What a lovely surprise it was to come across this fabulous collaboration from Andy Council and Hemper when doing my rounds a week or so back. Two fabulous artists coming together to create this poignant piece.
Andy Council, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
Andy Council has been doing more street (non-commissioned) work at the moment than I can remember for several years, and I am definitely not complaining about that. The collaboration is a tribute piece to artist and friend Wayne, although I am not too sure about the reference ‘save the wheals’. Andy Council has painted a rather sad looking whale with his customary ‘stitching’ together of components to make the whole. Very nice work indeed.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
On the right, Hemper has written WAYNE with extraordinary skill with such beautiful letter shapes and and clever fills. There are never enough words to be able to describe Hemper’s work, and he is an artist who seems to be raising his own very high bar. Great to see this amazing collaboration.
I don’t understand what is going on in Bristol at the moment, but some truly magnificent pieces are being painted over far too quickly. Maybe we have too many artists (is that a thing?) or maybe we don’t have enough ‘safe’ walls (probably), whatever the reason, there is a lot of great art that has a very short lifetime. This collaboration from Hemper and Benjimagnetic is one of these ephemeral pieces.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
The artists have worked really well together here and their pieces appear to be a bit of a fusion, each mimicking the other one’s style. They have matched the colour scheme across the two pieces, and on the left is this exquisite HEMS (difficult to see) so skilfully crafted.
Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
To the right is the Benjimagnetic half spelling BEN and equally expertly sprayed. It would seem that in working together on this, both artists have raised their game, particularly Benjimagnetic, whose work at the moment is entering a new level. This is simply a beautiful collaboration.
Hemper and Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
I was lucky enough to run into Hemper as he was painting this humorous piece on the M32 roundabout. It was a rather overcast day and I had the dog with me for company. Hemper stopped for a chat, and I learned a little bit more about him and his work. He is a real gentleman and was more than happy to make time.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
The piece itself is a bit of a departure for this prolific street artist because of the inclusion of two characters. What was interesting was that Hemper, well known for freestyling his work was using pictures on his phone to get the characters right. Some may have spotted that they are Mark Zuckerberg on the left and Jeff Bezos on the right – great to see caricatures of two of the wealthiest people on the planet dissing each other’s businesses.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
In between the two characters Hemper has written SERFS, no need for any picture prompts here and the whole thing is painted in front of a backdrop of gold coins, lovely gold coins. Yet another Hemper stunner.
Hemper is painting like a fiend at the moment. Hardly a day goes by without another new piece from him, and each one is a special gem. His range is exceptional and that he does it all off-the-cuff makes it all the more impressive.
Hemper, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021
This recent piece of graffiti writing is in a beautifully curvy script with plenty of highlights and accents to create a nicely rounded 3D feel to the letters. The green fills are in several shades with a whole bunch of different patterns to enjoy. This is an artist who appears to be thoroughly enjoying his craft at the moment. Plenty more to come.
This is a pairing that has been very productive in recent weeks and one that involves two artists with very different temperaments, Hemper and Turoe. What is clear is that both of these artists are uber-talented and capable of turning out writing in a plethora of different styles.
Hemper, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
This collaboration is actually only one half of a slightly larger effort that included Veks and Benjimagnetic but somehow these two needed to be posted as one. The Hemper ‘HEMS’ is utterly outstanding and those shades from brown at the bottom to blue at the top are sensational. The letter style is nice and organic and has a kind of woodland/outdoorsy feel to it. So very good.
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
The Turoe piece in a richly scripted style, spelling out, unsurprisingly, SHYTE, is beautifully done in a yellow gold colour. There is something funny about the juxtaposition between the fancy script and crude word. A fine piece from Turoe. Together, these artists with contrasting efforts have absolutely smashed this wall.
Hemper and Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Both of these artists have had a very busy year in terms of throwing paint at walls. Benjimagnetic and Hemper are not artists I would normally pair up, but they have painted together in the past and continue to do so from time to time. Benjimagnetic’s style is much more consistent, whereas with Hemper, each piece is incredibly individual.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021
On the left is a fascinating piece from Benjimagnetic spelling BEN, which is much less frenetic and busy than his usual offerings. The yellow outline, where you can make out his letters, is sitting over a blockwork pattern, and the whole efect is compelling. Two little speech bubbles state: ‘Stand in the balance’ and ‘Hold your head up’
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021
To the right Hemper has created a sensational piece of writing spelling out HEMS in beautifully curvy letters which are filled to perfection with various colourful shades and bubbles. The whole thing is set on a very atmospheric green background with a few subtle shout-outs. ‘Free assembly is a right… …not a privilege’ is a sentiment very close to many Bristolian hearts at the moment. Kill the bill.
Yesterday I posted a gallery of Hemper’s work, and if you’ve not stumbled across it, you can find it here. This is yet another beauty in a disaggregated style, a little bit like Benjimagnetic perhaps, up at the M32 roundabout. I would like to say it is his most recent piece, but I know of at least two more since this one was painted.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
At first glance, and to the untrained eye, this might look like a bit of a chaotic mess. It is however a beautifully crafted HEMS in several colours, without a solid fill, but instead a hint at fills and outlines. I think that this is the kind of piece that a novice simply couldn’t create. Appearances can be deceptive.
Here we have another absolute scorcher from the fantastically productive Hemper. This artist’s trademark is his extraordinary creativity; how many different ways can he present the letters HEMS? Combined with his enormous skill and talent.
Hemper, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021
In this piece, Hemper has created a snakes and ladders board decked out in the garish colour squares that are so familiar to many of us from our childhoods. What an amazing thing to be able to do from a few old tins of spray paint. This is a magnificent, bright, happy piece. Thank you Hemper.
“Work to live, don’t live to work” – can’t argue with that.
It’s official, Hemper is on fire at the moment and having as productive a time of it as any that I can remember. I wonder if the ongoing lockdown situation has freed up some artists to paint walls more often than they normally would, and other ones to become almost invisible over the last year or so.
Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
I think that Hemper has a very good eye for colour combinations and the purple and green combinations in this piece work fantastically well. Spelling out HEMS, the letters alternate between the two main colours, but each letter is uniquely fashioned and filled. Another outstanding piece of graffiti writing from this master.
Natural adventures 