Like all of us, street/graffiti artists have birthdays, but sometimes they mark them in a way that isn’t possible for mere mortals like me. They have a paint jam and invite artist friends to paint a wall together – the results are nearly always outstanding, bringing different styles into a single place for a day. A recent birthday paint jam was held for Mena in Sparke Evans park and this was Sled One’s contribution.
Sled One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022
I don’t know if it is just me, but Sled One’s pieces seem to be getting even more surreal and obscure, if that is at all possible. This outstandingly turned out piece features a skull smoking an outsize cigarette, with smiley tablets for eyes and purple hair. As always with Sled One’s work, it is the little details that augment the piece so well, such as the gorgeous flower in the hair, or the floating eyebrows. This is another masterpiece from Sled One.
It is not all that long ago, through the winter, when Stivs was producing new pieces at will and barely a week went by without one or two new works from him. This spring has been a slightly different story, and it feels like a while since I saw anything new, until I found this one on the River Avon path. Since finding this, he has been out a little more, and there are further new pieces to share with you.
Stivs, River Avon, Bristtol, April 2022
Stivs is one of two brilliant calligraffiti artists in Bristol, that is artists who specialise in calligraphic writing. This is a real beauty in chrome with a blue 3D shadow and mint green border. Lovely regular letters spelling out STIVS. A scattering of mint dots to add a little interest, and hey presto! You have a banging burner.
It is probably about time for another piece from Face 1st, and this one, like so many of his other pieces, is so full of joy and happiness. I think that Face 1st should be employed as a ‘happiness tzar’ for Bristol, and be allowed to spray his happy faces to improve morale in a time when good news is hard to come by.
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
This particular piece in Dean Lane is in one of his preferred forms in which he has written FACE as the hair of a girl’s smiling face. For added effect, he has included a second face as the ‘A’ of FACE. It is always great to see anything by this artist, and the Bristol graffiti/street art scene simply wouldn’t be the same without him.
One of the most endearing characters to appear in Bristol in recent months, in my opinion, is Mr Underbite. This simply conceived character is overflowing with charm and intrigue, and the artist, MrUnderbite is making this area his home, with at least four recent pieces in the vicinity.
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
This small piece on one of the footbridge pillars has been painted with sprays and the black lines drawn with a Posca pen or similar. The overall outcome is clean and tidy, with the two shades of brown working really well to frame Mr Underbite’s face. The crosses for eyes are similar to those used by Asre on one of his characters – a common cartoon style technique. I love this little piece.
This epic collaboration between Conrico, Acer and Zake, an unlikely trio of collaborators, appeared on the Greenbank hoardings about two weeks ago and is truly eye catching in its boldness and presence.
Conrico and Acer, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
I know that pairings of these three artists have happened in the past, but I don’t think I can recall that the three have collaborated together before. Starting at the left hand side, Conrico has provided a landscape backdrop, that actually runs to either side of the whole collaboration. Conrico definitely seems to enjoy painting these landscapes, and they have that paintbrush appearance that he achieves, I think by using banana caps. The mountain range and greenery is in stark contrast to the outstanding ACER writing in the prism colouring and superb letter design that Acer is painting with at the moment.
Acer, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
It has been fun observing Acer, whose central theme is geometric design, change his ‘look’ several times over the years. This latest rainbow lettering is such a strong statement, and demands to be looked at and enjoyed.
Zake and Conrico, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
To the right hand side of the collaboration is the painting of Zake and Conrico, with the latter rounding off his mountainous landscape which incorporates a rather cheesy full moon in a blue sky scape.
Zake, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
The Zake portrait is as good as any I have seen from him, and is a reminder of just how far the artist has come over the last two or three years, especially if you look back at his column pieces at the M32 Spot. The features and shadows are outstanding in this face, and there is a movement from Zake’s figurative style towards a more realistic style… watch this space to see what direction his work goes in. What an eclectic and amazing collaboration from these three artists.
I do love my walks to the L Dub spot and although it only happens occasionally, both my dog and I love the remoteness of this curious brownfield site, brimming with wildlife, that runs alongside the M5 motorway. These occasional visits are always worthwhile because at the end of the walk is a water treatment pumping station and a pedestrian underpass with plenty of wall space for graffiti/street artists to play with. On my last trip a week or so ago, it would appear that some members of the LRS crew had been having fun.
3F fino, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022
This piece is by 3F fino and creates a scene from Fineas and Ferb, a cartoon TV series that my children used to love, and which features Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirt, the villain of the piece. The bubble fill for the lettering is absolutely outstanding and has a sense of evil chemistry about it, and the character has been faithfully recreated. All in all a fabulous piece from 3F fino, one of his best in my opinion, and worth the long walk alone.
Natural adventures 