4838. Dean Lane skate park (542)

Frog and Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Frog and Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

This is not the first time I have seen this pairing on a collaborative wall, and I am sure it won’t be the last. I met them both while painting underneath Brunel Way. I already knew Nugmoose, but it was the first time I met the lady who paints frogs. I asked her what her ‘street art name’ was, but she said she was still working on it, so until I know more, I will call her Frog (see what I did there?).

Frog, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Frog, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

To the left, Frog has painted a few frogs about the place, and they make a fine addition to the diversity of pieces in Bristol. I believe that she is quite early on in here street art presence and am really looking forward to watching her technique and compositions develop. This is a beauty, and the flowers and hat bring a narrative to the piece, which is a whole lot more than just a frog.

Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

To the right is another weird and mysterious piece from Nugmoose. It must be fun writing alien letters and confusing anyone trying to read them. The alien is proper alien, with no recognisable anthropomorphic features to identify with. These two demonstrate just what a fabulously varied offering we get in Bristol, and how blessed we are to see it all for free.

4837. M32 Spot (151)

Klashwhensober, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022
Klashwhensober, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

There was a time when I could barely step outside my house without bumping into Klashwhensober, but I have not seen him now for a few months. I guess our body clocks are out of sync. Sometimes not meeting artists regularly is a sign that they are going through a fallow period, but that is certainly not the case with Klashwhensober, who appears to be as prolific as ever.

Klashwhensober, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022
Klashwhensober, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

This reasonably recent piece, on one of my favourite walls, is a scorcher. There is a lot to like about this one. The piece is an explosion of colour, with the SOBER letters in green and blue and the background in orange and yellow. The fabulous thing that Klashwhensober is adding to his pieces these days is a feature aspect emanating out of the letters, and in this example is is a green cloudy element spreading out from the centre. A classy Klash piece.

4836. Cumberland Basin

Whysayit, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
Whysayit, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022

It is good to see that Whysayit (YSAE) has settled into a pattern of writing reasonably regularly, and in doing so has managed to creep his way back onto the pages of Natural Adventures, which is a good thing. I believe that this piece might have been painted during a paint jam for Solar, but that is simply guesswork.

Whysayit, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
Whysayit, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022

Whysayit’s unruly letters are always nice and curvy, nothing sharp or angular about his work at all. There are three discrete horizontal fills and a delightful pink shadow to round things off. Nothing too showy, simply good graffiti writing. It is interesting to see where his heart lies with the phrase “I’d rather do a Tipex tag…”

4835. Dean Lane skate park (541)

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

I have long been an admirer of Hire’s (pronounced Heerae) work since I first came across his unique style of writing in a collaboration with Laic217 in 2017.Although his writing has morphed during that time, his style remains distinct and recognisable.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

I do like it when graffiti/street artists buff the wall first or frame their pieces in some way, as it allows the viewer to pick out the beauty of their work without distraction. This writing, spelling out HIRE is outstanding and in your face… there is no escaping it, it must be looked at, it is shouting out from the wall. His distinctive angular lines with points or thorns, and lines running down the middle of the letters providing depth, creates an overall impressive statement skilfully painted. A fine piece of work.

4834. M32 Spot (150)

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

This is a cheeky piece from John D’oh in the style of a saucy seaside postcard but drawing in some political commentary about our current economic crisis, and he carries if off really well, in my view.

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

This piece was painted on a column that previously played host to a Boris Johnson stencil, also by John D’oh, and reminds us of the important role played by political commentators, whether writers or artists, in documenting current events and the impacts of political decisions on society as a whole. Something a little different from John D’oh to enjoy.

4833. Dean Lane skate park (540)

Acesartworld, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Acesartworld, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022

There are some artists who slip under the radar, often because their work is unsigned, or they just don’t paint often enough to get noticed properly. Acesartworld falls a little bit into this category, and although I have two or three of his pieces in my archive, I have never posted any of his work… until now.

Acesartworld, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Acesartworld, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022

Messages of peace are relatively common in street art work, and completely opposite to the kind of reputation some would have you believe about graffiti/street artists. This is a rather unusual piece, unlike much I have seen before, and not exactly typical of Acesartworld’s normal usual work. I must confess though to being a little confused about this piece, because the character is holding a gun, which doesn’t really reflect the message. No matter, it is a fresh piece from an artist I hope we will be seeing more of.

4832. St Werburghs tunnel (321)

Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2022
Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2022

I was once told that to assume something will make an ‘Ass’ of ‘U’ and ‘Me’, a very helpful tip in the communications world. The assumption here, is that this unsigned piece is by Kosc. The evidence supporting my assumption is that NTS is a crew he belongs to, and he is the only artist I can think of who produces accurate anatomical pieces.

Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2022
Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2022

I am no expert, but looking at this magnificent skull, I would say the dentition suggests a grazing lifestyle and the horns would lead me to think this was an ungulate (a hoofed mammal). I would plump for some kind of bovine, possibly a buffalo of some kind, maybe an African buffalo. A lovely piece, and something a little different.

4831. Cumberland Basin

Benjimagnetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022
Benjimagnetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022

I have a feeling that this piece by Benjimagnetic, alongside an Acer One piece hidden behind a bush, has been here for a while, but that I have only recently clocked it. I can’t be everywhere all the time, right.

Benjimagnetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022
Benjimagnetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022

Cryptically spelling out BEN, This is a lovely, colourful piece from the artist with beautifully defined components, crisply sprayed, making up the letters, and some very clever and subtle shadow work that lifts some of the letters and arrows away from the wall. Lovely work.

4830. Leonard Lane (38)

Merny, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Merny, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022

Recently, you might have noticed that I have been trying to publish more than two posts per day from time to time. This is due to the fact the November has been a bumper month on the streets, and I want to share as much as I possibly can. Of course, in doing so I risk impacting on the quality of the posts, so I need to try and keep a balance.

Merny, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Merny, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022

Since the Bristol Mural Collective started painting in Leonard Lane, it has become much more of a ‘go to’ destination for street art, and the turnover of work there is on the increase. This is a lovely observational piece from Merny, where we have to make up our own story. I guess these two ladies are too busy on their social media feeds to notice one another. I think the left, left, left, left words are a reference to a dating app. Swiping left means what? is it good or bad? Dating apps are a bit of a mystery to me, given that I have been out of the dating game since long before social media was a thing. More great thought-provoking stuff from Merny.

4829. Greenbank (60)

Haka, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2022
Haka, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2022

Unless he is reading The Bible to his kids, this Jesus piece by Haka is a bit of a departure from his recent passion for painting characters from children’s story books. Representations of Jesus in street art are relatively rare, but this South Park Jesus breaks the mould.

Haka, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2022
Haka, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2022

Haka’s writing in this piece is really neat and tidy, with a bright colour combination that dazzles.  Overall, a real pleasure to see this one, and to enjoy Hakas’ continuing purple patch.