Since first posting his pieces about 18 months ago or so, I have been thoroughly enjoying the work of Mest. His letters lend themselves very well to writing and he certainly makes the most of them, constantly playing with his fills and colour options.
Mest, Mina Road, Bristol, December 2021
This piece is painted on the long wall at the southern end of Mina Road Park, which seems to be a bit of a practice wall, but in amongst the dross, there are some nice pieces like this one. I like what Mest has done with his fills, creating a 3D effect by using different shades of lilac and purple. The subtle shading in the white 3D shadow, also lifts the piece up. Nice work.
As mentioned before in recent posts, Logoe has been hitting the streets of Bristol hard this winter, sometimes on his own and sometimes in partnership with either Silent Hobo or Haka. This piece on the M32 roundabout was with the latter.
Haka, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Haka’s distinctive and rather unusual lettering style occupies the right hand side of the wall and is painted in chrome, with typically bright and colourful yellows and oranges as a backdrop. There is something joyful and mischievous about his letters, that I like a lot.
Logoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
To the left is another fabulous script letter piece from Logoe, spelling out his name with real class and style. No philosophising or quotes to accompany this one, just a delicious array of spots, some drifting across from Haka’s writing beside. A comely collaborative effort.
This is a lovely door piece in Dean Lane from Laic217 that I am sure will make it into a Thursday Doors post sometime in the future. Featuring a masked spray painter, it is a striking and nicely worked piece that fits the space perfectly.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2021
This was the third in a quick-fire spate of Laic217 pieces, we may have to wait a short while for the next ones to come on line. In the meanwhile we can enjoy this fine work.
This piece makes me laugh a little, because it involved another encounter with two great graffiti writers, Turoe and Hemper, or as I like to think of them, Mr Grumpy and Mr Happy. I got the cold-shoulder treatment from Turoe, which I am getting used to, but Hemper was happy to engage in a little conversation as they worked on this fabulous collaborative piece.
Turoe and Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
The colour scheme was shared by both artists, but each worked at their own pieces with their own styles, spelling out TUROE and HEMP respectively. The WIP shot was taken on a bright winter’s day with long shadows cast across the wall. When I went back to photograph the finished collaboration, I did so in overcast conditions, which got rid of those pesky shadows.
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
To the left is Turoe’s piece, which sets the theme of plastic litter in an aquatic setting. Look carefully and around the letters are loads of plastic items and PPE equipment, a sad observation of the polluted world we live in, but also a motivator to take action.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Hemper continues the theme of litter, and the pieces are all the more powerful for sticking to a single colour. The litter becomes more ethereal as it swirls around the block letters spelling HEMS. This is a fabulous collaboration from these two top writers.
A gallery of fabulous graffiti writing from Bristol’s Pl8o
All photographs by Scooj
Pl8o, River Avon, Bristol, October 2023Pl8o, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023Pl8o Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023Pl8o, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022Pl8o, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2022Pl8o, River Avon, Bristol, January 2022Pl8o, River Avon, Bristol, January 2022Pl8o, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021Pl8o, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2021Pl8o, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021Pl8o, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2021Pl8o, M32 cycle path, Bristol, September 2021Pl8o, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2021Pl8o, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2021Pl8o, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, April 2021Pl8o, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2020Pl8o, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2020Pl8o, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2020Pl8o, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020Pl8o, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020Pl8o, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2020Pl8o, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020Pl8o, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020Pl8o, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2020
Persistence is the name of the game when out looking for street/graffiti art. The digital age that we live in means that I will often see pieces on Instagram long before I ever get to discover them for myself, and sometimes they are difficult to find. The reason I label all of my posts by location rather than by artist is so that if people are surfing the Interweb or Googling for Bristol street art, they will be able to find the piece or the spot easily, from the title or the metatags.
I found this amazing wall in Elton Street on the side of The Lost Horizon Arts Centre and Bar building, by extending a dog walking (street art hunting) walk by a few hundred meters, and was very well rewarded for doing so.
Pekoe, Elton Road, Bristol, December 2021
There are about five or six panels that have been painted with a pink and blue theme, and this first one is by the ever-fabulous Pekoe. It is a lovely piece, incorporating all of her trademark elements, and working the colour scheme brilliantly. It is great to see a head and shoulders piece from her rather than just the portrait, but the space and access to a ladder or platform probably lent itself to the fuller format. A great piece and satisfying find.
Once I start posting about an artist, it seems that I find more of their work on both the streets and in my archives, and this is definitely the case with Krops. I don’t know why it took me so long to post any of his work, probably because there is simply so much choice in Bristol that it becomes difficult to post everything.
Krops, Mina Road, Bristol, December 2021
Anyhow, this is a classic piece of Krops work, that has probably been around for quite a while, incorporating a character in the middle of his KROPS letters. The star of the show is the Pink Panther character, and Krops has carried the pink theme through to his letters, the whole piece set off nicely on a light blue background.
Tom Miller has been very busy recently with a few commissions, and of course his lovely collaboration piece with Kin Dose on Nelson Street, that I published yesterday (Christmas Day). This new mural on the wall of the Basement Beer brewery tap room in Upper York Street is an absolute beauty and full of depth and symbolism.
Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021
I was lucky enough to catch up with Tom Miller (thank you, Paul, for the tip-off) while he was putting the finishing touches on the piece, and stopped for a wee chat. Tom Miller is one of the gentlest, kindest and most lovely artists I meet doing the rounds, and he is so generous with his time, always willing to talk and discuss his work. During our conversation, I asked him about the painting, and he gave me a few little insights.
Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021
The steps that appear on the piece are a direct reference to the steps in the doorway sign ‘basement beer’, which kind of makes sense, but might not be obvious when just glancing at the piece.
Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021
There is always so much going on in Tom Miller’s pieces, and he has really delved into the spirit of the venue with some clever mash-ups of people and drinks, creating some rather surreal and colourful characters.
Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021
This is an artwork that deserves to be seen and admired, and we are so lucky in Bristol that we get to see so much free art like this. Tom’s canvasses are something special too. Always bright, colourful and frenetic, they display a stream of consciousness captured on canvass or a wall and frozen in that moment. Fabulous work.
Underneath the flyover complex in Cumberland Basin, in a spot favoured by the artist, is this magnificent recent piece by Acer. The stylised work depicts the Clifton Suspension Bridge that would be visible from this spot were it not for all the concrete.
Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021
Acer has many strings to his bow, and this geometric piece has a stained-glass window appearance. It is beautifully designed and very calming in a less than calming environment. Superb work in a spot that he has painted before.
This is a little Christmas piece from Soge, who has quite a quiet year in 2021, and is a welcome sight. There haven’t been as many Christmas themed pieces this year as I might have expected, but I haven’t been out too much last week so hope to stumble across a few more.
Soge, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021
This is actually part of a collaboration with Hire, and the pair have painted quite a few times together in the past. Nicely designed and finished, this is a welcome return from Soge. Happy Christmas.
Natural adventures 