5572. John Street, Exeter

My Dog Sighs, John Street, Exeter, October 2023
My Dog Sighs, John Street, Exeter, October 2023

On our way home from Cornwall to Bristol, we stopped off in Exeter for a couple of hours while my friend had to deal with a flea crisis in his daughter’s student flat. I took the opportunity to wander about the city and using my street art sixth sense managed to find quite a few pieces, completely accidentally – no maps, no street art websites, nothing other than intuition and exploration.

My Dog Sighs, John Street, Exeter, October 2023
My Dog Sighs, John Street, Exeter, October 2023

Walking up Fore Street, which becomes Exeter High Street, I spotted a narrow lane on the right (a must for psychogeographers) which I turned in to, and was rewarded with a spectacular wall curated by ‘Enhance in Exeter’, and this magnificent piece by My Dog Sighs. To say that it was unexpected is an understatement, but I was rather pleased with myself for sniffing it out. The piece must be relatively recent, painted within the last couple of years or so, because it features his pigeon characters, which are newish in his portfolio. The expressions on the pigeon’s faces are wonderful, and the subtle touch of the breast plumage colours is a special touch.

These are the best pictures I could get. The street is very narrow, and there was some reflected light pollution, but was nonetheless chuffed to bits. More to come from this two-hour meander.

5571. M32 Cycle path (229)

Wispa, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Wispa, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

A visit to Bristol by Wispa is always very welcome, and pretty much always unexpected as she seems to travel about the country quite a lot, and you can never be sure when she will be in the area – unpredictable I think you’d call it.

Wispa, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Wispa, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

This is an absolute belter of a piece of writing from Wispa, painted as part of an RBF paint jam alongside the M32 motorway. There are two things that stand out in this piece for me, the first is the unbelievable sharpness of the lines, and outstanding finishing and the other is the bold colour selection, transitioning through a range of bold and strong colours. Bravo!

5570. Brunel Way (240)

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

I said that I would bring you more pieces by Jevoissoul, and I am true to my word. Jevoissoul is a new artist trying his hand at painting walls and making a good fist of it from what I have seen so far, and he is in a bit of a hurry, having painted several small pieces in the Brunel Way/Dean Lane area. His name is interesting, and I guess is a corruption of Je vois soul – I see soul.

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

In this character portrait piece our hero is wearing a cap with the postcode BS3 on it and smoking a roll-up. The word SLOW accompanies the piece, and is seen on many of his other pieces too. Everything about Jevoissoul’s work and character suggests a pretty chilled and laid back person, or at least that is how I read it. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more from the artist in the coming months, I have a feeling he is only just getting started.

5569. M32 Spot (173)

Mr Crawls, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023

Mr Crawls returns with a new variation on his theme, which I really hoped he would, this time charming us with a woolly-hatted penguin. There is something very satisfying about the simplicity in Mr Crawls’ work, proving that artwork doesn’t need to be busy and complex to be effective. His character variation work reminds me of the work of Mr Underbite – Simple-clean-effective.

Mr Crawls, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023

Mr Crawls has just about managed to squeeze his penguin character within the constraints of the rather narrow column. His other birds have been a bit wider and squarer in format, so he has done well to elongate the penguin to fit in here. The expression on the penguin’s face is priceless, slightly dopey and with a sad smile. The hat is simply brilliant.

5566. M32 Cycle path (228)

The Mole, M32 Cycle path, Brisol, October 2023
The Mole, M32 Cycle path, Brisol, October 2023

Although an infrequent visitor, The Mole is in Bristol often enough to usually make it into the pages of Natural Adventures, and into the galley pipeline. The Mole has used some sumptuous colours for this piece and presented them on a black background, which I think works, although I have been trying to imagine if any other colours might have been better and have drawn a blank.

The Mole, M32 Cycle path, Brisol, October 2023
The Mole, M32 Cycle path, Brisol, October 2023

The writing/mole character combination is a winner, but the star of the show is surely the fills. The three horizontal colour tones progress really nicely, and thin lines and designs bleed from one horizontal band into the one above. Very nicely thought out and beautifully finished, this is a great piece from The Mole.

5565. M32 roundabout J3 (517)

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023

I got that tingle of excitement when I came across this piece by pekoe, just as I always do when I find her work. Pekoe is one of those handful of artists that I associate with being the beating heart of the current Bristol scene, giving the city a strong sub-culture identity.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023

The piece was painted as part of an RBF paint jam, one of two over a short space of time. I would say that this is not one of Pekoe’s best pieces, there is something a little peculiar with the proportions, but it marks a subtle change, especially with fewer busy elements in the character’s hair and in the background than usual. I think that the portrait lives up to the Resting Bitch Face moniker rather well. So good to see a Pekoe portrait, it feels like it has been a little while.

5564. Brunel Way (239)

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

There are absolutely no signs of Bean slowing down at all. The young artist has been smashing out his character/writing pieces with incredible regularity throughout the summer, and I already have easily enough for a gallery of his work, although I have a pipeline in preparation, and his gallery might need to find a slot in the queue.

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

This piece combines Bean’s central character with writing that spells out BEAN. The blue-faced cartoon character fits the Bean style perfectly, with each colour block containing a light and dark tone to bring out a bit of depth. The writing is really accomplished and has excellent fills in three horizontal sections. I feel like Bean is a man in a hurry, and perhaps he should draw breath and develop some elements of his work. I think that his pieces would definitely benefit from a buffed background, to remove competing distractions, for example. If he keeps developing and learning, Bean will go far.

Ugar

A gallery of graffiti writing from Ugar, a Hungarian artist who painted in Bristol between 2017 and 2019.

All photographs by Scooj

Ugar, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019
Ugar, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2019
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Ugar, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2019
Ugar, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2019
Ugar, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2019
Ugar, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2019
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Nevergiveup and Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Nevergiveup and Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Ugar, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017
Ugar, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
Kid Crayon and Ugar, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017
Kid Crayon and Ugar, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017

5563. Brunel Way (238)

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

Today, being a Sunday, I have a little bit more capacity to write a third post, which is rather necessary, given the vastness of my backlog. Let me introduce you to a new artist on the scene, Jevoissoul, who I met at this exact spot a couple of weeks after he painted this interesting column piece. When I first saw the piece, I wondered if an artist called Panskaribas (whose style is similar to this) had returned to Bristol, as there are many shared characteristics between the artists, such as the cartoon Picassoesque style.

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

What is most impressive is that Jevoissoul has jumped straight from sketchbook to walls, using this area under Brunel Way to practice his spray can control and technique. When I spoke with the artist, he told me that this was just the beginning and that he was planning to do a lot of painting, and indeed that is exactly what is happening, his work is popping up all over the place. I think I am going to enjoy watching how Jevoissoul develops as a street artist from this encouraging start.

5562. M32 Spot (173)

Sako, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2023
Sako, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2023

I think that Sako is an occasional visitor to Bristol, or simply doesn’t paint all that often. This is only the second piece I have featured by Sako, and it is absolutely superb in my view, cleverly painted in subtle tints of rose and turquoise. Coincidentally, there is something about the mood and tone of the piece that is similar to my earlier post today by Andrew Burns Colwill.

Sako, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2023
Sako, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2023

Sako has used the limited space and shape of the column to perfection. There is an interesting relationship between the character and the built environment, and although I am not too sure what the story is here, I believe there is one being told. The colours are perfect together, and I would love to see more of this combination (note to self – buy these colours) on the streets. This is a great piece by Sako from back in the summer.