Tag: Writer

5172. Elton Street (22)

Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022
Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022

Following on immediately from the previous post featuring Katie Fishlock, here is a piece that she painted, in collaboration with Fyona Finn back in April 2022, a year ago. Once again we see a bold statement accompanied by a carefully crafted illustration.

Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022
Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022

Fishlock’s style seems to be very much about the message and arresting imageryto help drive it home. Some clever wordplay is at work here and the phrase can be read as ‘Love is expansive’ or a rather more pessimistic version ‘Love is expensive’. I suspect both are true statements, and that is the point. I don’t know which artist did which bit of this piece, but as a collaboration it works perfectly. Maybe we’ll have another chapter in April 2024.

5171. Elton Street (21)

Fishhlock, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Fishhlock, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

I go to great lengths to try and keep my street art/graffiti posts fresh by mixing up the locations and artists each time I post. Today I am making an exception, posting not only the same artist, Katie Fishlock, in two consecutive posts, but also in the same spot, Elton street.

Fishhlock, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Fishhlock, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

I am not particularly familiar with Fishlock’s work, although the next post is a piece by her from last year. I think she is mostly a designer and illustrator working in the studio, who from time to time paints murals. Her messages are usually pretty hard-hitting, and this particular phrase is something she has been working on in her designs. Really eye-catching and interesting. A simple message very tidily delivered.

5170. Dean Lane skate park (591)

Slim Pickings (Tes), Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Slim Pickings (Tes), Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

There was a time, when turnover was slower and the number of artists was fewer, that I would post every piece by Slim Pickings (TES) that I saw. Now, I have an embarrassingly large number of his pieces sitting in my archive, so I have a feeling that I might have to round them up and do a special post of his work from the last couple of years. This is indicative of the up tick in activity these days.

Slim Pickings (Tes), Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Slim Pickings (Tes), Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

This recent TES was painted on a sloping surface, and not the easiest to photograph – at times like this, a little drone would come in very handy. Nicely done in blues with pink splats and drips. The more observant viewer might notice another TES in the background, just beneath the letters DLH (which stands for Dean Lane Hardcore – an annual music/graffiti/skating/booze event held in the skatepark). Sorry for the neglect Slim Pickings.

5169. St Werburghs tunnel (366)

The Mole, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2023
The Mole, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2023

Inca the Mole, or The Mole is an artist who paints reasonably frequently in Bristol, but who I think might live in Gloucestershire. This is a lovely piece of writing in the tunnel, although this time it is not accompanied by the peace-loving mole.

The Mole, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2023
The Mole, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2023

The three nicely chosen colours run horizontally through the letters, which pop out from the wall thanks to the deep 3D drop shadow. Although the mole isn’t there, he is in spirit with all the peace symbols running across the letters. It is always good to see that the Mole has been to visit.

5167. Greenbank (78)

Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2023
Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2023

Grrr! it is so annoying when the sun shines on days when I take a stroll to photograph urban art. I am so stupid, and get caught out all too often. This is the only piece that I can post from a wonderful Easter RBF paint jam on the Greenbank hoardings. I will have to return to photograph the rest again on an overcast day, and in the meantime just hope that they haven’t been tagged or bombed.

Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2023
Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2023

Bnie is a brilliant writer and artist, and her characteristic pieces are such a joy to find. This clever piece has two separate colour combination elements, one of yellow and pinks and the second is a zig-zag stripe of light blue and lilac colours running through the piece. I have seen this kind of inverse design technique before and it is always a winner. The eggs are a nod to Easter. Great work from Bnie.

5166. M32 roundabout J2 (2)

Logoe, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, April 2023
Logoe, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, April 2023

It would be fair to say that I am struggling to keep up with Logoe’s activity. He may only be a weekend visitor to Bristol, but he certainly crams in the pieces when he comes. I ventured up to the Junction 2 roundabout of the M32 recently, and found several recent pieces by Logoe, a couple of which are featured in this post.

Logoe, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, April 2023
Logoe, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, April 2023

I rather like the colours of this compressed green piece, written in a slightly fatter script than his usual scratchy letters. It would appear that Logoe can slap up his graffiti pieces in no time at all without compromising the quality of design or finishing.

Logoe, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, April 2023
Logoe, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, April 2023

The second piece is rather wider than the first, but picks up on the slightly fatter letters.  I am guessing that this was the last of a series painted during the day, because it has the message ‘bed time…’. I am guessing he was tired, because there is a distinct lack of horizontal oval spots – perhaps he had run out of paint. I think that Logoe represents the almost obsessive side of graffiti writing married up with the pure joy he would seem to get out of it. Lots more to come from this session.

5163. Dean Lane skate park (589)

Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

This container on the elevated skate park platform, adjacent to the basketball courts, gets quite a lot of graffiti action – more often than not it plays host to throw ups and tagging, but occasionally it is adorned with something a little more classy, and that is the case with this Smak piece.

Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023

Smak, like several other writers in Bristol, has been something of a landmark, a heartbeat, of the graffiti writing scene. Ever-present, albeit with some short breaks, and always turning out quality pieces.  This is a beautifully conceived and crafted piece. The colours work so well together, everything is on point, even the (deliberately) cloudy bits. Fine work, in a modest setting, from one of Bristol’s best.

5162. M32 roundabout J3 (467)

Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

I was really fed up when I missed the last collaboration from these two in Dean Lane a short while ago. I was just too slow, and in this game if you snooze, you lose. So I didn’t hang around this time, making sure I got down to the roundabout as soon as I knew this had been painted. The collaboration is from Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, whose street work I have only ever seen alongside his friend.

Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Kid crayon has gone for some straightforward writing in pink shades, which is very much a favoured tone he uses. The letters are clean and tidy, with some fun fills adding interest to the two pinks he has used. The lines along the top offer a sense of movement. The words ‘sit up’ segue nicely across to the adjacent I Am Ian piece.

I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

I have seen a lot of designs on I Am Ian’s Instagram account, and he manages to transition them really well to large walls, retaining his bold colours and exaggerated features. In this piece, we see a red-faced character doing sit-ups, building up a sweat and whose eyes are popping. Fun stuff from these two, who really ought to get out more and paint walls together this summer (easy for me to say).

5161. M32 roundabout J3 (466)

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Always incredible, always on point, Hemper manages to turn out extraordinary pieces every time he paints, without fail. Hemper is one of the best graffiti writers in Bristol, and quite probably in the country right now, whose imaginative renditions of the letters HEMS are truly awesome.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

This piece on the roundabout has an organic feel to it and Hemper has created an extraordinary sense of depth, with clever use of borders and 3D drop shadows as well as white highlights, circles and shading in the letters. He has used a fabulous pastel colour palette, that while eye-catching, isn’t brash. This piece from Hemper is about as good as it gets.

More from Hemper in this gallery.

5160. Cumberland Basin

Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023

A weird thing I have noticed about my last three posts is that the three different featured artists’ names all end in ‘OE’. Logoe, Turoe, and in this post, Pekoe. What are the chances of that? We are used to seeing Pekoe’s stylised portraits, but her last couple of pieces have been graffiti writing instead. Perhaps she feels like a bit of a change.

Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023

I think the most noticeable thing about this piece is the colourful fills in the letters, which are painted in a fairly random and unruly fashion. Features that are common with her portraits are the tears and little diamonds, adding interest. Although I like the fact that Pekoe is doing something different, I do prefer her portraits, which bring out her strengths.