Here we have yet another classy piece from Biers, who is enjoying an extended period of inspiration and productivity, he really is turning out some banging graffiti writing/character combinations, and challenging my knowledge of popular cartoon culture from the last few decades (which is, I’m afraid rather rudimentary).
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024
The colours and drippy fills in the WD40 are fantastic, and all very tidily finished. The ‘0’ I am guessing is an Easter egg, and the character emerging from it is Jesus, so I have to assume that the piece was painted over, or close to, the Easter weekend. Such is his purple patch these days, that I have several of his pieces that are becoming ‘trapped’ in my archive, which I really ought to do something about.
Klashwhensober, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024
There is a lot of truth and honesty about Klashwhensober’s work. Sometimes his work can be a little scruffy and rushed, and sometimes it can be glorious, clean tidy and creative. This piece falls into the latter category, and s a general observation, his trajectory is upward and he is producing quite a lot of classy pieces at the moment.
Klashwhensober, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024
The black letters on a blue background, spelling SOBER, are nicely done and complemented with a fine blue drop-shadow and tidy accents and starbursts. The inclusion of a character in the middle of the piece definitely improves the overall look and balances out the piece well. Great work from a still-productive Klashwhensober.
This is just brilliant, a new piece from Decay. A while back, Decay was a regular painter on Bristol’s streets, often teaming up with Rezwonk, but then he moved away, and his pieces pretty much dried up except for the odd appearance at a festival or occasional paint jam. I understand that there is a chance that he might be hitting Bristol’s walls a little more often, due to his business settling down a little and having a bit more available time.
Decay, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2024
Decay holds a special place in my journey as a recorder of street art because he was the first artist I ever spoke to while he was painting a piece down in The Bearpit. I am so pleased to see that he has lost none of his creativiy and skill and has produced this beautiful DK incorporating, of course, his Chuck character. I cannot tell you how pleased I was to find this piece, and I am greatly encouraged by his little message at the bottom of the piece, “Back in the Room”. Bravo!
There has been no stopping Biers and his WD40 pieces this year, each one a real pleasure to find and photograph. His tried and tested formula of writing his letters and incorporating a character in the ‘0’ continues to delight and keeps his inspiration fresh. The idea is one adopted by other writing/character combination artists such as Zaenone, and builds a series of ‘collectible’ works.
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
It looks like Biers spent plenty of time with this one… it is neat and tidy with plenty of clean sharp lines and borders. Although the letters are generally fairly static from piece to piece, the two elements that give Biers scope for inspiration are the colour scheme and the character. Although these colours are not my personal favourite, he has worked them superbly into the horizontal layers with some drift shapes between them. The character is a treat, although I don’t know what popular culture cartoon he comes from. Altogether an awesome piece from Biers.
It has been great to see Rusk ticking over nicely so far this year with his outstanding writing and conscientious approach to his work. He has cleverly and sensitively incorporated a piece of Dibz/Fade work into this piece; the teenage mutant ninja turtle.
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Rusk has been working on this ribbon writing style for a little while now, and it is really effective having an anamorphic aspect to it. While the ribbon letters are great, I am, unusually, not totally convinced by the purple and white underlines, they simply don’t quite work for me – perhaps I am being a little picky. Overall though I am judging Rusk by his own very high standards and this remains an excellent piece.
Mind 49 and Fino, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2024
There was a good turnout for the LRS paint jam in Sparke Evans Park last month, with some really good pieces, including this collaborative work from Mind 49 and Fino (previously referred to as 3F Fino in Natural Adventures). The two totally different styles and subject matter of these two artists have combined really well.
Mind 49, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2024
Mind 49 is consistently turning out some outstanding portrait pieces at the moment, and pushing himself to continue refining and improving his work. I understand that his subjects are randomly selected images, and therefore represent anonymity. His style is edging towards photorealism although the textures of his artwork look very much like brush strokes. Great stuff.
Fino, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2024
It would appear that Fino has awoken from his winter slumbers and is starting to paint a little more now, and I was lucky enough to meet him a short while ago while painting with Tao Create on the M32 Cycle path. I thought that he might have moved away, but far from it… just a winter rest. The colours he has chosen for his FINO letters are exquisite, and the fills and borders are beautifully neat and tidy. This is a simple and attractive piece and a great counterbalance to Mind 49’s portrait piece.
My initial irritation with finding this piece – I had come to find something else (I think a piece by Hire) that I hadn’t yet photographed and that had only been on this wall for a few hours – was quickly replaced with the joy of seeing another fine piece from visiting artist Zaenone.
IMG_7705_edited
Zaenone’s pieces can be broadly described as having chunky letters ZAEN, with character bookends, although occasionally he omits the characters. The sumptuous reds of the letters occupy much of the space of the piece and smack you in the face. The strength of the colours is offset and counterbalanced by the two wizard characters augmenting the whole thing perfectly. It is always a pleasure to find Zaenone’s work, even when painted over other artist’s recent work – it is a jungle out there.
I think that Hypo and his friends are particularly partial to this spot on the M32 roundabout, and I say that because many of his pieces have been painted here. This one was painted alongside Hemper and Turoe, two legends of the Bristol graffiti writing scene.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024
Hypo hasn’t gone for the symmetry that we often see with his letters, or at least, not as obviously. There are some great colours in the vibrant piece, and some classic drips and spots by way of decoration. I am not fully convinced by the 3D drop shadow, which looks a little conflicted in one or two places. Overall though this is yet another cracker from Hypo.
There is an artist in Bristol, who occasionally hits the walls of the city with his curious creations, often in chrome. I am talking about Blimma Blamma, at least I think that is what he is called (he/she doesn’t sign his/her work).
Blimma Blamma, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
This piece includes some letters, which I can’t make out and a character,, customarily wrapped up in clothes with only his face poking through. There is something endearing about the characters and mysterious about the work, which leaves one guessing what the story is. I think I need to do a little more research on the enigmatic Blimma Blamma.
Smak, Sled One and Oust, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024
The wall on the Coach and Horses is one of the best ‘outdoor galleries’ in Bristol and often hosts some really classy work that tends to remain untagged for reasonably long periods. It probably doesn’t have the same turnover as some of the more accessible or popular walls, which means we can enjoy the artwork for longer. This collaboration is by Smak, Sled One and Oust.
Smak, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024
Smak needs no introduction on Natural Adventures, being something of a staple over the years. This is a finely crafted and executed piece of writing that spells out SMAK. The colour palette is is perfect, and offset by the appearance of a black and white stripe design on some parts. The writing is wonderfully intricate without being over-fussy – clean crisp and classy.
Sled One, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024
We don’t get to see enough of Sled One’s genius on our walls these days, so everything we do get to see, we ought to be grateful for. In this central panel, Sled One has painted a cat toasting a mouse on a stick over a fire, surrounded by barbed wire. There is a story here, but not one I can tell you. There is a mixture of styles, which is a bit unsettling. The cat is approaching photorealistic, but the mouse is most definitely cartoon, which confuses my brain somewhat. Brilliant artwork.
Oust, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024
The right hand side of the collaboration is some unusual writing from Oust. The letters are more like constructions, with hints at industry and engineering. I haven’t come across Oust’s work before, so am a little unsure if his style is always like this or that this is a one-off. I guess Oust was visiting, and took the opportunity to paint with friends/acquaintances. There are some great colours and ideas in the piece which is full of contained energy. Fabulous collaboration.
Natural adventures 