3785. M32 roundabout J3 (334)

I always feel like I am a little bit behind the curve when it comes to Stivs. He has only really come onto my radar over the last twelve months or so, and I have struggled to post as many of his outstanding pieces as I would like.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

This is a real beauty, tucked away on the M32 roundabout. Unlike some of his more formal caligraffiti, this piece uses his calligraphic principals and blends them into some wildstyle writing. The colours work really well together and Stivs has worked in some incredibly detailed fills and patterns. This is a mighty piece.

3778. M32 roundabout J3 (333)

This is an absolute gem of a collaboration from a little while ago by Hemper and Benjimagnetic, who will often be seen side by side painting Bristol walls, having said that, I still have yet to meet Benjimagnetic.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

On the left is is a gorgeous gloopy, fluid piece of writing from Hemper with some outstanding fills and drips adorning the letters (HEMS). The piece is finished off with a little mist of green yellow around the boundary providing a bit of movement and depth. A very nice piece of writing indeed from this master of the craft.

Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

To the right of the Hemper writing is a very tidy piece for graffiti from Benjimagnetic, spelling out BEN (I assume). In recent months, Benjimagnetic has reined in his work a little from the rather busy style he has, into something calmer and easier on the eye. Personally I like this new direction and find it easier to engage with his newer work. The geometric patterns are still there, but with out too much fuss. Another fine collaboration from this pair.

3777. M32 roundabout J3 (332)

An artist, who perhaps never quite gets the recognition he deserves, is Corupt, who also writes Stick. I think that for every piece I have published, there are two or three in my files, which somehow feels unfair, but actually with only two posts a day, I am never ever going to be able to do justice to all the artists in Bristol.

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

This piece of writing is truly magnificent and has been widely amplified on social media. A beautiful combination of letters each with its own style with the O and U being part of a worm leave this graffiti writing with a rather horticultural feel to it, and I am all in favour of that. This is an accomplished piece which really captures the imagination.

3775. M32 roundabout J3 (331)

It seems a very long time ago now, that pretty much every week we were being treated to a Rezwonk/Decay collaboration, since then, of course, we have had the pandemic and Decay has moved out of Bristol. The frequency of Rezwonk pieces has definitely declined, but the quality is still outstanding.

Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

This piece on the roundabout, builds on his rather industrial theme where the letters look like pieces of metal riveted into the wall. The wonderful letters spell out REZER with the ‘E’s reversed. The subtle shadings of red and white give the letters some depth and lift them from the wall. A very tidy piece indeed.

3766. M32 roundabout J3 (330)

I think that Eman is the artist I have seen the most of in recent weeks, I think that the times and days and locations that we visit somehow coincide. This time I was lucky enough to catch him painting his first portrait piece in collaboration with Evey, although she had not yet arrived when I took this WIP shot.

Eman, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Eman, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

Obviously any blue female portrait will be compared in some way to the most reproduced Chinese Girl portrait by Vladimir Trechikoff and this isn’t too far away from that. It is great to see Eman trying new things, he seems to have an appetite for pushing himself hard and with great results.

Evey and Eman, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Evey and Eman, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

Evey, who turned up after I had gone, has added some orange flowers and her letters EVEN to the right of the piece and reminds us that ‘all black lives still matter’ keeping the BLM movement in the agenda. This is a rather lovely collaboration, and quite unusual in its structure. Great to see.

3763. M32 roundabout J3 (329)

Ooh, a very lovely piece from Ryder on the M32 roundabout, full of fun and movement. Part of a wider collaboration, but worth singling out because it is just too good to share the limelight.

Ryder, M32 roundbout, Bristol, June 2021
Ryder, M32 roundbout, Bristol, June 2021

What could be better than a RYDER riding on a skateboard – all in bright green and five cheeky little characters. If nothing else the piece is a memorable one that definitely stands out from the crowd. This is Ryder at his playful best.

3747. M32 roundabout J3 (328)

I am thoroughly enjoying this relatively recent design format from Face 1st, and I think that this is roughly the fifth or sixth piece that I have seen in this style. One of the pleasures of taking an interest in street art is watching how each of the artists evolve their styles and subjects… what they practice and what they choose to discard. Few things on the street/graffiti art scene remain static.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

This piece appeared a couple of weeks back, quietly and quickly and unusually not as part of a collaboration with PWA friends. The block letters spelling FACE are filled with the dynamic (crazy) blue hair belonging to the smiling girl, whose omnipresence is at the heart of all of Face 1st’s work. I like the darker tones of the piece, which seem to work really well. Another beauty.

3744. M32 roundabout J3 (327)

This is just wonderful, a large organic piece from Petro and the second to appear on Natural Adventures. Petro is an artist that I have taken an instant liking to. His unusual, subdued colour selections and desire to fill as much space as possible with his writing really appeals to me.

Petro, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Petro, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

In this piece, it is the 3D purple shading that catches the eye as it sucks everything from the right to the left. As well as spelling out PETRO, he also includes the letters TFWH, although I don’t know what these relate to – a crew possibly. Big, bold, psychedelic and modestly outrageous – I love it.

3736. M32 roundabout J3 (326)

It is great to see these two painting together again, in particular Cort, who has rather gone to ground during the Covid-19 pandemic. Laic217, on the other hand, has been painting in fits and starts, but appears to have settled into a more regular rhythm recently.

Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

Cort’s writing takes on his familiar form of irregular letters combining straight forms with curvy ones and spelling CORTOS. The letters are decorated with red blobs and Cort has used some thin yellow lines to add emphasis.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021 

Laic217 gives us a rather chilling scene of two characters looking like something from a dystopian future with a pile of small rocks in front of them. There is a story here, but I don’t quite know what it is. The characters are fabulously created from shades of purple and pink with lots of shadow in the creases of their clothes. Laic217 is raising his game week after week and it is so good to see.

3726. M32 roundabout J3 (325)

There are a handful of graffiti writers in Bristol that I would group together in terms of what they paint and how they go about it. They would include TES (Slim Pickings), Phour, Pl8o, Bnie, Mena and in this example Mest, to name but a few. What these artists tend to do is write the same set of letters, usually in a similar font or style, but play with the fills and decorations. This is graffiti writing, but not wildstyle graffiti writing which tends to be much more elaborate and unique each time.

Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021

I think that this piece from Mest is very nicely finished and has some unusual but rather nice fills. I particularly like the pink dots that offset the rest of it. The green border helps to lift the letters a little. Overall a pleasing piece.