5005. M32 roundabout J3 (449)

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2023
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2023

More writing on the roundabout, this time from Corupt. Over the last month or so, I have come across far more graffiti writing pieces than street art or character pieces, and that will necessarily be reflected in my posts. I usually try to get a fairly even balance of different artwork, but it can be a struggle sometimes.

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2023
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2023

Corupt, writing his STICK letters, has chosen a rather low-key colour palette for this piece, and it doesn’t quite hump off the wall as much as some of his other pieces, but the handiwork is just as expert. The letters pull out from the wall, thanks to the grey vertical 3D drop shadow. The letters themselves are notable for the colour transitions and decorations in which there is an organised pattern, but unless you look for it, the whole thing looks a bit random. Another fine piece from the Hungarian artist.

5004. M32 roundabout J3 (448)

Haka, M32 roundbout, Bristol, January 2023
Haka, M32 roundbout, Bristol, January 2023

The first time I photographed this lovely Pooh Bear piece by Haka was a complete fail. There were shadows cast halfway across the piece, and half was overexposed and the other half underexposed. I returned on a duller day, and these pictures are altogether a bit on the dull side and don’t really do the piece justice.

Haka, M32 roundbout, Bristol, January 2023
Haka, M32 roundbout, Bristol, January 2023

Haka has been taking us on a nostalgic journey in recent months, to our own or our children’s favourite picture book characters, and Winnie the Pooh must surely be one of the most iconic. Haka has lovingly portrayed Pooh nestled inside the letters CK and NE, a tribute to CKone, or Dan Fenlon who died in a motorcycle accident in 2011. Amazingly, Haka remembers him in every piece he paints. A good friend indeed.

5003. Cumberland Basin

Kosc, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Kosc, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

This is another outstanding piece of writing from Kosc in his current series of greyscale pieces. In this piece, we have a familiar element of styling in the shape of ‘rivets’ holding the ‘metal’ pieces of the letters in place. This is a technique that the artist has used quite a lot in the past.

Kosc, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Kosc, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

These letters are strong, solid and uniform, and generally have a presence – some pieces just ooze style and confidence, and this is one of them. I have to say that I am very much enjoying this greyscale series… more to come I hope.

4999. Dean Lane skate park (564)

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023

This wall is a little tiresome to photograph, especially as my camera doesn’t have a wide angle setting. The wall is in a narrow space opposite the wall of a ramp on the skate park, meaning that getting decent shots of anything painted here is a challenge. Biers, AKA WD40 has set me the challenge on this occasion.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023

With his WD40 letters, Biers has incorporated a cartoon character, and I have to say I have drawn a blank on this one, so if you have any idea who he is, please feel free to drop his name in the comments. This is a particularly tidy piece from Biers, who can sometimes be a little rough around the edges, but not here, this is clean and on-point. A really lovely piece by Biers.

4998. M32 Spot (154)

Dopes, Jaksta and Neddy Ned Ned, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Dopes, Jaksta and Neddy Ned Ned, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

Well lookee here, on one of my favourite walls we have a fabulous three-way collaboration from Dopes, Jaksta and Neddy Ned Ned. The whole thing is painted in Autumnal colours (although a winter collaboration), and provides more than a little contemporary commentary.

Dopes, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Dopes, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

To the left is a fine piece of writing from Dopes, offering his beautifully proportioned letters in a metallic style with plenty of shading fades and highlights, neatly finished off with a tidy blue border and some arrows thrown in for good measure.

Jaksta, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Jaksta, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

The most eye-catching element of the triptych is the portrait of Prince Harry, painted by Jaksta. This mischievous send-up of the Prince directly relates to the revelations in his autobiography ‘Spare’ and is a play on the word Charlie (cocaine) and Charles (his father the King). The portrait is nicely worked, but very different from the style I would normally associate with Jaksta.

Neddy Ned Ned, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023
Neddy Ned Ned, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2023

I have never (knowingly) come across Neddy Ned Ned before, although his work does look slightly familiar. It is always great to have visitors to the city, especially when they are clearly as talented as Neddy Ned Ned is. There is a nice flow and confidence to the shapes of the letters, and there is a bit of a fill-fest going on too. Altogether, this is a banging collaboration.

4997. St Werburghs tunnel (348)

Mudra, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Mudra, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

Here we have yet another fine piece from Mudra, in what seems to be a rapid-fire series of work from him. It is satisfying, as an onlooker, to watch as he develops and improves his style and to observe his creativity and imagination. To see his development, I have linked to his gallery, which is well worth a quick look.

Mudra, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Mudra, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

This piece, at the end of the tunnel, follows his template style of letters and character, mashed up into a single coherent work. The letters are connected through a common colour palette, but their shape, design and size are somewhat varied. The letters are quite concealed, although easy to find if you know what you are looking for. The little ‘d’ is probably the easiest. The character in the middle of the piece, on this occasion, is not a substitute letter, but instead just a bit of fun breaking up the piece. You’ve got to love the little floating had. There is a reference to recreational drugs and a bit of trippyness about the piece – but I am way too conventional to know about such things. More to come soon, I have no doubt.

4995. Cumberland Basin

Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023
Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023

This is not the first piece I have seen by Solar on this particular wall, and it seems to be a place where he can express himself a little bit better with a bit more space than some of the more congested walls he has painted about the place.

Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023
Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023

Solar’s work is improving each time I see it, with a confidence and boldness to try new things all the time, such as the character face in the O of this piece. This has a nicely worked horizontal transition from red to orange to yellow and added interest with cross hatching to break up the piece. Nice work from Solar.

4993. St Werburghs tunnel (347)

Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

Kosc is having something of a purple patch with his greyscale pieces that are to be found around the city. He seems to have found a new theme that he is enjoying exploring, and as an onlooker I am thoroughly enjoying seeing.

Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

The effect that Kosc achieves, using only greyscale tones on a green-grey background, is awesome, creating a kind of metallic look, especially where the dark and light tones meet in the diagonal line across the KOSC letters. This is the work of an artist at the top of his game who appears to be enjoying his painting.

4992. Dean Lane skate park (562)

Mommynature and Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
Mommynature and Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023

It would appear that Mommynature and Nugmoose are a cosy collaborating pair, who, together, are turning out some fabulous work at the moment. This is one of several recent collaborations that have appeared in some of the popular graffiti spots in Bristol.

Mommynature, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
Mommynature, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023

I have noticed that, in common with other collaborative partnerships, when these two paint together, Mommynature (formerly known on Natural Adventures as Frog), tends to paint on the left and Nugmoose on the right. Mommynature returns to he frog character, who is sitting on a log, looking a little ‘tired and emotional’ after a party, as a snail, complete with cigarette, slowly passes by. A lovely story piece from Mommynature.

Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023

To the right, is some alien writing from Nugmoose, that we have come to know and love, and parts of the writing are accompanied by alien objects, living or otherwise. The great thing about painting alien life is that it gives you great latitude to imagine, without being constrained by convention. I am loving the collaborations from these two, and look forward to seeing what they can do together this year.

4991. M32 Cycle path (195)

Ryder, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2023
Ryder, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2023

At some point, in the not too distant past, some kindly people or group installed a little raised bed in this dark, dank corner below the M32 motorway. Unfortunately, for many reasons, the bed has not been maintained, and has become a dumping ground (see the razor wire, that seems to reside here) and public toilet. Even in these rather revolting conditions, street artists and writers continue to paint the walls, at risk to their own health, to brighten the place up a bit.

Ryder, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2023
Ryder, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2023

This is a lovely chrome burner from Ryder, a true gentleman of Bristol, that through its apparent simplicity and sharpness provides a little eye candy in this desperate spot. It was painted alongside a T-Rex piece (to follow). I like the way the chrome picks up and reflects the light in this dingy space.