6006. Greenbank (115)

SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

We are lucky that SkyHigh and Roo appear to have a strong association with Bristol – I believe that they have family here. This is good, because every time they come to visit, they drop a couple of pieces, which mixes things up nicely.

SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

This is a beauty from SkyHigh in which he has spelled out his name with several optional variations in how you choose to read it. The block letters, each in a different font/style, have loads of depth to them and are displayed in different orientations creating a kind of 3D collage effect. The tried and trusted pink and blue combination is a winner, and is augmented with some splashes of yellow in the form of smiley ‘stickers’. Tidy.

5937. Greenbank (114)

j9449j, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023
j9449j, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023

This is a throwback piece to last June, which has remained dormant in my archives, because at the time of photographing the piece the artist was unknown to me. Since then, the artist’s identity has emerged and is known as j9449j, which is a bit of a mouthful. This is great news, because I have several more pieces in the archives to share and I really like their work.

j9449j, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023
j9449j, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023

The abstract piece hints at a rural landscape, certainly there are some organic forms in the piece. This artwork is so original, at least in the context of street art, that it is difficult to assess against any normal criteria or conventions. For example the small additional piece to the right works perfectly as a counterbalance to the larger piece on the left, There are some lovely shapes and patterns and a carefully thought out colour palette. Enjoyable and unusual stuff from j9449j.

5908. Greenbank (113)

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024

You might have sensed my excitement a few posts ago with the return of Rozalita (Rozilitaa), and here she is again with another outstanding portrait piece, in the same venue, and again featuring Frida Cahlo, who has come to represent so much about female art, strength and vulnerability.

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024

This time, the portrait is painted in shades of blue and turquoise, which contrasts brilliantly with the four surrounding orange flowers. There is a lot of passion and emotion in Rozalita’s work which works hard to combine people with the natural world. This is another belter, and there is still more to come soon.

5902. Greenbank (112)

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024

Rozalita returns! This is exceptional news. After a long lay-off, in part down to travelling, during which time I wondered whether she might abandon her street art altogether, she has returned in style, with several pieces in short succession. This is how to announce your return. In another name change (from Rosalita to Rozalita (Rhozi) to Rozilitaa) she has hit the ground running with a bolder presence, and a sense of confidence that hasn’t always been obvious from her work.

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024

This portrait piece, I believe of Frida Kahlo, is bursting with passion, where the determination and status of the subject, looking skywards, is beautifully presented. The white border accentuates the pose and creates an aura that is augmented by the burst of energy of flowers and decoration in the background. Without the border, the piece could be at risk of being busy, but its presence is masterful. This is brilliant in my view, and what a way to make a comeback. I bloody love this piece!

5896. Greenbank (111)

Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

Over the last few months Werm has calmed his pieces a little, from the highly complex and technically brilliant pieces into something slightly easier on the eye, and this piece, for me, represents a mature approach from an artist who doesn’t need to impress any more, but rather, can concentrate on creating a thing of beauty.

Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

The colour palette for this piece seems to work really well, and Werm has blended the fill colours expertly. The orange border and accompaniments augment the writing perfectly, the test of which is to imagine the piece without that splash of colour, rendering it greatly diminished. I like and welcome this new direction from Werm, and greatly admire this piece.

5883. Greenbank (110)

Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

Mind 49 is establishing himself as something of a new force in Bristol street art and graffiti writing, expanding his range and pushing boundaries with every new piece he creates. He is perhaps better known for his portrait pieces, that seem to capture the subject in an unconventional pose, but he has been working on his writing too recently.

Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

This recent piece, on the ever-diminishing hoarding which borders the Chocolate Factory development, demonstrates perfectly Mind 49’s writing style. Spelling out MInD, the letters are beautifully filled with a beautifully selected set of soft colours, which abut with one another with lines, stars and circles. Great drop-shadows, borders and decorations finish the job off nicely. We are lucky to have Mind 49 hitting a bit of a purple patch… long may it last.

5874. Greenbank (108)

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

Laic217 seems to have a plethora of ways to surprise me. Often his pieces appear unannounced, and so discovering them definitely feels special, but what surprised me with this piece is that it immediately took me back to some of the very earliest pieces of his that I started photographing a few years back.

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

The character, for once, not a skull, is wearing a bucket hat with a satanic protection mask strapped to it. To the right of the portrait is a letter ‘L’ for Laic which has been hollowed out and blocked with a deep 3D drop shadow.

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

The face, with its harsh features, could only be by Laic217. I don’t know what it is about his style, but it is quite unique. Looking at the close up, it almost looks like it has been painted on a canvas with brushes, and maybe that is what gives Laic217 his uniqueness. This is yet another awesome piece from one of Bristol’s very best street artists.

5861. Greenbank (107)

Knife, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Knife, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

I have a very busy week ahead, so apologise in advance for any disruption to my usual rhythm. I start with a trip to Nottingham today and tomorrow and am in London on Thursday, delivering workshops, which is both time-intensive and exhausting. Managing expectations.

A graffiti writer, who has emerged over the last year or so is Knife, I don’t yet know they are or if they use social media, so for the time being I shall use their writing moniker.

Knife, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Knife, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

I have seen Knife’s work in quite a few of the spots I visit, and felt it was about time I posted a piece.  I think that Knife paints solo, at least I haven’t yet noticed any patterns of painting with anyone else, which makes me think that the artist is fairly new to Bristol. This is a really nicely executed piece, clean and tidy letters with a straightforward three colour fill, nothing too fancy or pretentious. Even though the wall hasn’t been buffed, the graffiti writing is eye-catching, and this is a solid debut piece (on Natural Adventures) from Knife. Expect more to follow.

5843. Greenbank (106)

Sub and Bloem, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Sub and Bloem, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

I mentioned in a previous post what a pleasure it had been to meet Sub and Bloem painting together under the M32 a few weeks back. The pleasure continued on finding this pair of pieces on the long hoarding at Greenbank. While the two artists collaborate, in so much as they paint together, their work is separate and distinct.

Sub, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Sub, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

Sub writes his bold oversized letters, with deep drop-shadows, and I guess that a challenge for him is to fill a space with only three letters. There aren’t too many writers who only use three letters, I suppose that Slim Pickings, who writes TES would be one. The fill is augmented with his trademark wisp of smoke running over it, and he incorporates some interesting drip work along the top.

Bloem, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Bloem, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

Alongside Sub is this quirky piece by Bloem. It would seem that she ha a bit of a thing for old ‘brick’ style mobile phones, and hands with pointy nails. What I like is that she varies these motifs from piece to piece, keeping both the theme running and keeping things interesting. Bloem is one of those artists whose work I always love finding, like Pekoe, Face 1st, Kid Crayon, Fiva, to name a few. This is a fine couple of pieces and I look forward to many more from the pair to come.

5806. Greenbank (105)

Mr Crawls, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2024
Mr Crawls, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2024

Mr Crawls continues on his quest to delight Bristolians with his birds and monster birds all over the city. This smaller piece is on one of two that were presumably painted around the same time on the long hoarding at Greenbank.

Mr Crawls, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2024
Mr Crawls, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2024

The gull-like cartoon character looks rather charming with his sleepy eyes. I am guessing this was a quick one, as the white fill is a little on the thin side. The thick pink border does just enough to separate the bird from the busy background, without the need for buffing the wall. If Mr Crawls continues with his high volume of pieces, I might have to start grouping them into posts.