6367. River Avon (64)

Desi and Mr Two Gram, River Avon, Bristol, August 2024
Desi and Mr Two Gram, River Avon, Bristol, August 2024

Recently I have become more organised and started writing my blog posts the day before, giving myself a buffer if things get a bit tight before I start work. So far this revised approach seems to be working really well. What it means is that I wrote this post yesterday and that any references to weather or the news might well be a little out of kilter. However, I am pleased to report that it looks like we will be having a bit of a dry spell in Bristol for the next week or so, and Donald Trump continues to be weird.

Desi, River Avon, Bristol, August 2024
Desi, River Avon, Bristol, August 2024

I don’t think that I post nearly enough pieces by Mr Two Gram, and Desi seems to have had a slightly slower summer, so it is great to be posting this collaboration from them. Desi presents her letters in a uniform style, filling them with a patchwork of greens, blended in a ‘paintbrush’ style. A generous smattering of pink hearts finishes the piece nicely.

Mr Two Gram, River Avon, Bristol, August 2024
Mr Two Gram, River Avon, Bristol, August 2024

Mr Two Gram has painted a fair bit over the summer, but inexplicably I haven’t posted much of his work. I might need to do a trawl at some point and present a mini-gallery of his work. His letters are consistent in form and here spell 2GRAM and his fills composed of blues, purples and magenta. The piece is tight and the collaboration modest, tucked away on a wall with little footfall. Great work from the pair.

A wonderful thing

.

Heart of the city

the Avon, a sandpiper

heard though not quite seen

.

by Scooj

6171. River Avon (63)

j9449j, River Avon, Bristol, June 2024
j9449j, River Avon, Bristol, June 2024

My rather loose description of this spot, which I call River Avon, is actually a cycle/foot path that runs alongside the river from Sparke Evans Park to Temple Meads Station, where light industrial units back on to the pathway for most of its length. This piece by j9449j (or dr3amc0re94) is at the Eastern end of the pathway, and quite easily overlooked… I only spotted it on my return leg of my walk.

j9449j, River Avon, Bristol, June 2024
j9449j, River Avon, Bristol, June 2024

The joy of j9449j’s work is in its organic simplicity. I suppose you could class it as kind of anti-style graffiti writing, but it is perhaps a little bit more designed than that. As ever, I struggle to read the letters in this piece, so shall have to remain content with the fills and suggested vegetation. j9449j is an artist I am keen to meet – I have so many questions!

6062. River Avon (62)

Grimes, River Avon, Bristol April 2024
Grimes, River Avon, Bristol April 2024

Returning to what I would call ‘everyday’ Bristol street/graffiti art after an Upfest interlude (more of those to come), I present another wonderfully busy piece by Grimes. This is a graffiti artist who burst onto the scene a few months ago, and has settled in immediately, producing some realy good pieces along thee way.

Grimes, River Avon, Bristol April 2024
Grimes, River Avon, Bristol April 2024

This one on the cycle path alongside the River Avon has something of a carnal feel about it. There is no doubt that his pieces are full of movement and vibrancy. If you look carefully, you can make out the letters GRIMES, but it is the outstanding fills and clean borders that lifts this piece above the ordinary into the next level. I am very much enjoying the emergence of this graffiti writer in Bristol.

Marmalade hover fly

Marmalade hover fly, River Avon, Bristol, May 2024
Marmalade hover fly, River Avon, Bristol, May 2024

.

Stop to rest a while

marvel of evolution

stop to look a while

.

by Scooj

6013. River Avon (61)

Mote, River Avon, Bristol, April 2024
Mote, River Avon, Bristol, April 2024

Another Mote monster to add to the ever-growing back-catalogue. Mote’s work tends to go through themed phases where he will produce a sting of monsters with a particular design idea, such as monster birds and monster fish and recently, monsters with one white eye and another heavily lidded eye.

Mote, River Avon, Bristol, April 2024
Mote, River Avon, Bristol, April 2024

Because Mote themes his work in these ‘periods’, it can be possible to date his work to within say a six month time-frame. This monster is clean and tidy with a solid purple fill and pleasing ‘ribbon’ of green running through. And those teeth!

5940. River Avon (60)

Blimma Blamma, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Blimma Blamma, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024

There is an artist in Bristol, who occasionally hits the walls of the city with his curious creations, often in chrome. I am talking about Blimma Blamma, at least I think that is what he is called (he/she doesn’t sign his/her work).

Blimma Blamma, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Blimma Blamma, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024

This piece includes some letters, which I can’t make out and a character,, customarily wrapped up in clothes with only his face poking through. There is something endearing about the characters and mysterious about the work, which leaves one guessing what the story is. I think I need to do a little more research on the enigmatic Blimma Blamma.

5920. River Avon (59)

This piece really made me laugh, taking the brilliant partnership between Mr Crawls and Mote into new territory in this rendition of a couple of fish monsters. Their work is always fun and usually tinged with a touch of humour that brings a smile to your face.

Mr Crawls, River Avon, Bristol, February 2024
Mr Crawls, River Avon, Bristol, February 2024

This is one of those collaborative pieces from the pair, where their influence on one another makes it quite difficult to know who painted which character. There are some tell-tale signs that give each of the artists away, and the yellow anglerfish is by Mr Crawls, and an absolute beauty.

Mote, River Avon, Bristol, February 2024
Mote, River Avon, Bristol, February 2024

The fish monster is by Mote, and consistent with so many of his characters in his vast portfolio. The fill patterning, and little hashtag symbol on the edge of the monster’s mouth give him away. This is a wonderful collaboration from the pair, which took me quite a while to hunt down. Well worth being persistent in my search.

5914. River Avon (58)

Mr Underbite and Herman Creates, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Mr Underbite and Herman Creates, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024

This is a rather nice tribute piece to the late Lazo, who will be much missed in Bristol, by Mr Underbite (MUB) and Herman Creates. Both halves of the collaborative wall hang together really well, and definitely stand out on the pathway alongside the River.

Mr Underbite, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Mr Underbite, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024

On the left is a beautiful rendition of Mr Underbite in blue against an orange background. The joy of this piece is its simplicity. Nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, just Mr Underbite doing what Mr Underbite does, and does very well.

Herman Creates, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Herman Creates, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024

To the right is a debut piece from Herman Creates on Natural Adventures, and she has painted some more-than-decent block letters with rather nicely done fills. Herman Creates doesn’t do an awful lot of street pieces, but I do have one or two examples of her work in my archive which I will try to unearth, if ever I get a chance. A lovely tribute. And below some work by Lazo:

Lazo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, November 2022
Lazo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, November 2022

Lazo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Lazo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

5911. River Avon (57)

Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024

Well I never! This is a really unusual piece, on several counts, the first of which is a bit of a Bristol thing. It is quite rare to find ‘saucy’ street art, and nudes are almost non-existent. I was chatting with Inkie and Sepr about this a week ago and they suggested that the reason for this is that such pieces get dogged and ‘censored’ very quickly – it would seem that the city is generously populated with prudish activists. Another reason that this is unusual is that I think it is by Laic217, but there is no signature, and it is without many of his usual trademarks.

Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024

I would say that I am about 95% certain that this piece is by Laic217, and I base this on the style of artwork, which includes the folds in the material of the girl’s jacket, the tones of the flesh and the thin white border around the piece. In my experience, though, this subject is something I have not seen from the artist before, and I very much welcome it. Laic217 is having something of a purple patch at the moment, and is definitely experimenting and pushing a few boundaries. An unusual find.