5831. Purdown (67)

Jevoissoul, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024
Jevoissoul, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024

I think I have met Jevoissoul only once, and we had a great discussion about his emergence on the scene and his likely direction of travel. He told me at that point that he had ambitions to be very busy and to paint all over Bristol. Fast-track a few months, and he appears to be realising his plans, with new pieces popping up all over the place.

Jevoissoul, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024
Jevoissoul, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024

This typical piece is on one of the square concrete slabs of the WWII gun emplacement at the top of the hill at Purdown, with commanding views across Bristol. The picassoesque character is clutching a rather large joint from which a slug of smoke wafts upwards. I like Jevoissoul’s work and I would like to see him develop his ideas to create new scenarios. I’m sure this will come in time.

5826. Purdown (66)

Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024
Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024

Acer One struck gold with this concept of building a geometric design around an impossible triangle, and this is a sister piece to one he painted about a month or so back. The piece plays tricks with the eyes, because everything inside the concentric hexagonal stripes is three dimensional , which makes the centrepiece stand out from the wall.

Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024
Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024

There is a lot of skill to designing and painting geometric pieces like this and there is absolutely no room for error. Unfortunately there were some people sitting on top of the concrete block, and so I have tried to crop them out of the photographs, which is a pity, because it would have been nice to get a shot from a little more distance. These studies by Acer One are a rather fine direction of travel in my view.

Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

5771. Purdown (65)

Benjimagnetic, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Benjimagnetic, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

I recognised the style, but couldn’t put a name to it when I first saw and photographed this classy piece up on Purdown. I had to do a google search when I got home and then the penny dropped that ‘Sentinel 793’ is the music moniker that is used by Benjimagnetic, so here is a piece using his graffiti writing skills to promote his music skills.

Benjimagnetic, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Benjimagnetic, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

I guess this cross advertising worked to a degree as I have just been listening to some of his tracks, and although not really my cup of tea, they are nicely produced. The writing and the dancing character in particular, are, on reflection, easy to spot as Benjimagnetic pieces in retrospect. The blue and gold colours work really nicely together in this unusual piece.

5749. Purdown (64)

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

I always like finding pieces by Daz Cat, as there is something comforting and very ‘Bristol’ about them. I do miss his rather larger storytelling pieces, which seem to be few and far between these days, but I expect that is because he is otherwise occupied and only has time for his smaller cat characters.

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

This one up at Purdown is a classic piece of Daz Cat artwork. The cat character is looking straight out from the wall with long whiskers and flattened ears (to fit the limited space). The trademark shape on the Cat’s forehead marks this as a Daz Cat piece… no signature necessary. More please in 2024.

5743. Purdown (63)

Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

I’m not sure that I have seen any work by Acer One at the Purdown spot before, but with this piece I think he has earned the freedom of the City (metaphorically speaking at least). An utterly mesmerising piece with a pink triangle interlocking with a white cube with hexagonal holes – a masterpiece of geometric design.

Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

The pink works so well against the black and white hexagons in this piece, and the whole thing is a beacon of classy artwork on the top of a bleak hill. This looks like a bit of a new direction for Acer One, and another new piece (to follow I hope) has some similar design ideas. 2024 could be an exciting year for the artist.

5547. Purdown (62)

Mr Klue, Purdown, Bristol, September 2023
Mr Klue, Purdown, Bristol, September 2023

Mr Klue is definitely one of those ‘peak and trough’ artists. During his productive spells, you can barely visit certain spots without seeing a new piece from the artist, and earlier this year he dominated the walls in St Werburghs tunnel. At other times Mr Klue goes very quiet for extended periods, so it was a genuine pleasure to find this small piece by him up at Purdown.

Mr Klue, Purdown, Bristol, September 2023
Mr Klue, Purdown, Bristol, September 2023

The piece carries a common motif that Mr Klue paints, of a headless character wearing a large top hat with a ticket in the band. The hat belongs to Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter. Although only a quick one, it is great to see Mr Klue out and about. Perhaps this is the start of a new productive period.

5542. Purdown (61)

Hiccup (Bloem), Purdown, Bristol, September 2023
Hiccup (Bloem), Purdown, Bristol, September 2023

Certain artists have a little ‘je ne sais quoi’ that makes their work exciting and interesting and compelling for me, and one of them is Hiccup (Bloem). Her work is highly original and eye-catching. She is working hard to improve and tries out new ideas with each piece she paints. If what she has produced so far is anything to go by, she will be a leading light in the city.

Hiccup (Bloem), Purdown, Bristol, September 2023
Hiccup (Bloem), Purdown, Bristol, September 2023

The Purdown walls tend to be square and reasonably small, perfect for honing your skills. In this piece Hiccup (Bloem) has painted a torso with interlocked hands bearing shiny bright red nails. Notable is the texture and depth that she has managed to achieve in the garment. Her style is still a little crude, but at the same time quite sophisticated too, as her technique improves, so will her finishing. A final touch… the rings on the fingers spell out ACAB – (All Cops Are Bastards).

Fairy ring


.

Fairy ring, Purdown, Bristol, August 2023
Fairy ring, Purdown, Bristol, August 2023

Curiosity

circular radiation

with fruiting bodies

.

by Scooj

5410. Purdown (60)

Lupa, Purdown, Bristol, May 2023
Lupa, Purdown, Bristol, May 2023

I feel that, having met Lupa for the second time recently at the Cheltenham Paint Festival, I should really start digging out some of her pieces from my archives, especially as we had a great chat and I felt most honoured that she not only remembered me, but also remembered my name, and thanked me for the recent post I wrote about her piece in Peel Street Green.

Lupa, Purdown, Bristol, May 2023
Lupa, Purdown, Bristol, May 2023

This is a lovely and enduring piece up at Purdown, which I photographed in May, but I think had been there already for a while and was still there when I walked the dog around the site last week. There is a charm and simplicity about Lupa’s work that makes it enjoyable to see, and she manages to give off good vibes – maybe it is the design of the letter ‘U’ with its smiley face, or the large block letters, or the vibrant colours – probably a combination of all these things. I look forward to seeing more of her work, and will continue to mine out old pieces from the archive.

5346. Purdown (59)

Mote, Purdown, Bristol, June 2023
Mote, Purdown, Bristol, June 2023

More from Mote, who isn’t showing any signs of slowing down at the moment. This piece is another in his series of bird monsters and fits the square concrete slab perfectly. One of the aspects of Mote’s work that I really like is the clarity and crispness. The fills are solid, with nice patterns, and his black borders and details are always sharp. I imagine that there is a perfectionist in there somewhere.

Mote, Purdown, Bristol, June 2023
Mote, Purdown, Bristol, June 2023

This bird monster has a green bill and pink eyelids, which stand out against the blues and purples of the rest of the bird. Even though it is not so long ago that I published a gallery of his work, I have to keep on my toes with updating it. The production line of pieces continues.