Tag: M32

2321. M32 roundabout J3 (151)

I love this little piece in one of the tunnels of the M32 roundabout. It is by Face 1st, and although completely recognisable as his work, it is a shift away from his usual belle, and one that I love. It is characteristic of his branching out and exploring new ways to present his art.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

It is the eyes that are the clue to the artist, they seem to have an anime appearance about them and are always most appealing. Although it is small and hidden I can’t help feeling that this is representative of the significant shift happening in Face 1st’s work right now.

2304. M32 roundabout J3 (151)

This is the second angry mouse/rat character I have posted by Saik One, and it is great to see more work from this relative newcomer to the streets of Bristol. It was painted on the southern M32 roundabout wall and happened to be adjacent to another street art rat whose creator is unknown to me.

Saik One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Saik One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

I think that Saik One has hit upon a winning formula in terms of a clean piece and highly identifiable character, I am interested however to see where this starting point takes us. I have a piece of writing by Saik One somewhere, so I know there is some range there. More to come from this emerging talent.

2298. M32 roundabout J3 (150)

Nightwayss is on fire, not literally of course, that would be mad. His work is appearing all over the place, and not necessarily just in the more common spots. This intriguing piece is sandwiched between Face 1st and Panskaribas and depicts a monkey sitting on a bathroom sink looking in a mirror.

Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

I think this is brilliant and tells a story which I would like to know a lot more about. why is the monkey there is the first place? Is it metaphorical? Why is the reflection a different colour? I love this piece, there is something magical about it.

2296. M32 Cycle path (32)

This is an interesting piece by Decay along the M32 cycle path that uses minimal colours to great effect. Looking at his work recently has brought us on a bit of an adventure, crossing over from his abstract work into his writing, while retaining his little character ‘Chuck’ throughout. This piece almost feels like it is a reversion back to the abstract, even though it does spell out DECAY.

Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019

Decay has been incredibly prolific this year and has also teamed up regularly with other artists including Rezwonk and Nightwayss. It is interesting how artists build up these paint friendships which seem to be more linked to their personalities than their styles (take SPZero76 and Kid Crayon of the Eat crew for example).

Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019

It would appear that Decay has recently joined the LRS Krew (Last Radical Souls) who seem to be a loosely connected global crew who write the LRS everywhere. Here is his contribution (which is rather classier than many of the others on their Instagram feed) which he painted adjacent to the piece above. Always great work from Decay.

2290. M32 Cycle path (31)

Painted during a bit of a paint-jam down on the cycle path a couple of weeks back, this is a nice bit of writing from Bristol-based artist Hypo. I have only seen a couple of his pieces from Upfest before, so it is great to see something beyond that ‘safe’ environment.

Hypo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Hypo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019

The writing is quite unusual with large spaces between the letters. If his name wasn’t so obviously part of this piece I think I would have difficulty in identifying it, as it isn’t like the other pieces I am more familiar with. Nice though.

Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

2288. M32 Cycle path (30)

There is no stopping Smak these days and this is another corker of a piece tucked under the M32 along the cycle path. This was painted alongside a whole bunch of other artists who had made the trip over the Severn Estuary from Wales to leave their mark in Bristol. There was a bit of a theme of  ‘zebra’ stripes in the pieces that were painted.

Smak, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Smak, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019

As Smak pieces go, this one is not as complex as some of his pieces, but it is wonderfully crisp and the neon pink A is to die for. In recent pieces I have noticed that Smak is enjoying giving the A a bit of special treatment and some of them have been outstanding, this one included.

2286. M32 Cycle path (29)

This piece fills me with inspiration and belief, and there is a very good reason for that, it was painted by a street art hunter just like me, and better still, I caught him at it. Some readers will know that I am trying to learn the great art of spray painting and have aspirations to paint a wall or two when I am ready. It is great for me to know that it can be done and this piece by DFC1848 proves it.

DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019

I have met DFC1848 several times either at Upfest or just wandering arount the street art hotspots in Bristol. We always stop for a chat, but the chat we had when he was painting this lasted a little longer than usual. I am full of admiration for the fact that he has just got on with it and it fills me with courage and purpose for getting my act together.

DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019

I don’t know what his character is called, but it is a rather splendid cartoon-style bear thing. I rather like the ‘f’ too and wonder if it has anything to do with the f in DFC. I might try and copy this on my boards in the garden and see if I can replicate it. Great work from a man with a fantastic beard.

2284. M32 roundabout J13 (149)

Over the last three or four months a new (to me) graffiti writer, Phist, has hit the streets hard, often partnering up with Renso (who is actually Oner). He seems most unfussy about where he sprays and his name has sprung up all over the city. I often wonder with these ‘new’ artists whether they are in fact simply new to Bristol or whether somehow they have just been off my radar… difficult to know until I get a chance to ask them.

Phist, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Phist, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

I am not the biggest fan of burners like this, but some of these writers rise to the top and Phist in my view is one of those.  His letters are nice and clean, his fills nicely done and the little accent white circles help to give the whole thing a little bit of sparkle. I think this is a rather classy and smooth piece and a strong debut to the pages of Natural Adventures.

2277. M32 roundabout J3 (149)

As a teenager I was fairly obsessed with 2-Tone Records, in particular The Specials, so much so that a plaster cast I had on my broken leg as a sixteen-year-old was decorated from top to bottom in black and white squares. So imagine my unbridled delight at finding this 2-Tonetastick collaboration between Rezwonk and Decay douwn at the M32 roundabout.

Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

I wonder if this piece was inspired in any way by the recent release of a new album from the Specials. On the left Rezwonk has written his name split into six sections in reversed black and white boxes. Some additional accent decorations in red just add a little extra interest.

Decay, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Decay, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

On the right Decay has written his name in a continuation of the reversed black and white boxes and he too has incorporated some red in the form of his little ‘e’ character Chuck. The dancing rude boy, the filling in the sandwich, could be by either of them, but I’m putting my money on Decay. A joyful collaboration.

2275. M32 roundabout J3 (149)

Wahey! Another sensational Soap piece, and it seems like there is absolutely no stopping him at the moment… he’s on a roll. This is a crazy and eclectic piece that draws on a whole bunch of styles, patterns and colours to spell out SOAP.

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

I just get the feeling every time I see his work that there is a lot of joy going on at the moment and it really comes across in his work. With some artists you can spot angst or pain or sadness or perfectionism and so on, but Soap’s work simply screams out happiness.