Tag: Hems

I think I have COVID. I am not well at all and not really in the mood for writing blog posts, but I have a rhythm, and don’t like to interrupt it. It is amazing just how much COVID has disrupted our lives, not only with the illness and suffering it brought with it, but the battles between sectors of society around anti-vax and conspiracy theories about big pharma etc. The pandemic appears only to have divided us, or at least influencers and politicians have jumped onto the back of ‘wedge’ issues with glee to suit their own agendas. Surely the focus should be on mourning the dead, caring for the sick and creating a better more functional society.

It almost feels like a dream, when lockdowns were in place, and we all wore face masks, what a crazy period in our history. One of the upsides to the pandemic and lockdown is that some street artists, made good use of their out of work time to paint and paint, and one of those was Hemper. Since things have returned to normal, Hemper’s productivity has dropped and we only see occasional pieces from him these days.

This is one of those rare pieces and what an absolute banger it is too. The joyfully colourful letters spell out Hems, but are very well disguised. Hemper has painted a beauty with extraordinary blended fills, some of which bleed beyond the borders of the letters. The whole thing feels very organic, almost alive. Simply put, this is an outstanding piece of wildstyle writing from one of the very best in Bristol.

Since the weather improved, which has been about a four-week spell now, this wall has been hit pretty hard with a high turnover of graffiti art, so you have to be on your toes if you want to see it all. Although I have missed several recent pieces here, I was lucky enough to see this absolute beauty by Hemper.

This piece of graffiti writing is indescribably good. Incredible colours, an outstanding 3D effect and stunning design combine to make this one of the best pieces I have seen this year. The letters HEMS are blasting out of the wall from a central vanishing point and smacking you around the face, forcing you to pay attention. One of the best from one of the best.

Always incredible, always on point, Hemper manages to turn out extraordinary pieces every time he paints, without fail. Hemper is one of the best graffiti writers in Bristol, and quite probably in the country right now, whose imaginative renditions of the letters HEMS are truly awesome.

This piece on the roundabout has an organic feel to it and Hemper has created an extraordinary sense of depth, with clever use of borders and 3D drop shadows as well as white highlights, circles and shading in the letters. He has used a fabulous pastel colour palette, that while eye-catching, isn’t brash. This piece from Hemper is about as good as it gets.

More from Hemper in this gallery.

There was a period last year when we were spoilt with an avalanche of Hemper pieces, of course, keeping that level of productivity going was always going to be difficult, and the artist has now settled into a more occasional routine.

This is a lovely piece, painted alongside Andy Council, from a couple of weeks back. This is wildstyle writing at its cryptic best. Letters made up of three dimensional slabs, which I must confess that I have difficulty reading. Hemper usually writes HEMS, but I can’t make it out here. This is a beautifully executed, highly complex piece that demonstrates just what an accomplished writer Hemper is.