538. Raleigh Road Vector (3)

This is another nice piece from wildstyle specialist Soker. It was in the Vector car park back in July, just before being overpainted during Upfest. The car park is a special place for Bristol street artists as it has five walls available in a gated space, so the works are rarely tagged. It also allows for gatherings and collaborations.

Soker, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016
Soker, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2016
This is on the side wall of the car park, and is slightly more difficult to photograph from the gates. The piece is a great example of Soker’s work. He tends not to disguise his letters as much as some and makes great colour and tone selections. A good piece.

531. M32 roundabout, J3 (25)

This interesting piece by Deamze was most likely sprayed at the same time as this awesome work by Voyder. They often work together, and the two pieces were close to one another on the same wall.

Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2016
Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2016

This Deamze piece is intricate and skillfully worked and has the trademark cartoon element woven into the work. The face reminds me of one of the characters from the Beezer comic, or was it Beano…it is the top lip that does it. The Bash Street kids?

Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2016
Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2016

Deamze continues to delight with his work dotted around the city, although only those with their eyes open will enjoy it.

525. Dean Lane skate park (28)

This is a bright and cheerful piece from back in August by Laic 217. Remember, it was warm and sunny then. This nice bit of writing follows the format favoured by Laic 217, that is, to write his name and add a feature, normally a face or figure.

Laic 217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Laic 217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

Of course he also sprays the acid house melting faces, which I have featured on these pages before and which I rather like. I think I may have mentioned it before, but Laic 217 is one of those artists whose work can be found at most of the hotspots around the City. Many others tend to restrict their work to specific areas.

Laic 217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Laic 217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

There is always more to come from this quiet talent.

523. Raleigh Road (4)

The second of two recent works by Voyder, following on from my previous post. This is a highly accomplished piece that on first inspection looks like a giant sticker that has a couple of kinks and tears in it, but take a closer look and it is just an illusion, the whole piece is sprayed.

Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, November 2016
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, November 2016

I love this amazing attention to detail and deception, this really is a very clever piece, and demonstrates the versatility of Voyder. The work sits comfortably alongside Deamze on one side and a Beastie and Decay collaboration on the other. Both to follow soon.

Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, November 2016
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, November 2016

I have to keep checking this piece to look at how Voyder has sprayed the crease. It really is masterful and creative. One of the best.

504. Armada Place (4)

Some more writing today, this time from one of the less prominent graffiti artists in Bristol, ‘Subtle’. On first appearance this looks like quite a raw piece of work and could easily be missed, but on closer inspection, it is a fine sophisticated piece of writing.

Subtle, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2016
Subtle, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2016
Nothing much lasts very long on these hoardings, and I would guess that I only ever capture about 20% of what appears here, which gives you some idea of the volume of spraying that happens every week across Bristol…certainly way too much to write about it all. I am pleased to have photographed this when I did though.

502. Armada Place (7)

This is a stunning, collaboration between Sled One and Epok, two of the best wildstyle writers about. It is easy to see the Sled One element…if you look carefully you can make out the letters SLED. I had to look hard though for Epok – I knew it was a collaboration because he had signed the piece. I think his lettering is in the grey-green underlayer – certainly this part is more in his style.

Sled One and Epok, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2016
Sled One and Epok, Armada Place, Bristol, June 2016

What I love most abut this piece is that it is on a modest hoarding with low footfall. This piece was done for the love of it. The colour palettes are brilliant and the whole thing quite beautiful. These things are so easily overlooked or dismissed…it is a pity.

501. M32 Roundabout J3 (22)

This is a beautiful bit of wildstyle writing from 3Dom. His wildstyle form tends to be quite organic and ethereal, more in the style of Ments, rather than the hard, clean, sharp geometric writing associated with his Bristol peers Deamze, Sokem, Epok and Voyder, to name just a few.

3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
3Dom, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016

This piece was from a little while ago and has been painted over several times since. It is nice to have a record of it though. It was part of an ASK crew paint jam in March, and his piece here is sandwiched between Voyder on the left and Sled One on the right. Nice work.

477. M32 Roundabout, J3 (21)

I still know nothing about the artist OHMS, but I know I like their work. This is an incredibly colourful and intricate piece tucked between some bushes on the side of the M32 roundabout between St Pauls and Easton.

OHMS, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
OHMS, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
OHMS is quite different from many of the graffiti artists in Bristol. There seems to be more of a narrative about the work, hidden depths maybe. The whole thing is quite organic, none of the crisp clear lines one sees with work by Epok, Deamze, Voyder and Soker. This appears altogether more spontaneous, although I am sure there is plenty of preparation involved.

OHMS, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
OHMS, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
I love the toucan in the centre of the piece…such magnificent birds. A great piece of work by OHMS.

476. M32 Roundabout, J3 (20)

Wildstyle writing is an acquired taste, and one which I have developed a hunger for, but it was not always that way. When I first started writing about street art, I was often left cold or baffled by writers (burners, throw-ups of wildstyle). I just didn’t get it.

Epok, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
Epok, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2016
One of the first writers who helped me develop an interest was Epok, one of the fantastic group of Bristol graffiti writers. His clean works usually feature large block letters spelling EPOK on a slant. His choice of colour palette really marks his work out as special too, and he finishes his pieces with bright stripes and flashes. I really admire his work.

468. Moon Street (13)

At risk of getting a bit samey, I simply have to share this exceptional recent piece by Sled One. This time we see one of his wildstyle pieces, where you can make out the letters SLED and the word ONE at the far right.

Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, October 2016
Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, October 2016
The colours are absolutely wonderful and in keeping with the season (I’m not sure if this is intentional). The whole piece has a metallic quality to it and is really easy on the eye. This is wildstyle writing at its best.

Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, October 2016
Sled One, Moon Street, Bristol, October 2016