4119. M32 roundabout J3 (368)

I am definitely struggling to keep up with the volume of work that Stivs is producing these days, and I still have some real corkers in my archive that are under serious threat of not making it onto Natural Adventures at all. I need a quiet period when I can dig out some of these nuggets and publish them.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

This recent piece is one of two, side-by-side in one of Stivs’ favourite spots, and as he is inclined to do these days, he has gone ‘big’ with both. His calligraffiti style has gone quite Gothic on us with this piece, but the letters are clean and clear, spelling out STIVS, where the ‘S’s have reclined slightly. Yet another tight piece of graffiti writing from this tireless creative talent.

4115. Sparke Evans Park (23)

As I have recently mentioned, the long brick wall at Sparke Evans Park is fast becoming one of the premium walls in Bristol, and the quality of artwork there is improving all the time, perhaps highlighted by this remarkable collaboration between Dibz and Shade One.

Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021

The left hand side is a characteristically colourful piece of wildstyle graffiti writing from Dibz and is a birthday celebration for a friend. I can’t decipher the writing, but it looks something like ‘Motof’… ish.

Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021

I believe that the outstanding portrait by Shade One in greyscale is a picture of the Birthday girl, but I cannot be certain, but it would make sense. Shade One’s portraits are always eye-catching and this one is no exception. All in all a remarkable collaborative effort.

4113. M32 roundabout (366)

It is clear that Acer and Benjimagnetic enjoy painting together, and having met them both in the tunnel last week they seem to get along really well. This collaboration was painted about a month or so back, and shows the deeply contrasting styles of their work, and indeed is a great example of how varied graffiti writing can be.

Acer, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2021
Acer, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2021

On the left is a nice piece by Acer, which reads TOBY13, and is a lovely birthday tribute for his son Toby. Carefully designed and regimented, Acer’s work is measured out and masked using a meter-long thin plank. The final effect is dazzling, and it can take a while to get your eye in to be able to read his letters.

Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2021
Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2021

To the right is an outstanding piece from Benjimagnetic that is another great example of his newer style I talked about a few days ago. Less ephemeral and more solid than some of his more familiar work and so full of colour and energy. The letters are very cryptic, but if you know that he usually writes BEN then it becomes easier to see.

This is a really fabulous collaboration.

4112. M32 roundabout (365)

Great colours, great graffiti writing. There isn’t an awful lot more to say about this lovely piece from Corupt, on the Mina Road side of the M32 roundabout. I’m not sure whether I prefer his STICK lettering or his CORUPT lettering, each offers something different, but I would probably say his most memorable pieces have been STICKs.

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol November 2021
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol November 2021

I have seen dozens of photographs of this piece on Instagram, and it certainly seems to have been popular. It is beautifully crafted and the fills are so well worked and have great variety. The BS3 refers to the postal code, and often appears on Corupt’s work. A really lovely piece of writing.

4111. M32 roundabout J3 (364)

Dott Rotten strikes again with this magnificent art rather large Spoilt piece on the M32 roundabout. He has been enjoying these rather large-scale pieces recently and definitely makes the most of the available wall space.

Dott Rotten, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Dott Rotten, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

There is an autumnal/winter feel to this piece, with muted colours, and the overall superb skill in bringing all the elements together is masterful. The fills, the lines and the design are all really tight. This is a very accomplished piece and to top it all off Dott Rotten has added an Orko character from 1980s cartoon series He Man.

This is a very special piece.

4108. St Werburghs tunnel (267)

I tend to prepare posts in advance for my street art blogs, perhaps as many as twenty pieces lined up and prepped for written content to be added. It is sorting and sizing the images that takes the most time. Downloading a stream of conscious thought can be surprisingly quick, largely because most of it is conversational nonsense, like this, and comes naturally.

I say all of this because it is quite coincidental that this lovely piece by Benjimagnetic,  which has been lined up for some time, is ready for posting just two days after I met the artist for the first time.

Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2021
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2021

I have noticed that Benjimagnetic seems to be toying with some different design ideas lately and moving away from his quite scratchy abstract writing and transitioning into more solid and colourful pieces, while keeping the essence of his style. It is a difficult transition to describe, but it is definitely happening. For me, I have to say that I am definitely liking his new work a lot, and hope this is more than just a passing phase. A superb tunnel piece.

4107. Dean Lane skate park (443)

On the fabulous curved wall at Dean Lane skate park is this nice LRS collaboration featuring Veee and Werm (formerly known as Eman). The centrepiece is the main attraction here, or at least it is the most eye catching and is by Veee.

Veee, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Veee, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

Veee, from Weston-super-Mare is painting ever more frequently in Bristol, and his trademark characters, of which there are a couple, are appearing across the city. This ‘lion’ character, with symbols for eyes, is rather fun and compelling and impossible not to like.

Werm (Eman), Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Werm (Eman), Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

Werm’s contribution to the collaboration is this quick LRS crew throw up, adopting the block letters that he has been enjoying of late. Two things I don’t understand about Werm… how on Earth does he afford all the paint and how does he have so much time to paint. I don’t expect answers and I don’t really care too much, the key is that he keeps going and keeps improving.

4105. Greenbank (20)

A few weeks ago Pl8o told me that he had a whole bunch of new designs ready to go, and since then I have figured that each new piece I have seen would have been part of this roll-out, including this beauty on the long wall at Greenbank.

Pl8o, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2021
Pl8o, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2021

If I am honest, I think that brown and orange are my least favourite street art colours, although if used to highlight or fill pieces they are not so bad. I suspect that this relates to a rather horrible pair of nylon pyjamas I had in the 1970s that were brown with an orange trim. Yuk.

I absolutely love the stylised letters that Pl8o has drawn up and the character is a very welcome addition, which I assume is by him too. All in all a very nice addition to his portfolio, just a pity about the colours (in my opinion).

4104. New Stadium Road (36)

I met Logoe for the first time a couple of weeks ago at this spot while he was painting a collaboration with Silent Hobo, one of his old mates. Their collaboration, I don’t think even lasted a day, and I only have one WIP photograph of it, such is the ephemeral nature of street art in popular spots. Logoe comes across as a lovely bloke and was more than happy to talk about his work and his trips to Bristol.

Logoe, New Stadium Road, Bristl, October 2021
Logoe, New Stadium Road, Bristl, October 2021

Unlike his collaboration piece, this one has lasted well and I believe is still there, or at least it was last time I visited this spot. The delicate colours work really well on this script LOGOE entering. With many of his pieces Logoe likes to add a little quote or phrase and here he gives us:

“They say (she) dodged a bullet… but it put her in the ground”

This sounds like a lyric, but I am not too sure what from. Anyhow, it works well with this lovely piece. Logoe also told me that he had missed out a word. I am guessing it was the word ‘she’ that I inserted in brackets.

4103. City Road (12)

This magnificent beast was created by Ryder as part of a magnificent paint jam marking the opening of Stoked Food in Stokes Croft. The whole delivery and car parking Bay Area was decorated by several local artists, but this shutter skull was the centrepiece.

Ryder, City Road, Bristol, October 2021
Ryder, City Road, Bristol, October 2021

Ryder is better known for his outstanding writing, but this is a great character piece, and extra clever as the mouth opens up when the garage door is raised. Very nicely painted and full of cartoon ‘over-the-top’ character, this piece demands to be looked at and enjoyed by passers by on City Road.