5684. M32 roundabout J3 (533)

Laic217, Soap, Zake and Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Laic217, Soap, Zake and Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

The Pirate Wall Art (PWA) crew have been a constant presence throughout 2023, adding to their ranks and adapting/growing/improving their artwork along the way. This is a lovely combination of pieces from Face 1st, Zake, Soap and the recently adopted Laic217.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Starting on the left is a fabulous melting face piece from Laic217. The disintegration of faces is a common theme in much of his work, and in this one the purple skin is dripping off, revealing a pink skull beneath. I love the addition of arrows piercing the smiley’s eyes on the bucket hat, although the beautifully worked shadows of the shafts are not consistent… where is the light source?

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Next up is an outstanding piece of animated writing from Soap. He has incorporated characters from the cartoon show Adventure Time, namely Jake the Dog and, I am guessing, a Princess, but I don’t know which one. The letters spell SOAP in an imaginative way, and although painted in my least favourite spray paint colour are utterly awesome.

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Zake has been switching things up lately, and in this piece he has painted a three-quarter cartoon profile, and this change of aspect means he has to think about shadings for a slight profile and the side of the head. He has managed to transition pretty well and incorporated tons of depth and texture with light and dark shading.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Finally, we have Face 1st, who has written the word FACE with a deep drop shadow, giving the impression that the letters are cut from a deep block. No girl’s happy faces on this one, but he has included a nice shout out to chill. Great work, once again from the PWA crew.

5678. M32 roundabout J3 (532)

Mind49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Well this one took me a little bit by surprise, because it is a piece of graffiti writing from Mind 49 who doesn’t usually major on his writing, in fact I think this is the first writing only piece I have seen from this talented artist. Some of his portrait and other pieces have included a few letters, but nothing on this scale.

Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Everything that you’d expect to see from a good graffiti writer is here… nice letter shapes, great colours and fills. The only thing that I think he needs to work on, and I am being super-picky, might be his outer border, which can be really unforgiving if the line is very thin. All in all, great to see something different from Mind 49, although, to be fair, all of his work is different from piece to piece. The piece fits a time context, with the ‘Free Palestine’ shout out.

5676. M32 roundabout J3 (531)

Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

A year or two ago, Slakarts was one of the more prolific artists in Bristol. I have a feeling that he is busy with work these days, which is, of course,  good thing, but it means we get to see fewer pieces on the streets. These days, every piece is a very welcome surprise, like this one on the M32 roundabout.

Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Slakarts has developed his style considerably, developing his trademark faces into something altogether more sophisticated. This sophisticated abstract piece incorporates his face design into a busy mash up of facial features, letters and symbols to create a bright and exciting experience. I would love to see more of his work, but have to be grateful for small mercies.

5672. M32 roundabout J3 (530)

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Last week I posted a piece by Hypo that showed something of a development of his style into a more cryptic wildstyle approach. This piece on the other hand is the more familiar graffiti writing we expect to see from Hypo, and what a colour-burst it is too.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

The letters are clear to read, and there is a real sense of joy and optimism about the piece. The colours come together as if they were sweets in a jar and the whole thing looks almost edible. I love the design, and the colour fades and decorations, I think though, and I know I am nit-picking, that the black shadow might have been a little tidier. Beautiful work from Hypo.

5665. M32 roundabout J3 (529)

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Almost a month late, but better late than never, I am sharing this wonderful Halloween piece from Bloem (Hiccup). Bloem has brought something different and rather special to the streets of Bristol, with her simple, yet creative ideas beautifully crafted.

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

What’s not to like about a spooky skeleton hand, complete with pink nails (of course), holding a fused pair of devil cherries with a smiley face on each. Slightly bonkers, but also great fun. I am very much enjoying Bloem’s contributions and look forward to the next ‘surprise’ she has in store.

5663. M32 roundabout J3 (528)

Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

By the time you read this, I will be in Birmingham for a greater team gathering, the first since Covid19 first struck, and long overdue. I will be (I am writing this last night) arriving 45 minutes early and will try to sniff out some street art in the Birmingham New Street area (if there is any – I know there is tons in the city, but I just don’t know where. Keeping my fingers crossed. This is a belter from Rusk, who makes his second appearance in as many days.

Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

I would describe this piece as being funky, it reminds me of the rather carefree 1970s, when fashion and style took a monumental dive, which we can only now really appreciate through rose-tinted spectacles. Pulsating with colour and flashes, there is a lot of disco movement in the letters RUSK. Of course the whole thing is finished perfectly and a complete banger.

5661. M32 roundabout J3 (527)

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

I met Hypo for the very first time when he was painting a piece adjacent to this one, which I sadly never got to photograph, because it had been painted over by the time I returned. What a lovely and interesting person Hypo is. I mentioned to him that he has been smashing it lately not only in quality of his pieces but in the quantity of them that he was turning out. He explained that he had been seriously ill a little while back and that while he was unable to work he was painting as part of his rehabilitation. It was good to see him looking well. It is amazing how our health completely shapes out lives, our losses and our opportunities.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

I would not describe this as a typical Hypo piece, being a little more cryptic and busy than his more typical work. The black and white letters have plenty of extra details and lines and have been filled sparingly with coloured spots and stars. There are some nice shout outs to Hemper, Ulow, Soker and Minto, which puts his peers into clear context. Hypo painted this piece alongside his LDub mates Dun Sum and Zeks. Nice transformative work.

5655. M32 roundabout J3 (526)

Gatoloco (Kasoe), M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Gatoloco (Kasoe), M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

What an absolute treat. Gatoloco, who is an occasional visitor to Bristol, has absolutely knocked it out of the park with this outstanding piece of writing. The letters spell KASO, he appears to have dropped the ‘E’, but maybe that was all he could fit into the space.

Gatoloco (Kasoe), M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Gatoloco (Kasoe), M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

I think that Gatoloco might be my favourite writer outside the city of Bristol. He brings so many design elements into his work, without it looking busy or fussy. I love the stripes on the letter ‘A’, a theme he has adopted in other recent pieces (a quick squint at his Instagram account revealed). The piece can be roughly dated, by the shout-out to Gaza. Fine work from the visitor.

5649. M32 Roundabout J3 (525)

Dun Sum, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Dun Sum, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

I usually associate Dun Sum with the spot in Lawrence Weston (L Dub), because that is where I have seen most of his work, but lately he has painted a couple of times in Bristol proper, this being a Halloween piece painted alongside Hypo, Zeks and DJ Perks. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, Hypo had already overpainted his own piece. I was lucky enough to bump into Dun Sum, Hypo and Zeks a couple of weeks later on the other side of the roundabout, and it was the first time I had met any of them. What lovely people.

Dun Sum, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Dun Sum, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Dun Sum is a wonderful artist in my view. He creates some incredibly original pieces usually with animals and usually full of imagination. In this Halloween piece, a bug of sorts seems to be powering up a pumpkin, but I guess the story is open to interpretation. The artwork is brilliant, and it is interesting to note that the way Dun Sum applies his paint looks much more like brushwork than spray paint due to the way he blends his colours throughout his work. I absolutely love this piece.

5644. M32 roundabout J3 (524)

Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

I have a feeling that we might be seeing a lot more from Minto as I believe that he has moved west from London, so his occasional pieces might be more regular going forward. This piece was painted during a small paint jam which included Rusk, who seems to be having a bit of a purple patch, and Hypo too.

Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Minto has a very distinct style, and while no two pieces are even close to being the same, his style shines through. The letters MINTO lend themselves very well to graffiti writing, with each of the first four letters having straight lines (in upper case), creating an angular opportunity. The character is inspired by Gozzilah and there is a little shout out below. I have no idea what Gozzilah is all about – is it fashion? Is it a music thing? Sometimes when writing this blog I feel rather left behind by contemporary culture. I think that it is something to do with a cyber fashion culture… who knew?