1305. St Werburghs tunnel (17)

I think I said it quite recently that I don’t often get down to St Werburghs tunnel, which is a pity really because I miss out on a lot of gems like this one from Whysayit. I am beginning to think that he might simply be whysay or YSAE, because his Instagram handle which used to be Whysayit has changed to Whysissy and again to Whydot. However, I am not retrospectively going to correct all my posts. I shall call him Whysayit.

Whysayit, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, January 2018
Whysayit, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, January 2018

Once again we such great quality of ideas and shading from this graffiti artist. When I see great writing, I often wonder whether the artists could do characters or something other than writing. There is something of a split between graff writers and street artists, but some have crossed the divide and others, such as Deamze and Voyder seem to be equally comfortable with both.

1300. M32 roundabout J3 (64)

Sitting snugly next to an Elvs work is this great chrome piece by Rusk, set on a black background and decorated with pink and purple bubbles. A friend of mine, who is a designer, asked me what is this thing for drawing arrows on the end of graffiti letters all about. Is it simply a design feature? who first did it? does anyone know? I don’t know the answers, but they do feature in most wildstyle writing.

Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018

Rusk as always has smashed it with this piece, which is rather different from some of his work I have been posting recently. Maybe I’ll ask him about the arrows next time I see him.

1298. Raleigh Road, vector (21)

I have said it before (and I have said that before too), but I will say it again – I am really enjoying the work of Elvs. Having only comparatively recently established who he was, I seem to be finding a lot of his work, either contemporary or in my archives.

Elvs, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Elvs, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

This is a recent piece in Raleigh Road that really stands out. The fade of shading through the piece is masterful and I rather like the yellow frame and green patterning that his letters ‘ELVS’ are sitting on. The pink and black accents lift the edges of his letters expertly. A fine piece of writing.

1295. Upfest 2017 (129)

Unmistakable, this piece is from our very own street art mega-star, Inkie. In Bristol, he is pretty much a household name and is recognised not only for his amazing street art work, but also for the stunning designs he produces in his studio. Many of his prints hang on the walls of Bristol homes.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

At Upfest, Inkie was supposed to have a different wall, but for some reason he didn’t take it, and Dzia did an extra piece (the robin) instead. This was where Inkie ended up, in a back yard that is fenced off. A few intrepid visitors found it and went round the back of the yard, and saw that the gate was open (probably for the festival only). There have not been many images of this piece, even though it is still there. A beautiful example of his work, so clean and an example of wildstyle writing at its best.

 

 

1289. Raleigh Road, vector (21)

Well here we have a fine piece from RAW’s Smak in Raleigh Road. His wildstyle writing realy is out of the top drawer and this work really showcases his skill. set on a blue background, which was probably prepped for this paintjam, his subtle blue lettering is lifted by the yellow and red accents and of course by the cheeky mushroom skull character.

Smak, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Smak, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

I fear that this set of pieces may be some of the last at this site, which has hosted some remarkable work over the last 18 months or so, but the building work is nearing completion and it will not be long before the hoardings come down. We need some new sites to make up for it.

1285. Dean Lane skate park (107)

I met Rusk the day before he sprayed this magnificent piece in Dean Lane, while he was prepping the wall with black emulsion. We chewed the fat for quite a while, mostly talking about the street art scene in Bristol and some of the things that go on. He told me that he would be spraying the wall with a couple of friends the next day, I think it was a Saturday, and this is the result. I will post the other pieces in time, but felt I should do this one first.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018

As always with Rusk’s pieces, a lot of care and thought has been put into this. It has lovely clean lines and the gradient of colours from top to bottom is skilfully done. Definitely one of my favourite writers in Bristol, and one who makes time to talk about his and other people’s work. A nice piece.

1284. Jubilee Street (5)

I don’t get over to Jubilee Street all that often, but managed to get there recently whilst shopping for a chandelier in Gardener Haskins, a nearby and completely bonkers department store.

Soker, Jubilee Street, Bristol, January 2017
Soker, Jubilee Street, Bristol, January 2017

This is a super piece by Soker that sits in a bit of a backwater and probably doesn’t get seen all that much, apart from by the children in the adjacent school. The walls here are very much dominated by ASK members, in particular Deamze, and tend to remain unchanged for long periods of time. Visiting only occasuionally doesn’t seem to matter too much in this spot.

1278. Raleigh Road vector (21)

The covers are coming off the scaffolding at this site, which means that the hoardings will probably be coming down soon too, which is a pity, because this is a top spot for street artists. I suppose hoardings are by their very nature temoporary, so we should be thankful fot the opportunity.

Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

This is another extraordinary piece by Sled One, who appears to be hitting the streets quite hard over the winter period. Sled One has offered us another masterclass in character wildstyle writing, where it is possible to make out the letters SLED, however I am less certain that I am able to unpick all the intricate stuff going on in the piece. There is so much detail to wade through. The main part of the story is in the letter D.

Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

There is a skull-like character consuming something, but it is all a bit odd and surreal. Sled One has a fertile imagination, and supreme skill to be able to commit it to a wall with such fine craftsmanship. Another great work from the young artist.

1277. Dean Lane skate park (105)

I have held on and held on to this collaboration for such a long time, because I was determined not to post it until I found out who worked on it with Dibz. Then I met Ulow a few weeks back (see my post about his Boba Fett piece) and was able to complete the puzzle.

Dibz, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016
Dibz, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016

The Dibz half of the collaboration was fairly easy to identify because I am familiar with his work and he sprays Dean Lane often enough for me to know his stuff when I see it. His writing here is very nice indeed and has quite a deep yellow border which sets it up beautifully.

Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016
Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016

The character half of the collaboration is by Ulow, and is something quite different. Set on a moody sunset skyline, a breakdancer entertains us with his contortions. The orange glow reflecting off the folds of his clothes is masterful work.

Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016
Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016

Like so many pieces at Dean Lane, this one didn’t last long, but it was a real peach.

1276. Wilder Street (22)

This is an unusual pice of writing from Ryder. I don’t think it is the writing itself that is unusual, rather it is the bare wood hoarding behind it. Usually a backwash is applied to make the piece stand out on a single colour. Not only does this piece ignore such things, it also spans around a concrete pillar.

Ryder, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016
Ryder, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016

Ryder is a fine Bristol writer, who I was slow to pick up on and appreciate, but I am a fan of his work now. This one does look a bit like a jelly though, all sort of wibbly wobbly, and the shading has a kind of electric/cosmos feel to it. Unusual.