Tag: Urban

3316. M32 roundabout J3 (263)

The last Subtle piece I saw before I found this one in October was way back in June, so it was very nice indeed to stumble across it. I don’t know how, but these pictures managed to get trapped in my production line of posts which is why it is a little out of sequence (it was not a delve into my archives which happens from time to time).

Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October2020
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October2020

I have always liked Subtle’s work and this piece in chrome set on pink and purple circles is a beauty. There is a story here somewhere – there are four bullet holes in the chrome letters and underneath the piece are the words ‘The Heart Breaker’. To the right is  a chrome flamingo (pink, surely?) drinking a cocktail. Curious to say the least. Sharp lines, great solid fills and that wonderful Subtle letter shape – good work all round.

3315. River Avon (8)

When I went for a walk along the Riverside a week or two back it felt like Christmas had come early.  When you don’t visit a graffiti spot for a while, even one with a low turnover, there are always dozens of new pieces to admire.

Dit Oner, River Avon, Bristol, November 2020
Dit Oner, River Avon, Bristol, November 2020

This is a splendid piece of writing from Spanish artist Dit Oner that appears to stand proud from the wall thanks to some clever 3D shadows giving it depth and subtle light shading along the bottom of the letters. The letter style is bold and regular letters like these are made a little easier on brick walls when you can follow the lines of the brickwork to get your proportions and spaces. This one simply doesn’t want to be ignored.

3314. Sparke Evans Park (2)

It has been a good year for Zake in my view. His faces have developed well and in the second half of the year in particular his ideas and his execution have moved onto a new level. In addition to these improvements he appears to have been out and about more often.

Zake, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2020
Zake, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2020

This is a fine Halloween piece (his second of the year) which was painted on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park during an all-Spanish paint jam. One of the things that Zake has really mastered is creating shadows on the darker side of the face with varying degrees of tone and the same with brightness on the lit side of the face. Clever and accomplished work.

3313. River Avon (7)

Lots of unknowns about this amazing piece on the Avon River pathway. I have no idea who the artist is and I don’t know how long it has been there, but judging from the fact that it looks pretty fresh and clean and the subject, it might be a recent Halloween piece.

Dabuten Tronko, River Avon, Bristol, November 2020
Dabuten Tronko, River Avon, Bristol, November 2020

Set on a blue and red broad-striped background this fabulously painted Satan face with enormous horns stands out a mile. The artwork is immaculate and this has been sprayed by an accomplished artist. The hand and spray can spewing out blue paint add a perfect finishing touch to the wall. The word MAFIA at the bottom right doesn’t help with identification. I am irritated that I can’t place the artist, especially as there is something familiar about the style that I simply can’t pin down. Too good not to post. I got there in the end, it is by Dabuten Tronko… see comments below.

3312. River Avon (6)

I don’t get there too often, which is a bit of a shame, but there is a nice walk along the River Avon which contrasts two very different scenes; on one side is the muddy river with plenty of bankside vegetation and a variety of bird species an evidence of other wildlife such as otters on the other side is a long gallery of graffiti and street art displayed on the rear walls of buildings on an industrial estate.

Stivs, River Avon, Bristol, November 2020
Stivs, River Avon, Bristol, November 2020

Along this stretch I found this rather nice calligraphy piece by Stivs, an artist getting quite a lot of exposure on Natural Adventures at the moment. The orange and red colour selection is a winning combination and the script has some rather good harlequin reversals breaking up the lines. A fine piece from Stivs.

3311. Jamaica Street (24)

The People’s Republic of Stokes Croft outdoor gallery is a great ‘showcase’ wall that is properly curated and well respected. Rarely is this wall tagged or despoiled in any way. One of the key carers of this wall is Object… so it is great when he gets to put a piece of his own work up, and in this case as part of a collaboration with Msale.

Object... and Msale, Jamaica Street, Bristol, May 2020
Object… and Msale, Jamaica Street, Bristol, May 2020

The collaboration breaks down into three panels and picks up on the coronavirus pandemic theme. On the left we see two people hugging the planet earth which is wearing a face mask, the emblem of 2020.

Object... and Msale, Jamaica Street, Bristol, May 2020
Object… and Msale, Jamaica Street, Bristol, May 2020

The middle panel is a ring and circle of text in a calligraphy style. The outer ring says “apart; together; stay safe”. The inner circle is in a script I can’t read and might be Arabic or something like that.

Object... and Msale, Jamaica Street, Bristol, May 2020
Object… and Msale, Jamaica Street, Bristol, May 2020

On the right is a masked portrait with the word ‘hope’ underneath it and to the right are the words ‘Baki salama’ which means stay safe.

Overall this is a contemporary and uplifting piece from two fine artists.

Object... and Msale, Jamaica Street, Bristol, May 2020
Object… and Msale, Jamaica Street, Bristol, May 2020

3310. M32 Cycle path (87)

About a week ago I posted a piece by Mena for the first time on Natural Adventures and it was well overdue. Over the coming weeks and months I intend to free several more Mena pieces from my archives, starting with this one painted in May this year on the M32 cycle path, a favourite haunt of hers.

Mena, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Mena, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

Mena tends to stick to a regular letter structure, with a central kink and a leaning to the right. The rest is all about the fills, shadows and decorations. It is always great to buff a wall first, it prevents any distractions getting in the way of the piece itself, and in this case sets a neutral background for the dark colours and neon green line running through the piece. Nice tidy work.

3309. St John’s Steep (1)

There is no real surprise in finding a piece by Dott Rotten in this part of town as he happens to work not a stone’s throw away from this hoarding. I don’t see too many pieces from Dott Rotten, so it is always a pleasant surprise to find one of his SPOILT writings on my walks.

Dott Rotten, St John's Steep, Bristol, September 2020
Dott Rotten, St John’s Steep, Bristol, September 2020

This particular piece of graffiti writing is fresh on a new hoarding which is great, because hoardings like this in a central city location can become very untidy very quickly. Set on an orange wash, the letters SPOILT are nicely picked out and filled with a light blue colour and decorated with grey, blue and red spots. This is a classy piece of writing which I suspect was painted fairy swiftly (the fills are not quite as solid as they might be).

3308. M32 roundabout J3 (262)

Another one from a little earlier this year, and what a beauty it is from Hemper. This is a fantastically intricate piece of wildstyle writing from the artist in which each letter of the word HEMPERS (I think) is written with a completely independent style and colour regime and each is wonderfully elaborate.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2020

I had a conversation with Hemper earlier in the year when he was painting this same wall, and he told me that he usually freestyles his pieces with a mental picture of roughly how he wants it to turn out. Well if this was what was in his head he has turned out a real gem. Exceptional work from an exceptional graffiti writer.

3307. Dean Lane skate park (365)

In have recently taken a couple of excursions into my archive (I have so much unposted material from earlier this year it is insane) and on one such search I found this lovely piece by Stivs at Dean Lane skatepark on the swimming pool wall.

Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 22020
Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 22020

At this particular spot, the high railings make taking front-on photographs rather tricky, but it is possible to get pictures from the side. This lovely piece from Stivs adopts his calligraphy style but in this case with fatter letters that have been filled with horizontal colour stripes and a silhouetted landscape/cityscape running through the middle. A very nice piece.