Tag: Street art

3429. Dean Lane skate park (381)

This is another wall which I was foolish enough not to photograph in its entirety. It is actually a three-way collaboration between Awkward, Acer One and Benjimagnetic. Sometimes I wonder if I get carried away taking pictures without actually thinking about what I am doing.

Awkward and Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Awkward and Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

On the left-hand side of the wall is a beautiful letter piece from Acer One with the letters TCF bookended by two rather frightening character faces by Awkward. I have seen an Awkward/Benjimagnetic collaboration before, but it is great to see all three artists together.

Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

On the right is the Benjimagnetic contribution and is yet another fine piece from him. I have an awful lot of catching up to do with his pieces and I will try and dig them out of my files when (if ever) there is a lull in street activity.

3428. M32 cycle path (101)

Yet another in the series of Turoe pieces expressing the awful 2020 that now is thankfully behind us. I goofed when photographing this and forgot to take a picture of both words together. It says Shite Times, and confirms the experience that most of us had last year. (I shan’t get into the utter balls-up that Brexit always was going to be and alas is becoming – that’ll be a shite decade at least).

Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020

Another font style and some lovely creative touches like the clouds of colour along the bottom make this a classy piece. The letters are nice and clean in chrome with black highlights and the chrome works very nicely with the purple outline and background.

Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020

Turoe is definitely making up for lost time after a year during which ill health prevented him getting out from some time. I think we will look at these ‘Shite’ pieces as ones that define 2020 both for the artist and for the nation.

3427. M32 roundabout (276)

I have only met Hemper on one occasion and that was last summer. My first impressions were that he is an unassuming and modest fellow who has put in the effort and has a gift for graffiti writing and does it extraordinarily well.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020

Hemper is a freestyle writer, which means that he doesn’t paint from a sketch in a black book but rather from his imagination. Combine that natural creativity with the fine motor skills that he has developed over the years, and you get outstanding pieces like this one. A little beauty.

3426. Dean Lane skate park (380)

This container in Dean Lane seems to have been around forever. I’m really not sure what it contains or why it is there, but it is a surface to paint and that is what matters. The quality of graffiti and street art on this container can be very variable so it is nice when a really good piece like this one from Rusk comes along.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

Rusk is an artist/writer whose work I never tire of and who doesn’t paint as much as I’d like him to, although he tends to paint in places that are sometimes out of the way and I don’t get to see those ones. This is a straightforward RUSKI in horizontal graded blues with some nice bubbles in black white and blue. The quality of the lines and fills is of a high standard, which on the uneven face of the container can’t be easy. This is what great graffiti writing looks like.

3425. Narroways (1)

There is a little pathway close to the entrance of St Werburghs tunnel that leads up to a small nature reserve bounded by railway lines. The reserve is on the top of a hill and has some lovely views of Bristol and some interesting perspectives of the main lines coming into Bristol Temple Meads station. Of course, where you have railways and hills, you also have bridges, and where you have railway bridges there is a chance you might get some graffiti. That is the case here.

Daz Cat, Narroways, Bristol, January 2021
Daz Cat, Narroways, Bristol, January 2021

This is a rather unhappy, even angry, looking cat from Daz Cat. I think I prefer his happier cats. This one is mostly chrome and stands out amongst the other graffiti writing and throw ups around it. Worth the detour, and a nice peaceful oasis in North Bristol.

3424. M32 roundabout J3 (275)

This is a classic example of Face 1st doing what Face 1st does best and that is spraying an enormous face in a tunnel that is near impossible to photograph. I had toyed with the idea of not posting this piece, but that would be admitting defeat.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021

Face 1st seems to favour the M32 roundabout tunnels and it is rare for one of his pieces not to be present in one of the four tunnels 24/7/365. This piece is a trademark one from the artist with a happy girls face and hair composed of  the letters FACE. Face 1st and his PWA crew mate Soap typify the vibrancy and energy of the Bristol street art scene.

3423. Dean Lane skate park (379)

I think this is my favourite wall in Dean Lane and it has hosted so many outstanding pieces over the years. Some occupy the whole height and width of the wall, some just the lower or upper portions, some are solo pieces and some collaborations like this one from Slim Pickings and Biers.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

On the left is some superb writing from Biers, which appears to spell out BIERY, which is a nice variant of his letters. I like the unruly nature of his writing where uniformity of letters goes out of the window. This is one of those collaborations that share a wall and colour convention.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

To the right is the contribution from Slim Pickings whose TES doesn’t quite fit on the wall. The letters are big and bold and the black fill dominant. This is one of those collaborations that you cal look at and say ‘yes’! 

3422. Dean Lane skate park (378)

It would seem that Turoe isn’t quite ready to stop reminding us what a bad year 2020 has been with this ‘Shyte’ piece in Dean Lane. He may be using the same word associated with his recent work but has given it a rather different style this time round.

Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

The large block letters in black are nicely formed and bounded by a strong lime green outline. The subtle part is in the red clouds across the bottom of the letters and purple accents. Another fine shyte piece from Turoe.

3421. St Werburghs tunnel (218)

There has been a surge of activity by Mr Klue over the last month, most of it at the farm end of the tunnel which he seems to favour. This one is a tribute piece, and the first of several from an assortment of artists, to the late rapper MF DOOM whose passing in October last year seems to have been made public only recently.

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2021
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2021

MF DOOM was famous not only for his music, but also for his face mask which is the central Icon in the tribute pieces being paid to him. In this ephemeral work by Mr Klue, the mask is picked out in the middle in reds and whites, emerging from the wispy swirls all around. A fine tribute piece.

3420. Cumberland Basin

It has been way, way too long since I last saw a piece from Laic217. He had a burst of activity during our first lockdown, but after that has been fairly invisible on the streets, which is a pity. Somehow he epitomises the Bristol scene with his irreverent skull pieces. Edgy but also brilliantly painted, together with a range of textures and subjects helps Laic217 stand out from the crowd routinely.

Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, Jnuarty 2021
Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, Jnuarty 2021

This monster piece, on the long wall in Cumberland Basin, features a hoodie-wearing skeleton using a flame-bearing spray can, a theme regularly used by the artist. Simple colours and a sketch-like quality belie the skill in this piece. The bubble writing in the background belongs to this piece and spells out PAD, the crew which includes Cort, whose piece was adjacent to this one. Hurrah!