Tag: M32 roundabout

5161. M32 roundabout J3 (466)

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

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.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

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.

5159. M32 roundabout J3 (465)

Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

We don’t see too many new pieces by Turoe these days, so to come across this one was a nice surprise. The writing spells 2REAL, which is a little different, and I wonder if it is a corruption of TUROE – probably not.

Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Of course, the whole piece is outstanding, as you would expect. The fabulous chrome letters are picked out with little white highlights. What works particularly well is the complementary nature of the chrome and blue colours. Yet another fine example of Turoe’s talent.

5155. M32 roundabout J3 (464)

Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Cort is a quiet artist who, it would seem, likes to keep himself to himself. I have met him on two or three occasions, but I think it would be fair to say we have probably exchanged about ten words between us. He had just finished painting this rather attractive piece alongside Hire, and was sitting on the grass chilling.

Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

I have long admired Corts work, which is different from most of the stuff you see in Bristol, but in recent years he has started to add characters to his writing and here he included a bear, who has a passing resemblance to Fozzy Bear. The letters spell Kortos, and are unruly in their shapes, but reasonably uniform in size. Cort’s signature fill incorporating circles or dots can be seen on the K R and S. This is a fun, vibrant piece from another of the Polish contingent of artists.

5152. M32 roundabout J3 (463)

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Hypo has had a new lease of life recently – perhaps his work/domestic circumstances have changed, but he is out and about painting more than I have seen since 2015, so much so, that I felt compelled to compile a gallery of his work last week.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

As well as an increase in the quantity of his work, I feel like there is a commensurate improvement in the quality of it too. This is a lovely piece that pops out of the wall thanks to some clever shadow work and use of white highlights. There are several colour transitions in his fills, at least seven, and the finishing with dots works nicely too. In most of Hypo’s work there is a bilateral symmetry and that really comes to play in this piece. Fabulous work from this established Bristol artist.

5145. M32 roundabout (462)

Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

“I’m avin this trolley”. How skilful Merny is as a storyteller… even with her back turned to us you can tell this is an elderly lady making a grab for a trolley outside a supermarket. A lady unshakable in her determination to have what she has set her eyes on – we’ve all encountered this lady at some time in our lives.

Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Merny’s naive style works perfectly for this scenario, and there is an honesty and authenticity in his work, which contributes to the storytelling. As with all his works, Merny has added a series of numbered pointers, suggesting there is a key explaining the elements of the picture, such a clever and compelling mechanism. There is always so much to enjoy about Merny’s work.

5138. M32 roundabout J3 (461)

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

When I first encountered Face 1st’s work, his pieces were more commonly painted solo, with occasional PWA paint jams, particularly with Soap, but more recently he has rarely painted without some of his buddies, this piece on the M32 roundabout being an exception. Maybe all his PWA mates were busy that day.

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

I love the way that Face 1st constantly plays with new ideas and themes, and then adds them to his repertoire. This is a traditional Face 1st idea, a face with hair spelling FACE, but the letters are deep 3D block letters which he has been including more often recently, and there is a lot of gloopy dripping going on, something he started to include in his work about two years ago. This is a fun and eye-catching piece from the prolific Face 1st.

5120. M32 roundabout J3 (460)

Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023

More unusual writing from Kid Krishna, this time on the wall to the right of the tunnel on the northern side of the M32 roundabout. This is a candidate wall for the ‘One Wall’ series of posts I write, showing a time series of pieces on the same wall… when I have time.

Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023

Kid Krishna told me that he always writes CRIE in his work, although even though he has assured me this is the case, I struggle a little to see it sometimes. I guess it is not important what it says, instead, the composition being more central. This is a straightforward cream on black piece, with nowhere to hide, so Kid Krishna has really exposed his work here. There is some geometry and method in his writing, which you can see from the circles. Painted with rollers, this is a fine reminder of the versatility of the artist.

5112. M32 roundabout J3 (459)

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023

In Bristol, we have several what I would call ‘occasional’ artists, who are accomplished in their own right, but simply don’t paint walls all that often and Serm would fall into that category. For example, I have only spotted five of his pieces since February 2021, and although he may have painted more than that, his pieces are few and far between.

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023

The great thing about these occasional writers is that it is always extra special when you do come across a piece. Serm tends to paint large block letters, which he has done on this occasion with a yellow background and shades of purple and lilac in his letter fills. There is a strong sense of industry and solidity in the piece looking like it would weigh a lot if you could pick it up. A few more years, and I might have enough Serm pieces to cobble a gallery together.

5095. M32 roundabout J3 (458)

Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

WTF! is what I thought when I first saw this. I have heard of artists trying something a little bit different, but this piece takes the theory to a whole new level. We know and love Slakarts for his stylised faces, which have evolved over the last few years, but this piece is a complete departure into the realms of abstract art.

Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

If I had seen this without knowing who it was by (via some Instagram investigation), I don’t think I would ever have guessed it was Sakarts. There are no design indications or patterns that would give him away. The only possible link to his usual work would be the colours, and that is probably because these are the colours he has in his stock. The abstract piece is a well-balanced mash-up of shapes and colours, with one or two reference points, but nothing much to go on.

This is a fascinating piece from Slakarts, but I am going to have to ‘let go’ a bit to fully buy in to this change in direction, or is it a one-off, I wonder.

5090. M32 roundabout J3 (457)

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

I have said in recent posts featuring Zake that his work is getting ever more adventurous and zany, well this piece on the M32 roundabout pretty much supports my assertion. This is Zake pushing boundaries and having fun.

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

This piece was painted as part of a PWA crew paint jam, and combining with the crew has certainly nudged his work along, perhaps being inspired and encouraged by his friends. The face is huge and green and slightly unsettling, due to the absence of pupils. Zake’s mastery of light and shade conveys real depth and creates definition of features. This is an excellent character portrait from Zake – where to next for this artist? Whole bodies? Photorealism?