6652. Hornsey Road, North London

Perspicere, Hornsey Road, North London, December 2024
Perspicere, Hornsey Road, North London, December 2024

This piece by Perspicere is opposite the Banksy tree on Hornsey Road, London, and was photographed while walking to a Football match with my son a couple of weeks back. Not only was I not expecting the Banksy piece, but this thread installation by Perspicere was a superb bonus.

Perspicere, Hornsey Road, North London, December 2024
Perspicere, Hornsey Road, North London, December 2024

It was a dark and foggy evening when we were passing by, and I dare say that this piece is probably best viewed in daylight. The threads, suspended from the edges of the board, combine to make out  a mature oak tree in a field, casting a long shadow. It is a wonderful composition and another beauty from the artist who uses this specialist technique. Another unexpected joy.

6639. Coach and Horses

Smak, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024
Smak, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024

This is a stunning piece of graffiti writing by Smak, incorporating a landscape view, framed in a wide rectangle. It is similar to a piece that he painted on the M32 roundabout a little while ago. I have a feeling that this piece was from around the same time, but I have only recently got round to photographing and posting it.

Smak, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024
Smak, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024

The letters ‘SMAK’ are concealed, and I have to say I am assuming they are there rather than knowing that they are there. Within the overall design, there are fragments of a tropical paradise and plenty of palm tree references throughout. This is a truly classy piece from a very classy artist.

6570. Cumberland Basin

Conrico, Acer One and Andy Council, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Conrico, Acer One and Andy Council, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

You might be able to detect that I have been rooting around in my archives again, which I like to do every once in a while, because there are so many pieces that I’d like to share, but that get left behind. How this amazing collaboration from Conrico, Acer One and Andy Council ever got omitted I’ll never know, but I am making up for it now.

Conrico and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Conrico and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Conrico and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Conrico and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

The three part piece is a wonderful co-creation in which all the distinctive elements come together seamlessly. The landscape background with hints of an oriental coastal scene is by Conrico and creates a wonderful setting for the letters of Acer One, that spell out WABI SABI in two sections either side of the centrepiece by Andy Council,

Andy Council, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Andy Council, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

The central portrait of a roaring tiger has everything you’d expect from a piece by Andy council where each of the elements of the tiger are ‘stitched’ together to form a coherent and, frankly, stunning whole. I think that the rose pink clouds emphasising the tiger head were painted by Conrico. The overall collaboration is a triumph of three very different styles coming together to create something truly excellent.

6556. Newfoundland Road (6)

Zase, Newfoundland Road, Bristol, November 2024
Zase, Newfoundland Road, Bristol, November 2024

This is a curious shutter piece painted on a new Kashmiri restaurant in St Pauls. It is a little off the beaten track, but on one of my dog-walking circuits. The piece is signed by Zase, but it is quite unlike most of his work, and is most likely painted to a commission brief.

Zase, Newfoundland Road, Bristol, November 2024
Zase, Newfoundland Road, Bristol, November 2024

The piece is a stunning mountainous landscape, with a river running through rolling hills and a cherry blossom dangling across the piece in the foreground. The piece is unusual, because you simply don’t see this kind of thing very often in Bristol. It is beautiful.

Zase, Newfoundland Road, Bristol, November 2024
Zase, Newfoundland Road, Bristol, November 2024

On the other side of the restaurant entrance is a flag-map of Kashmir. I am not certain that Zase is the artist, because it is so utterly different from his normal style, and it isn’t quite finished to the sharp quality I would expect. The whole thing though is a refreshing change from the usual fare I see every single day.

Wonderland

.

Clickety clacking 

through this English countryside 

silver snow blanket

.

by Scooj

6508. Greenbank (138)

Nice One, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024
Nice One, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024

I recently met Nice One for the first time, although he said that we had met before (I think that must have been before he was painting as Nice One), which I felt a bit bad about, because I like to try and remember these things. We had a great chat about all sorts of things, and I was able to tell him how much I was enjoying his work, and the superb way he combines his writing with characters and scenes – this piece being a perfect example of what I mean.

Nice One, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024
Nice One, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024

This piece wouldn’t look out of place in a gallery, but here it is for the citizens of Bristol to enjoy. The concept is beautifully executed, a landscape with moody clouds above a tree-lined lake, and the letters, in Times New Roman font emerging like monoliths from the horizon. This is a fascinating piece that demonstrates Nice One’s modest talent. One of the most memorable pieces of the year in my view.

6506. M32 Spot (196)

Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2024
Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2024

I am baffled that I have posted fewer than 200 pieces from the M32 Spot – it feels like an awful lot more than that. I am very much an admirer of Creamylines’ work, and simply don’t see enough of it. His original pieces always remind me of stained-glass windows in the use of colour and the segmentation of different elements as if separated by leading.

Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2024
Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2024

In this column landscape/seascape/riverscape piece, Creamylines offers a bright and optimistic view of people and nature beneath a bright sun and patchy clouds. There is lots of detail, and naturally I am drawn to the fish in the middle section. There is so much to enjoy in this uplifting piece. I definitely would like to see much more from Creamylines.

6276. New Stadium Road (56)

Conrico, New Stadium Road, Bristol, July 2024
Conrico, New Stadium Road, Bristol, July 2024

Conrico has been so productively lately with commissions, painting walls and the Cheltenham Paint Festival. It is lucky really that he is so passionate about what he does and that he really enjoys it. He is currently going full tilt on his Japanese influenced pieces, including this lovely landscape/writing combo.

Conrico, New Stadium Road, Bristol, July 2024
Conrico, New Stadium Road, Bristol, July 2024

Conrico has a great story behind his moniker, which is essentially a school corruption of his name which has stuck, a bit like Scooj which I use as my pseudonym. The letters CONRICO are dominant in this piece and are influenced by the katakana alphabet, and float over a stunning landscape of a snow-clad volcano (Fuji?) and cherry blossoms in the foreground. A wonderful piece.

6269. Greenbank (131)

Whos, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2024
Whos, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2024

Note to self… take better photographs. This piece is something of an outlier. It is by an artist called Whos, who is known for his anti-style writing, so when I first saw this it didn’t register that it might be by him. It was only after talking to Conrico at the Cheltenham Paint Festival who confirmed that it was indeed by Whos and that Conrico, while painting to the left of this piece, encouraged Whos to push the boundaries.

Whos, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2024
Whos, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2024

This urban landscape, making up the letters WHOS, is really imaginative, and coming from an artist more used to the free from of anti-style graffiti writing, is a great effort. The dark industrial colours lend themselves very well to the piece and help to create a special atmosphere, which would not have been achieved with bright pinks and yellows etc. I really hope that Whos is encouraged by this foray into a world of opportunities is just the beginning… we’ll have to wait and see.

6249. Purdown (75)

Conrico, Purdown, Bristol, July 2024
Conrico, Purdown, Bristol, July 2024

One of the great pleasures of my trip to Cheltenham two weekends ago for the Cheltenham Paint Festival was catching up with Conrico while he was painting a wide piece spanning a bridge. We chatted for quite a while, and I came away with the impression of a really decent man who so utterly enjoys his craft. We talked about all sorts of things like where his name comes from and what his connection with Japan is and so on. Fascinating stuff.

Conrico, Purdown, Bristol, July 2024
Conrico, Purdown, Bristol, July 2024

This is a gorgeous Japanese scene with a pathway leading up to a small building and a lantern lighting the way. There are ghostly figures sitting on the roof of the structure and nearby, giving the whole thing quite a spiritual feel. Maybe the figures are ancestors. As with much of his work, Conrico has constructed a story and illustrated it beautiful, bringing a tiny little bit of Japan to Bristol.