Tag: Sparke Evans Park

5091. Sparke Evans Park (65)

Face 1st and Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
Face 1st and Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023

Not many artists are painting the long wall at Sparke Evans Park these days, since the arrest of an artist about six or seven months ago. Slowly but surely people are drifting back to the wall, but unusually for Bristol, having to keep their eyes peeled and wits about them at all times. This is a great pity, because this would be a perfect candidate for a legal wall. There is no tagging here, and the colourful wall is an added attraction for people who use the park for recreation. It has become a bit of a ‘wall of fame’, well respected and curated in a self-policing manner.

Face 1st, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
Face 1st, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023

This far end of the wall was recently painted by Face 1st and Soap in one of their PWA pairings. To the left, Face 1st continues to explore different ways in which he can slice a face up. Very rarely for the artist, he has not tried to work in the letters FACE into the piece, rather he is focussed on the task in hand, the slicing.

Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023

Soap too continues to explore a theme he has been enjoying recently, spelling out his name with the ICE King for an ‘A’ and a Face 1st face for the ‘A’. Although the colours the artists have chosen are a little muted on a dull day, they are nonetheless attractive and have been beautifully worked into both pieces. Great to see something new on this wall.

5053. Sparke Evans Park (64)

Whos, Spark Evand Park, Bristol, February 2023
Whos, Spark Evand Park, Bristol, February 2023

An artist who had completely fallen off my radar over the last couple of years is Whos. His anti-style of graffiti writing could be seen from time to time about the place, but this curious piece is the first I have seen for a long while.

Whos, Spark Evand Park, Bristol, February 2023
Whos, Spark Evand Park, Bristol, February 2023

This fiery piece doesn’t follow any particular convention and is free from constraints. Spelling WHOS, one of my favourite elements of this piece is the flame plasma line running through the grey letters, looking like it is behind them. This is a nicely crafted piece, and a welcome return to the pages of Natural Adventures.

5042. Sparke Evans Park (63)

Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023

Stivs is definitely best known for his calligraffiti writing, which is straight out of the top drawer, but recently he has been treating us to his talents as a character artist, and I am seriously impressed with what he is painting, including this new belter in Spark Evans Park.

Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023

I have met Stivs with his dog, Mozarella, a couple of times in recent days, and he definitely seems to be enjoying his character pieces as much as his calligraffiti. The piece is entitled ‘Chop’ and in his Instagram post Stivs references the film Ninja Scroll, and it would seem this is an homage to the Japanese animation. The artwork is outstanding, with brilliant use of shading on the flesh, to give depth. What a privilege to have such a talented artist in Bristol.

4953. Sparke Evans Park (62)

Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022
Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022

Photographed under challenging light conditions, this outstanding piece by Dibz carries all the signature elements that identify it as one of his. For example, the overall diamond shape within which the whole piece sits, the perfect borders and solid 3D drop shadows… and of course the signature and shout out to Turoe (the birthday boy).

Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022
Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022

The colour selection too is close to perfection, not only in the way the colours battle for attention, but also where exactly those battles take place, bringing a focus to certain parts of the work. This is writing of the highest calibre and a sight for sore eyes. One of the best from one of the best.

4941. Sparke Evans Park (51)

Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

I think I know why pieces from Sparke Evans Park sometimes get left behind in my archives. As mentioned on these pages numerous times, there is a row of mature trees that run parallel with the long wall, roughly 5 meters away from it. If there is even a hint of sun, then it is impossible to photograph anything on the wall due to dappled shading – summer or winter.

Often I will photograph the wall and be dissatisfied with the pictures, and then return some time later on a dull day to take more pictures. Because of the volume of new street/graffiti being painted each week, these second sets of pictures can get a little lost in the competition for space on Natural Adventures. By looking back through my archives I can pull out a few pieces that I feel should be posted. This beauty by Rozalita is one such piece.

Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

Although last year was a relatively quiet year for Rozalita, compared to 2021, the quality of her work was outstanding, and this gorgeous piece combines her skills at painting portraits with her detailed flowers and butterfly. I am looking forward to another great year from Rozalita.

4937. Spake Evans Park (60)

Face 1st, Kool Hand and Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Face 1st, Kool Hand and Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022

I think that 2022 was the most prolific year for Bristol street/graffiti art ever. More artists joined the already large cohort, and it would seem that many of them painted more often than before. Of course, this is counterbalanced a little by the departure of some artists, and others going to ground for sustained periods. Overall, though, it was a bumper year. What this means is that there are way too many great pieces that were left ‘on the cutting room floor’, so the next few posts will be an attempt to dig out some of the pieces I simply didn’t have time to post during the year. Starting in January 2022 with this splendid collaboration between Face 1st, Kool Hand and Soap.

Face 1st, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Face 1st, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022

I have a feeling that the reason I didn’t post this at the time is that my first round of photographs were sun/shade impacted – this is a spot to be photographed on dull days. To the left is a typically happy piece from Face 1st, that really set the tone for the joy he spread for the rest of the year.

Kool Hand, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Kool Hand, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022

The middle section was painted by Kool Hand, with this really on-point crocodile holding a marker pen. I was chatting with Face 1st earlier this week, and he said that he felt that this piece really demonstrated how Kool Hand had moved up a level, and I would definitely agree.

Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022

Finally, (and it is always finally, because Soap always paints on the right-hand side of a collaboration) we have a superbly expressive piece of writing from Soap, one of his very best, in my opinion, with stacks of movement and interest. Even if you can’t quite read his letters, he has signed the piece with his tag three times for good measure. I am so sorry you have had to wait a whole year for this one.

4781. Sparke Evans Park (59)

Face 1st, Sparke Evan Park, Bristol, October 2022
Face 1st, Sparke Evan Park, Bristol, October 2022

More joyful work from the Bristol godfather of happy graffiti art, Face 1st. Although I have seen a couple of sad Face 1st girls, I seem to remember a crying-girl Brexit piece, the vast majority are smiling or laughing.

Face 1st, Sparke Evan Park, Bristol, October 2022
Face 1st, Sparke Evan Park, Bristol, October 2022

The pink dungarees stand out next to the yellow hair and black background, and there is the faintest whiff of colour schemes used in the children’s picture book ‘Go Dog Go’. There is a freedom in Face 1st’s pieces that is both slightly anarchic and comforting all at once. The day Face 1st hangs up his boots is the day I do the same.

4741. Sparke Evans Park (58)

Jody and Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022
Jody and Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022

Sparke Evans Park plays host to so many stunning collaborations, something that has developed in recent years, and I think it is favoured by artists because there isn’t much tagging and pieces tend to stay intact for a while. I have heard that the police are showing a little interest in the spot, and that spraying isn’t quite as straightforward as it has been historically.

Jody, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022
Jody, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022

This pairing of Jody and Dibz has turned up a very special and captivating wall. The portrait of Goldie is by Jody, and absolutely captures the artist perfectly. It is interesting to see how Goldie is becoming quite a strong influence on the Bristol scene at the moment.

Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022
Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022

The writing from Dibz is, as you would expect, close to perfection. I am not entirely spectra in what the letters spell out, but I am sure that Paul H will be able to help me with this.

Another short one today as I am late getting my fishing gear together. 

4712. Spake Evans Park (56)

Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022
Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022

Evey has been out and about much more this summer, or at least that is how it feels, and with each outing her work is improving. Her letters are large and obvious, spelling out EVEN, with a focus on the variation of fills.

Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022
Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022

This one was painted as part of a collaborative wall and is notable for its horizontal fills of at least six colours. There is something not quite consistent with the drop-shadow on the stars, but that is a small detail, all in all this is a bright, fun piece from Evey.

4690. Sparke Evans Park (55)

Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022

Desi continues to grow and develop, and I think that this piece in Sparke Evans Park might be one her best to date. It is great to see her painting more frequently, and with each new piece she will gain more confidence and skill.

Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022

This is a really neat and tidy piece with the letters DESI beautifully filled with four horizontal colours with nice transitions. One of the additional things that works really well is the white accent dots that give the writing a bit of sparkle and depth. A Very nice addition to Desi’s portfolio.