Tag: M32 Spot

2775. M32 Spot (59)

Another lovely portrait piece from Lobe, taken through railings at the M32 Spot. You can see the chanelled River Frome behind the pillar. The river passes under the city centre in a culvert, beneath Cabots Circus and Broadmead shopping centres, beneath the old fire station, beneath the fountains in the centre, along towards the Arnolfini, then it is siphoned underneath the floating harbour before eventually discharging into the New Cut. If only Bristolians knew what lies only a couple of meters beneath their feet.

Lobe, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
Lobe, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020

Back to the art and this wonderful face in the typical style of Lobe, that is with thick bold black outlines and strong fills in only two or three shades. I’m not sure if those are eyes or half-moon spectacles. If they are the latter, then they are upside down. More from Lobe to come.

2765. M32 Spot (58)

Finding a piece like this magnificent collaboration from PWA artists Soap and Face 1st gives me such tremendous pleasure and confirms for me that the time I spend finding, photographing and writing about street art is time very well spent. These two are capable of creating some magical images and there is a real sense of fun and mischief about these ones.

Soap, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
Soap, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020

First up is a sword–swallowing act from Soap in which his mouth character lends itself to a different take on visualising this dangerous act. There are many things to admire here, such as the garland of flowers and the carefully thought out use of blue tones, I particularly like the swirl patterns in the shading.

Joining the two elements of the collaboration is a lovely splat pattern, but it is difficult to be sure which of these two painted it.

Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020

On the right is one of my favourite Face 1st pieces ever, and that is a very high bar. There is something so joyful about these two giggling girls mischievously spraying each other with paint and there is a balance to it reminiscent of yin and yang. What Face 1st lacks in sharp, crisp lines he more than makes up for in heart and soul. His work speaks to me.

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

On the one-way top end of Stapleton Road, it would be nice to think that drivers would glance to their right and admire this free art to cheer up their lives, but I bet most wouldn’t even notice it.

2756. M32 Spot (58)

This is not an easy place to photograph. The spot is sandwiched between two busy slip roads underneath the M32, and just for added difficulty, access is over fences and the River Frome runs through the middle. I haven’t yet ventured into the spot and these photographs are taken through a bit of railing some distance away.

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

There is little I can say about Smak’s work that I haven’t said dozens of times before, but even in this tricky spot where only a few will ever get to see the piece his work is 100 per cent on point. There is a consistent font style to his letters and his shadinngs are utterly awesome. One huge advantage about this spot is that tagging tends to be pretty much absent.

2743. M32 Spot (57)

Although Feek and 3Dom like to collaborate, it is not too common these days to find a new piece by these two. What a lovlely surprise then to find this one down at the M32 Spot. This particular board is becoming a bit of a goldmine, especially during this very damp winter we have been having.

Feek and 3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
Feek and 3Dom, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020

On the left is a beautiful pencil character  by Feek which appears to have drawn the stunning piece of graffiti writing next to it. 3Dom is an alolrounder who seems to be equally comfortable with graffiti writing as he is with character pieces and abstract pieces, he seems to have it all in his armoury. There is some writing on the piece which reads:

The weight of it was killing me… the warmth of it was keeping me alive.

I’m not too sure if this is a quote or to what it refers, but it feels fairly profound. I like the little shout out to Ryder and Decay, whose collaboration was the previous occupant on this board.

2683. M32 Spot (56)

I think that this is the second collaboration between Logoe and Haka in as many months, and both have apeared on this board under the M32 in the DIY skate spot. It is not often that I like my photographs, always something wrong with them, but I actually like this one, somehow the colours of the piece stand out well against the dark top and bottom, but have not been bleached out by the light to either side.

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

Logoe has written his name in his script style set on a rather nice red tone abstract background. He has added to the work the sentence ‘What a year it’s been’ and he is not wrong there.  On the right Haka has included a character into his chrome writing which I believe to be Hanna Barbera’s creation Quick Draw McGraw – a cartoon I don’t think I ever saw, but rather wish I had… I might have to consult with YouTube. All in all a most satisfying collaboration from these two established Bristol artists.

2623. M32 Spot (55)

On one of the ramps of the M32 DIY skatepark is this rather sombre looking face, unmistakably the work of Slakarts. This picture was taken way back in January, before I knew who the artist was, and it has been languishing in my archive ever since. This is liberation day. It is also election day and the results will map out our national journey for the next five years… I fear the worst.

Slakarts, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019
Slakarts, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019

Slakarts paints using broad black outlines with solid fills to create his trademark faces which are often coloured with muted tones. The works are modest, both in creation and design and there is often a sadness or strangeness in the faces – this piece in particular feels peculiar without an iris or pupil in the eye. More to come from Slakarts.

2613. M32 Spot (54)

This is a very neat and tidy ‘quick one’ from Ryder, which I suspect was painted at the same time as the recent collaboration with Decay, which can be seen in the background of the feature image.

Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2019
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2019

I always expect tidy writing from Ryder and this is a lovely example, I would however like to see a few more of his larger considered pieces like the ones he produces for Upfest. A hugely talented graffiti writer whose work is right up there with the best in Bristol.

2584. M32 Spot (53)

What a refreshingly different kind of collaboration this is down at the M32 Spot. Logoe and Haka have got together to produce this quirky and beautifully executed joint effort. On the left there is some really superior writing spelling out LOGOE in an attractive font style and with a great deep white shading to give it depth. I don’t have many pictures of Logoe’s work, but what I have seen I like.

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

On the right is a cartoon character ‘Lucky Luke’ – remember him? I never really got into Lucky Luke as a kid, I was always an Asterix and Tintin man myself. This Lucky Luke appears to be smoking a little Boris Johnson (or is it a Trump? it is difficult to separate the two these days), with the words ‘sit back and enjoy a fat one’. All good fun and nicely painted.

2565. M32 Spot (52)

This should be fairly quick and simple. Here we have a rather fun column piece by an artist called Zinso. Although I have a few pictures of his work from recent walks, he is a new artist to me and I have not been aware of him before the last couple of months or so.

Zinso, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2019
Zinso, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2019

Zinso seems to have a clear idea of his artwork and executes it cleanly to a rehearsed design (I am guessing), almost like a very fancy tag. Practising the same broad design builds up skills and technique. Zinso already seems well on the way to creating an identity. Look out for more from this artist.

2563. M32 Spot (51)

How lucky we are to have two such magnificent writers collaborating for a November 5th Guy Fawkes piece.

Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder treason and plot. So the nursery rhyme goes and in keeping with tradition, this collaboration reminds us about the near destruction of parliament in 1605 by Guy Fawkes and his associates.

Another thing that rather resonates at the moment is the face mask for Guy Fawkes which has been adopted by protestors, often subversive, who rally against sitting governments or administrations – something we are seeing a lot of in the UK at the moment, but also globally in relation to the climate emergency or, for example, the protests in Hong Kong.

Decay and Ryder, M32 spot, Bristol, November 2019
Decay and Ryder, M32 spot, Bristol, November 2019

This piece is full of the fiery flames of bonfires and the two writing styles knit together rather well. It is unusual to see a writing collaboration arranged in this way, as we are more used to seeing the components side by side. I feel I ought to point out how stunning the flame fill in Decay’s letters is, quite awesome really. A nice seasonal collaboration.