6605. St Werburghs tunnel (446)

Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

These pictures are proof that it is always worth taking pictures (however bad the conditions might be) of street/graffiti art if you can, because the next time you swing by the piece might have gone. There was a van parked in front of this writing by Nips when I passed by, but I thought I’d try to photograph the piece, even from rather weird angles, just in case it didn’t last. It didn’t, so the strategy worked, and I get to share the graffiti writing, even if the pictures aren’t the best.

Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

Nips is one of my favourite artists in Bristol at the moment. Her simple and no-nonsense approach to her letters and her creative fills, in this case nicely worked blue and grey blended colours and spots,  tick my boxes and make me happy. She is one of a handful of artists that always bring a smile to my face when I find their work.

6537. Sparke Evans Park (104)

Nips, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2024
Nips, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2024

Regular readers will know that I have a bit of a thing for Nips’ work. Her letters are uncomplicated and unpretentious and what sets her apart from other letter writers is her constantly evolving and creative fills.

Nips, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2024
Nips, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2024

Whether intentional or not, Nips has created a perfect autumnal piece. The blue background speaks of those wonderful high-pressure blue sky days (we have had a few of those lately) and the gold of the letter fills picks up the autumn leaves scattered at the base of the wall. The fills are a beautifully blended palette of four brown and yellow shades, and are further augmented with some complementary squiggles and dots. The tittle (dot on the i) is a little character face, something Nips does with most of her pieces. The whole thing is nicely finished with white highlights to help the letters pop. This is a fine piece of work from Nips.

6525. M32 Cycle path (277)

Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2024
Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2024

Nips is known for her wonderful colour selections and fill patterns and with this chrome piece on the cycle path, the question is could she carry it off with such colour limitations, the answer is unequivocally yes.

Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2024
Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2024

Nips’ letters do not change an awful lot from piece to piece, but her decorative artwork does, and here she has made the most of a simple fill pattern of black blobs. The overall effect works very well. Normally you’d expect the tittle (a word I learned last night, meaning the dot above the i or j) in Nips’ pieces to have a little character face, but here she has substituted it with a heart. Great work from Nips.

6472. Greenbank (137)

Nips, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024
Nips, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024

There are several graffiti writers in Bristol who simply write their letters in a broadly similar style and format from piece to piece. Nips is one of these artists, and her forte is in the colours and fill patterns she chooses.

Nips, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024
Nips, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024

Photographed late afternoon on a rather sunny day, the photographs have a bit of glare and probably don’t do the piece justice. Nips has used yellows, oranges and pinks, and blended them skilfully throughout the piece. Some contrasting squiggles and fabulous white feature lines finish what piece well. I am an admirer of her work, and have yet to meet the artist… it is simply a matter of time.

6392. Greenbank (135)

Nips, Greenbank, Bristol, September 2024
Nips, Greenbank, Bristol, September 2024

An explosive and colourful piece by Nips on the long wall at Greenbank was a very welcome sight, especially as the turnover at this spot seems to have slowed down a litle, so finding anything new there is always rewarding.

Nips, Greenbank, Bristol, September 2024
Nips, Greenbank, Bristol, September 2024

Once again it is the fills that delight and Nips seems to specialise in beautiful designs and colour palettes for her letters. As ever, the letter form tends to remain reasonably regular from piece to piece, although the dot over the ‘i’ allows scope for variation, and here she has placed a simple heart icon in the pink circle. I am not 100% convinced by the green and blue border, the green in particular gets a little bit overwhelmed by the purple fills. Nice stuff from Nips.

6368. St Werburghs tunnel (445)

Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024
Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024

I can’t explain why, but there is something that I really like about Nips’ graffiti writing. She first came onto my radar less than a year ago, but in that time her colourful and characterful work has really grown on me. She is an artist I have not yet met, but look forward to doing so some time and asking her about her work.

Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024
Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024

While Nips tends to keep her letter style fairly consistent, it is the fills where the magic happens, and in this piece she has created a stunning kaleidoscope of colour and patterns. A simple bit of background patterning and a drop shadow help the piece to stand out, along with some white highlighting in the letters. This is a notable piece from a creative writer.

6277. M32 Cycle Path (273)

Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2024
Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2024

What better way to start the day than with a nice, crisp chrome piece from Nips. What a pity I didn’t get there before the tagger, but that is all part of the way of life in this jungle. Everyone knows what the rules are, and whatever existing rules can be broken at any time by anyone.

Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2024
Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2024

There is an uncomplicatedness about this piece that speaks of an artist who is comfortable with their work. No need to embellish or over-decorate. Sometimes less is more, and I would suggest that is the case here. I haven’t yet met Nips, and look forward to the day when I might just be in the right place at the right time to do so.

6219. Brunel Way (280)

Nips, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Nips, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

One of the great joys of being a street art hunter and chronicler is the sheer number of endorphin ‘mini-snacks’ one gets exposed to on each exploratory walk. Some artists elicit slightly more excitement than others, and there doesn’t seem to be any logical explanation for why that might be. One artist whose work I particularly enjoy seeing is Nips, and it feels like there is progression with every new piece.

Nips, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Nips, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

I would say that Nips is a bit of a fills specialist, keeping her general letter shapes constant, while experimenting with colours and patterns in the fills and in that respect, she has excelled in this stunner. Her selection of colours and outstanding designs within the letters is utterly joyful. The whole thing looks rather like a sophisticated wallpaper design, and that is meant as a compliment. Nips continues, I am pleased to say, with her trademark face appearing as the dot of the ‘i’. More endorphins please.

6185. M32 roundabout J3 (598)

Nips, M32 roudabout, Bristol, July 2024
Nips, M32 roudabout, Bristol, July 2024

Although she doesn’t hit the walls all that often, it is always a treat when Nips produces one of her pieces of writing. She tends to have a fairly consistent approach to her letter shapes, but like many other artists who demonstrate this consistency, it is the fills that are king.

Nips, M32 roudabout, Bristol, July 2024
Nips, M32 roudabout, Bristol, July 2024

Tucked away on the M32 roundabout the graffiti writing is filled with a wonderful selection of green tones that transition beautifully with a combination of shape changes and blending. Nips creates great depth to her letters by using white accents on the right hand edges them, and using this device the letters pop really well. This is a very nice, in not a little modest, piece by Nips.

5973. Cumberland Basin

Nips, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2024
Nips, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2024

Although she has only relatively recently come under my radar, Nips is a definite favourite whose work I always feel pleased to see. I often wonder whether I would be able to identify writers’ work if they didn’t use their customary letters, and the truth is I don’t know, some have a style that is easier to recognise than others. I would like to think that I would always recognise a Nips piece even if other letters were used.

Nips, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2024
Nips, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2024

Nips’ graffiti writing here has used a wonderful palette of colours that work incredibly well together and, as ever, her fill patterns and ideas are superb. The character ‘dot’ on top of her ‘i’ is one of the identifying features of her work. This is a great piece that stands out well from the noise of the messy background wall.