Over the last few months I have seen quite a few of these TES pieces from Tes (Slim Pickings) but haven’t posted all of them, simply because there have been so many other pieces to post. Perhaps I’ll have to do a Tes sweep up post with all of them in it.
Slim Pickings, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
I have included this one because it is a particularly bright and summery example, although I was a little disappointed that he painted it over the lovely Jelly piece that had only been there for a couple of days. The Tes is, as always, nicely worked and I love the little blue-white flashes on the red 3D shadow providing a little bit of depth.
Here is another fine piece from the slightly unloveable Turoe. This wall is in my view one of the best in Bristol, but it rarely fulfils its potential. I would love to see it fully buffed and some large-scale collaborations painted on it because these days it tends to look a bit messy.
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
This ‘shyte’ piece was painted back in April and stands out in chrome on a hot yellow, orange and red background. This is a classic wildstyle burner and another in the vast collection of pieces from Turoe.
Another artist who appears to have woken up a little of late is Veks who has teamed up several times lately with his friend and painting partner Turoe. This character portrait piece was part of a collaboration with Turoe and Teao One from a week or two back.
Veks, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
This old school style portrait would appear to be autobiographical, with the words ‘we don’t learn… 80s kids’ posted next to it… perhaps even a self-portrait of a younger Veks? The cartoony piece is very nicely done and just in case you weren’t too sure about the artist, the letters VEK are tattooed onto the characters fingers.
Slim Pickings (Tes), has been painting a lot of his distinctive three-letter pieces so far this year, and I have only posted a fraction of them. I have the feeling that I might have to break from tradition and post a job-lot from the past couple of months just to keep on top of them.
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
This one in Dean Lane is a particularly nice big one that was painted alongside Dibz a short while ago. There was an overall alien theme to the wall and there are a couple of spaceships above the ‘Tes’ letters. The letters are painted on a cloudy blue background and are on point as usual. There is comfort in Slim Pickings’ consistency.
This is a pairing that has been very productive in recent weeks and one that involves two artists with very different temperaments, Hemper and Turoe. What is clear is that both of these artists are uber-talented and capable of turning out writing in a plethora of different styles.
Hemper, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
This collaboration is actually only one half of a slightly larger effort that included Veks and Benjimagnetic but somehow these two needed to be posted as one. The Hemper ‘HEMS’ is utterly outstanding and those shades from brown at the bottom to blue at the top are sensational. The letter style is nice and organic and has a kind of woodland/outdoorsy feel to it. So very good.
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
The Turoe piece in a richly scripted style, spelling out, unsurprisingly, SHYTE, is beautifully done in a yellow gold colour. There is something funny about the juxtaposition between the fancy script and crude word. A fine piece from Turoe. Together, these artists with contrasting efforts have absolutely smashed this wall.
Hemper and Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
It can occasionally be very difficult to write a post, because one feels conflicted or compromised in some way, but I believe truth and integrity are values that are important to me and I have decided to write this post as I have done in my head several times over.
I met Turoe for the first time last week (not while painting this piece) and it was not a pleasant experience. He is surly and made it quite clear that he didn’t want to speak to me or engage in any way, preferring to mock me (and others interested in street art). I got the message pretty quickly so backed off and just took some pictures.
I considered not posting any more of his work, but felt this would be churlish, so in my mind I have separated the artist from his art. I am sure that the world is littered with bad-tempered, unpleasant but nonetheless very talented people and I just have to get over it. Thankfully pretty much everyone else I meet is polite and decent – doing this would be a whole load more difficult if they weren’t.
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
This piece is another in his series of Shyte Year pieces which he has continued with inserting the word ‘still’ in front of it on some pieces. This one in chrome is beautifully bordered with a sharp red line and set on a black and blue bubble backdrop. I wonder if he will keep this theme going after lockdown or whether he will revert entirely to writing Turoe. We’ll see.
Yesterday I posted a gallery of Hemper’s work, and if you’ve not stumbled across it, you can find it here. This is yet another beauty in a disaggregated style, a little bit like Benjimagnetic perhaps, up at the M32 roundabout. I would like to say it is his most recent piece, but I know of at least two more since this one was painted.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
At first glance, and to the untrained eye, this might look like a bit of a chaotic mess. It is however a beautifully crafted HEMS in several colours, without a solid fill, but instead a hint at fills and outlines. I think that this is the kind of piece that a novice simply couldn’t create. Appearances can be deceptive.
Aah, the familiar and comforting letters spelling TES from Slim Pickings (as I call him) in Dean Lane. When all else around us is in utter chaos and flux, it is nice to have constants like this to ground us for a while, albeit a fleeting moment.
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
This is a big TES and very nicely done. Just two colours with a little bit of white 3D accent work demonstrate the confidence and skill of the artist. No need to embellish the work, although embellishment is always great too, don’t get me wrong. A strong and knowing piece.
There are a great many artists in Bristol that I could label ‘old faithful’ and Biers is definitely one of them. His style is very recognisable with irregular letter sizes, but a ‘house-style’ font that is very much his own.
Biers, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2021
I was pleased to see this piece appear and the others with it because this wall had remained stagnant for far too long. In my view it is one of the best walls in Bristol, but the turnover tends to be quite low, and so anything new is always welcome. This is Biers at his best, clean and crisp with decent fills and nice white accents to create a 3D feel. classic Biers.
One of the most dramatic turnarounds on the Bristol graffiti art scene has to be the return of Turoe since his absence midway through last year which I think was due to ill health. He has been prolific since, most notably for his ‘Shyte Year’ series, condensing into two, or sometimes one word, 2020. This is a return to his Turoe writing.
Turoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, Jauary 2021
Painted alongside some No Frills colleagues, this one is a real beauty in gold and red. It is a reasonably straightforward piece with a nice solid gold fill and striking red 3D shadows. There is a subtle white border, barely noticeable that lifts the whole thing. A very nice piece indeed.
