I feel like I have been a little starved of pieces from Nightwayss, and I think the last one I posted was his large and stunning tribute to the NHS at the M32 roundabout. This is an altogether much smaller and intimate piece.
Nightwayss, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2020
Nightwayss’ signature element is his little monkeys that appear in practically all of his works and he doesn’t disappoinnt with this one. His little monkey is dancing on top of a halo which sits atop the G in NIGHT. The letter style is tending towards cartoon and beautifully presented. This is a small, modest and fun piece from Nightwayss that made me smile when I saw it.
Varo is a really interesting artist whose work is most recognised for the large and dominant bull super-tag that he paints around the place, but this somewhat betrays his talent as a great writer. This colourful piece appeared on the M32 roundabout a week or two back and shows off Varo’s talent.
Varo, M32, Bristol, August 2020
The left hand side is a beautiful piece of writing, spelling out the name VARO, with a quite unique 3D shading that gives the whole thing a sense of movement and energy. On the right is a fabulous 3D rendering of his bull tag which has something of the exotic about it – maybe something to do with its Spanish creator. A wonderful And energising piece.
Soker got off to a slow start after lock down, but is gathering speed now, which is great for anyone interested in the work of this great graffiti writer. This lovely piece along the M32 cycle path spelling out SOKEM is a real treat.
Soker, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2020
The colour scheme is one he has used before in Bedminster although the style of writing is quite different. Of particular note in this work are the red stri[es on the 3D shading, proviting extra depth, and the blue bubbl;es for interest. Overall a sumptuous piece.
Unlike other artists in Bristol, Rezwonk has been relatively quiet since lock down restrictions have eased, although I am aware of a couple of new pieces in Lawrence Hill, there have only been a handful from this master graffiti writer.
Reezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2020
This gorgeous piece in red, with alternating white and yellow outlines looks deceptively child-like, but is technically complex. The fill, which would have been laid down first, looks almost like crayon, a technique Rezwonk has used before. The two elements that set the piece off nicely are the red detail lines and the copious drips at the bottom of the letters. Great to see,
Although he is nowhere near as prolific as he has been in the past, Mr Draws is still managing to paint from time to time. This is a recent piece from Dean Lane that emphasises his willinngness to try new ideas and constantly push his boundaries.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
The piece is in two distinct halves split horizontally, with a wobbly four colour stripe filled top half and a three colour freeform fill on the bottom half. It is an eyecatching piece and I would like to see more from the artist, but appreciate that these are not easy times for anyone.
When DazCat posted this piece on Instagram he accompanied it with the following words ‘Tried something new, perspective is tricky!’. To me though I think he did a fabulous job.
Daz Cat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2020
Although Daz Cat does write from time to time he is definitely better known for his cats, dogs and other animals. The perspective works pretty well in this piece, but I am slightly perplexed that I can’t properly read the writing. I’ll let you work it out for yourselves.
Daz Cat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2020
The cat is something altogether More Daz Catty. Propped up against the letters the rather bored, sullen or sad looking cat is passing the time drinking from a bottle (of milk perhaps?). Overall this is a nice piece, slightly understated, that should give the artist confidence to try more experimental work in future.
I am really struggling with the new WordPress editor. Everything takes twice as long as it should, and there is simply too much functionality for a user like me. I just want to write posts on my blog, not design up a personal website. Oh well, I’m sure I will get better at it with practice, which is something that definitely applies to street/graffiti art, and when you see apiece like this from Rusk, you know that it is on the back of a huge amount of hard graft over the years.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
The overall design of the letters and the selection of chrome and green are very nicely done. At the right hand end of the RUSKY letters is a muscle-flexing spray can squirting a neon green jet of life into the piece… a nice character. A fabulous piece from a highly accomplished writer and complete gentleman.
Before I start this post, may I say just how much I dislike the new WordPress editor. It is utterly pants, and although it appears to have more functionality, writing a post takes about twice as long as commands are a little more buried in the architecture. Moan over.
This is something of a curiosity, it is a Hire piece that looks unlike any other Hire piece I have ever seen before. I don’t know what prompted this departure from his usual style, but it is a hugely accomplished piece and one that should give him the confidence to experiment further.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
Set on a black background with a pink grid on the lower half and silhouetted skyline above it, Hir has written a four letter word that looks like DIAK, although I can’t be sure about that. There are very few hints that this might be by Hire other than the lower parts of the letters have his distinctive sharp edge to them. Be really interested to see where Hir goes from here.
This ‘ice dragons’ piece was the second painted by Tizer on his lightening visit to Bristol about a month ago. I was lucky enough to watch him for a while painting both pieces on consecutive days, and while he painted this one I had a chance to chat with him for quite a long time. Tizer likes to talk and is a really friendly guy. He also self-discloses without apology and in just a few minutes I learned a lot about his childhood and what motivated him to pick up a can.
Tizer, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
One of the most remarkable things about the two pieces in Bristol is that he paints freestyle, which means that the idea is in his head, but he doesn’t follow a draft drawing or plan. The way he works is to sketch out the fills in different colours before adding hard edges in black, like reverse colouring in. You should be able to make out the letters TIZER so beautifully written.
Tizer, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
It is interesting to note also that Tizer seems to work from left to right in a systematic way, when many other artists will approach their work from all sides at once or by colour selection. This is a man who knows what he wants to do and just goes ahead and does it. A giant of a man with a giant heart.
It is always nice to see a new piece from Rapt and I have become rather fond of his little motifs that he incorporates alongside his letters. In this piece he has painted a small yin-yang to the right of the letters that provides extra interest.
Rapt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
The letters are nicely done with three horizontal layers of shading fill in varying hues of pink. Rapt has also included some nice little clusters of coloured circles and stars that I think works really well and is quite an original decoration. A fine piece of work.