1331. New Stadium Road (4)

I don’t visit this spot very often as it is slightly out of the way and I need to find time to get there, park up etc in my very busy family schedule. Often I find that going to the recycling centre (tip) is a good excuse for taking a bit of time out, but on this occasion my wife had to do some shopping locally and offered to drop me off…never one to pass up an opportunity I accepted the offer.

Kleiner Shames, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018
Kleiner Shames, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018

Lucky that I took a look, because I found this rather nice pairing of Whyasyit and Kleiner Shames who used to spray a lot together until KS moved to London a little over a year ago. Both artists have such unique styles which once you get your eye in are easy to identify.

Kleiner Shames, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018
Kleiner Shames, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018

I like it when two or more artists use common colours and background and do their thing. Kleiner shames always write FOIS, and for a long time I thought it was the artist’s name…early posts refer to him as Fois. His lines ans designs have what I would call an ’80s deco feel about them (I know what I mean by this, but you might not).

Whysayit, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018
Whysayit, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018

Whysayit seems to be forever busy on the streets writing YSAE with similar ‘handwriting’ but always with creative and imaginative backgrounds and fills. Two great writers who work well together.

1311. M32 roundabout J3 (65)

There is a reliable consistency about the work of Soker. Always high quality and always delivered with some panache. In this piece of writing e has opted for a chrome finish on a wall background. The chrome complements the Rusk piece next to it.

Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018

There is a big thing for chrome writing, and it seems to be the colour of choice for many graffiti writers, I guess because of the impact it has. If I am honest, I’n not too sure about it, I feel it is a little over-used to achieve impacts, however what it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in clout. A nice piece of writing.

1306. Upper York Street (10)

Well, well, well. This is a sensational piece of writing by Epok which was sprayed at the same time as the Sepr pianist. Two great artists painting together but not a collaboration. The modern phrase that comes to mind when I look at this is ‘he’s smashed it’.

Epok, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
Epok, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018

With some references to the modernist movement, this piece is technically brilliant, bringing together elements of writing, shading, colour selection and mood that have created a master work.

Epok, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
Epok, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018

Anyone with aspirations of becoming a writer should take a long hard look at this piece. It would be worthy of hanging in any gallery. Perhaps you have noticed that I like it…a lot.

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.