers, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2023Biers, Hepburn Lane, Bristol, November 2023Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, Ocober 2022Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, Ocober 2022Biers, River Avon, Bristol, August 2022Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022Biers, River Avon, Bristol, July 2022Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022Biers, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2022Biers, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2022Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2022Biers, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, December 2021Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021Biers, River Avon, Bristol, November 2021Biers, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2021Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020Biers and Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020Biers, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2020Biers, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2020Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2018Biers, Old Bread Street, Bristol, September 2016Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2018Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2018Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2018Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2017
What a wonderful, wonderful surprise it was to find this gorgeous piece by Rosalita (RAW) on the M32 cycle path recently, and better than that, it was one of three – others to follow soon. Rosalita is an enigmatic artist, making only rare appearances on the walls of Bristol, but her presence however rare is always welcome.
Rosalita, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020
This previously unpainted column (it had been tagged), quite unusual at this location, is the perfect spot for this amazing little cherub, perching on a skull. The piece is really unusual and the character beautifully painted and filled with a yellow base and red highlights, finished off with some beautiful tattoo decorations in blue. This is a heavenly piece (peace?) and a welcome addition to the writing we are more used to seeing around here. I can’t wait to post her other associated murals.
Doors 131 – a welcome to Dan Anton and some more graffiti archive doors
It has been an ultra busy week, so I am returning to my ‘safety blanket’ of doors from my street art archives. The worrying thing is that I am steadily using up my reserve doors and really need to get out to photograph some new and exciting doors. Bristol is currently in the highest tier of covid-19 restrictions, so it may still be some time before I can get out and about.
This little selection were originally posted on Natural Adventures during December 2019 and January this year. Enjoy:
There is a door there somewhere – I promise
Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019
RichT, Frogmore Street, Bristol, December 2019
Paul Monsters, Leonard Lane, Bristol, December 2019
OK, So I cheated… There is a red gate in the wall at the bottom.
Space Invader, Lambeth High Street, London, November 2019
Nevergiveup, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2019
Pekoe, Hepburn Road, Bristol, January 2020
Nevergiveup, River Avon, Bristol, January 2020
Slakarts, Hepburn Road, Bristol, January 2020
Unify, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
BKFoxx, Hanbury Street, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
SkyHigh, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Gvnly, North Street, Bristol, December 2018
Conrico, Newfoundland Road, Bristol, December 2019
Well there was a bit of cheating in that lot, and quite a few boarded up doors, but in this friendly community of door lovers, I’m sure even oblique references to doors are acceptable.
So that’s it for this week. More next week I hope.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Another little trip into my archives to share this outstanding piece of graffiti writing from Spanish artist Claro_que_sssnoh from August this year. At the time I took the photograph, I’m not certain I knew who the artist was and so it stayed in my archives waiting to be freed.
Claro_que_sssnoh, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2020
Claro (I am shortening the name to save my sanity) has produced an absolutely stunning piece with so much to admire. The joyful pinks and blues set a happy tone for the writing which is out of the top drawer. It is those pink spots though that grab the eye and make this a memorable piece. Mouthwatering.
I first encountered the work of Mind Control at Upfest 2017 when he was a sixteen-year-old young man. Since then, I have seen pieces every now and again, but especially over the last few months. I had to dig this one out of my July archive and am pleased that I did, because it is the passionate and political piece of an angry young man.
Mind Control, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020
Probably prompted by the Black Lives Matter movement this is a strong message against fascism and shows a hand crushing a swastika, not an emblem you see too often these days, even if there are still large numbers of racists and fascists about. I doff my cap to this young man for this statement.
