In a small lane, largely hidden from the main streets of Easton there is a whole load of street art and graffiti pieces, some of them quite old now, but occasionally new pieces crop up. This is one of those newer pieces, although it might not be that new as it was about six months since my last visit.
Zubyblue, St Marks Avenue, Bristol, December 2021
The artist, Zubyblue, is not known to me and I haven’t seen any of their work before. Often artists who aren’t used to spray painting will have a go on shutters and walls, but the results can be really variable as it is such a different medium to the ones they are used to. Zubyblue seems to have mastered the technique pretty well, and this is a nicely painted toucan with some great tones and touches that hint at an experienced hand. Well worth taking a look if you are in the area.
A gallery of fabulous character pieces by west of England artist DFC1848
all photographs by Scooj
DFC1848, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2022DFC1848, M32 Spot, Bristol, April 2022DFC1848, Ldub, Bristol, September 2021DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021DFC 1848, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021DFC1848, L Dub, Bristol, March 2021DFC 1848, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021DFC1848, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2020DFC1848, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2020DFC1848 and DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, June 2020DFC1848, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020DFC, L Dub, Bristol, January 2020DFC1848, L Dub, Bristol, July 2019DFC1848, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Alas! This piece from Face 1st didn’t last very long, and certainly not as long as it deserved, but that is street art, and everyone knows it. Face 1st continues to be one of our most productive artists in Bristol, and I probably need to update his gallery, because it quickly gets out of date.
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2022
The piece tucked away to the left of the river side wall of the roundabout is a full blown writing and face combination. The striking colours attract the eye and the girl’s laughing demeanour is compelling. Face 1st has been using this form of block writing quite a lot recently, and I would say he is enjoying it. I love the clever touch of weaving the girl’s hair through the block letters. A wonderful piece from Face 1st.
Another fine piece of script writing in a series produced by Smut. Smut is an artist I know precious little about, but I definitely look forward to his bursts of activity on Bristol walls.
Smut, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2022
Smut has a very recognisable style, which is incredibly neat and tidy, and if I were to liken it with any other artist, I would say it is like a slimmed down version of Slim Pickings’ TES. It is a little difficult to make it out here, but the yellow fill is a beautiful blend of two colours with spots merging in the centre line. This is a superb piece of graffiti script writing.
The LRS crew have really increased their profile in Bristol over the last year or two with Decay, Werm, 3F fino, and Sitka leading the way, and this is a wonderful recent collaboration for 3F fino and Stika (Apex_alloy) on the M32 cycle path.
3F fino, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2022
Although this was a collaborative wall, the two elements are discrete and stand-alone. To the left is an interesting piece from 3F fino, with a pair of embracing characters, keeping their identities hidden with head/face scarves, which is a theme to be found in many of the artist’s pieces.
Stika, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2022
The other half of this wall is a fabulous Calvin and Hobbes piece by Stika, and what a brilliant piece it is, really showcasing Stika’s versatility. There is something really touching.no and heartwarming about this cartoon duo and Stika has captured that warmth perfectly in this piece. An absolutely cracking collaborative wall with two fine pieces.
You will have gathered from the gallery I posted last week that I am enjoying the work of Mest at the moment. His aesthetically pleasing letters work well with graffiti writing and he constantly tries to switch up the fills and patterns in his fairly uniform and consistent letter shapes.
Mest, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021
In this piece he has incorporated a little extra intrigue with some orange-yellow wisps drifting across the letters. From the look of it he might have been using the dregs of that colour, because the fill is neither solid nor is it cloudy, it is more the kind of fill you’d get on a quick throw up. Nonetheless it is a handsome piece.
It has been great to see Kool Hand returning to the streets lately, hooking up with various friends to paint with them. I have a feeling that he might have been in London, or certainly out of Bristol, for a little while, but has been in Bristol over the winter and sprayed quite a few pieces of which this is one.
Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2021
This misbehaving orangutan piece is part of a larger collaboration that I will return to at some point in the future. Kool Hand has taken his little character and made him a little bigger and animated him a little more than usual, which is great to see. I’m never too sure about street art with guns though, it somehow doesn’t sit well with me. Is this way too woke? Nice to see Kool Hand back I. Town.
The number of Rezwonk pieces appearing about the place has definitely dipped in the last 18 months or so, and I can’t help thinking that his painting pal Decay moving out of Bristol, might be a part of this reduction in frequency, along with other projects he has been working on.
Rezwonk, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021
Even if the number of pieces is not what it was, there is a certainty about the quality. You know that Rezwonk will always produce tidy pieces with carefully considered colour palettes and designs, of which this is a good example. We are blessed in Bristol to have so many graffiti writers who paint at such a high level.
It feels like barely a day goes by without posting something by Chill, such is the recent turnover from this revelation on the Bristol street art circuit. Although he has done the odd piece here and there, he really seems to have found some time and confidence to hit more walls more often.
Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2021
This is a fun character piece in St Werburghs tunnel with two cartoon portraits taking delight in a brown of milk. I have no idea what is going on here, a little bizarre I might say, but the artwork is clean and crisp as always. Creative, imaginative and a whole lot of joy from Chill, who is just going from strength to strength.
It is not often that I am in the right place at the right time, but I got lucky with one of my lunchtime walks with the dog when I bumped into Ments and Sled One painting this collaboration. Actually I made my own luck a bit, because I spotted them painting from the other side of the river and gave myself enough time to swing by and have a chat.
Ments and Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021
Sled One reminded me, not for the first time, that it was he and Ments who first started painting this wall, before it became one of the more popular Bristol spots. I think it is good for artists and photographers/viewers alike due to the open space and length of wall, although with long shadows and reflections photography can at times be a bit of a challenge.
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
On the left of this beautifully prepped wall is Ments’ contribution, with a rather jazzy rendition of the ASK crew letters. Wall prep can definitely enhance a piece, and with this collaboration, the reddy-magenta works a real treat. There are definitely some strong Ments elements in the piece, but I am not certain I would have known it was by him if I hadn’t seen him painting it.
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
To the right is an interesting piece by Sled One, because it says 3Dom. It is most vexing, deceitful and confusing when artists write other artist’s names as a kind of shout-out to their mates, and makes misidentification a strong possibility. Again it was lucky I saw them painting this or I might have had egg on my face. This is a stylish collaboration from two very classy Bristol artists.
Natural adventures 