Tag: Street art

3407. M32 cycle path (99)

The second half of 2020 was not a productive one for Decay, in terms of street work, so it was great to see some new pieces during the Christmas holiday break. This is a very neat and tidy Christmas piece on the M32 cycle path.

Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020

I think that this is the first piece I have seen in Bristol since August, although he did make an appearance at the Cheltenham Paint Festival in September that I haven’t posted yet (note to self – post a few more from the festival soon). In this nicely styled piece spelling out DECAY, his little character, Chuck, is greeting us with a Christmas Ho ho ho! It will be interesting to see what happens with the new hard national lockdown imposed yesterday. I expect some artists will make time to get out and about and others may go to ground. We shall see.

Turoe

A gallery of graffiti writing and characters from the excellent Bristol writer Turoe.

All photographs by Scooj

Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2022
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2022
Turoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Turoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2022
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Turoe and Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Turoe and Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Turoe, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2021
Turoe, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2021
Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2021
Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2021
Turoe, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021
Turoe, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021
Veks and Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2021
Veks and Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2021
Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2021
Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2021
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Turoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, Jauary 2021
Turoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, Jauary 2021
Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Turoe One, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Turoe One, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Turoe One, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, January 2020
Turoe One, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, January 2020
Turoe One, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Turoe One, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Turoe One, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019
Turoe One, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Turoe One, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2019
Turoe One, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2019
Turoe (Turo), Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Turoe (Turo), Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Turoe (Turo), Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Turoe (Turo), Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

3406. Frome side (4)

I managed to get out to do some street art photography during the Christmas break without the dog. That meant that I could clamber down into the Frome side spot, which is behind and below the M32 Spot, with only my own safety to think about. The trip was well worth it, and I expect to post several pieces from this cavernous location in the coming weeks. One of the first pieces I saw was this rather nice burner from Conrico which I believe he had only painted the day before, so I was there at just the right time.

Conrico, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Conrico, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

For one reason or another I haven’t seen much Conrico work for the last few months. I think he has been painting a fair bit, but just not in the places that I tend to go to. The piece was painted during a particularly wet couple of days and is a warming fire set in a stormy sea kind of background. I like the piece very much, it has an untamed feel about it, bursting with colour and emotion. The message ‘F*ck the rain away’ tells its own story of frustration. Great to find.

3405. Dean Lane skate park (375)

Here is yet another banging portrait piece from the lovely Pekoe who is on something of a roll at the moment. If I didn’t already have a gallery of her work then I would certainly have to pull one together based on her last couple of month’s work alone.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

A bold blue face this time, again in a three-quarter profile, and such sumptuous pink lips. The hair is given the pink treatment too with the black lines and multitude of little decorations such as diamonds, hearts and teardrops. This is Pekoe at her commanding best. There is something about this piece that I find rather calming and serene… it might be the closed eyes and the colour selections.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

This was another of those pieces that I was lucky enough to find before I knew of its existence through social media and that always makes the discovery a little sweeter. I hope that Pekoe keeps this purple patch going because I am having great fun seeking out her work.

3404. M32 Spot (98)

What a delightful surprise and late Christmas present from Epok and Sepr at the very top end of Stapleton Road. It is especially nice to see Epok back in Bristol, as he seems to do most of his writing in the Stroud area in abandoned buildings that I haven’t yet discovered.

Epok, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
Epok, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020

I think the last piece I saw from Epok was back in July in the ASK collaboration in New Gatton Street, so this is a long-overdue treat. Epok’s writing really is out of the top drawer and his heavily designed shapes and colour schemes never cease to amaze. The letters here spell EPOK, but it might take a little while to ‘get your eye in’.

Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020

To the right of the glorious Epok writing is a witty reflection of 2020 by Sepr. Last year will be remembered as the one when irrational panic buying of toilet roll became almost as widespread as the Covid-19 virus. Here Sepr has painted a loo roll (avec crown) seeing in the New Year with a bottle of wine.

Epok and Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
Epok and Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020

Finding this collaboration pretty much made my day and was a perfect way to wave goodbye to 2020.

3403. St Werburghs tunnel (217)

One of the most consistent Bristol graffiti writers (plus characters) of 2020 was Taboo, whose imaginative and unconventional creations brightened up walls all over the city. Although not to everyone’s taste, his unique style and obvious (underplayed) talent brought us a succession of notable and humorous pieces.

Taboo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020
Taboo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020

This one in St Werburghs tunnel takes us deep into his root style of oddly shaped letters (spelling TABOO), his favourite pink and black colours and a sense of anarchy that I really like. I had to auto-fix the colours on Photoshop for this one, without which the whole thing looked yellow from the horrible lighting in the tunnel.

3402. Dean Lane skate park (374)

When you immerse yourself in the world of street art and graffiti writing in the way that I and many others do, you develop a deep sense of how good the art is in terms of technical skills, emotional grab, story telling, colour sense and so on. And sometimes you need only glance at a piece for a second to realise that it is truly outstanding and on a different level. This is how I felt when I saw this from Smak in Dean Lane a week or so back.

Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

It feels like seeing something in CinemaScope for the first time when you are used to a smaller format. The letters spelling SMAK are perfectly arranged and the colours and fills, with a metallic feel, are outstanding. For me, this is a great example of perfect graffiti writing, and such a wonderful Christmas gift from Smak.

3401. St Werburghs tunnel (216)

Holiday breaks are good for so many reasons, especially the opportunity to free up some time to do the things we love. There has been a big upsurge in productivity of street/graffiti art over the Christmas period in Bristol and my photograph folder for December is heaving. Having only seen a few pieces this year from Mr Sleven and Mr Klue, it was great to see this collaboration, the second in as many weeks from this pair in the St Werburghs tunnel.

Mr Sleven and Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020
Mr Sleven and Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020

These two create fully integrated collaborations, which I love, where their art becomes a synthesis of their styles, rather than two adjacent pieces in similar colour schemes. The Grinch has made a lot of appearances on the walls of Bristol this year, perhaps as a conscious/unconscious reference to COVID-19 spoiling things a bit. Here, Mr Sleven’s nicely drawn Grinch is emerging from a wispy Mr Klue atmosphere. This is a fine piece and there is a nice reference to COM.64 – the crew that these two belong to.

3400. M32 Spot (97)

Rosalita has been smashing it out of the park lately and this new column piece under the M32 is just the latest in a string of fine works she has created in the area. From what I have seen, Rosalita is particularly fond of painting carnival faces which she does on walls but also with the application of makeup on people, which she has a talent for.

Rosalita, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
Rosalita, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020

Rosalita (who often signs her pieces RAW, has nothing to do with the Bristol-based crew Read and Weep, and that the use of the same initials is entirely coincidental) has used the column space perfectly and flooded it with colour and drama. The piece is a little unsettling, with the orange eyes dripping onto the cheeks. Great to see more from Rosalita. Keep it up!

3399. Dean Lane skate park (373)

Rezwonk is an artist whose work I simply haven’t seen enough of this year, I guess we have been spoilt previously by the frequency with which he was hitting walls, and it was inevitable that it would slow down at some point. A similar pattern has been shown by Decay, and it is interesting that these two who used to collaborate a lot, haven’t done so for a long while.

Rezwonk, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Rezwonk, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

This Fabulous piece of graffiti writing in a frosty cold blue (to match the winter temperatures) looks like it was painted n collaboration with a Pekoe piece just to it’s left (coming soon). As well as the technical brilliance of the piece with it’s riveted sections, the prep work has made all the difference with the fully buffed wall in a neutral colour lending support and focus to the writing. A fine piece from Rezer.