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
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.
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
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
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
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
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!
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 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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
It would seem that since joining PWA, Nightwayss has been painting more frequently and seems to be enjoying his collaborations. This wonderful piece is in the middle of a Face 1st, Nightwayss and Soap triptych, and incorporates the recently devised PWA wobbly line border.
Nightwayss, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2021
Nightwayss’ pieces are well known for featuring monkeys and apes and in this piece he doesn’t disappoint. A ghoulish giant ape is consuming a train (I think), and behind is a fabulously written ‘NIGHT’. With all the dots in the background, there is a feel of comic book print about the piece, and the theme adds to that feel. A great piece.
I don’t visit this area nearly as often as I used to. In the olden days when I walked to the office (a dim and distant memory) I would often take a little detour up Nine Tree Hill and along Armada Place. My reduction in walking this way has coincided with a significant downward shift in turnover of pieces in the locality, indeed across much of the Stokes Croft area. It was rather a nice surprise therefore to come across these three little tag-pieces from PWA crew’s Face 1st, Soap and Nightwayss.
Nightwayss and Face 1st, Nine Trees Hill, Bristol, May 2021
I am a bit of a fan of decorating utility boxes, which in their regimented green or black monochrome colours are eyesores that pollute every street in every village, town and city in the UK. Decorating these boxes is not legal, but in my view most welcome, and in some cities around the world is actively welcomed or even commissioned… imaging that. The three pieces here are quick throw ups, probably painted in haste. The monkey is by Nightwayss, the face by Face 1st and the mouth/skull by Soap. These are the key signature elements of each of the three artists.
Soap, Nine Trees Hill, Bristol, May 2021
The three artists have decorated one box each and brightened up this little corner immeasurably. I am sure that some people will see this as thoughtless vandalism and be quite angry about it. This is the spice of life.
Well it looks very much to me like Nightwayss has joined the PWA crew, which is very exciting indeed if it is in fact the case. Here he is sandwiched between Soap and Face 1st, adopting the shared colour scheme in a fine collaboration on the :32 Roundabout.
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
On the left of the trio is a piece from Soap using the green and pink base colours shared by all three artists. Spelling out his name, Soap has incorporated some gems into the letters, something he recently did in another piece at the M32 Spot. I like it when artists pick up a new theme and run with it for a while.
Nightwayss, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
Another recurring theme that we see from Nightwayss is a good old cassette player/radio adorned with a couple of monkeys. Great to see the PWA label.
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
To the right is the third element of the collaboration and the ever-cheerful work from Face 1st. This giggling girl looks to have a fairly gloopy toxic head of hair, which is actually beautifully filled by Face 1st. It is impossible not to like these pieces and the wonderful crew that is Pirate Wall Art.
I am catching up a little on Halloween pieces, so forgive me for the delay. This is a magnificent work from Nightwayss which I’m afraid the photographs fail to capture adequately, so you just have to imagine how much better this looks in the flesh.
Nightwayss, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020
The piece is nicely framed in a portrait orientation and he would have needed a decent ladder to get to the higher parts of the wall. There is quite a lot of glare on this piece which is unfortunate, but putting that to one side, the scene that unfolds is crazy and nightmarish. There is a zombie monkey (of course), holding a bunch of keys and sitting immediately below a large eye.
Nightwayss, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020
An elaborate decoration surrounds the piece but look out, a snake lurks within the swirls. This is an unusual and intriguing Halloween piece from Nightwayss and is rather special in my eyes.
Natural adventures 