5220. M32 Cycle path (215)

Nightwayss, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, May 2023
Nightwayss, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, May 2023

To The quickest of quick coffee breaks and then I must resume housework. Another tip trip  completed and lovely hoovering with our brand new hoover (Shark)… wow, our old one was useless. So much dust and fluff! Just a moment to post this lovely piece by the returning Nightwayss

Nightwayss, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, May 2023
Nightwayss, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, May 2023

It is a bitter sweet experience when Bristol artists migrate away to other towns and cities, as Nightwayss has, and it is when they return that we get to reacquaint ourselves with what we have been missing. This is a brilliant portrait piece, I’m guessing of a DJ or musician, painted in shades of purple and black, with a bank of speakers behind and a record deck between. Fine work from a lost brother of Bristol.

5035. Cumberland Basin

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

The monkeys are back – at least for a fleeting moment. This piece was painted by Nightwayss, who recently returned to Bristol for a visit and kindly left us this reminder of the talent that we lost last year. It is always good when artists return the their former home city and drop a piece.

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

Even the dog was pleased to see this graffiti writing piece. The departure of Nightwayss has left a hole in the street art scene and the PWA crew that he used to enjoy painting with. I hope that this will be the first of many return trips.

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

The piece spells out NIGHT in a nicely selected palette of blue pink and red colours, but it is the monkey that continues to steal the show for me. I do miss them.

4148. M32 roundabout J3 (372)

Part of a larger PWA collaborative wall, this piece by Nightwayss is a bit of a stand alone work and so I am posting it separately. In recent months Nightwayss has been experimenting with these fragmented self-portrait pieces, and he seems to be really enjoying them. They are certainly a bit of a departure from his monkey pieces, but nonetheless great fun.

Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

Nightwayss has used some strong red colours for the self-portrait, and has had great success with creating the reflections on his glasses with white patterning. There is a lot here that seems to be in development, but each of these new-style pieces seems to be better than the last. The portrait is interrupted with a superb bit of NIGHT writing in which Nightwayss seems to have created a bit of a fluid feel to the letters. The whole thing is an interesting study in a new direction.

4127. The Carriageworks (42)

You might have noticed my recent joy that the arches on the facade of The Carriageworks  have been exposed and almost immediately painted by the PWA crew. Although the joy might be short-lived, it is genuine and complete and these photographs capture some of that feeling for me.

Soap and Face 1st, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2021
Soap and Face 1st, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2021

To the left is a fabulous mash-up from Soap and Face 1st. All the elements that you would expect from a collaboration between these two are there, and it is great to see their work back where it belongs. These two young women were loving it too, and spent ages taking pictures of each other on the magnificent backdrop. They were not the only ones to stop and photograph the arches in the few minutes I spent there.

Nightwayss and Chill, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2021
Nightwayss and Chill, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2021

To the right (the second of the fur arches), Nightwayss and Chill, who seems to have been recruited into the PWA fold, have collaborated to create a fabulous and slightly eclectic scene. The self-portrait and small mammal, some kind of primate I am guessing, are by Nightwayss along with the writing at the top spelling ‘NIGHT’. The two-tone cartoon character is by Chill, a tattooist, who really seems to be enjoying painting walls at the moment. Great art, great location, great artists… what more could you ask for?

4090. Catherine Mead Street (2)

This is a lovely piece from Nightwayss sprayed as part of a paint jam, which, on reflection, I perhaps ought to have posted as a bundle or collaborative wall, but I didn’t, so there.

Nightwayss, Catherine Mead Street, Bristol, November 2021
Nightwayss, Catherine Mead Street, Bristol, November 2021

In recent months Nightwayss has been experimenting with these fragmented pieces, playing with portraits, light shapes and disassociation. The overall effect is a contemporary take on street art and really brings out the fine artist in Nightwayss. Alas, there are no monkeys in this piece, but it is nonetheless a really interesting and challenging piece of art.

4015. M32 Spot (121)

This is a joyous celebration of Pirate Wall Art (PWA) by Soap, Face 1st and Nightwayss alongside the slip road off the M32 J2 roundabout. In this piece the three friends have combined to fill the space with icons and tags that they use in their work. It is almost like a giant doodle, and a concept these three are having some fun with at the moment.

Face 1st, Soap and Nightwayss, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2021
Face 1st, Soap and Nightwayss, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2021

There are so many little bits to this collaboration, and it is one of those true collaborations where all the artists have combined to make the whole. The faces are by Face 1st, the mouthy skulls are by Soap and the monkeys by Nightwayss. The only mystery is the blue-faced character with the crown, top left, which I think is by Soap.

Face 1st, Soap and Nightwayss, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2021
Face 1st, Soap and Nightwayss, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2021

A whole bundle of fun.

4008. St Werburghs tunnel (263)

Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! It has been such a long time since I have seen a street piece from Kid Crayon, although he has been doing a lot of studio and digital work over the last few months, it is refreshing to see something big and bold. In this collaboration, Kid Crayon has teamed up with Nightwayss, who conversely doesn’t seem to have stopped hitting walls this year, he is a machine.

Kid Crayon, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021
Kid Crayon, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021

To the left of this ‘Finger Trap’ piece, Kid Crayon has painted a brilliant character (is it a self-portrait?) poking his finger into the trap while tipping his red baseball cap. The character is brilliant and so uniquely Kid Crayon.

Nightwayss, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021
Nightwayss, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021

To the right and making up the other half of the collaboration, joined with the central trap, is an unusual piece by Nightwayss. I love this recent experimental style from Nightwayss that seems to be exploring the fragmentation and interruption of a portrait and other elements, such as a parrot in this case. The fine artist in Nightwayss is coming to the fore in exploring new ideas and forms. Pity about the tag, but hey, you snooze, you lose!

Lovely and most welcome collaboration.

3955. Dean Lane skate park (428)

I had a great chat with Nightwayss while he was painting this piece, and for a change, the dog wasn’t spooked and sat quietly while we chewed the fat. What I didn’t realise at the time, and I blame my dumbness entirely, was that this piece was being painted as part of PWA paint jam alongside Zake, Face 1st and Soap. Zake was also painting, but Face 1st and Soap were sitting on a slope watching the others paint. Stupid me didn’t recognise them, and although I spoke to them, It has been such a long time since I last saw them and I thought they were strangers. They must have thought I was being very rude not saying hi like I normally would with acquaintances.

Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

Nightwayss has found a rich vein of form at the moment, not only in the frequency with which he has been painting but also with stretching his creativity. In this piece, Nightwayss has written Night in a very stylish anamorphic graffiti style, with some lovely shading. To the left is one of his lovely monkeys, which these days is not a given in every piece he paints. Fine work from a lovely, decent bloke.

3891. Cumberland Basin

This extraordinary piece from Nightwayss is really pushing boundaries for the artist and is notable for its absence of monkeys. I believe that the piece might be based on a self portrait, and there seems to be some agonising soul-searching going on here.

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021

The piece was painted as part of Eman’s birthday paint jam, so I had a chance to catch up with Nightwayss. Unfortunately his effervescence slightly freaked out my long-suffering dog, who is dragged around Bristol’s graffiti spots, and who decided to bark a lot every time Nightwayss tried to stroke him, rendering conversation a little tricky.

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021

There is no doubt that Nightwayss is a very skilled artist, and he has pulled off this concept very well, with the face and skull beautifully finished. An unusual and compelling piece.

3844. Purdown HAA Battery (30)

What we have here is a fabulous panoramic, segmented take-over by PWA artists Face 1st, Soap and Nightwayss up at Purdown Battery. I’m not sure that I have seen a themed section of walls up here before and the overall impact is stunning.

Face 1st, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021
Face 1st, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021

The first panel is by Face 1st and contains a boy and a girl holding gems. This is remarkable in one major aspect, I don’t think I have ever seen Face 1st paint a smiling boy before – it is a rare thing indeed.

Soap, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021
Soap, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021

The middle panel, set back, is rather more traditional fare from Soap, who is really going large on his gems at the moment. I really do need to fins out what they are all about, because their inclusion in his pieces is becoming almost obsessive.

Nightwayss, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021
Nightwayss, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021

The triptych is rounded off nicely with a ferocious piece from Nightwayss, in which a nightmarish monkey (what else?) is using a spray can. Some of his pieces are turning a little passive/aggressive at the moment and becoming a little more edgy – I am not complaining mind, graffiti art is edgy by definition.

All in all a wonderful theatrical collaboration from the PWA boys.