5848. M32 Spot (182)

Noise, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2024
Noise, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2024

There are some artists who, for one reason or another make a significant impact on me. Others will drift by, because their work, if I am being honest, simply doesn’t have any ‘wow’ factor, or show any signs that it is likely to. I guess that is being a little harsh, but some artists won’t and don’t appear to have the desire to improve, others might have loads of headroom and gradually piece by piece get better, developing their style and content. I guess that one thing they all have in common is the enjoyment they get out of slapping some paint on a wall.

Noise, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2024
Noise, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2024

Noise is an artist who grabbed my attention from the very first piece I saw, with his large chunky letters making a loud visual noise. In this piece the nicely constructed letters are beautifully filled with a series of horizontal blue shades with clever stripe transitions and some superb icicle drips on the letter tops. This is a really nice piece, and adds to an ever growing portfolio… time for a gallery soon I think.

5791. M32 Spot (181)

Desi and Mr Two Gram, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Desi and Mr Two Gram, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

Desi (Veil) and Mr Two Gram paint together a lot, although I have posted far more of the former’s pieces than I have the latter. I think the reason, and it is a rather feeble one is that I keep forgetting Mr Two Gram’s name. I don’t think that this will happen too much more now, and I will need to draw out loads of his pieces from my archive.

Desi, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Desi, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

This is a lovely fresh piece from Desi, with a nice colour palette and very organised fills. She has also included the incorporation of some background pink in between letters, which is a difficult thing to do. She did miss a little bit, between the ‘V’ and the ‘e’, but I am being picky.

Mr Two Gram, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Mr Two Gram, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

To Desi’s right is a great piece of graffiti writing from Mr Two Gram, whose letters I still struggle to read. The grey ‘O’ or is it a ‘G’? always looks like an ampersand to me. Lovely letters and some superb fills round off this very nice collaboration perfectly.

ps. Some superb skiing yesterday… a good day 1.

5787. M32 Spot (180)

Bloem, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024
Bloem, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024

The day I met Bloem was a red letter day for me, as I have been hoping to bump into her for quite a while, and this was the piece she was painting at the time. Formerly signing her work as Hiccup, Bloem emerged onto the scene during 2023, with a wonderfully original creative approach, treating us to some pieces the likes of which we haven’t really seen in Bristol before.

Bloem, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024
Bloem, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024

Carrying the motif ACAB, the piece features a hand with long nails holding a small vase with flowers poking out of the top and a little creature peering over the lip of the vase. There is a little story going on here, I’m sure. To add a bit more interest, Bloem has created a patterned cloud background in pinks and greys. A lovely piece painted in her inimitable style.

5781. M32 Spot (179)

Sub, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024
Sub, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024

Although I have seen several pieces by Sub dotted about the place, this is the first time I have posted one on Natural Adventures. I met him for the first time when he was painting this piece alongside Bloem, who I also met for the first time – it appears that they often paint together, which I kind of already knew, but the penny only fully dropped properly when I saw them together.

Sub, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024
Sub, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024

This is a very nicely worked piece with large bold letters and a solid blue fill flooding across the whole thing. The letters are nicely formed, and apart from the green smudges, the piece is simple, with only some feature lines on the drop shadow, providing a sense of perspective. I have a feeling that there is a lot more to come from Sub, and I will watch his development with interest.

5760. M32 Spot (178)

Whysayit, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Whysayit, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

In my opinion, a much overlooked artist is Whysayit, who writes the letters YSAE in a distinctive anti-style all of his own. Indeed the whole PLB crew, to which he belongs, are an elusive bunch, who don’t get nearly as much recognition as they deserve, but maybe that is the way they like it. I first became aware of his work when he used to paint alongside Kleiner Shames a few years back, and I recently published a gallery of his fine work.

Whysayit, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Whysayit, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

This colourful piece is brought alive by the striking red background, which definitely helps it to stand out. Imagine if it had been painted on an unbuffed wall, it could struggle to be noticed. The pastel shades transition across the letters from pinks to blues to light green in a pleasing way. A drop shadow in blue is bordered off not with one line, but two, a black and a peach. Nice work all round from this unsung hero.

5690. M32 Spot (177)

T-Rex and Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023
T-Rex and Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023

One of the unwritten rules of photographing street art is always take pictures when you can, even if street furniture is in the way, because if you wait the piece might not still be there at all when you return. It is annoying that there is an obstruction in front of Rusk’s piece in this collaboration with T-Rex, but that is the reality, and it is the best picture I have.

T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023
T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023

T-Rex has been able to get out a fair bit this autumn, which is really great to see as moments will be limited with a little one to look after. Everything that T-Rex does so well is here to feast on, great letters, fabulous fills, a funky drop shadow in pink and black and of course the Tyrannosaurus Rex character. Lovely work.

Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023
Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023

Rusk has been so busy lately, in fact I can’t remember a time when he has been out painting so regularly. As precise as ever, this piece has a distinctive mid line running horizontally through the letters, with little flashes of white along it giving the impression of a shiny flat metallic surface, clever stuff. Great to see these two out painting together.

5670. M32 Spot (176)

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023

With his finger pretty much always on the pulse, it was only a matter of time before John D’oh would create a stencil commentary piece about the war in Gaza and here it is. In this column piece, John D’oh presents a touching and tender piece that also references Bristol and Banksy.

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023

The message is clear, and one I think anyone in their right mind would agree with – ‘teach peace’. A young child and teddy look on at the right approach to conflict – the correct example throwing flowers and the incorrect version throwing Molotov cocktails. Along with most of us, this piece is asking for conflict to stop.

 

5634. M32 Spot (175)

Bnie and Wispa, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
Bnie and Wispa, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023

Every time I post pieces that have been painted on this wall (one of my favourites in Bristol), I am reminded that I have published a gallery of pieces from the wall over time (part of the ‘One Wall – Many Faces‘ series). I have just updated the gallery to include this lovely collaboration from Bnie and Wispa.

Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023

Both pieces have incorporated a wild and wonderful almost psychedelic fill patterning and colours and on the left, Bnie’s letter shapes also lend themselves very well to that trippy feel. This piece from Bnie is absolutely stunning and so tight, all the lines and borders are perfect and the fills magnificent.

Wispa, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
Wispa, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023

To the right, Wispa gifts us another of her brilliantly conceived and busy pieces. As well as reflecting the colours in Bnie’s piece, Wispa has also introduced some of her own colours and touches, which doesn’t surprise me. I think, from observing her work, that Wispa has a very individual approach to her work and style, and even when collaborating, will stand out with some individualism. This is wonderful work from these two busy artists.

5627. M32 Cycle path (235)

Sled One, Karmone and Smak, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Sled One, Karmone and Smak, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

I think I have Paul H to thank for pointing out this piece. I don’t often venture to this area because usually is is littered with tags and throw ups that I have little interest in, but this outstanding collaboration by Sled One, Karmone and Smak, proves that it is always worth taking a look everywhere.

Sled One, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Sled One, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

The piece is sited underneath the railway bridges on Stapleton Road, but cannot be seen from the road, which is probably why I missed it. To the left is something so incredible it is difficult to describe. The fire extinguisher character is Sled One at his most awesome, and it reminds me of a piece he painted way back. I’ll see if I can locate it and pop it in at the end of the post. Sled One’s complete mastery of his trade is something to admire and enjoy.

Karmone and Smak, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Karmone and Smak, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

Fortunately, the accompanying writing by Karmone and Smak are of such high quality that they comfortably sit alongside Sled One’s work. Both pieces of writing are of the highest quality and ooze class. Overall, this is one of the best collaborations of the year, and there is some very stiff competition indeed. Once again it makes me feel very lucky to live in a city where such talent is on display, for free, for citizens, every day of the week.

Sled One, Old Bread Street, Bristol, June 2016
Sled One, Old Bread Street, Bristol, June 2016

5626. M32 Spot (174)

Theartofsok, M32 Spot, Bristol, Ocober 2023
Theartofsok, M32 Spot, Bristol, Ocober 2023

Theartofsok is not an artist I am particularly familiar with, so when I first saw this unsigned piece I c was a little puzzled and had to do a bit of homework. I could be certain it wasn’t by a Bristol artist but by a visitor, beyond that I was stumped. It is an outstanding piece from the South Wales artist, and one of two in the area from a visit he made a couple of weeks back.

Theartofsok, M32 Spot, Bristol, Ocober 2023
Theartofsok, M32 Spot, Bristol, Ocober 2023

The piece is very confidently painted, with strong, sharp black outlines and assured solid fills. There is a simplicity about it, but do not be fooled, behind the simplicity lies great technical skill and know how. The expression on the character’s face and movement around him is all rather special. Theartofsok is welcome to return anytime.