Tag: Street art

6859. St Werburghs tunnel (489)

Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2025

This piece by Kool Hand was part of a recent collaboration in the tunnel, but alas his third only lasted about 24 hours. On the upside I was fortunate enough to see it, literally moments before it was painted over by Mr Klue.

Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2025

I have said it before, but Kool Hand is a bit of an unsung hero of Bristol street art. His unique blend of colour, characters and writing is a central part of the heartbeat of the Bristol scene, without which it would feel diminished. The letters KOOL and nicely presented in very Kool Hand orange, with some great solid fills and spots. The background in softer purples and blues provides a perfect counterbalance to the graffiti writing. Nice work from Kool Hand.

6858. M32 Cycle path (287)

Lis, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2025

It will not have escaped regular readers’ attention that I am thoroughly enjoying the development of Lis (Le Imposter Design). Her work is increasing in both volume and scope, and she is broadening her horizon from the ‘safe space’ of mushrooms and toadstools.

Lis, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2025

I didn’t really notice this piece the first time I walked past it, and it was only on returning along the path a few minutes later that I stopped and registered it was by Lis. It is a rather nice monster character piece, looking like a teddy bear that is having a ‘bad hair’ day. Lots of fun, and experimenting with something new. Such has been her prolific painting, I will soon be able to publish a gallery of her work, which should give an indication of her rapid transition to spray paints. Keep it up, Lis.

6857. Dean Lane skate park (818)

Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025

I believe that this wonderful character piece by Turoe was painted to celebrate Soker’s birthday during a recent paint jam in the Deaner. The old-school piece is brimming with class, and references the ‘Eighties kidz’ who, alas, are no longer kids, but have come a long way and are have become the establishment/benchmark in Bristol street/graffiti art.

Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025

Turoe doesn’t get out too much these days, but when he does, his work is without doubt of the highest calibre and this character with bucket hat, chain and watch, TURO belt buckle and spray can exemplify this. A little awkward to photograph, but not insurmountable with a wide angle function on my phone.

6856. Peel Street Green (39)

Astrea, Peel Street Green, Bristol, April 2025

Because I have been following and writing about Bristol street art for ten years, I have been able to watch so many artists start their adventures and develop their skills over time, and it gives me immense pleasure to witness this. One such artist is Astra, hi first come into my vision last year, when she painted a garage shutter during a mini paint festival in Muriel alleyway.

Astrea, Peel Street Green, Bristol, April 2025

This combination piece contains a dominant female character with a gun pointing out and the letters ASTRA in a bubble graffiti style. This is an interesting development phase and it is great to see her growing in confidence. I look forward to seeing more of her work this year.

6855. Sparke Evans Park (129)

Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2025
Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2025

Stivs has been painting some extraordinary portrait pieces recently, demonstrating that his talents extend far beyond his outstanding calligraffiti for which he is best known. This is a gritty and authentic portrait of his friend and fellow artist Badger Feral.

Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2025
Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2025

The piece is representative and beautifully painted, without the need to be photorealistic, which is the temptation for many portrait artists. I am full of admiration for the range and quality of work that Stivs achieves, and am always pleasantly surprised when I find new pieces by him. Long-live Dog Supremacy Crew (DSC).

6854. Cumberland basin

Weas, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
Weas, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025

This year, I have become increasingly aware of pieces by Weas (@weaselmilk_) dotted about in most spots I visit. He tends to paint some rather wobbly characters, on columns or in tight spaces, but this piece of writing and characters demonstrates his wider capabilities.

Weas, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
Weas, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025

The psychedelic swirl running through the letters WEAS has an interesting effect and draws the eye in… so much so that when I first saw the piece, I didn’t even notice the three characters subtlely sitting on top of the word. I think that there is a close association between the ‘alien’ characters and weed, with the one on the left enjoying a smoke. Expect a whole lot more from Weas.

6853. M32 roundabout J2 (10)

Face 1st, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2025
Face 1st, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2025

Since moving out of Bristol, Face 1st has lived up to his reassurance that he would be back reasonably regularly to carry on painting walls. I have noticed, however, that he has selected spots that are a little bit off the beaten track. This piece is on the junction 2 roundabout of the M32, where turnover is a little slower than other spots.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2025
Face 1st, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2025

Face 1st has been concentrating a little on his letter styles of late, playing with new fonts and presentations. He has also taken to painting with gold paint (perhaps he put in a big order of the stuff). These lower-case letters, in pink, have nice fills and shout-outs to his PWA crew Soap, Zake and Chill. Face 1st is a firm favourite on Natural Adventures.

6851. BB Gallery (7)

Mote and Mr Crawls, BB Gallery, Bristol, March 2025
Mote and Mr Crawls, BB Gallery, Bristol, March 2025

I rarely venture along the Bristol to Bath cycle path to the BB Gallery, because turnover tends to be very slow there, but I was pleased to find this collaboration from Mote and Mr Crawls on my last visit there.

Mote and Mr Crawls, BB Gallery, Bristol, March 2025
Mote and Mr Crawls, BB Gallery, Bristol, March 2025

It would seem that the collaborative pair are spending some time focussing on their own pieces at the moment, and that the joint pieces have dropped off over the winter. On the left is a fine monster character with all the trademark doodles and markings we would expect from Mote. To the right, Mr Crawls has painted one of his monster characters wearing a hat, the style of which first appeared on the streets about a year ago now. Nice work from the pair.

6850. M32 Cycle path (286)

3Dom, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2025
3Dom, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2025

It is always a great pleasure to be able to share a new 3Dom piece, as he is without doubt one of Bristol’s most gifted street artists. I also like the way that his pieces appear without any fanfare and are painted on ‘ordinary’ walls as well as some of the high-end walls.

3Dom, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2025
3Dom, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2025

This is a wonderful piece, not entirely a million miles away in concept from his recent piece in the St George skate park. The skull is made up of a bunch of ‘floating’ components, which come together and present as a coherent skull. Take any element in isolation and it could be anything. In the dome of the skull, there is some classic 3Dom patterning and the inclusion of an atomic illustration, which appears in a lot of his work. This is a wonderful, high quality piece.

6849. Greenway Bush Lane (9)

Haka, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Haka, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, March 2025

This is simply brilliant. There really isn’t much more I can say about it. Haka has painted a superb rendition of Dr Seuss’ ‘Cat in the Hat’, driving a crazy vehicle with four ‘arms’ holding up each of the letters H A K A.

Haka, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Haka, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, March 2025

Haka has been incredibly faithful to the original artwork by Dr Seuss and captures everything that is so compelling about our childhood, it is a piece full of nostalgia for me and for many others I would expect. Haka’s series of children’s book characters continues to delight and upscale these wonderful images for all to enjoy. Bravo!