A gallery of fabulous graffiti writing and a selection of vampire teeth from Bristol/Spanish artist and tattooist, Pura Decadencia.
Instagram: puratattoos
All photographs by Scooj
Pura Decadencia
Tag: Vampire
6547. Dean Lane skate park (781)
This collaboration between Pura Decadencia and Desi is a sight for sore eyes, especially as neither artist seems to be painting very frequently at the moment. The glistening silver (chrome) and gold appearance is especially dazzling in the bright light of an autumn afternoon.
Pura Decadencia is a Spanish artist who appears to have settled in Bristol, along with so many of her contemporaries, which is great news for us. Her typically rounded letters are well presented, and no Pura Decadencia piece is complete without big lips and vampire fangs drawing blood somewhere on the piece.
Desi, who more commonly writes VEIL these days, has had quite a quiet year, but she is making up for it with this piece. Both artists have not only adopted the same colour scheme, but also used the same black patterning at the base of their letters. The shares bubble background rounds off the collaboration nicely.
6330. Brunel Way (285)
I photographed this piece a little while back, in May this year actually, and was lucky enough to meet Pura Decadencia while she was painting. There is something very fulfilling about meeting artists while they are at work, and gaining little insights into their world and inspirations.
Although this is a classic piece of writing complete with vampire mouth and teeth, I believe it to be the tightest piece I have seen from her yet, with beautifully sharp borders and lines and strong, tidy fills and patterns. I absolutely love it, and can’t understand for the life of me why it has taken me so long to post it.
5992. Brunel Way (271)
Although she doesn’t paint walls all that often, Pura Decadencia nearly always makes an impact when she does. Her unique bubble writing style combined with vampire teeth sinking into letters and long tongues makes her work instantly easy to spot.
Pura Decadencia’s work is most endearing; despite the potentially gruesome theme and blood drops, there is something that is gently and warming about her work. Perhaps it is the bubble letters, or the bubbly background, I don’t know, but the bitter-sweet presentation works very well indeed. Nice work.
5847. M32 Cycle path (252)
Every once in a while, Pura Decadencia drops a piece as if just to remind us that she is still out there. It is a pity that she doesn’t paint on the streets more often, because her quirky writing and vampire teeth add breadth to the spectrum of styles, nationalities and content of Bristol’s street/graffiti art culture.
I think that this might be the tightest piece I have seen from Pura Decadencia, with nice bubble letters a strong yellow border/drop shadow and some lovely fills, with great transitions between the colours. Of course, not Pura Decadencia piece is complete without a set of vampire teeth drawing blood. I hope we don’t have to wait too long before her next piece.
5368. Brunel Way (217)
What an absolute pleasure to see Pura Decadencia back painting walls in Bristol, after quite an absence, with this magnificent piece on the long wall under Brunel Way. I think that she must have either been out of the country or busy with real life, but whatever the absence, it is great to see her back painting walls.
This piece reminds me of the first of hers that I posted in January 2021. She spells out her name with nice curvy bubble style letters and combines them with a couple of wicked mouths, complete with vampire teeth, biting into the letters or licking them with a long tongue. The background and fills are really nicely worked too. I look forward to more from Pura Decadencia.
4605. Brunel Way (166)
Another piece that I winkled out of my archive is this curious portrait from Pura Decadencia. It was the first piece I encountered by the artist, which might account for why I never published it at the time, I had no idea who she was then.
Unfortunately, I have not yet met this Spanish artist, and, although she spends time between Bristol and Alicante, I think she is in Spain at the moment. This is simply a nice clean vampire piece painted with great technique and finished nicely. I remember thinking at the time, in October 2020, that her work was refreshingly different. I hope she finds the time to come back to Bristol and paint some more pieces for us.
3931. East Street
Finding pieces like this one adds to the genuine fun of hunting out street art. I was on a bit of a wander in Bedminster and I took a look up a little alleyway I hadn’t noticed before, and my reward was this new graffiti piece by Pura Decadencia. I am guessing it is new, because the artist posted it on her Instagram account a day or two later.
Pura Decadencia has been quite quiet lately, but that might be simply because she doesn’t paint walls all that often, which makes finding this one all the more satisfying. This is graffiti art at its very best – unexpected and sprayed directly onto an unprepared wall. The piece features a mouth with vampire teeth and long tongue, a theme that she returns to again and again. I love this raw piece.
3576. Redcliff Subway (1)
For an artist relatively new to Bristol, Pura Decadencia has certainly been busy exploring the city and leaving her distinctive paw print in different locations, one or two I’ve still yet to find.
I actively sought out this piece, I think from an Instagram feed, because it was located at a subway I had only ever been to once before and I felt it was time I paid it a visit. I am glad I did. There is something quite compelling and sensual, in a vampire kind of way, about her work, and this one illustrates the point with sumptuous lips, a long tongue and fangs. Lots of fun.
3502. Dean Lane skate park (391)
Aah! Pura Decadencia – pure decadence, that’s what I’m saying. It is so refreshing to have this ‘new’ artist about town, in a short time she has already made a great impact and found some walls that I haven’t even found. She is also unafraid to paint on high profile walls like this one. Great to see.
Pura Decadencia likes painting mouths and also vampire teeth feature highly in her work. This piece is figuratively and almost literally on fire and conjures up an image of a saucy kind of hell where fun is to be had. Really enjoying her work and hope that as the weather improves we’ll get to see a whole load more of her about the place.
Natural adventures 