5269. M32 Spot (165)

Werm, Pekoe and Fade, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Werm, Pekoe and Fade, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

This recent collaborative wall is one I didn’t see coming, and I think that it demonstrates the camaraderie that exists in the street/graffiti art world, which is often perceived as being aggressive, territorial and threatening, which it can be, but mostly isn’t. The three artists are Werm, Pekoe and Fade, an artist who is new to Natural Adventures, but whose work I expect to be posting a fair amount from now on.

Werm, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Werm, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

To the left, the very productive Werm treats us to gold and electric blue graffiti writing, painted in his ever-evolving style. Recently Werm has been writing quite small letters in the centre of the piece and extending the letters outwards with intricate designs. His work is tending towards an overall symmetry, not unlike Elvs’ and Hypo’s work at the moment. A classy piece of writing.

Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

The rose between two thorns (sorry guys) is by Pekoe, whose portrait pieces are part of the binding DNA of contemporary Bristol street art. The girl in the picture appears to be a little haunted and unhappy, often a feature of Pekoe’s work. The big hair is dutifully decorated with yellow blocks of marks and the cheeks decorated with an anarchy symbol and heart. I am tying to work out if the pink in the eyes was added by Pekoe or a tagger – it looks a little out of place to me.

Fade, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Fade, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

To the right is a tidy piece by Fade, who tells me he has spent the last 15 years in New York photographing skaters and street scenes – his work is amazing – but has returned to Bristol and picked up a spray can again, to great effect. I expect to see a lot more from Fade as he gets his eye back in and decorates the streets of our city.

An unusual grouping of artists, but nonetheless a fine collaborative wall.

5262. M32 Spot (164)

Kid Krishna, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Kid Krishna, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

I simply can’t keep up with Kid Krishna at the moment, and I think I am going to have to do a ‘sweep up’ post of pieces that I haven’t posted so far this year, because all of them deserve to be featured here on Natural Adventures. Not only is he incredibly prolific, but he manages to spread himself far and wide, although mostly north of the river, to be fair.

Kid Krishna, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Kid Krishna, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

There is nobody else like Kid Krishna, both in terms of the person and his art. His lettering, although it is often such a mash-up, spells CRIE, and you can see a little CRIE at the bottom right-hand side of the piece. The letters TPN and NKA also usually make an appearance in his work too. In recent months, the letters have been incorporating fragments of character artwork, and there is a cat incorporated here. The white letters with green and yellow accents and decorations work incredibly well on the black background. This is a magnificent work from Kid Krishna.

5255. M32 Spot (164)

Skor85, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Skor85, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

How truly wonderful to see a Skor85 piece for two big reasons; the first is that I haven’t seen any of her work in an absolute age, and secondly, she is one of the nicest, kindest and most bubbly artists in Bristol. Even better is that this is one of two pieces she painted during this paint jam organised in the M32 Spot by Conrico.

Skor85, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Skor85, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

The column piece looks like a mash-up of a portrait with a design idea, and kind of comes in a top and bottom half. The portrait below seems to portray happiness, but is somewhat at odds with the deer design above, which is more stylised and looks ready to go onto the front of a Christmas card. I am puzzled by the rune on the deer’s forehead… is it an expression or is it a tag? I think the former. The whole thing is a welcome return from Skor85.

5253. M32 Spot (163)

Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2023
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2023

I think that the Bristol artist who has stretched the most so far this year is Zake. He has consistently been expanding his repertoire pretty much with each new piece and is becoming more original with his designs and ideas. This recent wizard piece at the M32 Spot is a great example of how varied his work is becoming.

Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2023
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2023

Although it is easy to see, in this column piece, the traits for which Zake is best known, namely the use of light and dark shading to create depth, it does not scream out Zake on the surface, and had it not been signed, it would have taken me a little while to work it out. An unusual and fun piece from the Spanish face specialist.

5245. M32 Spot (162)

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

Conrico organised a paint jam under the M32 a week or so back, and a great many of the columns there were given a fresh coat of paint, including this banging vertical piece of writing from Ryder. The slogan accompanying this fiery piece is “play with fire – get burnt”, an apt phrase for the graffiti community.

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2023

Some artists have pure class, which is a gift that can’t be manufactured, and Ryder has class. There is a confidence and assertiveness about his work that eclipses others around him, and this is a great example of that. The fun piece (spelling out RYDER) incorporates character faces into the letters, something Ryder does a fair bit, and has a delicious colour selection with perfect fills, and a steady black outline. This is one of the best column pieces I have seen in a long while. Simply the best.

5146. M32 Spot (161)

 

Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2023
Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2023

It takes talent to paint on the sides of containers or on shutters, because of the uneven surface, but so many artists seem to master the problem with consummate ease, including Logoe with this piece under the M32. This container has been here for years, but I have absolutely no idea why or what it is for,  it is has provided a canvass for so many artists.

Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2023
Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2023

This is another in the series of pieces by Logoe from his most recent blitz, and what a fine piece it is too. Unusually there are no oval dots running horizontally through the piece, and so you get to see the raw script writing without any distractions. All good from Logoe.

5125. M32 Spot (160)

Unknown artist, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018
Unknown artist, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018

We’re going back a long way with this piece, photographed at the top end of Stapleton Road in May 2018. I don’t know who the artist is, and I expect that is why I never posted it at the time.

Unknown artist, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018
Unknown artist, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018

It looks like it might have been by Dabuten Tronko, but I think the tag is from the piece to the left. The familiar theme of a skeleton using spray cans is often associated with Laic217, but this is certainly not one of his. I guess it will remain a mystery who the artist is, but it was too good to leave in my archive once I have revisited it recently.

5089. M32 Spot (159)

Saik0134, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Saik0134, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

I took these pictures a short while ago, but held back on publishing a post because I couldn’t work out who the artist was. It took me a long time to work it out, but I got there in the end. I’m not sure I have seen his work before in Bristol, but it is clear that Saik0134 is a hugely talented artist, and is welcome back anytime.

Saik0134, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Saik0134, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

Painted on one of my favourite walls in Bristol, this portrait/writing combo stands out from the crowd. The bright lettering and striking portrait are real attention-grabbers. Even though the piece is not painted on a buffed wall, it doesn’t seem to matter too much, with the piece occupying nearly all the space. The letters spelling SAIK are nicely done in yellow and orange with light blue drop shadow, but for me it is the portrait that is the trump card.

Saik0134, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Saik0134, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

The eye is drawn immediately to the woman’s glasses, reflecting the light, a clever street art technique, and she is beautifully painted in shades of blue and grey. This is a fabulous portrait piece, and I would love to see more from the artist in Bristol, or anyone else for that matter. This artist is not to be confused with another who used to paint in Bristol called Saik One.

One wall – many faces (3)

Looking at a single wall and how it changes over time.

3. Long hoarding at the top end of the M32 Spot

Logoe and Haka, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2019
Logoe and Haka, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2019

Logoe and Haka, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2020
Logoe and Haka, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2020

Smak, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
Smak, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020

Soap and Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2020
Soap and Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2020

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020

3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020
3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020

Smak and Mena, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Smak and Mena, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020

Smak and Mena, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Smak and Mena, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020

T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021
T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021

Conrico, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021
Conrico, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021

Dott Rotten, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2021
Dott Rotten, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2021

Pekoe and Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021
Pekoe and Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021

Hemper, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Hemper, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2021
Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2021

Minto, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2022
Minto, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2022

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2022
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2022

Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022
Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022

Cuomo, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022
Cuomo, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022

Klashwhensober, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022
Klashwhensober, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

Mudra and Saor, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022
Mudra and Saor, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

Dopes, Jaksta and Neddy Ned Ned, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Dopes, Jaksta and Neddy Ned Ned, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

Saik0134, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Saik0134, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

5077. M32 Spot (158)

Lazo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Lazo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

This is only the second piece by Lazo that I have seen, and I was fortunate enough to meet him when he was painting this column. As with his first piece, there is something very captivating about this portrait, and the style is quite different to that which we might expect to see in Bristol.

Lazo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Lazo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

Lazo’s long face is perfect for column artwork and looks amazing, especially if you crop out the yellow paint at the top of the piece. I particularly like the depth and tone he achieves with his ‘brushstrokes’. The eyes too have something rather special about them. I am looking forward to seeing more from Lazo this year.

Lazo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, November 2022
Lazo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, November 2022