4214. River Avon (27)

Long since gone, but certainly not forgotten. For a short while Dasco brought something really special to the streets of Bristol. Not much remains of his rare talent, but this piece on the River Avon cycle path has not been painted over, and although I have photographed it several times, I have not posted it until now.

Dasco, River Avon, Bristol, January 2022
Dasco, River Avon, Bristol, January 2022

Perhaps not one of his best pieces, it still demonstrates his supreme graffiti writing skills, and is tidy as you like. Chrome and black work well, and is a combination that Dott Rotten has used to great effect in the past. We definitely miss Dasco, who I believe returned to Spain round the time of the first lockdown.

4210. Cumberland Basin

Paint jams can be difficult for me to cover, because there will always be several artists to write about and I am left with a bit of a dilemma; do I cover all the artists in one post or do a post for each artist at risk of leaving someone out? On this RBF collaborative wall I opted for the latter, but happily with this lovely piece by Evey I have managed to post all the pieces from the paint jam.

Evey, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2022
Evey, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2022

The thing I love most about Evey’s work is the uncomplicated optimism it conveys. The colours, style and hearts in this piece ooze goodness in a difficult world, and we would do well to be reminded that there are a great many things in life to be grateful for. I think that this piece is one of my favourites from Evey, it is nicely done and the fills smooth and confident.

4208. River Avon (26)

The whole stretch of cycle path from Sparke Evans Park all the way to Temple Meads Station is very popular at the moment, and it seems that every time I get down there, there is something new to enjoy. This piece from Pl8o was part of a collaborative effort, and really stood out.

Pl8o, River Avon, Bristol, January 2022
Pl8o, River Avon, Bristol, January 2022

The letters are stretched out over a long bit of wall and rather difficult to capture all in one picture frame. Pink and green contrast rather well and with the blue borders the letters stand out and are rather bold. The fills are solid and lines clean, with the lines on the brick wall offering good points of reference, so the whole think looks tidy.

Pl8o, River Avon, Bristol, January 2022
Pl8o, River Avon, Bristol, January 2022

As with many Pl8o pieces, he has dropped in a character for good measure, looking like a bit of a mash-up of a ghost and an alien. All good fun really and nicely done.

4207. Greenbank (23)

Well, it turns out that I was rather lucky with these photographs on two counts. Firstly, I was lucky to catch up with Werm and Stika who were painting this wall as part of an LRS collaboration, 3F fino had also been painting but had gone home by the time I arrived. Secondly, I understand the collaboration only lasted about a day before being painted over… the law of the jungle.

Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2022
Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2022

Once again, Werm is working hard on his block letters, andI think he has smashed it with this piece. The rich blue colours are blended perfectly, but it is the stars running horizontally through the letters that steal the show for me, adding interest and a touch of class. The cloudy background is one that was shared by all three pieces in the collaboration. Some fine work from Werm (Eman).

4206. Dean Lane skate park (456)

Smak is without question one of the best writers in Bristol, and just in case you need reminding, here is an updated gallery of his work. His letters have an ephemeral quality that almost look like they have been dusted onto the wall, such is the skill and quality of Smak’s workmanship.

Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022

The colour selection is typically brilliant and clicks perfectly. On his Instagram feed, Smack describes this piece as a ‘scrappy one’ which perhaps gives you some idea of the high standards he sets for himself. To my way of thinking, there is nothing scrappy about this at all.

4202. St Werburghs tunnel (273)

I haven’t seen anything from Elvs for quite a long time, so this is a welcome come-back from the Wales-based artist. Elvs often accompanies his writing with a small character piece, and this time he has included a fabulous TAZ, the Tasmanian devil from the cartoon series of the same name.

Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2022
Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2022

The yellow and bronze/brown colours are quite good ones for the tunnel, because pretty much everything ends up looking like these colours anyway because of the lighting. As always, a distinctive and tight piece of classic wildstyle graffiti writing from Elvs.

4201. Devon Road (13)

It is fair to say that some members of the LRS crew have been extremely busy of late, in particular Werm and 3F fino who collaborated on this fine wall in Devon Road. The entire garage wall is taken up with their work, and it all holds together rather nicely.

3F fino and Werm, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2022
3F fino and Werm, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2022

3F fino’s character looks like he has climbed the wall and is busy spraying it, a fun theme used by a lot of street artists. His characters tend to have quite a cartoony style about them and this one looks like he might have jumped off the pages of The Beano or Dandy. The block writing from Werm is beautifully designed and executed, and he seems to have settled down with this style for a little while now. I wonder how long it will be before he switches things up again. This is a nicely worked wall, and what better way to decorate a back alley canvass?

4200. Dean Lane skate park (454)

Hiding behind a row of bushes along the wall of Bristol South swimming pool is this fine new piece of graffiti writing from Mudra. Even through the winter hedge, his distinctive style of writing is identifiable and drew me over to take a closer look. Much of his writing layout is (in the words of a Monty Python sketch) thin at one end, much, much, thicker in the middle and then thin at the far end (Miss A, Elk theory on the brontosaurus).

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022

The colours in the piece incorporate his favoured reds and mauves, tinged with some orange. The letters, spelling MUDRA, are nicely designed and cleanly painted as you’d expect, but no mean feat on this lumpy old wall. I was rather pleased to spot this one.

4199. M32 Cycle path (160)

I have found it a little difficult to identify some of the little characters in Biers’ pieces recently, but there is absolutely no mistaking this grey man, former Prime Minister John Major. A long time ago, when I lived in Godmanchester, I used to see John Major and Jeffrey Archer drinking together in my local pub. Goodness knows what plans they were cooking up.

Biers, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2022
Biers, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2022

So Biers has portrayed John Major brilliantly peering out of the ‘0’ in WD40 with his laser stare. Major must be wondering what on earth is happening to his political party at the moment, they are such a rotten lot, and the Johnson defenders, by lining up behind him, are hanging themselves. It is the quiet ones we have to watch (Sunak, Gove, Hunt).

Biers is favouring the wobbly border at the moment, something that the PWA crew were playing with a little while back. This is a lovely piece painted during a rich vein of form from the artist.

4198. M32 Cycle path (159)

Ah! A real beauty from Benjimagnetic splashing bold and solid colours onto the long wall on the cycle path. I have really been enjoying the adjustments he has made to his style over the last few months and although his rather ephemeral style previously was his USP, I genuinely think that this is an improvement.

Benjimagnetic, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2022
Benjimagnetic, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2022

With lashings of colour, this BEN piece of graffiti writing ticks an awful lot of boxes for me. The colour palette works really well and has a childlike vibrancy about it. The fills are neat and tidy and the boundary lines clean. A well-worked and perfectly presented piece from Benjimagnetic.