4575. M32 roundabout J3 (414)

About eighteen months ago there was absolutely no stopping Lee Roy, and it was easy to find new pieces by him on a regular basis, then out of the blue nothing for quite a long while. Lee Roy,I am pleased to report, has resumed his prolific form in recent weeks and this is one of several new pieces by the artist.

Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

His familiar letters are given some extra special treatment in this piece, with a rather snazzy background of pink and purple bricks on a blue background. The letters too have some reference to brickwork as well as some other fine drippy and dotty fills. This is a lovely piece from Lee Roy, and I will try to dig out some more recent ones from the artist.

4531. M32 roundabout J3 (413)

One thing you can be pretty sure of is that when Stivs creates a piece, it is never sloppy or rushed, the calligraffiti style lends itself to accuracy and precision, and anything that deviates from that simply wouldn’t work. This is a lovely recent piece on the M32 roundabout.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2022
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2022

The colours are reminiscent of those used in fun fair art, and the style too. The letters are beautiful, spelling out STIVS, and the colours wonderfully matched, but it is the fills and decorations that steal the show on this one. A truly magnificent piece from Stivs

4498. M32 roundabout J3 (412)

Like many other established artists in Bristol, Soker is emerging from a rather quiet couple of years, and we are beginning to see his work about the place more frequently. This, for any fan of top-drawer graffiti writing, is good news indeed.

Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022

This fine piece, on the M 32 roundabout, is classic Soker, spelling out SOKEM, with beautifully presented letters sharply contrasting with the fully buffed and decorated background. It is easy to spot great quality when you see it, and this is right up there with the best.

4485.M32 roundabout J3 (411)

This is the first Petro piece I have seen for a little while, but like all his pieces it is most welcome. Spelling out the word PETRO, the letters have a rather organic feel to them not really conforming to any specific convention, but immediately identifiable as a Petro piece. I love the “age 49 3/4” which made me laugh. A fine piece.

Petro, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022
Petro, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022

Having returned from Porto in the small hours of this morning, I have had time to reflect on the comparative street art scenes in Porto and in Bristol. My conclusion is that the two cities have very different styles, Porto’s seemingly in its infancy and Bristol’s, a mature and extraordinarily diverse and accomplished scene. Both are exciting and vibrant but in different ways.

4458. M32 roundabout J3 (410)

We have discovered lately that Smut is not a one-trick pony, far from it, and his last few pieces have demonstrated that he has great versatility and has managed to be consistently tidy with his writing (sounds a bit like a school report – perhaps I should have been a teacher).

Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022
Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022

This piece on the M32 roundabout is a long way from his curvy, thin script writing that we have become accustomed to seeing from Smut. I don’t know how he does it, but Smut has the cleanest, sharpest lines imaginable and really knows how to turn out a supremely classy piece. The letter shapes are good, the colour selections fantastic and the shading/details of the green and yellow brilliant. This is an excellent, high-quality piece from Smut.

4438. M32 roundabout J3 (409)

Oof! Mest can really dial it up when he feels like it, and with this birthday celebration piece for Stivs, he has absolutely smashed it. I am guessing that during this birthday paint jam, Mest took his time to create this really tight piece.

Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022

The first thing to note is the unusual colour combination of cream pink and blue, which might not be an obvious alliance, but somehow he has carried it off. His letter shapes are a little more dynamic than usual and all the additional little details pick our different aspects of the writing. A very nice piece indeed, lifting Mest up into the next level. Also a fabulous tribute to Stivs on his birthday.

4426. M32 roundabout J3 (408)

Until a couple of days ago when I posted a piece by Phour, there had been a long gap since the last one, and now today we have another one. Throughout the drought period, Phour has been painting, but I simply haven’t been able to find space to include any posts by him. My job of recording street art and graffiti in Bristol gets more difficult by the day because of the sheer amount of work that is appearing. You might have noticed that I am starting to drop three posts a day when I can, just to share as much as possible.

Phour, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Phour, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022

This one from Phour is a particularly good example of his work, with some stunning fades in his letter fills and a clean, crisp yellow border. The whole thing is set on a cosmic cloudy backdrop, which keeps it all tidy. More great work from Phour.

4419. M32 roundabout J3 (407)

By the time I got to it, half of this collaborative wall had been taken out, within 24 hours of being painted, fortunately, this part by Mr Penfold survived. It can be frustrating when pieces are overpainted so quickly, but everyone who paints in Bristol knows the score.

Mr Penfold, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Penfold, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022

The work in this piece is so obviously by Mr Penfold, and needs no signature. Nobody else in Bristol creates these amazing abstract pieces. This one is a little different from some of his work, for example there are no shadows of any of the shapes, and it all feels a little bit more random than usual. Great to look at, and although short-lived, magnificent while it was there.

4392. M32 roundabout J3 (406)

In one of his favourite stretches on one of his favourite walls, Corupt brings another in a series of fabulous of graffiti writing pieces in his beautiful style that is so unique to this particular artist. I almost missed this piece, thinking that it was one of his previous ones in the same spot, which goes to show that it is so important to look carefully and not to make too many assumptions.

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022

Writing Korupt, with a K, which is one of his variants, he has chosen a superb colour palette of browns and oranges set on a blue background, the whole, being festooned with gorgeous fill decorations. A very classy piece indeed.

4390. M32 roundabout J3 (405)

This subtle piece is by an artist who has slipped off the radar a little bit, Dog Bless the Band, so it was a pleasure to find it on the southern wall of the M32 roundabout recently. I feel like I have posted many more of his pieces than I actually have, such is the impression they have made on me.

Dog bless the band, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Dog bless the band, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022

The giveaway element, apart from his modest colour selection, is the distinctive  letter ‘M’ at the start of the MOTEL. This time he has animated the ‘O’ with a rather gentle face. There is an organic nature to his work, which has a rather calming effect. Nothing urgent and sparky. As well as having the best name since Stupid, Stupid Meathole, his style is one that I really like.