506. M32 roundabout J3 (23)

This is a happy piece by The Addicted Doodler and was part of a bigger ASK crew jam back in sunny June of this year. It was one of the most memorable collaborations of the year and In my view utterly brilliant. Other artists included Aspire, Kid Crayon and SPZero76.

The Addicted Doodler, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016
The Addicted Doodler, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016
The Addicted Doodler always makes me smile with his strong colours and shapes. And just looking at this piece, I think he is responsible for a whole load of unattributed pieces in my archive of pictures. Probably time to do some more digging.

501. M32 Roundabout J3 (22)

This is a beautiful bit of wildstyle writing from 3Dom. His wildstyle form tends to be quite organic and ethereal, more in the style of Ments, rather than the hard, clean, sharp geometric writing associated with his Bristol peers Deamze, Sokem, Epok and Voyder, to name just a few.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016

This piece was from a little while ago and has been painted over several times since. It is nice to have a record of it though. It was part of an ASK crew paint jam in March, and his piece here is sandwiched between Voyder on the left and Sled One on the right. Nice work.

477. M32 Roundabout, J3 (21)

I still know nothing about the artist OHMS, but I know I like their work. This is an incredibly colourful and intricate piece tucked between some bushes on the side of the M32 roundabout between St Pauls and Easton.

OHMS, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
OHMS, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
OHMS is quite different from many of the graffiti artists in Bristol. There seems to be more of a narrative about the work, hidden depths maybe. The whole thing is quite organic, none of the crisp clear lines one sees with work by Epok, Deamze, Voyder and Soker. This appears altogether more spontaneous, although I am sure there is plenty of preparation involved.

OHMS, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
OHMS, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
I love the toucan in the centre of the piece…such magnificent birds. A great piece of work by OHMS.

476. M32 Roundabout, J3 (20)

Wildstyle writing is an acquired taste, and one which I have developed a hunger for, but it was not always that way. When I first started writing about street art, I was often left cold or baffled by writers (burners, throw-ups of wildstyle). I just didn’t get it.

Epok, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
Epok, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
One of the first writers who helped me develop an interest was Epok, one of the fantastic group of Bristol graffiti writers. His clean works usually feature large block letters spelling EPOK on a slant. His choice of colour palette really marks his work out as special too, and he finishes his pieces with bright stripes and flashes. I really admire his work.

459. M32 Roundabout J3 (19)

I can’t go too long without posting a piece by Sled One. If I only had to write about only a handful of graffiti/street artists in Bristol, Sled One would be right up there. His versatility is extraordinary, his colour pallets always superb and he seems to spray pretty much anywhere he can in Bristol.

Sled One, M32, Bristol, July 2016
Sled One, M32, Bristol, July 2016

This is a quick wildstyle piece which just shows off all his talents. I truly believe that Sled One will become a Bristol legend. He is already making such a mark. Just enjoy this artist. I do

453. M32 Roundabout J3 (18)

Recently I have become much more aware of the extraordinary works by Ments. His works recently have often been side by side with one of Bristol’s brightest young street artists, Sled One. I don’t know too much about Ments, but know that I really like his work.

Ments, M32, Bristol, September 2016
Ments, M32, Bristol, September 2016
His wildstyle writing has a wonderful organic feel to it…forget about straight lines and geometry, this stuff looks like weird kinds of biological matter under a microscope. The letters spell out Ments in fabulous colours and shapes.

Ments, M32, Bristol, September 2016
Ments, M32, Bristol, September 2016
I have more works by Ments and will post them soon, but I hope with a little more about the artist himself. This stuff is pretty awesome, I think.

398. M32 Roundabout J3 (17)

UPDATE: Instagram to the rescue…this work it appears is a collaboration between Serge KB (Kortenbroek) and Simian Switch, both from the Netherlands. In this work, the animal is the work of Serge KB and the background by Simian Switch.

Generally I don’t like to post an artwork unless I know who it is by, but occasionally the interweb lets me down, and I just can’t seem to track down the artist. This is one such case.

Unknown artist, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016
Unknown artist, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016

This lovely work appeared around the same time as Upfest, so I am guessing that the artist isn’t local, or if they are, I haven’t seen any of their work before. There was another piece at Dean Lane skate park by the same artist which appeared at the same time, but no obvious signature there either. I love this piece, the colour selections and the depiction of the animal create quite a unique feel. It is simply beautiful, and I felt I had to post it to share it, but also to possibly get some insight from readers as to who the artist is.

395. M32 Roundabout J3 (16)

On the West side of the M32 roundabout there is a long concrete wall which runs next to a pathway and which reduces in height along its length. About midway along this wall is this magnificent Epok piece.

Epok, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016
Epok, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016

So typically Epok wildstyle writing, and a fabulous selection of colours. It really is outstanding in every sense of the word. It is in the part of the wall where the pathway narrows, so it is very difficult to photograph pieces here unless taken from the sides, or using fisheye lenses.

Epok - detail, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016
Epok – detail, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, August 2016

Epok’s works have lovely simple and clean lines and blends smooth curves with angular shapes to create the EPOK letters. Always pleasurable to see.

375. M32 roundabout J3 (15)

I am enjoying posting about Upfest, but equally, like taking a break to post some of the more ‘earthy’ or visceral graffiti art that Bristol plays host to. Upfest comes and goes…this stuff is the beating heart of the Bristol scene, without which Upfest would possibly have less meaning or context.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016

This is a typical piece by Laic217 which I photographed a couple of months ago. The characteristic letters of his name and character piece. There appears to be a bit of symbolism going on here as well, an impenetrable wall, behind which lies a heart. There is a story.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016

I like Laic217’s work but would say that I prefer his full size faces to his burners, but that is only my personal preference. Nice to write about some local artists again.

316. M32 J3 Roundabout (14)

There is little doubt in my mind that the brightest rising star on the street art scene in Bristol is Sled One. His work, both the wildstyle writing and his freestyle characters are second to none, and yet I feel there is still so much more to come from this extremely talented young artist. My son tells me he is a good skater too, which obviously adds to his credibility as a street phenomenon.

Sled One, M32 Roundabout,Bristol, June 2016
Sled One, M32 Roundabout,Bristol, June 2016

This writing demonstrates his incredible range. His shapes vary from piece to piece. He seems to have an incredible capacity to see what he wants to create and then go and do it. I find this piece really compelling, and just by looking at it you can see the quality shining through.