4374. Sparke Evans Park (38)

Dopes is an artist who appears to like spraying in tight little spots tucked away on the margins of popular graffiti spots, or maybe I just happen to find his pieces in such places.  This one is underneath the bridge in Sparke Evans Park, alongside a Maesyhook piece that until a week ago had been there forever (to make an appearance on Natural Adventures soon).

Dopes, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022
Dopes, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022

Set out in chrome on a turquoise background, Dopes spells out his name, with a rather curious character figure making up the ‘O’. A subtle splash of pink decoration and border gives the piece a little bit of zing and lifts it up above other chrome throw ups.

4373. Sparke Evans Park (37)

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
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.

4336. Sprke Evans Park (36)

There are currently two top-drawer calligraffiti artists in Bristol at the moment. Stivs and Todoaciem. Both have their distinct styles, and both pay incredible attention to detail in their craft. This is a superb piece from Todoaciem, spelling CIEM on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park.

Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

The letters of this piece are incredibly regular and to the untrained eye might be very hard to read, but all becomes quite clear when you know what the letters spell out. Todoaciem has chosen his colours well, with two tones of blue for his letters and black and yellow 3Dshading to help the letters pop. I cannot be sure if the blue and yellow colours have been chosen to support Ukraine, but even if they weren’t consciously, perhaps there was something unconscious about it. I’ve not seen one of these for a little while.

4300. Sparke Evans Park (35)

Never far from our thoughts is the suffering of a nation at the hands of the dictator Putin. As one might expect, the war in the Ukraine has prompted a great many artists to express their own feelings about the situation in their own way. This is a perfect illustration of how street art and graffiti act as a visual chronicle of our times, marking historic moments through art and interpretation.

Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

This piece is a remarkably powerful one, and quite unlike anything I have seen before from the artist, Laic217. I am guessing that as a Pole, Laic217 feels particularly close to the unfolding events in Eastern Europe. This epic piece illustrating the brave and proud resistance by Ukraine and its citizens simply says ‘Glory to Ukraine’. I will go along with that.

4289. Sparke Evan Park (34)

What a fabulous small piece this is from Haka. Anyone familiar with the children’s picture book Funnybones by Janet and Allen Ahlberg will be familiar with the characters, and will struggle not to be entranced by this labour of love.

Haka, Spark Evans Park, Bristol, February 2022
Haka, Spark Evans Park, Bristol, February 2022

The sense of nostalgia is thoroughly awoken with this mural, and although I never read the book as a child, it was one of my children’s and niece’s favourites. The style of the characters lend themselves very well to being upscaled and Haka has been faithful to the original illustrations. I love the mischievous speech bubbles: ‘what shall we do tonight?’ To which the reply is ‘Let’s go painting’. Brilliant stuff, beautifully recreated.

4280. Sparke Evans Park (33)

Regular as clockwork and as unique as always, Claro_que_sssnoh has created another beauty in Spake Evans Park. His style is so identifiable, like so many other artists in Bristol. I’d love to see them switch it up a bit, perhaps painting in pairs, but painting in each other’s style… that would be interesting.

Claro_que_sssnoh, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2022
Claro_que_sssnoh, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2022

Claro spells out HONS with his usual curvy/angular ‘joined up’ script, and it all looks very nice indeed. This time he has really majored on the colours which clearly stand out on the like green background. I love it that he keeps turning out these beauties. Another one for Sunday Lovers.

4248. Cumberland Basin

Tack Jucker has tapped into a theme with this hand piece in Cumberland Basin, the second such piece in a short period from the artist. He is obviously enjoying the interaction between the hand and the tentacles and is pulling it off pretty well as far as I can see.

Tack Jucker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2022
Tack Jucker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2022

Tack is an artist who is reasonably new to the Bristol street art scene, but right from the start he has been producing really interesting character pieces, and appears to have a strong element of ‘study’ in his works. The hand in this piece, for example, is very carefully thought out in terms of shape and aspect. Great work from Tack.

4241. Sparke Evans Park (32)

Life can be one hell of a battle, and certainly Turoe has had a battle on his hands in recent years. This piece is a perfect visualisation of that battle that he has been fighting.

Turoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Turoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022

This is a stunning piece of writing in classical graffiti wildstyle style, in chrome with a nice looking blue outline that cleverly picks out the black 3D shading on a black background. The words ‘battle scars’ hint further at Turoe’s challenges.

4237. Sparke Evans Park (31)

One of the highlights of doing what I do, posting about street art that is, has been the re-emergence of Logoe on his visits to Bristol this winter. When he comes, he doesn’t just do one piece, he does loads; I think I counted six or seven from his last trip. So productive is he, I think I’ll have easily enough for a gallery soon.

Logoe, Sparke Evans Park, Brisol, January 2022
Logoe, Sparke Evans Park, Brisol, January 2022

This beauty, in Sparke Evans Park, is a masterpiece in green, incorporating his wonderful script lettering and horizontal line of circle decorations. Such a distinctive style and aesthetically pleasing appearance adds to the wealth of outstanding graffiti writers who paint in Bristol. Look out for a whole bunch more to come.

4225. Sparke Evans Park (30)

I took this picture shortly before heading off for a week’s holiday skiing in France, and it is great to come back to this one and all the familiarity of Bristol that accompanies it. Laic217 is so firmly established in the street art scene, that it is hard to imagine it without him. A constant drumbeat in an unpredictable world.

Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022

The portrait piece is another study of a skeleton in a fine hoody with a large chain around his neck. It is the background that is special about this one though, playing with the 3D idea of blue and red lines, confusing the eyes. As suer as night flows day, there will be more from Laic217 soon.