6725. St George skate park (22)

3Dom and Sled One, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025
3Dom and Sled One, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025

One of the great ‘walls’ in Bristol, this monolith rises out of the St George skate park like something out of ‘2001 A Space Odyssey’. On the other side of the wall is a slim ramp. Pieces that are painted here tend to be higher-end works and usually have quite a long lifespan. I think I probably need to do a ‘One Wall – Many Faces’ post for this wall, simply because it has such a great heritage of artwork.

3Dom and Sled One, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025
3Dom and Sled One, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025

This piece is a collaboration by 3Dom and Sled One, and is a top drawer work, so typical of the artists, who have collaborated before, but perhaps not so intimately as in this skull work. There is often a lot of symbolism or a story to tell in their work, but I am not sure that I can interpret it – ideas breaking out of a soulless brain, perhaps. The top half is by 3Dom and the lower half by Sled One. And just to add to the magnificence of the piece, they have painted some amazing water droplets for good measure.

6694. Dean Lane skate park (801)

I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025
I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025

I have a sense that 2025 is going to be a good one for street art in Bristol. Already January, a month that is traditionally rather slow, has been a very active period with loads of artists hitting the ground running. A signal that we could be in for a treat this year is the early appearance of Kid Crayon and I am Ian in Dean Lane.

I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025
I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025

This skull piece by I am Ian is full of joy and humour. Painted in a mischievous cartoon style, the grinning skull is accompanied by the slogan ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’, which I guess is a brief description of our existence. The character is expertly painted, with some great shading and fine lines to create features and depth. A wonderful way to start the year.

6625. M32 roundabout J3 (645)

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024

I haven’t seen quite as much from Soap this year as I would have liked, perhaps he has been working hard, but he has made plenty of regular appearances alongside his PWA friends. This wonderful Christmas piece was painted alongside Zake and Face 1st.

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024

This year was a very quiet year for Christmas themed pieces, so it was nice to see this PWA paint jam. soap has spelled out his name in this combination piece, with a rather creepy skull-face Father Christmas making up the ‘O’ of SOAP. The gold lettering with red accents and a ‘ho, ho, ho’ add to the festive appeal of the piece. Some nice work from Soap.

6607. North Street

Kid Krishna, North Street, Bristol, November 2024
Kid Krishna, North Street, Bristol, November 2024

When I say that this piece is in North Street, I wouldn’t want to send people off to Bedminster unintentionally. This is the North Street that is part of the A38 that branches off the Bear Pit roundabout. The piece by Kid Krishna is on the hoarding outside what used to be the Blue Mountain.

Kid Krishna, North Street, Bristol, November 2024
Kid Krishna, North Street, Bristol, November 2024

The combination piece contains the usual cryptic writing from Kid Krishna, spelling CRIE, and the character aspect is in the form of a partial skull. I think that there is some special part of Kid Krishna’s brain that is able to visualise and create these pieces, which are really quite different from much of the other stuff on the streets of Bristol. Often his characters are partial or hinted at, rather than being overt full-on, which makes it all the more intriguing.

6517. M32 roundabout J3 (637)

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024

Sled One is another artist whose street work comes in peaks and troughs… nothing for ages and then several come along in quick succession. He is on a roll at the moment, and this beautiful combination piece was painted alongside the Smak piece that I posted a day or two ago.

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024
Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024

This surreal piece is quite magnificent, featuring a skull character smoking a cigarette whose lighter appears to have quite a high flame setting, The humorous piece is beautifully composed and clean as a whistle. The letters SLED are interesting in that they are large for a signature or small to be on terms with the character, but that is Sled One for you, he does what he does, and always does it brilliantly.

6510. M32 roundabout J3 (636)

Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024
Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024

It is easy to become complacent, living in Bristol, when it comes to street and graffiti, and to take it for granted that we have something rather special, that most cities in the country or the world, simply don’t have. The graffiti sub-culture is thriving and grows both local talent and attracts artists form far and wide to get out there and paint walls. Artists like Smak, who are at the top of their game, are not a rarity, but common, such is the strength and depth of the field of artists.

Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024
Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024

This is a beautiful combination piece of outstanding writing accompanied by a comedy cartoon skull wearing a graffiti crown. The letters, which are easy to pick out, are beautifully proportioned and designed, and painted in prime colours, which you don’t see all that often. A wonderful piece from a gifted artist.

6479. Redcliffe Way

Mr Crawls, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024
Mr Crawls, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024

Although this piece by Mr Crawls was painted some time ago and not intended as a Halloween piece, it fits the bill nicely and is serendipitously next in the production line of pieces I have prepared in advance.

Mr Crawls, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024
Mr Crawls, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024

It is incredible how Mr Crawls has become so established and known around Bristol for his character pieces and his collaborations with Mote. This stylised skull piece is a slight departure from Mr Crawl’s customary bird-themed work, but carries so many of the distinguishing features that he has been developing over recent months, such as the recessed eyes, and thin vertical lines, bringing emphasis to certain parts of the piece. Lovely work from Mr Crawls.

6336. M32 roundabout J3 (621)

Saor and Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024
Saor and Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024

Oof! what a belter of a collaboration. Sometimes fortune smiles upon you, and on the day I found this outstanding piece, the artists, Saor and Kosc had literally just finished and were packing up their stuff and saying their goodbyes. Just looking at this collaboration, you can see that it oozes class.

Saor, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024
Saor, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024

Saor, to my mind, is the perfect antidote to losing Epok, an artist who no longer paints in Bristol (alas), because his style is similar, crafting pieces of such precision and disguising his letters, SAOR,  perfectly. The colour palette is beautifully thought out and parts of this piece remind me of the work of the great Miro conflated with the Cubist movement. Wonderful stuff.

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024

Kosc opted for a skull on this occasion, and told me that he finds it easier to paint skulls than fully-fleshed portraits, because the viewer is less familiar with the anatomy of a skull than of a face, which allows for more wiggle room regarding accuracy. Funnily I found that slightly counterintuitive, but maybe that is my naturalist background. Anyhow it is a great piece and such a contrast with Saor’s piece. Chalk and cheese.

6268. Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024 (3)

Epod 3000, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Dunalley Street, Cheltenham, July 2024
Epod 3000, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Dunalley Street, Cheltenham, July 2024

Good morning and welcome to another brand-new week. What better way to kick off than with the third trio of pieces photographed at this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival? One of the notable things about the festival, which I am sure I will return to at some point, is that Andy ‘Dice’ Davies and his organising team are constantly finding new walls to decorate, meaning that existing murals get to stay where they are, constantly growing the outdoor gallery, which becomes an increasing draw for visitors and inward investment. If only the festival was able to gain more confidence from funders, which I know was a real struggle this year.

Epod 3000, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Dunalley Street, Cheltenham, July 2024
Epod 3000, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Dunalley Street, Cheltenham, July 2024

Fresh from his appearance at Upfest in Bristol, Epod, who is firmly on the festival circuit, produced this beauty on the side of the Holiday Inn Express, enhancing the visual value of the building tenfold at least. A stunning portrait of a beautiful woman with a sound system in her hair… and why not?

Fark, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, North Place car park, Cheltenham, July 2024
Fark, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, North Place car park, Cheltenham, July 2024

Next up is this very neat and tidy piece from Fark, who has become a CPF favourite and who managed to wheatpaste up his name pretty much everywhere I went in the town. A view, a rainbow and a bird – you cannot go wrong.

Wolfskulljack, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Two Pigs, Cheltenham, July 2024
Wolfskulljack, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Two Pigs, Cheltenham, July 2024

Finally, another favourite at the CPF is Wolfskulljack whose Gothic-style Posca pen sketches are utterly captivating and technically brilliant. Her study of animals and their form is a joy to behold, and there is always a sense of menace or threat about her work.

I’ll be posting more from Cheltenham in due course.

6235. Brunel Way (282)

Dibz, Jody and Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Dibz, Jody and Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

If ever you want an example of the perfect triptych graffiti writing/character portrait piece then look no further than this magnificent piece by Dibz, Jody and Fade underneath Brunel Way bridge. As always, these three have smashed it, and I just don’t know how many more ceilings they can break with their work.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

To the left, Dibz’ writing in black and pink is reflected on the right-hand side by Fade, where their writing is almost becoming indistinguishable except to the most experienced eyes. The key difference is that Fade’s letters tend to be ever so slightly softer than Dibz’. Both have created something special and finished it off with a splash of ‘liquid’ gold running behind the collaboration.

Jody, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Jody, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

Sitting pretty between the graffiti writing is this outstanding skull painted by Jody. One of the great benefits of Jody joining these writers over the last couple of years is that we get to see so much more of his work on the streets, which I dare say we wouldn’t see so much if he was painting alone. When I see Jody’s work, I am still baffled how he manages to get such extraordinary detail and texture using a spray can. A trio at the top of their game.