Tag: M32

3002. M32 roundabout J3 (219)

Nothing seems to last for long on any wall at the moment, but if you are going to get painted over, then it might as well be by an epic Nightwayss piece like this one. This large coronavirus piece is a tribute to NHS staff and another fine piece cataloging the crazy times we are living in.

Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

Nightwayss has used the double wall space well to accommodate the figure lying on its back. Starting with the background which rather nicely ‘hosts’ the whole body, Nightwayss has used a lilac wash with a whole bunch of purple viruses dotted about.

Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

In the body itself, little scenes are played out , for example a patient and two medical staff on the far left and some microbiologists at work in the torso. This is quite an unusual piece by the artist, especially as I can’t find a monkey which normally make an appearance in his work. A special piece marking a particular moment in our history. (Note to self, run a gallery of coronavirus pieces in about a year).

2999. M32 roundabout J3 (218)

A second post of wheatpastes by Jarvis only this time there are three individual paste ups for the price of one. I posted a piece by this artist about a week ago, knowing nothing about him, but a rapid comment from theartblogger54 confirmed the artist’s name and even shared his Instagram account.

Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

As far as I can make out, Jarvis appears to live in Bristol and I think probably in Easton, which would explain the location of these paste ups. On the left hand side of the triptych is a bare chested male figure with an interesting six-pack on display and an all-seeing third eye.

Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

In the middle is a blue face with some kind of atomic structure in the neck area. It is a decent coloured sketch amplified by being one of three posted on the M32 roundabout notice board.

Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

On the right is the third figure with a very long neck and a flower in his/her hair, and if I had to choose I would say that this drawing was the pick of the bunch. It would be great to see more of these sketches appearing about the place. This is what street art is all about, a spectrum of different styles, abilities and techniques which gives it such broad appeal and accessibility.

2996. M32 roundabout J3 (217)

Looking back at the Poland v Spain paint jam at the end of May, this piece was of particular interest to me. It is by Varo, who I met and had a good chat with even though his English is a little patchy and my Spanish rather more so.

Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

While we are talking the penny dropped about who he was, and that although I have seen some of his work before (typically a kind of abstract bull) I never really knew who he was. Well that has all been put right now. This is a fine block writing piece spelling out VARO set on a black background to give it full contrast. The letter style is unusual and rather nicely done.

Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Varo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

This is not the last piece by Varo that I will be posting, I’m sure and I will have to dig out some others from the archive.

Poland 2 Spain 2

2992. M32 roundabout J3 (216)

What an utterly outstanding piece this is from Spanish artist Wiflywin. This was his contribution to the poland – Spain paint jam on the M32 roundabout at the back end of May. Meeting Wiflywin and speaking with him during this paint jam was the highlight of my little trip to the spot, and I am without doubt a big fan of his work, which I am seeing more and more of dotted around North Bristol.

Wiflywin, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Wiflywin, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

The work in progress (pictured above), which in itself is outstanding gives an indication of just how good this piece of graffiti writing was going to end up, and so it was. The design is outstanding and really compelling with lots of nice curves to draw the eye in and a great central vanishing point for the letter shadows. The finishing touches to the background perfectly set the piece off. This is outstanding art for sure.

Wiflywin, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Wiflywin, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

Poland 2 Spain 1

2989. M32 roundabout J3 (215)

Ahh! This is the second piece from the eight artist paint jam on the M32 roundabout recently. Four Polish and four Spanish artists lined up and sprayed the long wall on a gorgeous sunny day at the end of May. This piece is from the superb Laic217 who has sprung back into life over the last three weeks or so.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

I was lucky to witness Laic217 in action and grab a quick chat while he was about half way through this fabulous skeleton piece. The picture above gives you a feel for the full length of the wall on the southwest side of the roundabout.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

There are many features in this piece that fans of Laic217 will recognise… the ghetto-blaster, spray can, a skull and excellent tones to create the fabric of the skeleton’s clothes. So nice to see so much of his new work in a short space of time. worth waiting for.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

Poland 2 Spain 0

2986. M32 roundabout J3 (214)

I love making discoveries. Finding things that were meant to be found, but only by those who are looking. This drawing is one such discovery, in one of the tunnels of the M32 roundabout. There are a trio of other pieces by the same artist not far away. Regular readers will know that I am particularly fond of paste ups, and when they are by an artist unknown to me, they are that little bit more special.

Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Jarvis, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

I think the artist is called Jarvis, but that is as much as I know about them.  The crown on the top of the signature indicates to me that this artist understands street art culture and is deliberately being a part of it. The piece itself, roughly A4 size, is vibrant and striking. The colours and elements are simple and bold. A red figure in profile, the sea, the sun, the moon and a possible reference to Bristol, a hot air balloon. The wheatpaste is set on a jaunty angle and seems to have been torn from a pad at the top edge. I like this paste up very much and it feels like we might be seeing the emergence of another Bristol street artist. I’ll post the other three pieces soon, and will be on the lookout for more.

2983. M32 roundabout J3 (213)

This is the first in a series of Several posts from a big paint jam on 30 May 2020 which involved four Spanish artists and four Polish artists, all of which I think are resident in the Bristol area. I got very lucky indeed when walking the dog to see all the artists in action and stopped to chat with a few of them. I returned a few days later to photograph the completed pieces.

Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020

The first piece from this paint jam is by Hire, who has appeared on Natural Adventures countless times. I stopped with him for some time for a chat and asked him how he manages to get such fine detail on his work. He showed me the sketch he made for this piece and said that this style suits him and that if he were to try other styles or street art rather than writing that he would struggle.

Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

I have been labelling his work as being Gothic in style, but he corrected me saying it wasn’t really gothic writing at all… oops. I guess it is perhaps reminiscent of medieval swords, spikes, halberds etc or at least it is to me. This is a lovely piece of graffiti writing, spelling HIRE, set on a cloudy purple background with some day glow green spots for decoration. A really nice piece from Hire.

Poland 1 Spain 0

2982. M32 Cycle path (62)

The more I look at this piece from Cort (Padi) the more I like it. On first inspection it all looks a bit untidy, but I don’t know, there is something that really attracts me to it. Cort pretty much always has strong letters that aren’t particularly over-disguised but are designed differently from piece to piece. In this one he has changed the customary CORT for KOORT, which is a playful thing to do and gives him scope for messing about with different letter shapes.

Cort, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Cort, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

Painted alongside the multiple skeleton piece by Laic217, Cort’s work acts as a perfect foil to Laic217’s because the style and content is so different. I think it is the red colour contrasting with the grey that works so well for me. A nice piece.

2974. M32 Cycle path (61)

Sometimes artists break the mould and when they do, they can surprise us, andn that is exactly what Elvs has sone with this tight piece of writing on the M32 cycle path. Regular readers of Natural Adventures will note that this is far removed from what we might expect from the artist and is so refreshing to see. To give you some idea of what I mean, take a quick look at this gallery and you will understand what I am saying.

Elvs, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Elvs, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

The five colour fill is very nicely done and the 3D shading consistent. Quite why he has changed his letters I don’t know, but it is quite commmopn for graffiti writers to do this. A nice little surprise that I wasn’t looking for.

2971. M32 Cycle path (60)

I feel just the slightest tinge of normality returning with this epic new piece from Laic217. Usually I would have posted several pieces by Laic217 during the spring, but because of the lock down restrictions he simply hasn’t been out painting, just like most of the other Bristol artists. It felt like a Christmas treat coming across this piece a week or two back.

Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

We are treated not to just one or two skeletons, but nine, which must be something of a record for Laic217 in a single piece. I’m not to sre what the story here relates to, whether it is Covid-19 related or something else. I suspect the latter, because the black cross denotes ‘harmful’ and the flame denotes flammable. I suppose this could be described as an incendiary piece… sorry.

Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

I can see how a bunch of skeletons skulking around might not be to everyone’s taste, but to me this is a remarkable piece and so utterly stands out from the crowd. The clothes and headwear and consistently well sprayed, difficult to do when using so few grey tones. So it might be quite a dark piece, Laic217 tends to stray on the dark side, but it is technically an assured and confident work.

Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

I particularly like the white labels of LAIC, PAD asnd a Nike tick. The shout out to Pad (aka Cort) his painting partner is rather sweet. This is the first of several new ones from Laic217. Watch this space.