Observing Raid’s progress is a genuine pleasure. Each time I see his work I see some improvement, and a boldness or confidence that is growing. I also like it that he is adapting his style from piece to piece, settling for a while and then moving on.
Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
This is a nice one in the tunnel from a few weeks back, and uses that tried and tested colour combination of pink and light blue. The letters are beautifully presented, and the fills very nicely done indeed, with a swathe of stars running horizontally through the letters and pink ‘ribbons’ at the top and bottom. A decent drop shadow and blue backdrop round the piece off perfectly.
Since first encountering Raid earlier this year, he has been one of the most productive forces on the streets of Bristol, and right now, that is some achievement. I have met the artist on a couple of occasions, and he seems to be a really decent bloke, he also told me how he is enjoying playing with his letters, trying new ideas, but with the same general style.
Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
These pinky-purple letters on a light pink background are easy on the eye. His fills have been very nicely executed and provide plenty of interest, and the turquoise/white sparks running through the piece add a detail that rounds the whole thing off nicely. More in the pipeline from Raid.
This was my third attempt at photographing this fine collaboration from Lee Roy and Waste, under Brunel Way, because of the rather irritating light and shadow that is cast on sunny days from the left. I got there in the end. I was lucky enough to be there when the artists were painting the piece and I got to meet Lee Roy for the first time, and what a genuinely lovely person he is – we chatted plenty.
Lee Roy, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
The collaborative wall is clever in that each side is a reversed-out colour version of the other, and how different they look, using the same powerful pink and black colour scheme. Lee Roy talked to me about his rather free style and said that he used to write really tight letters, in a more traditional graffiti manner, but that he found it increasingly unenjoyable, striving for perfection and instead has adopted a more liberated style, tending towards anti-style. He certainly seems to be happy with his current work, and has been churning out pieces at a terrific rate so far this year.
Waste, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
I don’t know much about Waste, other than that he is a friend of Lee Roy’s from out of town. I forget where… Cardiff? Swindon? I should have made a note. I like this piece a lot, and note that Waste has made things easy for himself, using the ‘tram-lines’ in the wall to keep his letters regular. All in all a very nice collaborative wall, which fortunately remained undogged long enough for me to get some decent photographs.
This is the second of two ‘lost treasures’ that somehow got stuck in my publishing system from January, and which continues to be a bit of a mystery to me. It is a stunning and bright piece by Smut, and a great reminder of his outstanding talents.
Smut, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Smut always creates arresting pieces with bright bold letters and the cleanest finish of any artist in Bristol. His work is always immaculate and precise, and a benchmark for others to strive for. The black letters, with a white 3D shadow and border, are interrupted by a school of pink ovals passing through, with an element of ‘transparency’ where they drift in front of the black lettering. Brilliantly conceived and executed.
Taboo, is definitely going through a pink period, in fact it is a very popular colour all round in Bristol at the moment, and I don’t think I have seen so much pink paint since Stupid Stupid Meathole was active. I wonder what happened to him.
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
The unruly letters spell Taboo, with a skull and sphere making up the OO at the end. There are lots of little detail s and distortions to keep the eye busy in this piece, and a nicely worked PLB crew mention. Great work from Taboo, tucked away.
Another fabulous Pekoe portrait in a series of recent pieces that it has been a pleasure to witness in recent weeks. This one was painted alongside her RBF friends in Sparke Evans Park a couple of weeks ago.
Pekoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022
There is something very special about the colours that Pekoe uses and the blue and pink in this piece are absolutely perfect. There is enough shading on the face to give some depth to the features, and we can sense a sad expression, which the tears reinforce. The big hair is magnificent, but again alludes to sadness with some unhappy faces in place of smiley ones. The crown is well deserved and appropriate. A fine piece from Pekoe.
For a little while I feared that Maesyhook might have abandoned Bristol in favour of some other city or country, as her work appeared to drop off, and some of her Instagram posts were not from Bristol, but thankfully it would seem that she is here, and normal service is resumed.
Maesyhook, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022
I have always really liked Maesyhook’s work as it is unlike anything else we see, which makes a refreshing change. This tiger in her preferred pink and blue colours is low-key but rather beautiful. It is very illustrative and could easily be a character in a children’s picture book ‘the pink tiger who came to tea’ maybe. It is so, so good to see maesyhook painting again.
More from Desi, who is really making her mark, literally and figuratively, on the Bristol graffiti scene. Her letters are easy on the eye, and it is her creativity with fills that is fast becoming.no her USP.
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
The colour schemes she uses are carefully thought out and always turn out well. This piece has horizontal fades from dark pink at the top to white at the bottom. Each of the letters is emphasised with a highlight line within the letters which makes the piece so much better. Desi continues to grow.
Many of you will be familiar with the phrase ‘you snooze, you lose’, and so it was with my rather late discovery of this wonderful wall in Elton Street. Most of the pieces are is good shape, but unfortunately this beauty by The Hass had been somewhat tagged by the time I got to photograph it.
The Hass, Elton Street, Bristol, December 2021
The piece, in the themed pink and blues used by all the artists on this wall, is a stunning portrait of a leopard., and a really classy piece of street art at that. I think I might have enough pieces by The Hass to pull together a gallery fairly soon, one to look out for.
Happy New year to you all. I hope that 2022 brings considerably more good fortune than 2021 for people and the planet.
The best part of discovering Elton Street was, if I am honest, having a chance to see this absolute beauty from Hazard. She really has gone from strength to strength over the last year, incorporating some abstract themes into her portrait work, and I stand by the comment I made about her Wilder Street mural that she has elevated herself into the world class tier.
Hazard, Elton Road, Bristol, December 2021
The themed colours for all the pieces in Elton Street were pinks and blues (Clare Grogan would be thrilled) and Hazard has incorporated these perfectly into this portrait piece. I think that this would have to rate highly in my favourite of all pieces of 2021, alongside her Wilder Street mural. Outstanding.
