It takes a rather silly person or one who holds respect to paint over a 3Dom piece, and fortunately, Dott Rotten falls into the latter category. This is a magnificent and quite large ‘Spoilt’ piece at the top end of Stapleton Road by the M32 Spot.
Dott Rotten, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2021
The quality of the piece is right out of the top drawer and in addition to the superb writing Dott Rotten has treated us to the addition of some ghoulish scenery and a ghostly character. There is so much going on throughout the complex piece in three spaces – in the foreground is the writing sitting on a cloudy red and blue layer, and in the distance is the scene described earlier. A truly great piece.
Well, I figured it has been quite a while since I last posted a Hemper piece, so here is a reasonably new one for good measure. Of course, it is a beautifully crafted piece of graffiti writing, with great letter shapes and a cool colour palette.
Hemper, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
I don’t know where these writers get their inspiration from, but their unwavering high quality is just something else. In this piece Hemper spells out the letters HEMS, each letter with a different colour combination. A couple of arrows and stars finish off the piece nicely. I always look forward to finding these, there is something just a bit special about them.
I like it when artists switch things up from time to time, and just every once in a while Daz Cat treats us to another animal, and so here we have a dog for a change and the piece is signed Daz Dog. In the piece, the dog is in 3/4 profile which is not the usual aspect that Daz Cat paints, so this piece is different in lots of ways.
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2021
I like these photographs because they show how graffiti art emerges in some of the trickiest of spots and that the environment is often rather untidy and shabby. How horrible and drab some of these places would look without the street art to brighten them up.
Conrico is an artist who seems to do most of his painting in The Easton area, and so I assume he lives locally. As well as painting some of the regular spots, he also sprays in places I don’t know about in Easton, so I have a job to do, when I have time, to hunt some of these down. Thankfully recent piece is on a column in the M32 Spot and was easy to find.
Conrico, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021
Conrico has a fairly unique style that often looks more like illustration than street art… it is something to do with his ‘brush strokes’ and compositions that makes his work unique. On this fine column piece Conrico features a smiley set on a background of multicoloured Smokey vapours. An unusual and rather likeable piece.
Ooh! a mouthwatering, commentary collaboration piece by 3Dom and Sled One taking up a large stretch of the Skate Spot wall at the top end of Stapleton Road. This spot is often taken up by ‘top end’ art work and is favoured by the ASK crew, and when you see something like this it is easy to see why.
Sled One, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
The first time I passed by, Sled One was still painting his half of the collaborative wall while 3Dom had departed and was due to return later or the following day to tidy up. We stopped and chatted for a while before he continued with the piece. His work is extraordinary and his talent is there for all to see.
Sled One, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
The two halves of the collaboration represent a stark contrast between the choices we have as citizens of planet earth. We can work with the planet which is reflected in Sled One’s contribution or we can destroy it through the pursuit of material wealth and greed. It is interesting how the choice of colours can set a tone or a mood and Sled One’s ‘mother earth’ character is full of positivity and hope. The only out is in.
3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
3Dom got the short straw and his half of the piece is a portrayal of capitalism and greed where the earth is to be divided up like a cake for profit. The cigar-puffing pig is brilliantly painted and instantly creates a sense of disgust and loathing. Dark satanic mills be here.
3Dom and Sled One, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
What an outstanding collaboration of contrasts from two of Bristol’s top street artists.
I am struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of new pieces appearing in Bristol, which means that there are increasing delays in sharing some of the superb artwork with you. I have a time-lag on average of about two weeks between photographing and posting, by which time some of the pieces will have already been painted over. Fortunately, this collaboration from Pekoe and Bnie is still there for all to see.
Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021
This is a stunner from Pekoe, entitled ‘pink to make the boys wink’. The pink face, in three quarter profile, is following the trend of recent pieces with dotted hearts and circles on the cheeks and chin, and of course, no Pekoe piece is complete without voluminous hair decorated with little symbols and layered colours. A lovely portrait piece.
Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021
To the right of the portrait is some lovely writing from Bnie, who has been very active in recent months. The ‘bubblegum’ colours of the letters are blended beautifully, but once again it is her 3D shadow that steals the day. I must find her and watch her paint to see how she creates this wonderful effect.
A very nice collaboration on one of my favourite walls from this RBF duo.
One of the particularly nice things about this column piece from CD.TC is that I was able to watch the artist at work, meeting him for the first time in the process. Although, by his own admission, he is not the most productive of Bristol’s artists, his pieces are memorable and tend to have quite a long lifespan which might be attributed to the spots he chooses to paint.
CD.TC, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
This double monster face piece works perfectly on the column and shows off the artists talents to perfection. His work is usually neat and tidy and in some way quite compelling to look at. He has done himself a lot of favours by prepping the wall nicely before commencing with this piece.
CD.TC, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
CD.TC painted this alongside Daz Cat, a painting pal, whose piece I posted a week or two back. In terms of style (rather than content) I would liken CD.TC’s work to Conrico’s in that both have a bit of a paintbrush style to their work. That might not be very clear, but I think I know what I mean. Expect this one to be around for a while.
What an absolute pleasure it was meeting Daz Cat again while he was painting this very nice column piece a week or two back. He was out with CD.TC who I met for the first time and also seems to be a really decent fellow.
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat was using his ladder (I want one of those) to add some finer detail to the main structure of the cat he had painted. He came down to chat and said he felt a bit heady. I asked him if it was the paint fumes and he said that it was not, that he was simply rather hungover… good on him.
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
I consider this piece to be very good indeed. Not only has he used the column dimensions really well, but the sharp detail on the piece is very well crafted. Furthermore the cat is in profile orientation rather than face on, and so we see a different aspect and depth to the cat’s face. This is one of my favourite pieces of his to date, although there are so many outstanding ones to choose from.
Simply stunning! This is a magnificent piece of graffiti writing from Dott Rotten, notable as much for its fabulous and striking colours as it is for the fabulous design and technical excellence.
Dott Rotten, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2021
I had a great chat with Dott Rotten last week, not far from here, and he told me that it hasn’t always been easy and that at one point he had considered giving up on graffiti writing altogether. Thank goodness he thought better of it as he is turning out some of the best work in Bristol at the moment. This is an instant classic in my eyes and yet another fine piece of work on this subterranean wall.
Another day, another debut on Natural Adventures, this time from Pie Bolar. In recent weeks I have seen quite a few of these mega tags about the place, and because they are much more than simple tags and that they are likely to develop in some way over time, I am happy to drop a post, which is likely to be the first of many.
Pie Bolar, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2021
Graffiti and street art is such an enormous ‘church’ with a vast range of styles and capabilities. Some artists do something different each time they hit a wall, others choose a motif and repeat it again and again with subtle design or colour changes, for example Slim Pickings with his TES. This character tag by Pie Bolar presents a severed head wearing sun glasses. It is an unusual image, but sticks in the mind and is easily spotted in amongst all the other graffiti. Watch this space fro more from the artist.
