I am enjoying the regular flow of MILK from Wxttsart, and this yellow and black number from a paint jam in the tunnel a little while back is another great example of his writing that is definitely crossing-over into calligraffiti.
Wxttsart, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
His two-tone grey letters have a mid-line running through them and a yellow 3D shadow dropping off to the left, providing some depth to the writing. Adding a little bit of interest are some lightening strikes at the base of the letters and a few highlight spots, without which the piece might appear to be a little flat. Some nice work from Wxttsart.
It must be time now to declare Mr Klue the ‘King of St Werburghs tunnel’. I am guessing that he must live locally, because you don’t get to see his work elsewhere in Bristol very often. In the days when The Bearpit was a thing, we would see Mr Klue pieces there and in the Stokes Croft area, but not now.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2023
This piece spells KLUE in the artist’s preferred colouring and ephemeral abstract style. It is beautifully presented on a black background, and it is great to see one of his pieces in daylight, rather than under the tunnel lighting which distorts the colours so much. Mr Klue has certainly hit a rich vein of form and productivity, which is great news for admirers of his work.
Inca the Mole, or The Mole is an artist who paints reasonably frequently in Bristol, but who I think might live in Gloucestershire. This is a lovely piece of writing in the tunnel, although this time it is not accompanied by the peace-loving mole.
The Mole, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2023
The three nicely chosen colours run horizontally through the letters, which pop out from the wall thanks to the deep 3D drop shadow. Although the mole isn’t there, he is in spirit with all the peace symbols running across the letters. It is always good to see that the Mole has been to visit.
Because Stiff paints only rarely, it is always a pleasant surprise to come across one of his pieces. Stiff is one of two Bristol artists who regularly (almost exclusively) feature alien scenes in their work, the other being Nugmoose. Their styles, however, are quite different, and they are easy to distinguish from one another.
Stiff, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2023
Stiff always paints on a black buffed wall, which instantly marks out the piece as one of his, and also provides a clean canvass on which to work. In this scene, a man is looking at a doppelgänger of himself, which turns out not to be all that it seems. His look of horror is comical, as tentacles reach out to catch him. A lovely story piece by Stiff.
Benjimagnetic and Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Now this is a proper mash-up collaboration, a conflation of two distinct styles from two outstanding artists, Benjimagnetic and Hemper. It is rare to find something of this nature where the artists fully collaborate so that the whole piece is one, and not two.
Benjimagnetic and Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Although it is one combined piece, it is possible to disentangle which artist painted which bits. Broadly speaking the letters with straight bits and geometric elements are by Benjimagnetic, and the more curvy elements are likely to be by Hemper. It doesn’t really matter who painted what, because the end result is a wonderfully complex piece of writing that is jam-packed with great artistry.
When this piece was painted, it was the fourth by Mr Klue in a row. That sequence has now been broken, with the first piece having recently been painted over. It is something of a miracle that he had four joined pieces in the first place.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Painted in his wispy abstract style, this KLUE writing has a fabulous colour scheme, picking up like green and shades of purple and pink, with white highlights on the upper part of the word. Truly inspiring and thoughtful stuff from Mr Klue.
Mr Klue has been smashing it in the tunnel this year, and at the time of writing has five pieces there, all of them intact, four of which are adjacent to one another. This is a really unusual state of affairs for the tunnel and speaks to two things; his work is respected and; he manages to paint frequently enough to gain a space advantage over other artists.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
This wonderful abstract writing piece picks up on warm and cold colours competing for space, with the bluer colours being top lit and the warmer ones under lit. Spelling out KLUE, the piece also incorporates some floating steps, which are a favoured theme in many of his pieces and sketches. More to come from Mr Klue.
I love the irrepressible nature of Bristol street artists. There has been a bit of a war on this wall recently, with Bristol City Council buffing the wall with grey paint, only to be painted over moments later by artists and writers. For goodness’ sake, BCC, make this a legal wall and save your (our) money. Two of Bristol’s best character artists, Zake and Chill, have combined to decorate this wall, and have absolutely smashed it.
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
I go away for a couple of days, and what happens? This audacious piece appears, to engage and entertain passers-by. Zake has been on fire recently, and is arguably the busiest artist in town. His portraits are becoming more expressive and adventurous with each outing. Watching his work develop is one of the great pleasures of what I do.
Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Chill has also now become firmly established in the Bristol scene, which doesn’t equate to him being establishment (just in case you were wondering). In this piece, Chill is continuing his experimentation with colour, instead of presenting us with the black and white we are more accustomed to seeing. I think the colours are working, although it takes a little bit of getting used to. What a wonderwall from these PWA artists.
Mr Klue has always enjoyed painting in the tunnel, but recently he has started to ‘own’ the place, with this beautiful offering being the third piece in a gallery of three. If he continues at this rate, he will have the whole wall to himself, which would be pretty impressive. Of course that will never happen, because of the turnover in the tunnel, but to have three, and another one at the other end is going some.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
In this piece, with its stunning colours, it is possible to read the letters KLUE, especially if you are looking out for them. As is often the case with Mr Klue’s work, he has included his Mad Hatter character (invisible head) to the right, rounding the piece off nicely. Can he extend this streak to a fourth panel, before it all gets overpainted? Watch this space.
This magnificent piece by Billy is almost exactly a year old, and although it didn’t last long, it is a poignant reminder that Ukraine is not the only country suffering at the hands of Russian aggression. As Billy says to the left of the piece: “‘My home’ Drawing by a boy from Syria in a workshop I once did – Billy”
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Billy’s naive style lends itself very well to replicating the work of children. This composition has a clear message that is delivered with utter simplicity. The horror of war on the left, and the green and pleasant place we call home on the right. When thee two forces meet, there tends to be only one winner. This piece could equally well apply to any war zone, but it somehow feels appropriate to post it on the day after the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Thank you, Billy.
Natural adventures 