Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
The monkeys are back – at least for a fleeting moment. This piece was painted by Nightwayss, who recently returned to Bristol for a visit and kindly left us this reminder of the talent that we lost last year. It is always good when artists return the their former home city and drop a piece.
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Even the dog was pleased to see this graffiti writing piece. The departure of Nightwayss has left a hole in the street art scene and the PWA crew that he used to enjoy painting with. I hope that this will be the first of many return trips.
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
The piece spells out NIGHT in a nicely selected palette of blue pink and red colours, but it is the monkey that continues to steal the show for me. I do miss them.
This is a cracking Soap piece from another recent PWA paint jam – these guys are certainly getting busy, and with the days starting to get noticeably longer I would expect to see quite a lot more from them in the coming weeks and months.
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Soap appears to have moved on quite a bit from his skull/mouth days and has been having fun writing SOAP with a combination of characters and incredible fills and details. The Ice King cartoon character is becoming a regular feature in his work, and in this piece the ‘A’ of SOAP is a lovely nod to his PWA friend Face 1st. This is a dazzling and fin piece from Soap.
Dibz, Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Three of Bristol’s best artists have come together to paint this outstanding collaboration in Dean Lane. Dibz, Rusk and Shade One are not strangers to this wall, but they have absolutely smashed it on this occasion, in a touching tribute to Shimmer (Shimz).
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
On the left is a gorgeously perfect chrome piece by Dibz, which could equally well spell DIBZ or SHIMZ (I wonder if the ambiguity was deliberate). Everything about this is on-point, and there is a rather nice little SHIMZ shout-out in the top left.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Rusk and Shade One have been busy in this spot lately, and I think this is the third collaboration they have enjoyed this year. I don’t really need to tell you how much I admire Rusk’s work. He is one of the most meticulous artists in Bristol, and will always strive to ensure his work is flawless. There is a lovely yellow pattern in this piece that flow seamlessly across the letters.
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Finally, the portrait piece on the right by Shade One is, I assume, depicting Shimmer, as the Shimz RIP in the top corner would suggest. The greyscale photorealistic portrait is one of Shade One’s best to date, and the bar is pretty high. The collaboration is a fabulous one, and it will be a brave person indeed who is the first to paint over it.
Dibz, Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Dott Rotten, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2023
Shortly after I photographed this piece (within hours/days) a parked car was set on fire in this little underpass, and there was quite a lot of fire damage to the wall next to Dott Rotten’s work. You wonder what gets in to people sometimes. I would suggest that the council did something useful and bollarded-off this pedestrian tunnel, to stop cars parking here altogether.
Dott Rotten, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2023
As with so many pieces in Bristol at the moment, this one is a tribute piece to Ben Devine, who I am guessing was a friend of Dott Rotten’s. I think that this must have been painted on an anniversary, as there are several Ben Devine tributes in Dean Lane that have been around for about a year. Characteristically stylish, this is a touching stunner from Dott Rotten.
Evey turned up late to this RBF mini-paint jam, so I didn’t get to meet her on this occasion, but I did chat for a while with Desi and Lupa who had buffed the wall and were well into their pieces.
Evey, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
I seem to say it every time I post a new piece by Evey, but her progress is steady, and each new piece shows improvements both in design and finishing. This EVEN is a classic with nice curvy letters, three horizontal shaeds of blue/lilac and a topping of white with sprinkles – a wonderful pudding served up – delicious. It must surely be time for an Evey gallery.
Although DJ Perks does paint occasionally in St Werburghs tunnel and in Dean Lane, he tends to spend more time painting the walls of the L Dub spot, where you can several of his pieces at any one time. It seems very much to be his ‘manor’.
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023
This is a recent piece , which can be dated to January/February 2023, because there is an RIP shout-out to Shimmer. DJ Perks seems to favour these alternate colour fills for his letters, and I have seen him do this several times before. Everything about this piece is fresh, clean ans crisp, with real attention to detail. the array of dots and spots does enough to add that extra interest. A fine piece (again).
Klashwhensober, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
I am trying to keep up with Klashwhensober’s work, but failing miserably. At some point I am going to have to do a round up of pieces that are lurking in the archives, but for the time being I bring you this wonderful recent piece in the tunnel
Klashwhensober, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
The bright yellow background immediately draws you in, and then, once hooked, your eyes are drawn across the fine SOBER lettering so beautifully filled with turquoise and purple. The 3D drop shadow in red has a central vanishing point, giving the writing a slightly bowed appearance. Great letters, great fills, great patterns – this is an explosion of colour and creativity, a masterclass of its type from Klashwhensober.
This is another wonderful greyscale/chrome piece from Kosc, in a series of pieces that he has been working on recently. The elaborate letters spell KOSC and are presented on a KOSC printed background, a technique I have seen the artist use before. I guess he must have a roller with the letters on it, or a print block, to cover the whole wall… it could be a stencil, but it doesn’t quite look like it to me.
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2023
Once again Kosc has included his rivet theme which makes it look like the letters have been made up of metal plates welded and riveted together, which is a clever illusion, considering the whole thing is flat paint on a flat wall. A nice shout-out to the NTS crew and XXIII round off the piece nicely.
Newly buffed wall, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
In the dying embers of the Bristol Mayor’s tenure, it would appear that Marvin Rees is finally waging war on graffiti in the city. He has always shown a desire to keep the streets of the city clean and tidy, and recognised that graffiti and tagging is a challenging problem. In recent weeks, it has become noticeable that some walls in popular street art/graffiti spots have been buffed in a rather drab ‘Bristol grey’.
Teao One, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
Now here’s the thing. I can understand clamping down on tagging, especially on private property or in certain locations, but buffing walls in places which have a long history of street/graffiti art (for example St Werburghs tunnel), is a mindless waste of time and money, it could also have the unintended consequence of artists moving on to new walls and locations. A newly buffed wall is an invitation, a blank canvass upon which to work.
I believe that it would be infinitely preferable to set up legal walls/spots where there is a legacy of graffiti, with an element of curation or self-determination. Then, working with the street/graffiti art community, create some graffiti-free areas of the city and concentrate on policing those. Of course, commissions and permitted walls would still be a thing, but throw ups, bombing and tagging (which are currently illegal anyway) could be where the Bristol City Council (BCC) concentrated its efforts. I realise that this is a tricky dilemma, and is about managing subversion, but I can’t help thinking that every time BCC tackle this, they go at it like a bull in a china shop, without any clear strategy, and end up with a lose-lose situation in an effort to appease ‘small c conservatives’ whose hatred of any form of street art is visceral.
Teao One, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
It didn’t take Teao One very long to paint on this newly buffed wall, which had gone over his ‘Bad meaning Good’ piece (see this morning’s post). The words say it all. The point is that the whole of St Werburghs tunnel has been a graffiti spot for years, but BCC chose to buff two small sections at the entrance (spending our taxes), for what purpose? What is their intention? What engagement has there been with the local community? It is nuts.
The saga continues – the last time I went to the tunnel, the two short sections of wall had been buffed again. This could get nasty.
Other cities in Europe, such as Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris, Brussels etc, etc, all have a culture and history of street/graffiti art, but it hasn’t stopped the visitors from flocking to these places, and in many cases (I specifically went to Barcelona to see its street art) the street art scene drives visitors and investment.
The only reason Bristol hosts Upfest, Europe’s biggest street art festival, is because the city has a long and rich street/graffiti art culture. The Festival is something to be proud of and drives inward investment. How do you reconcile that with attempting to drive the culture away?
Bad meaning good. Teao One thought that this was pretty funny, and repeated it to me several times on a bright and crisp morning, while he was admiring his work. He has been one of the busier artists in Bristol in recent weeks, and has been favouring this area around the tunnel.
Teao One, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
The chrome lettering is clearly the work of a very experienced writer, and the borders and shadows 100% on point. I’m glad I took these pictures when I did, even though there was a lot of glare, because it didn’t last too long, adding credibility to the golden rule of always taking pictures when you can. Strange things have been happening to these walls lately… more in my next post.
Natural adventures 