Scrapyardspec, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024
I am not too sure where Scrapyardspecs hails from, but he seems to be a regular visitor to Bristol leaving behind occasional characters Painted in his unique style, filling up those awkward spaces, because the versatility of his characters.
Scrapyardspec, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024
This square piece contains a three-eyed variant of Scrapyardspec’s character, painted with the wobbly lines so indicative of his style. the zany character has a wagging tongue, another common feature of his work. All part of the spectrum of street art we are blessed to see in Bristol.
Logoe payed us one of his visits a couple of weeks back, and this is a magnificent piece of writing he left behind, that has lasted longer than many of his pieces do. I think he painted at least six pieces on this particular visit, and I will be sharing those I found over the coming days and weeks.
Logoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024
The letters of this script writing are really bold and look quite chunky with a deep 3D drop shadow. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of this one is the vertical stripes in oranges and greys in the background, which provide a strong foundation and springboard for the letters. Nice work from Logoe.
Mr Crawls and Mote, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024
A quick one today as I need to get myself sorted for a day of fishing. This is a magnificent pair of characters from Mr Crawls and Mote… the gift that keeps on giving. The piece can be found on the hoardings opposite Temple Meads station.
Mr Crawls and Mote, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024
The trademark chrome background helps to lift the characters and give them prominence. A bird with a hat from Mr Crawls, and a lovesick monster from Mote. What’s not to like about these characters?
Don’t expect too much from me today. I am on holiday and paradoxically have less time than usual to compose a blog post than usual. This is a rather nice piece from the anti-style graffiti writer Whos.
Whos, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2024
There is a charm about Whos work, and this chrome piece certainly makes an impact. The fills and chrome character provide a rather fun overall effect, and it is great to see Whos out and about again.
Whos, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2024
The letters spell out WHOS and include a little character portrait in what looks like a rather psychedelic piece. The most striking part in this chrome arrangement are the stars and tears that appear in the fill of the letters. A nice piece from Whos.
I prepared today’s posts yesterday, because I am (at the time of scheduled publication) on my way to Cornwall for a few days away with a fine friend who I have been fishing with every year for more than 35 years. My posts may become a little erratic over the next few days, but with the earlier dark evenings I should have a little time to write them.
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024
I really don’t get to post enough work by Corupt, so it feels good when I do get round to it. This is a lovely piece spelling STICK, but this time he has taken a homonym approach and replaced the ‘I’ with a ‘Y’. The letters are blocky and rigid and beautifully filled with colourful spots, stripes and drips. The whole thing is bordered with a thick black line and then reinforced with a red outline a couple of inched further out, framing the piece nicely. It is always great to see Corupt’s work, and to chat when I bump into him, which seems to be quite frequently these days.
My children, like all siblings, take great pleasure in asking me which of them is my favourite. Because I have a pigeon pair, I say to my boy, ‘you are my favourite son’, and my girl, ‘you are my favourite daughter’. It has worked so far, but the truth is that it is possible to have different favourites for different reasons. I say all of this because Bloem is definitely one of my favourites, but I have arrived at that point through liking her style, watching her develop, and also because she is a lovely person who makes time to chat and talk about her work.
Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2024
In this piece Bloem visits some of her favourite themes, a hand with long nails clutching a beautiful flower and a spiked chain. The classic coming together of beauty and jeopardy and threat. The whole thing is presented in shades of pink and set on a framed black background. This is a really mature piece with a story being told and plenty of symbolism. Great work from Bloem.
One of the most powerful and energetic introductions to Bristol has been the emergence of Noise, over the last eighteen months or so. Since his arrival, he has been producing no end of pieces in his distinctive fat-letter style and collaborating successfully with several different artists. He is productive and talented, and fits into the Bristol way of things really well.
Noise, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2024
In this piece, in the tunnel, Noise has compressed his writing slightly, but has managed to do this without compromising his chunky letters. The colours work nicely, although being slightly on the dark side, they are a little difficult to do justice to in the murk of the tunnel. A gallery is long overdue… watch this space.
Mr Tanner, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024
I am really pleased that I managed to capture this piece by Mr Tanner, especially as the last one he painted under Brunel Way, when I met him for the first time while he was painting it, was overpainted by the time I returned. Such is the way of things. He was rather excited about a different style that he was working on, and I think that this piece represents that style.
Mr Tanner, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024
There is something rather organic about this writing (and a bit lobsterish too, although I don’t think that is intentional) – there is definitely a life form there… but not as we know it, Jim. The red letters spell out TOPIA and pop beautifully against the green, cosmic charged background. I’ve said it before that green and red make great graffiti writing bedfellows. A very nice, original piece by Mr Tanner.
Mr Cenz, Leicester Bus Station, Leicester, July 2024
Earlier this year I travelled to Leicester for a Team Meeting and managed to pick up a few pictures of street art, much of which had been painted at this year’s ’Bring the Paint’ festival. Rather than concentrate too much on each piece, I am going to present a mini gallery of work from the visit.
Mr Cenz, Leicester Bus Station, Leicester, July 2024
This might be the best Mr Cenz piece that I have seen anywhere. It is clean, crisp and vibrant, and uplifts the bus station beyond all recognition. An absolute stunner.
Nuno Viegas, Gower Street, Leicester, July 2024
Nuno Viegas painted this piece this year and it is not too dissimilar to one he painted a couple of years ago in Leicester for the festival. A classy ‘paper aeroplane’ piece – a theme that runs through much of his work.
Verna Poppy, The Haymarket, Leicester, July 2024
I don’t know much about Verna Poppy, but rather liked this piece that was in good company with Inkie and Philth/N4T4 adjacent to it.
Lucy Danielle, The Haymarket, Leicester, July 2024
Another artist I have not encountered before is Lucy Danielle who came up with this abstract photorealistic mash up. A beautiful design. There is so much great artwork in Leicester, and well worth a visit.
Hazard, Little Bishop Street, Bristol, August 2024
Sometimes I am slow to find a piece, coming a across it accidentally and rather late to the party, and sometimes I am slow to post a piece for whatever reason, and dig it out of my archive. In the case of this stunning mural from Hazard I was slow on both counts.
Hazard, Little Bishop Street, Bristol, August 2024
Hazard leaving Bristol is a big loss, and although she returns from time to time to paint a large wall for a commission or a Festival, it isn’t quite the same as her being here to drop a street piece from time to time. I guess people move around the country all the time for all sorts of different reasons, but they are missed by those they leave behind. This magnificent mural is painted on the side of the Julian Trust night shelter for homeless people and features a rough sleeper painted in the blues, reds greens and purples that are very much part of Hazard’s favoured palette. This is a great example of how to uplift an ordinary building, and add relevance to its function. Fabulous.
Natural adventures 