This is an unusual piece, which I think was probably a Halloween celebration, by an artist I have not encountered before, Jak MCS. No pun intended, but this is without doubt an eye catching piece, and I would have posted it sooner had I known who the artist was.
Jak MCS, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
I would like to think that the writing says something, but the only thing I can come up with is voodoo, although it looks more like goo goo. Each of the elements of the piece, the eyes, the letters and the background are well done, but for me, there is something not quite right and it might be something as simple as the thinness of the yellow paint. Great to see yet another artist painting in Bristol.
From time to time I get to see pieces that I really like and can’t quite explain what it is that sparks my interest. This is one of those pieces. I was mystified originally about the artist, and my first thought was WERM, but I discounted that very quickly on the grounds that the letters weren’t right, and it isn’t quite in his style – it was a plausible guess for about ten seconds. Then I had to do a little digging to establish that it is by Zaenone, an artist I know nothing about.
Zaenone, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
The colourful fills fade into one another in vertical strips in quite an unusual way and the letters are open, allowing the bleed of fill through the whole piece. A nice, strong white border contrasts with the fills and the black drop shadow. Two weird faces bookend the letters and create some additional interest. This is a fun and well balanced piece from Zaenone.
Unknown collaboration, The Carriageworks, Bristol, November 2023
The arches of The Carriageworks have been taken over as a bit of a protest area, calling for peace in Gaza and between Israel and Palestine. Much of the sentiment that is portrayed is pro-Palestinian people. There is nothing celebrating Hamas, and little or nothing that supports the Israeli Government, or those that have consented heir activity. It is probably a fair reflection of public mood in the UK. I think that most people simply want the fighting and bloodshed to stop – that is something people have to believe in, but it is out of our hands. The most people can do is protest in all the various ways that protest can manifest itself, and in Bristol, graffiti art is one such way.
Unknown collaboration, The Carriageworks, Bristol, November 2023
This is a powerful piece and I have included it even though I don’t know who the collaborators were. This is a slight embarrassment for me because I met them and chatted with them while they were painting it. I didn’t quite catch their names, and I don’t know if that was my hearing letting me down, or their desire not to give away too much, I didn’t recognise them. The piece captures perfectly the scenes that we have been witnessing since this conflict began, and although there is a ceasefire right now, the fear is that the Israeli Government will return to flattening the rest of Gaza as soon as the ceasefire is over. Street art plays an important part in chronicling these word events in a vivid and representative way.
Leonard Lane is one of my favourite graffiti spots in Bristol, and it is also one of the first I stumbled upon when I became interested in and noticed things around me in the city. I don’t venture down to the old narrow lane too often, so that when I do make the trip there is always loads of ‘new’ stuff for me to enjoy.
Creamylines, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023
I love Creamylines’ work, it is so very different from anything else we get to enjoy in Bristol. His sunshine scenes depict landscapes both urban and rural with little figures dotted about thee place, and each segment is bordered with a black line akin to the leading in a stained-glass window. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Creamylines were a stained-glass window designer. One or two faces are also concealed in this happy and uplifting piece. Charming and gentle, great work from Creamylines.
Almost a month late, but better late than never, I am sharing this wonderful Halloween piece from Bloem (Hiccup). Bloem has brought something different and rather special to the streets of Bristol, with her simple, yet creative ideas beautifully crafted.
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
What’s not to like about a spooky skeleton hand, complete with pink nails (of course), holding a fused pair of devil cherries with a smiley face on each. Slightly bonkers, but also great fun. I am very much enjoying Bloem’s contributions and look forward to the next ‘surprise’ she has in store.
Laic217, Zake, Face 1st and Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Lately, Laic217 seems to have been adopted as a member of the ever-lively PWA crew, and certainly he appears to enjoy painting with them. This was a joyous paint jam, which Paul and I were lucky enough to witness in action (I returned a few days later to get the completed pieces), with all the contributors in great form.
Laic217 and Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
To the left, Laic217 painted a small skull character, for which he can be forgiven, having already painted his Halloween piece on a nearby wall. Next to Lic217, Zake has painted another of his expressive face pieces. It is interesting to watch how Zake is slowly inching towards characters that are a little more realistic and I wonder if in five more years he will be dabbling with photorealism in the way that Shade One has.
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Face 1st is and always will be one of my favourite Bristol artists, my landmark and barometer of the graffiti art scene in the city. This fun piece has a girl with a particularly gloopy face holding some laughing girl balloons. Chatting to Face 1st, it turns out that he is working for a while only a stone’s throw away from my house, and I have seen him at work on at leat one occasion.
Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Chill rounds off this wonderful collaborative wall with a nicely designed character piece with some interesting Picassoesque undertones and a mouth that Sweet Toof would be proud of. The leafy tendrils from Chill’s piece stretch across the whole collaboration as a bit of a golden thread. This was painted for Halloween, but the only references seem to be the graves under Face 1st’s girl. A great piece on a great wall.
By the time you read this, I will be in Birmingham for a greater team gathering, the first since Covid19 first struck, and long overdue. I will be (I am writing this last night) arriving 45 minutes early and will try to sniff out some street art in the Birmingham New Street area (if there is any – I know there is tons in the city, but I just don’t know where. Keeping my fingers crossed. This is a belter from Rusk, who makes his second appearance in as many days.
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
I would describe this piece as being funky, it reminds me of the rather carefree 1970s, when fashion and style took a monumental dive, which we can only now really appreciate through rose-tinted spectacles. Pulsating with colour and flashes, there is a lot of disco movement in the letters RUSK. Of course the whole thing is finished perfectly and a complete banger.
Ha ha, this is a fabulous and tight piece by Biers (WD40) in the skate park. Adopting his customary writing and character combination, Biers has introduced the TV cartoon character Dexter, from the Cartoon Network series Dexter’s Laboratory. I fear I missed out on this animation extravaganza, but I seem to recall my children watching it.
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
The writing, spelling WD40, is really nicely painted with nice crisp and sharp lines nd outlines. The bubble fill works well with the bubbles flowing from the test tube being held by Dexter, providing read-across between the character and letters. Biers is turning out some great work lately which is great to see.
I met Hypo for the very first time when he was painting a piece adjacent to this one, which I sadly never got to photograph, because it had been painted over by the time I returned. What a lovely and interesting person Hypo is. I mentioned to him that he has been smashing it lately not only in quality of his pieces but in the quantity of them that he was turning out. He explained that he had been seriously ill a little while back and that while he was unable to work he was painting as part of his rehabilitation. It was good to see him looking well. It is amazing how our health completely shapes out lives, our losses and our opportunities.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
I would not describe this as a typical Hypo piece, being a little more cryptic and busy than his more typical work. The black and white letters have plenty of extra details and lines and have been filled sparingly with coloured spots and stars. There are some nice shout outs to Hemper, Ulow, Soker and Minto, which puts his peers into clear context. Hypo painted this piece alongside his LDub mates Dun Sum and Zeks. Nice transformative work.
Rusk and Theartofsok, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
There are times when you need to keep your eyes open and think rather than make assumptions. When I first saw this modest Rusk piece I raised an eyebrow, because it was obviously a ‘quick one’ but that the incorporation of a face was something a little different from rusk. My assumption was that this was a solo rusk piece but deeper thought brought me to the conclusion that it was a collaboration, and then the penny dropped that Theartofsok had painted a piece only a stone’s throw away at the same time and the face was in his style. This was a collaboration.
Rusk and Theartofsok, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Rusk has been quite busy painting in Bristol lately, which is great to see, because he does tend to go through quiet periods, or paints in unusual and faraway spots. The writing here is classy as ever, beautifully filled and bordered. The profile face to the right-hand side by Theartofsok is outstanding, and its beauty is in its simplicity. A very fine and unexpected little collaboration, which I can’t imagine anyone saw coming.
Natural adventures 