Minto went through a very rich vein of form and productivity earlier on this year, before falling off a little in the autumn, so it was super-nice to find this recent piece in the tunnel alongside Ren and Hypo, keeping things fresh in St Werburghs.
Minto, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2024
This is a classy combination piece from Minto, spelling out his name and including a capped character puffing out some smoke. Characteristic of his writing, the letters MIN form a wedge, followed by an elevated T rounded off with a large O. The irregularity of his letters tends to be something of a trademark. Very nice piece from Minto.
It has been a very good year for Mr Klue, who has been both productive and creative. This new piece in the tunnel differs from many of his others in the use of several colours in a single piece. Perhaps it was a dregs piece, or maybe he simply wanted to switch things up a bit.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
The letters KLUE are about as obvious as you are going to seen in a Mr Klue piece of abstract graffiti writing. The top edge of the piece is noteworthy too, with his piece bleeding into the cream background. The photographs don’t really do this one justice, as I remember thinking when I saw it how stunning the colours were. All good stuff.
Kid Krishna is a very versatile artist whose portfolio includes the simplest roller-painted pieces through to complex graffiti writing with the inclusion of characters and objects, blended to perfection. This piece is one of his more complex pieces and speaks of a very busy mind – there is a lot going on here.
Kid Krishna, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
The cryptic writing spells out CRIE, although I confess that I have difficulty seeing it. The colour palette, as always is thoughtfully put together, and the whole piece has an organic feel to it. Even the background is treated to a bit of ‘cracked-wall’ magic. I have noticed that of late he has been including a ‘No Frills’ stamp on his work, and I guess he is now a welcome addition to the crew. It is difficult to convey what a superb piece of graffiti writing this is, largely because it is unconventional and doesn’t really obey any rules.
I have tried to make a habit of posting all the Grimes pieces that I photograph, but on a recent trawl through my archives, I found this one from June this year. Remember June? It seems so very long ago. The central characteristic of all of Grimes’ work is the extraordinary sense of energy and movement he seems to inject into his graffiti writing.
Grimes, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024
This piece, although painted in darkish colours and affected by low light levels in the tunnel, manages to burst out from the wall, demanding attention. As ever, the piece is immaculately finished with strong, sharp borders, tidy fills and a superb orange drop shadow. 2024 has been the year of Grimes, and it has been a pleasure finding and posting his work.
He doesn’t paint all that often these days, but when he does, Turoe certainly packs a punch. The gorgeous chrome letters spell out KATOE, which are set on a perfectly contrasting red background. But that isn’t enough for Turoe… he has created a wall through which the writing bursts. Imagine how the piece might look without the ‘stone wall’ artwork, it would feel altogether more ordinary.
Turoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
I am not too sure who Katoe is or what the shout-out is all about, but I love the way that the street art scene works, with artists recognising one another and paying tribute to friends and loved ones. As ever, a really classy piece from Turoe.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
The stand-out element of this wonderful BEN piece by Benjimagnetic in the tunnel is, in my view, the outstanding colour selection. Rather cleverly, he has overwritten a piece by Mr Klue, which provides a rather nice backdrop in complementary colours.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024
Benjimagnetic pieces are carefully crafted and the style I would describe as being deconstructed writing. The letters are there, but it is more about what is missing rather than what is there, and there is an obscuring of the writing that is its attraction. The fills are made up of black and white writing, which I imagine is extremely difficult to do with spray paint, requiring great can control. An attractive piece.
Unknown Artist, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024
I tend not to post too many pieces by unknown artists, but sometimes you just have to go for it… I can’t know everything (indeed, I don’t know very much). This haunting piece at the farm end entrance to the tunnel features a girl with a ball and a crow flying towards her. There is something rather tender and innocent about the piece, and it would not be out of place as an illustration in a children’s book.
Unknown Artist, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024
While the artwork might lack sophistication, it is captivating, and probably deliberately vague. It feels ghostly and ephemeral, almost as if it would disappear if you glanced away. I haven’t seen any other artwork like this around Bristol, although I could be mistaken, but I certainly hope that more such pieces appear – perhaps with a signature.
I was fortunate enough to watch on for a little while as Dun Sum was painting this imaginary beetle-like insect, in the tunnel, and I am not sure that I would have twigged that it was Dun Sum had Hypo not been there to inform me.
Dun Sum, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024
Dun Sum’s fantasy creatures are the hallmark of his outstanding artwork, most of which is displayed in L Dub, but occasionally we get to enjoy his work in central Bristol. This clever piece might well go unnoticed by many, as it is an augmentation of a Stivs piece that has been here in the tunnel for several months. It is so good to see this kind of creative work from Dun Sum.
I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time when Ayup was about midway through painting this piece. I believe he was visiting from Bournemouth (I think that is what he said) although he is originally from Derbyshire, hence the name AYUP. He usually writes highly designed letters, completely different from this piece, and his Instagram feed is well worth a look.
Ayup, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024
There is a lot of humour in this cartoon character piece, which is beautifully finished, with strong fills and clean lines. The gold tooth was a point of interest for a young child and his mother when I passed through the tunnel a few days later. The boy was mesmerised by the tooth and kept asking his mum why it was gold/yellow. I would love to see Ayup return to Bristol, and perhaps drop one of his letter pieces on the curved wall i Dean Lane – that would be spectacular.
My mood is low today with the news that it is looking likely Donald Trump has won the election in America. One wonders just how this can happen. From this side of the pond, it does not reflect well on the slim majority of Americans who favour a narcissistic bigot and his right wing policies (actually does he have any, or simply make it up as he goes along?). Having said that, we have made the same mistakes in the UK over the last 14 years, and by God are we paying for it now. I am reminded of this rather unpleasant piece of street art from several years ago in which a pair of narcissists kiss – little did we know (although we suspected it) how destructive this pair of liars would be.
Felix Braun, Donald and Boris, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 23 May 2016
I think that it is fair to say that Hypo appears to be smashing it every week at the moment, and I have to say I am enjoying the ride. All the time he is developing his style and adding new ideas, pushing the envelope constantly.
Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024
This is a clean piece, not as energetic as some of Hypo’s recent works, but it is nicely designed with simple colours and a solid fill. The deep 3D drop shadow drifts into a central vanishing point which works well. Hypo seems to be enjoying his ‘icicles’ at the moment, which adds a little extra interest to his border. Nice work.
Natural adventures 