Although not a frequent painter, Ments is quite regular, so one’s year is nicely sprinkled with these fine organic pieces. This one was painted as part of a three-way collaboration, including Sled One and Smak from a couple of weeks ago.
Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Ments has adapted his style a fair bit over the past year and although still organic and irregular in structure he has moved to a more fluid and metallic look and feel. His pieces are a thing of abstract beauty, and still spell out MENTS. The white triangle reminds me a little of a Voyder piece in London from a few years back. All good.
This is the second piece I have posted by Smoke Perfume, and it is painted slap bang over his previous piece on this wall which I posted here a few days ago. I was fortunate enough to run across him as he was about half-way through his work.
Smoke Perfume, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021
There is something rather nice about getting work in progress (WIP) shots, because it gives you an insight into how the artists go about building up their work. Even though I have been trying to teach myself to spray paint, I still find the process counter-intuitive, but that probably stems from the fact that I have no training in art or design whatsoever.
Smoke Perfume, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
I am not too sure what the letters spell out, but I am pretty certain it is neither Smoke nor Perfume. Rather like the Serm piece next to it, the organic purple and yellow lettering is embellished with white smoky flames. I’ll be on the look-out for more from Smoke Perfume.
I often use the word ‘modest’ when describing Hemper’s work, but I use it in the sense that he turns up and paints with the minimum of bluster. His graffiti writing is always outstanding and often very showy, like this one, but somehow he just gets on with it and keeps a low profile. That he doesn’t have an Instagram account probably reinforces my perception of his modesty.
Hemper, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2021
This is a special piece, painted next to and at the same time as a Benjimagnetic BEN that I posted a few days ago. Each letter is discrete in colour and decoration, but there is a stylistic flow that carries through from left to right. The letters spell out HEMS and splash this wall with colour and joy. This is high-end graffiti writing at its beat.
As gentrification marches on apace, there is a bit of a squeeze on the number of walls that artists can paint, and in North Bristol this is has been exacerbated by the loss of The Bearpit, which has become an inert, dead urban space that people pass through. Utilitarian and functional, but perceived to be safe, and the homeless people have been moved on to be homeless somewhere else. I have a feeling that the discredited Rudi Giuliani, who was praised at the time, moved the ‘bums’ out of Manhattan, without actually addressing the issue of homelessness. Perception is everything for politicians. Smoke and mirrors.
The point I was clumsily trying to make is that the M32 Cycle path is unlikely to be developed any time soon and has become more popular than ever for street artists and graffiti writers, whit a much higher turnover than a few years ago.
Benjimagnetic, M32 cycle pth, Bristol, February 2021
This is a very nice piece by Benjimagnetic, which has replaced a rather ordinary throw up that had trashed the Halloween piece from Smak last year. Benjimagnetic has been turning out pieces with alarming regularity lately and I am struggling to keep up with posting them, but at least I can now read them (I think) because mostly they say BEN. Always good to find a new Benjimagnetic piece.
Many street artists and graffiti writers have dual or multiple personas when they throw paint at a wall. There are many reasons for this, for example sometimes it is to obfuscate their identity as most of this activity isn’t strictly legal, other times it is to separate out professional from personal identities. Here we have an artist who I have met before under a different name, but here he is with his new moniker ‘SERM’.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021
I was fortunate enough to bump into SERM when he was half way through painting this piece and we chatted for a little while. It is interesting to see how he works and that the little smoke wisps along the top of the piece are one of the first bits he paints, which is counterintuitive for a non-artist like me.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
This is a very nice piece of writing with some great colour selections and the yellow 3D shadow works particularly well. I hope this is the first SERM of many.
This is a really nice example of two artists who like to paint together switching things up a little. Kool Hand and Daz Cat have painted a lot together, but not so much over the last six months or so. When they collaborate, Daz Cat normally paints a character and Kool Hand provides the writing.
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol January 2021
In this recent piece in the tunnel, the leopard on the left is by Kool Hand and is superbly done, I think it might be one of his best characters yet and Daz Cat has thrown up the letters DKAT. It must be fun painting with friends and playing with styles and methods and it certainly keeps things interesting for the likes of me.
The story behind this unusual and unsigned piece is that I photographed it a little while ago… I photograph most of the graffiti art that I find, and if I don’t know the artist will keep it in my archive until a moment of good fortune reveals their identity. This was one such piece.
Last week I was doing the rounds and I encountered an artist painting over this piece. Having not met him before I politely introduced myself and asked him what name he painted under, ‘Smoke Perfume’ was his reply. Furthermore he told me that the piece he was painting over, the subject of this post, was also by him. What luck.
Smoke Perfume, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021
The design of this piece is neat and tidy and the colours have something of a ‘look at me’ quality. The transition of the two red fills is beautifully done with dancing red flames and there is a black splatter surrounding the piece. I don’t yet know what the letters spell out, but I am working on it. I like this very much and there is another piece from Smoke Perfume coming soon to Natural Adventures.
A gallery of outstanding graffiti writing and characters from Bristol artist Soge
All photographs by Scooj
Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020Soge, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020Soge, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020Soge, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019Soge, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2018NEVERGIVEUP and Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018Soge, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2018Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018Soge and Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017
There is little more I can say about this piece other than it is utterly outstanding. Of course, I can’t leave it like that, so I’ll give you a bit more background. I am guessing it is a commission, because it is on a business wall, but what a commission. The artists are Smak, Sled One and Kosc, and they have smashed this wall out of sight. The only downside is that it is an absolute beast to photograph on account of being in a narrow lane and on a curved wall.
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
From left to right the artists are Kosc, Smak (SM), Sled One and Smak (AK) and they have used a wonderful combination of black red and grey colours. Decay of old would be in his element. Kosc has painted an amazing photorealistic portrait with a bit of a glitch in it and has spelled out his name. This is simply magnificent. On its own this one third of the piece would be worth the trip.
Kosc, Smak and Sled One, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021Smak, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Smak has spread his letters either side of the Sled One piece with the SM sandwiched between Kosc and Sled, with the AK rounding off the piece on the right-hand side. As you would expect from Smak, the letters are flawless and the design simply brilliant.
Sled One, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Taking up centre stage in this three-way collaboration is a celebration of the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. Sled One is the king of crazy creativity, and here the wolf is chewing on a spray can, which is squirting paint on one of two ladybirds in the piece. Look closely at the picnic basket, and you might just see a hint that the wolf hasn’t gobbled our heroine up but has instead squished her into the basket.
This is a glorious collaboration from three of Bristol’s best street artists. get yourslf down there.
Sled One and Smak, Picton Lane, Bristol, January 2021
It is those PWA boys again working their magic, this time along the M32 cycle path. Always happy and always brightening up our lives, and let me tell you our lives need brightening up these days.
Soap, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2021
Soap and Face 1st tend collaborate by painting their separate pieces joined by a colour palette and some decorative features. This time thy have gone for pinks and purples and Soap, spells out SOAP with some lovely fills and a rather fetching bone across the A.
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2021
Face 1st brings us a laughing girl with FACE for hair, and carries across the same colours and some similar fills. This is yet another great collaboration from this pair.
Natural adventures 