5773. St Werburghs tunnel (399)

Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

At around the time that this piece is published, my beloved Arsenal FC will be a few minutes into their first league match in a couple of weeks, against Crystal Palace, and I will be at the Emirates Stadium cheering them on. The result of the game could determine my mood for the next few days, so I am keeping my fingers very firmly crossed. Naturally, I have had to plan my day carefully, and I wrote this post last night, to provide continuity of publishing my daily two street/graffiti art posts at around 11.55 and 12.55 UK time.

Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

Raid is another artist who has been regularly hitting the walls of Bristol throughout last year, constantly adjusting and refining his letters to great effect. This one in the tunnel is a little bit more like some of the first pieces I saw of his, back in March last year, with an ornate lower case ‘a’. There is a very nice colourful fill with a cosmic feel to it, and enough of a background to help the letters pop. Definitely time for a gallery, even though I have less than one year’s worth of photographs of Raid’s work. Watch this space.

Come on you Gunners!

5771. Purdown (65)

Benjimagnetic, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Benjimagnetic, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

I recognised the style, but couldn’t put a name to it when I first saw and photographed this classy piece up on Purdown. I had to do a google search when I got home and then the penny dropped that ‘Sentinel 793’ is the music moniker that is used by Benjimagnetic, so here is a piece using his graffiti writing skills to promote his music skills.

Benjimagnetic, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Benjimagnetic, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

I guess this cross advertising worked to a degree as I have just been listening to some of his tracks, and although not really my cup of tea, they are nicely produced. The writing and the dancing character in particular, are, on reflection, easy to spot as Benjimagnetic pieces in retrospect. The blue and gold colours work really nicely together in this unusual piece.

5768. Dean Lane skate park (677)

As the leaves die and fall on the hedge that skirts the railings between the skate park and the swimming pool wall in Dean Lane, it becomes easier to see what has been painted on the wall behind, although once revealed, it is difficult to know how long the pieces have been there. I like to think I am reasonably on the ball with this kind of thing, but I really don’t know how old this piece by Trafficity is.

Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

Trafficity is a rolling constant in the Bristol street art scene. Painting the same ZIOM letters in the same way, with only the colour palette and some small details to distinguish between pieces. I particularly like the colours he has used in this piece, especially as they blend well with the few dangly leaves from the hedge. Always consistent, always classy.

5767. Picton Lane (17)

Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2023

These pictures were taken in the dark (the miracle of modern phone technology!) and probably don’t fully capture the magnificent colours of this graffiti writing/character piece by Kosc in Picton Lane. The piece was painted alongside a Mind 49 frog which recently featured on Natural Adventures.

Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2023

The chrome letters are interrupted by a cigarette?-smoking skull appearing in the place of the O of KOSC. As you’d expect, the whole piece is beautifully constructed and executed in one of Kosc’s favourite spots. A classy piece.

5766. Dean Lane skate park (676)

Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

I wasn’t too sure whether to include this Klashwhensober Christmas piece, mainly on the grounds that I find it a little disturbing. I have noticed recently that several pieces have taken a slightly darker turn. The SOBER letters are still bright and vibrant, but the characters are a little on the weird side.

Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

In this Christmas piece, I think I would run a mile if I saw this Santa by the fireplace. He looks like he might have had a few too many brandies, and his hand gesture is hardly in the Christmas spirit of things. The letters are good with great colours – I’m just not too sure about the character.

5764. M32 Cycle path (248)

Rudini Doodini, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024
Rudini Doodini, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024

I haven’t posted nearly enough work by Rudini Doodini over the years, mainly because he hasn’t painted very often. He used to paint small characters under the name of Morph, some of which I posted a few years back. This is one of the larger pieces I have seen which was painted alongside Wxttsart and Mind 49.

Rudini Doodini, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024
Rudini Doodini, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024

The letters WHO are interspersed with three stylised characters looking like they mean business. There are some great colours in the piece and the composition works very nicely. I hope that this early New Year piece signifies more activity from Rudini Doodini in 2024.

5763. M32 roundabout J3 (548)

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

Ooh! The colours of this wonderful piece by Hypo burst out of the wall and immediately infect the viewer with a sense of optimism and wellbeing (results based on a survey of one!). A sensibly neutral buffed wall add to the sense of energy and excitement generated by this cornucopia of colour.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

The letters spell out HYPO as you’d probably expect, with a couple of nice graffiti arrows incorporated. I really like the way that Hypo produces something utterly different with each of his pieces, although there is always an underlying style that seems to permeate through. A delightful piece from Hypo.

5762. Brunel Way (251)

Dibz, Shade One and Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Dibz, Shade One and Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

This is one of the last pieces I photographed in 2023, and what a belter of a collaboration it is, bringing together the outstanding skills of Dibz, Shade One and Rusk. As always, the light under Brunel Way rarely allows photographs to do the street/grafitti art pieces justice, but I think that it is possible to see what a classy collaboration this one is.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

On the left is some superb writing from Dibz, which is a tribute piece to a supporter of his work, ‘Marie’. What this piece of graffiti writing shows is that you can give Dibz any number or combination of letters, and he will be able to create something beautiful with them. The pink and black drop shadow against the gold letters works so very well.

Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

Shade One’s work is really something special, and this portrait piece of a young person wearing a hoodie and baseball cap set against the moon and silhouetted buildings, is exceptional. The portrait is painted in greyscale, and although there is a lack of colour, it doesn’t matter one jot, because the shade and shadows provide perfect depth and texture. A very fine piece indeed.

Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

On the right, Rusk, who is often found painting alongside Shade One, has created some gorgeous letters spelling RUSK, reflecting the gold and pink colours seen in Dibz’ piece. By using two tones of gold  (bronze/brown) transitioning horizontally through the letters, it gives the illusion that the letters are a solid bar being tilted and catching the light in different ways. A tight and classy piece and collaboration.

5761. M42 roundabout J3 (547)

Lupa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Lupa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

Although she has been writing for a little while, Lupa only made her first appearance on Natural Adventures last summer, and I have tried to keep her represented as much as I can. I do feel though that I need to trawl through my archives to dig out some of her older pieces.

Lupa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Lupa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

This is a lovely green piece of chunky writing that, helped by a thick 3D drop shadow, pops out from the wall. Lupa’s finishing is sometimes a little crude, but in a way that is her style, so it kind of works. In this piece, it is the fills that excel, with a blend of green colours and shapes working very nicely together. Rounded off with a couple of trademark faces, this is a piece full of fun.

5760. M32 Spot (178)

Whysayit, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Whysayit, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

In my opinion, a much overlooked artist is Whysayit, who writes the letters YSAE in a distinctive anti-style all of his own. Indeed the whole PLB crew, to which he belongs, are an elusive bunch, who don’t get nearly as much recognition as they deserve, but maybe that is the way they like it. I first became aware of his work when he used to paint alongside Kleiner Shames a few years back, and I recently published a gallery of his fine work.

Whysayit, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Whysayit, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

This colourful piece is brought alive by the striking red background, which definitely helps it to stand out. Imagine if it had been painted on an unbuffed wall, it could struggle to be noticed. The pastel shades transition across the letters from pinks to blues to light green in a pleasing way. A drop shadow in blue is bordered off not with one line, but two, a black and a peach. Nice work all round from this unsung hero.