4170. Dean Lane skate park (452)

Back to one of our regulars today, Mr Draws, who is having to compete much harder to make it into Natural Adventures than he did a couple of years back, simply because of the quantity and quality of street art and graffiti that is appearing in Bristol at the moment. It is a strong field.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2021
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2021

Notwithstanding this, Mr Draws has been ticking along very nicely and producing pieces with reasonable regularity. Recently he has been painting larger pieces on larger walls drawing out his letters. Always full of ideas and thinking of different ways to present his letters, Mr Draws is a central pillar of the Bristol scene.

Mest

A gallery of great graffiti writing from Bristol’s Mest.

all photographs by Scooj

Mest, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022
Mest, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Mest, River Avon, Bristol, April 2022
Mest, River Avon, Bristol, April 2022
Mest, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021
Mest, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021
Mest, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Mest, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Mest, Mina Road, Bristol, December 2021
Mest, Mina Road, Bristol, December 2021
Mest, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2021
Mest, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2021
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021
Mest, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2021
Mest, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2021
Mest, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2021
Mest, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2021
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
Mest, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2020
Mest, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2020
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
Mest, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
Mest, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020
Mest, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020
Mest, M32 roundabout, Brisol, August 2020
Mest, M32 roundabout, Brisol, August 2020

4169. Sparke Evans Park (26)

Not many Christmas pieces, and then (on January 9) two come along at once. This Christmas cheer was brought to you from Sparke Evans Park in the form of this graffiti writing from Biers. I call Biers ‘Biers’ because they were the letters he used when I first started seeing his work. Since then, he has moved through ‘OhYeah’ to his current preferred set of letters ‘WD40’. I still call him Biers though.

Biers, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, December 2021
Biers, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, December 2021

The letters can be difficult to pick out, but once you know what they are, you can start to pick them out. As well as the Christmas theme, Biers has also contextualised the piece with a lateral flow Coronavirus test, showing a positive result. It is funny to think that a little over two years ago none of us had ever heard of such a thing, and now it dominates our every waking moment. I guess the ‘Merry Shitmas’ message is linked to the Covid-19 situation. A nicely done piece. Expect to see a whole lot more from Biers as he has been hitting walls with gusto in recent weeks.

4167. St Werburghs tunnel (270)

An infrequent, yet most welcome, artist is Smut – ‘everyone loves a little bit of Smut’ remember? Recently Smut has hit a couple of walls with his characteristic clean and tidy script writing.

Smut, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2021
Smut, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2021

Although the tunnel at St Werburghs is a honey pot for graffiti and street art, it is a beast for getting decent photographs, and I am disappointed with these ones which are a little blurred. His other piece on the M32 roundabout (to come) is altogether more satisfying. It is always a pleasure finding a Smut piece.

4166. River Avon (24)

Tes, or Slim Pickings as I call him, is one of the most consistent writers in Bristol with his familiar TES super-tag, but every once in a while he throws something different at us, and this piece is an example of how he switches it up.

Slim Pickings (Tes), River Avon, Bristol, December 2021
Slim Pickings (Tes), River Avon, Bristol, December 2021

The letters are the same, but aren’t presented in his usual very prescriptive form, they are more uniform and spread further horizontally, but the fills and lines are solid and clean, just as we would expect. Great to see something a little different from Slim Pickings.

4165. M32 Cycle path (154)

Each time I see a piece from Pl8o, they just seem to get better and better. Apart from the odd throw up, there is a more considered and designed approach to his work, and this piece, I think really demonstrates the progress made. I recently published a gallery of Pl8o’s work, and you can see the improvements over time, although frankly, his work has always been pretty good.

Pl8o, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021
Pl8o, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021

I have said before that his letters are very kind on the eye, and he has certainly made the most of them. The numeral 8 in particular is great to have in graffiti writing, it is a bit like OO which also works… Look out for those SCOOJ toy letters next summer (maybe). I am still loving Pl8o’s work

4163. Cumberland Basin

I ventured out on a rather sunny winter’s day to photograph this wall and rather regret doing so, because the glare is so bright in the photographs, it is difficult to truly appreciate the fine graffiti writing from Taboo.

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021

Following his usual format of a character bound together with his unconventional joined up writing, Taboo introduces us to a psychedelic world in which a Bart Simpson is riding the skies on his skateboard, slightly worse for wear on what appear to be ecstasy pills popping out of his severed head.

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021

The character/writing combination is bright and colourful and so utterly uniquely Taboo. It is always nice to find his work, even when light conditions for photography aren’t too good.

4160. M32 Spot (128)

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to see so many Logoe pieces go up over the past three months or so. I guess that we will have to enjoy them while they are here, because the nature of his work might keep him away from the streets for much of the spring and summer.

Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2021
Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2021

This is an utterly awesome piece of writing on the long wall under the M32, incidentally, one of my favourite walls in Bristol, even if it can be a bit tricky to photograph. Painted on a backdrop of earthy and subdued colours, the piece follows his tried and tested format of joined up script writing spelling out ‘Logoe’ liberally decorated with spots running horizontally through the lettering. All very nicely done and filling the space expertly. More to come from this purple patch from Logoe.

4159. Feeder Road (1)

Over the Christmas break, I was able to take some slightly longer lunchtime walks than usual, and walked the length of the River Avon from Sparke Evans Park to Temple Meads Station. , and I am surely glad that I did, because I picked up a whole load of new, and some old, pieces, including this fun piece from Haka.

Haka, Feeder Road, Bristol, December 2021
Haka, Feeder Road, Bristol, December 2021

This writing/character combination incorporates a rather lovely rendition of Thomas the Tank Engine, which Haka has pimped slightly with the addition of CK in front of the number 1 to pay tribute to his friend CK One (RIP), as he does on every piece he paints. This is a fun piece and so typically Haka, if you know what I mean.

4158. Hotwell Road (4)

I don’t know what has happened to time recently, but there seems to be an awful lot less of it, or my life is just filling up with too much stuff. It doesn’t help that I have gone back to work today and there is a lot of catching up to do. I am getting my excuses in early as to why this post is late.

Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021
Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021

I haven’t had time to research this piece by Inkie, so I am not too sure I can tell you much about it. I do know that it was painted for the Vanguard street art and Toward 2030 project, both of which organise walls for environmental/social themes. ‘Always seeking knowledge’ seems to be an admirable message and one that works well in Inkie’s characteristic writing on such an enormous wall.

Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021
Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021

The wall is not only large, but is also very uneven, with loads of ridges and raised areas that Inkie has had to navigate. There are two studious characters at the bottom of the piece clearly seeking their own knowledge. This is classic Inkie at his very best, and well worth seeking out.