Tag: M32

4772. Frome side (18)

Solar, Frome side, Bristol, October 2022
Solar, Frome side, Bristol, October 2022

I checked through previous posts before writing this piece about Solar, and it appears that I have only written about his work twice before on Natural Adventures. This is in spite of having taken plenty of pictures of Solar writing about the place. I will need to rummage around in my archives to post more Solar pieces, as they offer an antidote to more conventional graffiti writing.

Solar, Frome side, Bristol, October 2022
Solar, Frome side, Bristol, October 2022

In this ethereal piece under the M32, Solar has written out his letters, which have a transparent look to them, over a background pattern of red, purple and black ‘marbelling’ of the wall. A lovely piece in a place where it won’t get as much exposure as it deserves.

4768. Frome side (17)

Whysayit, Frome side, Bristol October 2022
Whysayit, Frome side, Bristol October 2022

I first came across Whysayit (YSAE) a few years ago when he regularly collaborated with Kleiner Shames. Although I have never met him, I have enjoyed his irregular anti-graffiti style over the years, and this one under the M32 is a banger.

Whysayit, Frome side, Bristol October 2022
Whysayit, Frome side, Bristol October 2022

The organic writing is simple, spelling out ‘YSAE’ in two tones of pink. Light pink for the letters and dark pink for the drop shadow. Combine these with a black border and white highlights, and you have straightforward, quality writing which lifts nicely off the wall. Sometimes less is more.

4747. M32 Spot (147)

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022

It would seem that after a rather dormant spell over the summer, Daz Cat is becoming a little more active again, and his pieces are definitely moving more in the direction of narratives than straightforward portraits of cats and dogs.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022

In this column piece, under the M32, a cat, with a fox curled up on its head is holding a little dog and is standing next to a chicken with a frog on its head. Don’t ask what the story here is, I wouldn’t know where to begin. I prefer to enjoy the spectacle and the elements that make it up. Another fabulous us piece from Daz Cat.

3338. M32 roundabout J3 (267)

I had to go back into my archives to dig this little beauty out by Daz Cat and CD.TC that had managed to get left behind. Daz Cat in particular appears to be going through a bit of a purple patch at the moment, but both artists are getting out and about.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

On the left of the collaborative piece is a Daz Cat cat in browns and greens with a red surround on a white buffed wall – colours that extend across the whole piece that makes it one of those colour/style sharing collaborations. The cat is holding one half of a sign which reads ‘More peace, fuck police’, and it was painted in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement gaining pace during the summer after the George Floyd killing.

CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

On the right is a wonderful and slightly grotesque character from CD.TC. I love the hand clutching a pencil, it has something really cool about it. These two artists would appear to be firm friends, along with Kool Hand, and their collaborations are a prominent feature on the Bristol street art scene.

Daz Cat and CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Daz Cat and CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

3333. M32 roundabout J3 (266)

I don’t know why they bother, but about every six months or so Bristol City Council buff the walls around parts of the M32 roundabout. It seems like a costly and futile exercise, because within about five minutes the graffiti and street art returns. Frankly it is a waste of tax-payers money.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020

One of the quickest artists off the mark both this time and last was Daz Cat with his cats either side of one of the tunnels. Last time the cats were chrome and gold, this time pink and orange.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020

I have an image in my mind that Daz Cat follows the council ‘buffing team’ around with a spray can at the ready to be first on the new blank canvass, a bit like being the first skier down a fresh powder piste on the first run of the day. Each of the cats is calling out the colour of the other in this fun and mischievous piece.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2019
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2019

3301. M32 Roundabout J(3) (261)

The biggest news of the last two weeks has been the US election and a deep sigh of relief around the world as the Trump experiment seems to have run out of steam. It is incalculable how much damage that man has done to his own country let alone the rest of the world, all in the name of capitalism, selfishness, power, greed, hate, mistrust, vanity. The biggest things missing from his persona are any sense of dignity, empathy or compassion. How did his rise to become POTUS ever happen? What has happened to our world?

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020

Trump has been a rich source of inspiration and material for street artists over the last four years, and this glorious piece from Sled One may be one of the last Trump pieces we get to see. Entitled ‘Dump Trump’ it shows the President in a less than flattering light with a poo coiled on his head.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020

3256. M32 cycle path (79)

An artist that I feel I don’t see nearly enough of is Logoe. I first encountered his work in April 2017 while he was collaborating with Silent Hobo, and it was on that occasion that I was told that Logoe was returning to painting on the streets after a long lay-off, and that he had been a bit of a legend in the past – Silent Hobo’s words.

Logoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2020
Logoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2020

This piece is typical of his thin hand-written style letters. The letters are beautifully picked out spelling Logoe, but it is the additional decorations that bring the writing to life. The dots through the middle and horizontal thin lines that at first I thought were drips add real interest. It is always really good to stumble across one of these.

3248. M32 roundabout J3 (257)

Robin Hood, Robin Hood riding through the glen… Well there you have today’s ear worm, sorry. This is a rather nice little piece from Veks, that is modestly tucked away near a tree on the M32 roundabout wall.

Veks, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020
Veks, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020

It is quite an unusual piece With large chrome letters and bang in the middle an old school character looking very much like Robin Hood to me, but I am probably wide of the mark on that one. Still, as with all art, there is what the artist paints and there is what the viewer sees and these may not be the same thing at all. I rather like this understated offering.

3234. M32 roundabout J3 (256)

The work of Benjimagnetic is so very distinctive, but as I mentioned before, I find it very tricky to decypher the letters in his writing. The density and compactness of the work with so many intricate lines and patterns make it hard to pick the letters out.

Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020
Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020

Sometimes with certain artists, your eyes become accustomed to their style and you become better at translating or working out the words, but I have a total fail when it comes to Benjimagnetic. My guess here would be ‘B, X or M, R’. The letters do not matter too much, the colour selection is great and those white-bordered angular shapes, so unique to the artist, are superbly done. A nice piece.

3229. M32 roundabout J3 (255)

What an absolutely amazing sight awaited a couple of weeks back on the M32 roundabout. I check the roundabout about once or twice a week, usually on the off chance that there might be something new, and sometimes because I have seen something on social media and need to check it out. This was definitely one that fell into the former category and was a lovely surprise.

Void One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020
Void One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020

The portrait is by Void One, an artist I don’t really know who I think is from Birmingham. I think, looking at his website, that his thing is 3D writing and you can see a little bit of that clutched in the hand of his character. Incidentally, I think (but am guessing really) that the character is a self-portrait.

Void One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020
Void One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020

This is really rather different from the usual fare we see on the roundabout and most welcome it is too. The whole piece is set off nicely with a silhouette cityscape in the background and dark night time colours. I believe that he might also have painted the tenth and final archway in John Street, so I will have to get myself down there before too long. Always a real pleasure seeing work from a visiting artist.