Tag: M32 roundabout

5198. M32 roundabout J3 (473)

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Kosc is always on fire, whether it is his graffiti writing or his character pieces, he never disappoints. This is another outstanding piece of writing painted in day glow orange tones, a colour that he favours, but one that fades if left out inn the elements for too long.

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

The letters spell out Kosc and have his trademark ‘rivets’ in place at certain junctions in the lettering, making the whole thing look like a piece of metalwork. The transition of fill colours is exceptional, and the shading within each letter creates a fabulous 3D effect. I think that Kosc may have missed a bit of shading on the far left part of the letter ‘K’, a minor detail, but you can’t unsee it.

5194. M32 roundabout J3 (471)

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

In this piece, part of a recent paint jam on the St Paul’s side of the roundabout, we see Laic217 at his magnificent best. A rather evil looking skeleton is set on a fabulous backdrop of church windows in true horror film style, brandishing a gold medallion with the letter L for Laic.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

As with all his pieces, the folds of the fabric of the skeleton’s robe are beautifully painted and convey a texture that many artists struggle to portray. Light and shade play a large part in Laic217’s work, creating depth and perspective. This is an outstanding piece from the master of skeletons.

5190. M32 roundabout J3 (470)

Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Rusk is a lovely bloke, and although I have to remind him who I am pretty much every time I meet him, he always makes time for a chat. I was in the right place at the right time when he and several other artists were having a bit of a paint jam on the St Paul’s side of the M32 roundabout. This was one of a really classy gallery of pieces.

Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Rusk has painted a graffiti writing and character combination with a little slogan and probable theme of ‘born to die’. The writing is, as always, first class and as neat and tidy as you’ll ever see. The metallic feel is worked hard with combinations of white and grey and clever highlights and stars. Along the top of the piece, the grim reaper is calling out to bypassing pedestrians and cyclists… you’re next. Beautiful work from Rusk.

5178. M32 roundabout J3 (469)

Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

I was lucky enough to run into Hire and Cort when they were painting alongside each other on a rather lovely afternoon a week or two back. You don’t often get to see Hire’s work on this roundabout wall, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him painting there.

Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

As I would always expect, his piece oozes quality and class. Set on a wonderful blue background, Hire has spelled out HIRE and added a wonderful angry bunny accompaniment. Just in passing, this photograph illustrates the weight of decades of paint that has been plastered on this wall and which ripples and bubbles – at some point large chunks of paint will tumble off the wall under its own weight.

Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

The letters are outstanding, and their uniformity of design is touching on calligraffiti. Little puffy clouds are intertwined with the letters. Of course, Hire has given us the extra light of a bunny, that is like a mega-tag for the artist.

5168. M32 roundabout J3 (468)

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

Street artists, like the rest of us, go through life cycles, where things like jobs, relationships, health, starting families and capacity have a major influence on pursuing their hobby/lifestyle. Some artists manage to paint through all the challenges they face, others will put down their spray cans for a while, and resume when things improve. Hypo, who for the last few years has been an ‘occasional’ painter, has upped his game of late and is creating some wonderful pieces that just seem to be getting better and better.

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

This is a lovely piece on the roundabout, incorporating a turquoise and orange colour combination that is made in heaven. I love the opposing symmetry of the Y and P letters, something that is a strong feature of Hypo’s work. I would say that I am really enjoying this revitalisation of form from Hypo and look forward to a summer of fabulous graffiti writing.

5162. M32 roundabout J3 (467)

Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

I was really fed up when I missed the last collaboration from these two in Dean Lane a short while ago. I was just too slow, and in this game if you snooze, you lose. So I didn’t hang around this time, making sure I got down to the roundabout as soon as I knew this had been painted. The collaboration is from Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, whose street work I have only ever seen alongside his friend.

Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Kid crayon has gone for some straightforward writing in pink shades, which is very much a favoured tone he uses. The letters are clean and tidy, with some fun fills adding interest to the two pinks he has used. The lines along the top offer a sense of movement. The words ‘sit up’ segue nicely across to the adjacent I Am Ian piece.

I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

I have seen a lot of designs on I Am Ian’s Instagram account, and he manages to transition them really well to large walls, retaining his bold colours and exaggerated features. In this piece, we see a red-faced character doing sit-ups, building up a sweat and whose eyes are popping. Fun stuff from these two, who really ought to get out more and paint walls together this summer (easy for me to say).

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.