I think that I have photographed far more pieces by Desi than I have posted, and in my mind think I have posted more than I have. I will have to address this, as I’d like to do a gallery of her work, which is becoming more and more prominent about the place.
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2022
Desi has recently taken to using a second form of letters ‘VEIL’ which demonstrated her increasing confidence and experimentation. In this piece we return to the more familiar letters in which she presents four horizontally arranged colours, with quite hard transitions and some bubble decoration. Always great to see Desi’s writing.
A masterful book, and I am very excited about seeing the film tonight. As a quiet and sensitive boy, I found myself and gained confidence through observing and becoming knowledgable about nature – a ‘nature boy’. I identified with some aspects of Kya and the way she absorbs herself in her environment, her habitat, while shutting out the rest of the world. The similarities end there.
Haka seems to be having the time of his life recreating characters from children’s picture books, in particular by the authors Janet and Allan Ahlberg. The writing CKone is a tribute to a long-lost friend and graffiti writer Dan Fenlon who passed away some years ago. Haka has been including his moniker on his work ever since.
Haka, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2022
I love the skeleton, from the ‘Funny Bones’ books by the Ahlbergs, and his speech bubble saying ‘let’s go painting’ is just perfect. I am thoroughly enjoying this rich vein of form that Haka is experiencing, and look forward to his next creation.
The Mole (or to give him his full name, Inca the Mole) has been fairly busy lately with a few pieces in Bristol and elsewhere, which is always good to see. This lovely bit of graffiti writing is on the M32 cycle path, unseen by the motorway traffic above.
The Mole, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August2022
From what I have seen, The Mole likes to use softer tones in his work, and appears to be a fan of world peace, as much of his work is decorated with peace symbols incorporated into the colour schemes of his fills. This is very nice, tidy and clean writing, typical of The Mole’s apparent conscientious approach.
Stivs has been knocking it out of the park lately, even more so than usual. Following on from his hugely impressive Sear tribute pieces he has created this wonderful birthday shout-out for a friend, Jane Barrow.
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2022
The beautifully colourful letters in calligraffiti style spell out POGE or PAGE, I think, but I don’t know the relevance of the letters. It matters not what they say, because the colours, design and overall composition are outstanding. Can Stivs attain a higher level yet? I expect so.
Biers, has been doing some brilliant pieces recently, and this one in Dean Lane really tickled me. My mother and I often discuss Mr Magoo, and our own age-related comical mishaps, a conversation that I expect not many people have these days, as Mr Magoo is probably quite unknown to younger audiences. I can’t help thinking that he was central to the creation of Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean.
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022
The piece has been really beautifully finished and it would seem that Biers put a lot of time and effort into this one. Some of his other ‘quicker’ pieces can look a little untidy. The fills and colours have been done well, but it is the Mr Magoo character that steals the show for me, appearing in the 0 of the WD40 letters.
I managed to bump into DJ Perks several times over the two days of Upfest this year, which is always a pleasure, and we swapped notes about some of the pieces being painted at the festival. This Popeye piece was DJ Perks’ official Upfest piece, but he did another quick one on the afternoon of the second day (to come).
DJ Perks, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
DJ Perks is making great progress with his writing and character pieces, and this one featuring the spinach-eating sailor standing in front of some chiselled rocks spelling PE(R)KS tells a lovely story, the letters and the character being directly related tom one another. More great fun from DJ Perks.
It is amazing how quickly an artist can make an impression and become part of the norm. It really isn’t all that long ago that I posted the first piece by Marckinetic that I had been aware of, and now he is turning out quality piece after quality piece almost as if he has been painting in Bristol forever.
Marckinetic, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2022
This is a nice solid piece, which deliberately or otherwise has a metallic feel about it. The main body of letters is filled with a kind of sky-scape on the top half and a black lower half, giving the impression of being a mirror, reflecting the scene behind the viewer. The writing is set on a dark pink cloudy/bubbly background. This is an exceptionally good piece, and might be my favourite from the artist so far. He seems to be a real specialist in atmospheric/cosmic/sky-scape backdrops/fills.
Stivs has painted another tribute piece to Sear, and it is an absolute belter. In this piece, Stivs has used his skills at calligraffiti to great effect, creating an astounding backdrop of the word Sear written in patterns. I can’t think how long this would have taken to paint, but it is clearly a labour of love.
Stivs, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, August 2022
The decorative calligraffiti patterns serve as ‘host’ for the magnificent multicoloured ‘SEAR’ in the centre of the piece. The letters stand out proud from the rest of the wall and are a welcome feast for the eyes. It is touching to see how artists have marked the loss of one of their friends. What a great gift a tribute can be.
Hemper and Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2022
Hemper does seem to love his collaborative walls, and has partnered so many Bristol graffiti writers over the years. In this piece in the tunnel he has paired up with Benjimagnetic, who has been a little quiet of late.
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2022
To the left is a superb piece of organic writing, so organic in fact that it is sprouting shoots and leaves, from Hemper. Spelling out HEMS, this is an utterly awesome piece of writing and shows off his talents to the maximum. I cannot really express how this piece is close to technical perfection and incredibly beautiful to boot, which is not always the case with technically great pieces. A masterclass in writing from Hemper.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2022
To the right of the collaborative space is a bright and colourful piece that really brings out the best in Benjimagnetic. The letter fills, using straight lines, create a wonderful structural effect that gives the writing so much depth and texture. It is always a great pleasure to see any new pieces from Benjimagnetic.
Today I might get a chance to investigate a spot or two for the first time in 11 days. I wonder how much new stuff there is out there…
Natural adventures 