Not very often, but often enough to satisfy the appetite, Dibz creates one of his extremely precise and complex pieces of wild style writing. I have seen a few where he uses this black and red combination which he seems to favour.
Somewhere in there it probably says DIBZ, but I’ll be darned if I can find it. The whole thing is just so sharp and crisp, and technically pretty close to perfection. This is what the highest quality writing looks like. Bravo Dibz.
Sled One has absolutely smashed it with this extraordinarily brilliant piece of graffiti writing on the new hoardings at the bottom end of Lower Ashley Road. Sadly, the developers have already placed batten squares all over the hoardings in preparation for advertising posters (I guess). How sad that our world is dominated by consumerism and money. These boards were a creative outlet for Bristol street artists to share their art with fellow citizens. Instead, drivers will have to endure seedy adverts desperately thrusting lifestyle aspirations at us in an attempt to sell their grubby products to swell their shareholders wallets. Capitalism is driving everything towards the lowest common denominator of money. No wonder the world is in a mess.
Back to the art and the joy it can bring to our hearts. Sled One is one of the artists I rate most highly in Bristol and this piece (which spells out SLED) is a fine example of his work. He had to paint this in two sessions as he was ‘moved on’ I think when he was sketching it out. Thank goodness he had the perseverance to come back and finish it off. I hope the artists find a way of keeping these hoardings alive, but I fear it could be difficult.
Yum yum, a lovely fresh hoarding went up a couple of weeks back in Lower Ashley Road and within a flash a whole bunch of writers were on it. They must have been disturbed though, because as soon as the outlines for their pieces gone up, the were apparently abandoned, unfinished. Glad to say though that they went back at a later date and completed their work. Hurrah!
This cracking piece by Smak is a very clever bit of graffiti writing. On Instagram he said it was two for the price of one, and you can see why. If you look carefully, he has written SMAK twice, with the letters from each word intertwining with the other. A masterful piece of work and one that really demonstrates just how good Smak is. Love this and the persistent ‘never say die’ attitude that goes with it. Looking forward to these boards becoming a new street art/graffiti art spot for at least a while.
Another overlooked piece from my archives, this time from Elvs in Dean Lane. It is very possible that this remained on file for so long because at the time of seeing it, I didn’t know the artist and so left the picture in a folder. Because the turnover of pieces in Bristol is so high, many that I photograph never see the light of day, but on my occasional trawls through the archives I like to dig some oldies out.
Elvs’ skills are obvious for all to see, and the crisp lines on his distinctive writing style are a pleasure to observe, and in this one, the shading within the letters is masterful. A great piece on the bit of wall that is very difficult to photograph…as you can see.
You’ll know how much I try to avoid writing posts about artists I know nothing about, but sometimes the piece is just too good not to share. This is one such example. Some really classy writing, as part of a paint jam, which included all sorts of artists I am not familiar with. This piece I am guessing is by Debris.
Of course it is possible the piece is by another artist who just happens to be writing the word ‘DEBRIS’ but it is unusual for graffiti writers to stray from their preferred letters/name. There is an energy about this one that I really admire, and I love the fiery stripe running through all the letters. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for more from this artist.
The thing I love about Soker is that he is his own man. Quietly and without fanfare, he’ll just saunter down to Dean Lane and create something like this. No fuss, no bother, but just how good is it? If you ask me it is a brilliant , and he must be one of the best writers in the UK right now.
The salmon pink background is quite an unusual colour, and one I haven’t seen much of before. If nothing else, it helps the writing and black outline to it stand out. The three shades to the lettering fill are quite understated, but just to give the whole thing a bit of a spark, Soker has included five orange accents within the lettering. An outstanding piece and one I certainly wasn’t expecting to find.
Every once in a while, this spot gets some TLC which it surely deserves especially as much of the stuff that appears here is not great or gets tagged within an instant. This is one half of a collaborative session from Sepr (to follow) and Epok.
The piece was sprayed as an end of year celebration to see out 2018 (good riddance) and welcome in 2019. A sensational colour selection and all the hallmarks of a classic Epok piece – I love it to pieces.
Regular readers might recognise this as the work of the wonderful talent that is Kleiner Shames. His colour palette and the shapes of his letters are very distinctive, and if that is not enough to go on, the letters FOIS should give it away.
Such sights are a bit of a rarity in Bristol these days since the artist trundled off to london to find his fortune, but I guess he still hankers after the old city of Bristol and makes these occasional trips and marks them with fine pieces like this one. I find his letters very calming and gentle and aesthetically pleasing. Nothing jars. Always a genuine pleasure to find one of these.
Smak is an artist who just keeps on giving. This is yet another perfect example of wildstyle writing at its best. Using the same colour palette chosen by Ments, he spells out SMAK in grey and embellished it with reds, pinks and blues.
Smak, unlike Ments, always keeps his pieces perfectly proportioned and they are easy on the eye. He has also included a little mouse making a rather rude gesture to the right. The gesture is aimed at the central piece of this triptych by Sled One, which will make since when you see it in a couple of days.
This ‘wonder wall’ in Wilder Street is curated by Where the Wall, a Bristol street art tour business and as such it is rarely if ever tagged. It is almost like a showcase wall which guarantees high-quality artwork. The only downside is that the turnover here is glacially slow, maybe every six months or so.
This piece by Ments is one part of a three-piece collaborative wall which includes Sled One and Smak (to follow). Ments has appeared in Natural Adventures many times, but he seems recently to have had an epiphany and he is really branching out from his trademark ‘organic’ work. The writing spells out MENTS and is beautifully worked. The thing with Ments is that he often deviated from any kind of symmetry in his work and does not confine himself to exacting letter shapes or heights etc, which sometimes makes his work look a little out of proportion. I suspect this is deliberate. Lovely piece.
Natural adventures 