I love it when a new artist appears on my radar and I start to see their work all over the place. I think that Raid is a relative newcomer to Bristol, but he is already making an impact with his distinct and attractive writing.
Raid, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023
The letters spell RAID, with the ‘A’ being rather distinct. The letter shapes seem to be retained from piece to piece, so it is the drop shadow and fills that change, and he has done a superb job with this one. The drop shadow is cleverly done with a black surround and grey middle, adding character and interest. The solid blue fill is decorated with colourful pixel patterns, creating a rather joyful overall feel. More to come from Raid soon.
This is another piece from the archive, and is an absolute classic from RAW’s Ryder. Ryder is at the very heart of everything that is great about graffiti writing in Bristol. His work is consistently brilliant, there is always an element of edge and the style of writing has a really strong local identity to it. If you look at graffiti writing from around the world there are clearly local styles and influences, and Ryder is central to the Bristol look.
Ryder, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2018
Painted in April 2018, in red and gold, the letters RYDER stand out and smack you in the face. It is weird looking at the finished piece, but it feels like the creation was effortless, maybe because of his modesty and lack of fuss. Punchy and direct, this is a no nonsense statement from the wonderful Ryder.
Another root around in my archive unearthed this old one from February 2018, by Taboo, and if you look carefully to the left you can see the edge of a piece by Deamz. I still miss seeing Deamz’ work on our streets, even though he left for Tasmania several years ago – maybe one day he will return for a visit and decorate a wall or two.
Taboo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018
I suspect that I have several more unpublished Taboo pieces lurking in my files, but this one stood out, most probably, because of the colour selections, with a transition from white to copper, with some interesting oranges and reds filling in the holes. This is a really nice piece of anti-style graffiti writing.
ut Claro_que_sssnoh, is always troublesome, because his name is difficult to type at the best of times, but when I am in a rush (which I usually am when writing my posts) it is extra difficult. Perhaps I should have paid better attention at the touch-typing classes my mother made me do in a classroom above a shop in Oxford Street, when I was in my early 20s.
Claro_que_sssnoh, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2023
Claro’s work (see what I did there?) is always good to see as it offers a unique take on graffiti writing. The letters HONS laid down in an almost continuous line of joined up writing with equal measure of long straight lines and curvy lines is a unique style here in Bristol, and makes his work easy to identify (most of the time. The dark blue background is a little unusual, but contrasts well with the ‘fruit salad’ colours of the writing. A lovely piece from Claro.
This is a big bold statement piece from Bogat alongside the M32 motorway, from a week or two back. This is a striking piece and I know that when I post it on Instagram it wil be popular, there is something about his work that is appealing.
Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023
The piece spells BOG in large and nicely finished letters with some cool drips going on at the top of the piece. The open-mouthed character making up the ‘O’ is typical of Bogat’s work. There is some nice shading on the face and hat offering texture to the face. I am enjoying Bogat’s work very much and look forward to seeing more.
More unusual writing from Kid Krishna, this time on the wall to the right of the tunnel on the northern side of the M32 roundabout. This is a candidate wall for the ‘One Wall’ series of posts I write, showing a time series of pieces on the same wall… when I have time.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
Kid Krishna told me that he always writes CRIE in his work, although even though he has assured me this is the case, I struggle a little to see it sometimes. I guess it is not important what it says, instead, the composition being more central. This is a straightforward cream on black piece, with nowhere to hide, so Kid Krishna has really exposed his work here. There is some geometry and method in his writing, which you can see from the circles. Painted with rollers, this is a fine reminder of the versatility of the artist.
A gallery of bold and beautiful writing from Bristol’s Evey
Instagram: @evenrbf
RBF Crew
All photographs by Scooj
Evey, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023Evey and Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023Evey, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023Evey, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023Evey, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2022Evey, and Bnie?, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022Bnie, Vozie, Pekoe and Evey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022Evey, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2022Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022Evey, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2022Evey, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022Evey, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022Evey, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2022Evey and Eman, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021Evey, M32 roudabout, Bristol, March 2021Evey, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2020Evey, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Evey, Peggy and Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
The turnover at Sparke Evans Park is very slow these days, and the chance of meeting artists actively painting there is minimal, however that is exactly what happened when Evey, Peggy and Desi were painting this wall a short while ago. Of course, I had to go back again to get clean pictures of the completed wall, and what a wall it is.
Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
To the left of the three is a gorgeous EVEN from Evey, painted in the pink and blue colours replicated through the collaborative effort. There are some nice letter shapes and a band of horizontal fades running through the letters, which are given a little bit of extra interest with squiggles, hearts and a peace sign.
Peggy, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
In the middle is a wonderful floral design from Peggy, picking up hints of the pink and blue theme, and adding in some yellow touches to lift the design further. Each of the flower heads contains a signature eye peering out. The style of strong black lines and colourful fills betrays her tattoo art background.
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
To the right, Desi picks up the bold lettering and colours and in part reflects Evey’s work, although there is a subtle difference in the patterning, with both colours appearing in each of Desi’s letters and alternating top and bottom halves from one letter to the next. The whole wall by these three ladies recognised International Women’s Day, and what a fine way to celebrate it.
In Bristol, we have several what I would call ‘occasional’ artists, who are accomplished in their own right, but simply don’t paint walls all that often and Serm would fall into that category. For example, I have only spotted five of his pieces since February 2021, and although he may have painted more than that, his pieces are few and far between.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
The great thing about these occasional writers is that it is always extra special when you do come across a piece. Serm tends to paint large block letters, which he has done on this occasion with a yellow background and shades of purple and lilac in his letter fills. There is a strong sense of industry and solidity in the piece looking like it would weigh a lot if you could pick it up. A few more years, and I might have enough Serm pieces to cobble a gallery together.
Benjimagnetic and Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Now this is a proper mash-up collaboration, a conflation of two distinct styles from two outstanding artists, Benjimagnetic and Hemper. It is rare to find something of this nature where the artists fully collaborate so that the whole piece is one, and not two.
Benjimagnetic and Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Although it is one combined piece, it is possible to disentangle which artist painted which bits. Broadly speaking the letters with straight bits and geometric elements are by Benjimagnetic, and the more curvy elements are likely to be by Hemper. It doesn’t really matter who painted what, because the end result is a wonderfully complex piece of writing that is jam-packed with great artistry.
Natural adventures 