Tag: Writer

4327. Dean Lane skate park (475)

There are all sorts of conventions in the world of graffiti and street art, and broadly speaking most artists remain within the boundaries, albeit on a vast spectrum. There are some artists who seem to linger on the fringes of convention, either through their content or style, and I would class Taboo as one of those.

Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

Although Taboo’s writing and character combinations are reasonably conventional, his lettering style and incorporation of characters is not, and this is what sets him apart from other artists. In this piece ‘reality is not enough’ his unusual letters, spelling out ‘Taboo’ in chrome, serve as a backdrop to a C. S. Lewis character from Alice in Wonderland, the caterpillar puffing on a hookah. This is wonderful hallucinogenic stuff, and I am rather sure that the author would probably approve.

4326. Greenbank (33)

Smak is an artist who always delivers work of the highest quality, even when painting quick ones. This piece is one half of a recent collaboration with fellow artist Sled One, whose cheese piece I posted a couple of weeks ago.

Smak, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Smak, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

This is another piece in support of Ukraine, and at the top left of the piece was a board (out of shot) saying ‘no war’ on a Ukrainian flag background. It is heartwarming to see so many pieces in Bristol in support of Ukraine and soon I will be dedicating a gallery to these special pieces. Smak, as ever, has smashed it with this piece of graffiti writing, using wonderful tones of blues and yellows to decorate his name. Outstanding graffiti writing at its best.

4325. M32 roundabout J3 (398)

I don’t see pieces from Serm all that often, so it was a pleasant surprise to come across this one a couple of weeks ago on the roundabout. The colours, I am guessing, represent the colours of Ukraine, and I imagine that this is another piece in support of the Ukrainian people suffering at the hands of the Russian dictator Putin.

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022

It is interesting that we have two artists with very similar names, Serm and Werm, and both like to write using these large block capitals, most likely a coincidence, but maybe there is something about the letters that lend themselves to this style. Very nice writing indeed from Serm.

4323. Greenbank (32)

This is the second piece from Laic217 that I have seen that is overtly in support of Ukraine, and this time the content and style is much more what we would expect from him. The masked characters, that Laic217 has been painting on and off for years, now take on a rather more sinister and relevant meaning in the context of war.

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

Set on a backdrop of a Ukrainian flag, the two characters cannot be seen, but are hidden from view by their heavy masks and headgear, rendering them anonymous. It is this anonymity (particularly of the Russian aggressors) of all that is going on in the war that contributes to our feeling of helplessness. News clips and short moments of footage, distressing interviews and reports leave us with the bare bones of a picture, and we make up the gaps in our imaginations.

This one is for Ukrainian artists and writers. Perfect.

4320. M32 roundabout J3 (396)

You can wait for ages, and then two pieces from Subtle come along in quick succession. This is the first of two recent, and really rather decent, works from Subtle. This one is on the M32 roundabout, and the other one, which I will write about in due course, is at Greenbank. Both feature Jerry from the carton series Tom and Jerry.

Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022

It rather looks like this piece is a ‘love letter’ in graffiti form (Jerry definitely looks bashfully in love), but it is always so difficult to read between the lines on such things. Subtle terms this a ‘quick one’ on his Instagram account, but that is just ridiculous, how can anything so beautifully proportioned and clean and crisp be a ‘quick one’ I ask you? Great to see new work from this great graffiti writer.

4317. Greenbank (30)

On the long wall at Greenbank, which really is very long indeed, is this magnificent collaborative effort from Conrico and Rozalita. The writing and portrait combo is bursting with life and colour, and is rather spectacular.

Conrico, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Conrico, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

To the left, Conrico has gone for some pretty wicked writing set on a fanciful sea, woodland and mountainous landscape. The letters have an animated feel about them and look lively on the calm and tranquil backdrop.

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

To the right, Rozalita is continuing on her extraordinary journey of improvement and diversification. The girl with a yellow face, green hair and red beret is arguably one of her best portraits yet, and is a perfect example of how far she has come in a relatively short space of time. We are spoilt in Bristol to have Rozalita and her amazing portraits appearing all over the place.

Conrico and Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Conrico and Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

Overall this is a lovely, cheerful collaboration. I look forward to so much more from both artists.

4313. M32 roundabout J3 (394)

Teao One is one of the senior writers in Bristol, and by that I don’t mean he is old, but rather is one of those that has been writing for many years, even though he only crept into my radar last year (how did that happen?), which tells me I still have so much to learn and understand about this craft in Bristol.

Teao one, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2022
Teao one, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2022

There is something very distinctive about Teao One’s writing style, lots of well crafted letters in a uniform style, beautifully crisply finished. It took me a while, but the letters appear to spell out GENERAL, although I’m not too sure what that means or refers to. A banging chrome piece from a skilled writer.

4309. Cumberland Basin

I am thoroughly enjoying Haka’s work these days, and fortunately, he seems to be going through quite a fertile phase both in terms of productivity and also creativity. This new piece, which I witnessed being painted over a couple of days ago, is another in support of the people of Ukraine, although a little more subtle than some.

Haka, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022
Haka, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022

I don’t quite get the significance of the pelican, but the Haka writing is clearly carrying the yellow and blue we are all becoming so familiar with, and just in case there was any doubt, Haka has included the caption ‘No war’. Another nice piece from one of Bristol’s consistent writers.

4308. Dean Lane skate park (473)

Cort is a quiet, unassuming, Polish artist who has been writing in Bristol for several years now, but he is an artist I have only met on one or two occasions. Although he has finished this piece in Dean Lane by the time I arrived, he was still in the area chilling. I did manage to exchange a few words, but I’m not entirely certain he enjoys conversation about his art, and he comes across as rather modest.

Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022

I happen to think that this is one of his finest pieces to date, and there have been an awful lot to choose from, and it also demonstrates what a good character artist he is too, although he rarely paints characters. The colour selections are attractive and there is good balance between the character and the writing, with a clever bordered box drawing all the elements together.

Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

The character is really nicely painted in a semi-abstract form, including a Mickey Mouse hand. The character is smoking a joint, a theme commonly used in street art, which chimes with the ‘edgy’ or rebellious nature of the art form. Cort also spells out the crew name (PAD) for us, which in full is Paint and Destroy. This piece raises the bar for Cort, and I will be looking out for more characters from him.

4307. Greenbank (29)

Just because I haven’t posted much from the PWA boys lately, doesn’t mean they haven’t been painting, it is more a reflection of just how much street art is being created in Bristol at the moment. This is a rather nice piece from Face 1st, alongside Soap.

Face 1st, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Face 1st, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

Face 1st has been painting these blocky letters a lot recently and has managed to include one of his faces, although it is rather obscured by the letters A and C. Fun stuff from this prolific artist.