Tag: Urban

5161. M32 roundabout J3 (466)

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Always incredible, always on point, Hemper manages to turn out extraordinary pieces every time he paints, without fail. Hemper is one of the best graffiti writers in Bristol, and quite probably in the country right now, whose imaginative renditions of the letters HEMS are truly awesome.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

This piece on the roundabout has an organic feel to it and Hemper has created an extraordinary sense of depth, with clever use of borders and 3D drop shadows as well as white highlights, circles and shading in the letters. He has used a fabulous pastel colour palette, that while eye-catching, isn’t brash. This piece from Hemper is about as good as it gets.

More from Hemper in this gallery.

5160. Cumberland Basin

Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023

A weird thing I have noticed about my last three posts is that the three different featured artists’ names all end in ‘OE’. Logoe, Turoe, and in this post, Pekoe. What are the chances of that? We are used to seeing Pekoe’s stylised portraits, but her last couple of pieces have been graffiti writing instead. Perhaps she feels like a bit of a change.

Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023

I think the most noticeable thing about this piece is the colourful fills in the letters, which are painted in a fairly random and unruly fashion. Features that are common with her portraits are the tears and little diamonds, adding interest. Although I like the fact that Pekoe is doing something different, I do prefer her portraits, which bring out her strengths.

5159. M32 roundabout J3 (465)

Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

We don’t see too many new pieces by Turoe these days, so to come across this one was a nice surprise. The writing spells 2REAL, which is a little different, and I wonder if it is a corruption of TUROE – probably not.

Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Of course, the whole piece is outstanding, as you would expect. The fabulous chrome letters are picked out with little white highlights. What works particularly well is the complementary nature of the chrome and blue colours. Yet another fine example of Turoe’s talent.

5158. M32 Cycle path (210)

Logoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Logoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

The more you look, the more you find is a saying that can definitely be applied to Logoe, as I found another five recent pieces by him last weekend. There was a time when Logoe was an occasional visitor back to Bristol, and he would write half a dozen pieces each trip. Now it seems that he is maintaining the volume while increasing the frequency. It’s a lot to keep up with.

Logoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Logoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

This piece is definitely something of an outlier compared to most of his script writing, but in the same breath completely recognisable too. Of course, the LOGOE letters give it away, but the other signature feature is the horizontal scattering of oval dots. Fat letters in complementary browns, nicely presented, what’s not to like?

5157. Dean Lane skate park (588)

Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

Kool Hand’s work just gets better and better and in this piece he returns to his trusty baseball cap-wearing orangutan, but rather than being a flat face on piece, he has added a three-quarter profile and depth to his character.

Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

There is loads of movement in the basketball, which you can imagine is spinning on the orangutan’s finger. The whole piece is beautifully finished and set on a grey urban skyscape with tall buildings on the horizon line. I rate this piece very highly because it marks a shift to a new level for the artist.

5156. Elton Street (19)

Zubieta, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Zubieta, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

This is another wonderful piece by Zubieta, and I really like what I have seen of her work so far. I know that I have at least one unpublished piece in my archives, which I will need to dig out, because we don’t get to see her stuff on the streets nearly as often as I’d like.

Zubieta, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Zubieta, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

Painted as part of the recent paint jam in the Elton Street gallery, Zubieta is telling a story about how ‘love stings’, featuring a woman and a stinging insect masquerading as a butterfly full of love. Perhaps this is a tale of failed relationships of deceitful partners – who knows? The colours follow the paint jam theme, and the piece is beautifully executed. Tidy work from a great artist.

5155. M32 roundabout J3 (464)

Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Cort is a quiet artist who, it would seem, likes to keep himself to himself. I have met him on two or three occasions, but I think it would be fair to say we have probably exchanged about ten words between us. He had just finished painting this rather attractive piece alongside Hire, and was sitting on the grass chilling.

Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

I have long admired Corts work, which is different from most of the stuff you see in Bristol, but in recent years he has started to add characters to his writing and here he included a bear, who has a passing resemblance to Fozzy Bear. The letters spell Kortos, and are unruly in their shapes, but reasonably uniform in size. Cort’s signature fill incorporating circles or dots can be seen on the K R and S. This is a fun, vibrant piece from another of the Polish contingent of artists.

5154. Cumberland Basin

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023

If anyone can tell me what is going on here, then I doff my cap to you. Some fabulous anti-style graffiti writing from Taboo with a pink flamingo holding a Halfords bag in its bill, and the words “I’m Champa(i)gn, you… Lambrini”.

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023

The colours here are striking without being gaudy, and I have to say I love that red colour, and I think it works very nicely on the light blue background. The whole thing feels slightly anarchic or eccentric – it would be nice if there was a word that meant both of those things – ‘anarcentric’ perhaps. More great stuff from Taboo.

5153. New Stadium Road (50)

Klashwhensober, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2023
Klashwhensober, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2023

I met Klashwhensober shortly after he had ‘repaired’ this piece, which speaks volumes about how much the artist cares about his work. I know how important graffiti writing is to Klahwhnsober, nourishing him and providing a strong focus in his life.

Klashwhensober, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2023
Klashwhensober, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2023

This outstanding  piece in the dark, sooty underpass shows Klashwhensober at his artistic best. Beautifully crafted letters with a stripy 3D drop shadow are filled with beautiful complementary colours and some ‘meteors’, leaving a trail in the lilac section. Another day and another fine creation from a lovely artist.

5152. M32 roundabout J3 (463)

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Hypo has had a new lease of life recently – perhaps his work/domestic circumstances have changed, but he is out and about painting more than I have seen since 2015, so much so, that I felt compelled to compile a gallery of his work last week.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

As well as an increase in the quantity of his work, I feel like there is a commensurate improvement in the quality of it too. This is a lovely piece that pops out of the wall thanks to some clever shadow work and use of white highlights. There are several colour transitions in his fills, at least seven, and the finishing with dots works nicely too. In most of Hypo’s work there is a bilateral symmetry and that really comes to play in this piece. Fabulous work from this established Bristol artist.