5405. Brunel Way (220)

Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

Only a few days ago I spoke about how many whole-wall epic collaborations there have been this year, and this huge wall is all the more impressive given that the whole thing was painted by only two artists, Fade and Dibz.

Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

Fade appears to be something of a force of nature with both the quality and quantity of pieces he has been painting recently, and he appears to be equally comfortable with writing and characters. I have to confess that I am not 100 percent certain who painted each element of the wall, but I’ll have a go. I think the fox and the MOFO writing in white are by Fade.

Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

The vampire style character I have a feeling might have been painted by Dibz… it certainly has the crispness and quality that I would associate with his work, although equally, Fade might have crafted it.

Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

The next section of writing would appear to be by Fade, but having said that it might be by Dibz, doing that thing where he writes another artist’s name. The cartoon duck is fabulous, but I can’t place him.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

The next section of writing is definitely by Dibz… there are very few artists who could replicate  his superb wildstyle graffiti writing.

Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

Rounding off the whole collaboration is a little scene with a cartoon dog and mid-west style farm house painted to perfection. The whole collaboration is utterly awesome and frankly it is difficult to process how they managed to pull it off so well. Bravo!

5404. Sparke Evans Park (76)

Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023
Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023

Although I have never met Wispa, I have recently had a conversation with her via Instagram messenger, and it is comforting to know that she is supportive of me sharing photographs of her work and writing posts like this one. It is just a matter of time before I am able to put a face to a name, and I only missed her by a whisker in Cheltenham. Speaking of whiskers, this is a wonderful piece featuring Tom the cat in Sparke Evans Park.

Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023
Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023

Once again Wispa delights with this outstanding piece of writing, and fills to die for. I don’t quite know how she does it, but she has great judgement in getting the right composition and proportions in her fills, supported by great colour selections. The letters spelling WISPA are nicely done and lifted with a white 3D drop shadow.

Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023
Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023

Wispa usually accompanies her work with a character and in this one we are treated to a fun Tom cat from the cartoon Tom and Jerry. It is always a great pleasure to find pieces by Wispa, and I hope she continues to visit Bristol as often as she is able to.

5403. Peel Street Green (19)

Trafficity, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2023
Trafficity, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2023

Trafficity is an artist I have huge respect for. His unique pieces are incredibly consistent in style as well as quality. The word he writes is ZIOM and is a slang term for homie, bro, friend etc. The term I guess is appropriate and relevant in an urban culture setting.

Trafficity, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2023
Trafficity, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2023

Trafficity’s letters are interesting, in that they are quite blocky and they interlock rather neatly. I think that there is probably more going on than meets the eye, and I have often wondered it there is some sub-lettering going on. For example across the top I can quite clearly see the word ‘MUMM’. Of course, this might be entirely coincidental and unintended, but I think the only way of finding out is asking the artist, should I ever bump into him again. Not too far away from having enough pieces for a Trafficity gallery.

5401. Cumberland Basin

Phour, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023
Phour, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023

I reckon that for every piece by Phour that I include in Natural Adventures, there are probably two or three that remain in my archives. This is unfortunate, because I like his work very much, there is something about the letter form that works very well for me. The strong ‘P’ is a great way to start the word.

Phour, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023
Phour, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023

In this piece, Phour has gone for chrome letters with a black 3D drop shadow and yellow border, simple and effective. To add a bit of interest and lift the letters a little, Phour has added a marble effect and some cracks that mimic a stone surface. The fill bleeds from letter to letter, creating a large slab of writing. A lovely piece well finished.

5400. M32 Cycle path (221)

Gatoloco (Kasoe), M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2023
Gatoloco (Kasoe), M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2023

Visiting artists are always welcome in Bristol, and there is something comforting about artists who return, having painted some time in the past. Gatoloco has painted in the city before, but recently he left this lovely piece alongside the M32.

Gatoloco (Kasoe), M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2023
Gatoloco (Kasoe), M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2023

Gatoloco has a very distinct style of chunky letters (KASOE) which in this piece sit over the top of what looks like some other letters, possibly ESK? Or perhaps I am over-thinking the whole thing. I am not usually a fan of browns in graffiti writing, but I think that Gatoloco has done a great job, and there is enough of the blood-red fill to lift the piece from its browniness. Great to see Gatoloco back in town.

Gatoloco (Kasoe), Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Gatoloco (Kasoe), Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Gatoloco (Kasoe), Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Gatoloco (Kasoe), Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019

5399. Dean Lane skate park (626)

Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023

I bumped into Klashwhensober yesterday, the first time for a couple of months, and talked to him about these recent pieces from Dean Lane, and he told me that all three had been tagged, which is a bit disappointing, but at least I managed to get clean shots of them.

Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023

The blue and red split piece is another example of how Klashwhensober’s work has gone up a level recently. The two colours contrast really well, and the fill patterns reflect one another perfectly. Klashwhensober has also put in some shading on the letters to add a bit of depth. Where the colours meet, the letters appear to crumble into fragments. This is a fun and accomplished piece, and alongside his other two works demonstrates his versatility.

Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023

Although I am not certain, I think that all three pieces were painted in a very short space of time, perhaps in the same day. This second piece, in chrome, again spelling SOBER, is much flatter than the first one. Without the decoration the piece would be in danger of being a bit plain, but Klahwhensober doesn’t do plain, so he has added some purple cloudy frills and a wispy red ribbon running through the letters.

Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023

Finally, an orangee throw up completes the set, and although obviously a quick one, it is still finished nicely. I imagine that he was running low on orange paint, as it is fairly transparent in places. Altogether, a good display of the talent on offer from the always prolific Klahwhensober.

5397. Brunel Way (219)

Fade, Dibz and Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade, Dibz and Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

2023 has been the year of epic collaborations, under Brunel Way, at Dean Lane and at other spots in Bristol as well. Quite why there have been so many collaborations and paint jams this year is not clear, but perhaps it has something to do with being in a post-Covid era where friendships have been refreshed and cemented. Friendships and relationships have perhaps never been so important as we navigate our way through a period of political and social instability with the terrifying backdrop of war, and the biodiversity and climate crises.

Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

Fade, Dibz and Rusk have joined up to paint this Pink Panther themed wall. Fade has hit the ground running since arriving in Bristol a few months ago, and is fast becoming a regular presence on the walls of south Bristol. Equally at home painting letters or characters, Fade has created a fabulous Blue Aardvark accompanied by some superb pink writing spelling out FADE, all finished immaculately.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

In the middle of the collaboration is some outstanding writing from Dibz flanked on the left with a beautifully depicted Pink Panther and on the right by Rusk’s Inspector. The blue and pink colour combination once again proving to be an absolute winner.

Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

Finally, to the right, is the Rusk piece painted in a typically classy style from one of my favourite writers in the city. Rusk’s continuous, joined-up letters are filled with pink and tan colours that fade beautifully, the bottom half of which has a kind of metallic bronze appearance. This is a highly accomplished and enjoyable collaboration from some of Bristol’s very best. We are truly blessed.

 

5396. M32 roundabout J3 (500)

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023

I am celebrating 500 posts from the M32 roundabout J3 with this magnificent graffiti writing piece by PWA’s Soap. My eye was drawn to it immediately, and for a fraction of a second I thought that Liverpool artist Lost Hills might have been in town for a visit. I thought this because Lost Hills Features Jake the Dog from the animation series Adventure Time in all of his work. But no, this was a Soap piece for sure.

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023

Soap has been developing his writing considerably over the last three or four years, and incorporating cartoon characters into his letters has been central to his look. The letters are usually fairly flexible, adding to the overall artwork of the piece, rather than being the central focus. Plenty going on here, lots of fill patterns and a general feel-good factor. Great colours too.

5393. M32 roundabout J3 (499)

Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023

Lee Roy was just finishing off this piece when I turned up on my ’rounds’ and he made plenty of time to chat with me before packing up, which was kind of him. On the two occasions I have been lucky enough to meet him, I can honestly say he is one of the most gentle and likeable characters on the street art circuit (although to be honest, nearly every artist I have spoken to over the years have been thoroughly decent and generous with their time).

Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023

There is so much to like about this one. The blood-red background is the perfect backdrop to contrast with the lighter greeny blue letters. Lee Roy’s letters are that strange combination of being quite regimented in his own style, while at the same time being disorderly and anti-style in nature… he carries off this effect perfectly. There are plenty of fills to enhance the letters, and a fabulous selection of drops in greens and orange. I like this one a lot.

5392. Peel Street Green (18)

Yield, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Yield, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

This is the first piece I have posted by Yield, but I am certain it will not be the last. I have plenty of photographs, mostly from the River Avon pathway area, of the artist’s writing, but this one in Peel Street Green appears to be on a slightly different level.

Yield, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Yield, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

There is a nice flow to the letters, almost a ribbon effect, an the blur and black fill patterns work nicely through the writing. Some classic features, such as arrows and dots provide interest and the pink background contrasts well with the blues. This is a decent piece of writing, and I will definitely feature more of Yield’s work in future posts.