Colourful is the word that springs to mind when I look at this fine piece of writing from recently discovered (by me) Phour. Many graffiti writers fade their colouring horizontally, but Phour has done this vertically so the colour transitions happen as you read along the piece.
Phour, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2020
Phour along with graffiti writers like Mr Draws, Oner, Slim Pickings (Tes) and Fiva, to mention but a few, writes his name, clear and simple without too much disguise or wildstyling which makes his work really easy to identify. I find this piece most pleasing. Great colours, neat and tidy and it has a fearless joy about it. Looking forward to seeing a whole load more from Phour.
As with so many artists, Bnie has been very active since the easing of lock down and I can’t ever remember a time when the frequency of her work has been as high as it is now. This all amounts to great news for fans of her beautiful writing.
Bnie, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2020
In typical fashion, Bnie gives us a really tidy and clean BNIE with some complex and stylish fills. Her creativity and imaginative fills are her USP and she really leads the way with these patterned letters. A fine piece.
Fortune favours the brave. I took a lunchtime walk last week and decided to take the dog to the M32 roundabout. I could have gone to any of the other spots, but decided on that one and lucky I did. I arrived to find an ‘A list’ of graffiti writers prepping for and starting a paint jam. Included in this extraordinary line up were Soker, Minto and Tizer from London, Rusk, Inkie, Hemper and Stivs.
Tizer, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Because of my working hours and limited ability to get out I rarely see artists at work, so this was a real treat, and the first piece I am sharing from this paint jam is by Tizer, who is a graffiti writing legend.
Tizer, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
I learned two things when I chatted with Tizer the next day (another whole story), the first is that he freestyles all his pieces, which is incredible really – no drafts or prompts, just what’s in his head. The second is that he turned to spray painting and skateboarding as a youngster to escape the gangs where he grew up in Brixton.
Tizer, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
It was really interesting to see how Tizer works. From what I saw he drafts an outline and then works on the colour fills from left to right. When that is done he paints on the black outlines and details ending up with a stained-glass window effect. Wonderful to watch and what an amazing finished piece. Of course the whole thing spells out Tizer.
Last week I met Phour for the first time, and what a pleasure it was. I had had my suspicions that he was another writer that had changed his letters, but I was quite wrong. Phour told me that he did a bit of spraying as a youngster, but had stopped until a couple of years ago when he picked up his cans and started up again. I must confess that I have only noticed his writing this year, but what I have seen I like and he is, on first impressions, a genuinely decent guy who was more than happy to stop and talk for a while.
Phour, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2020
This is one of a few slightly older pieces that I have had on archive waiting to be posted until I knew a little bit more about the artist. His letter shapes are clean and clear and he seems to enjoy lots of colour in his work. All the right ingredients are there for Phour to move up the ranks of Bristol graffiti writers. I look forward to following him along the way.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023Dibz and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2023Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023Dibz and Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2022Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022Ulow and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022Dibz and Posea, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2022Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022Dibz, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022Dibz, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, December 2021Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2021Dibz, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2020Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2020Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020Dibz and 2Keen, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2020Dibz, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2019Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2019Dibz and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018Dibz and Sikoh, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018Dibz, Brunswick Square hoardings, Bristol, March 2016Dibz, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2017Dibz, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017Dibz, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2017Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2016Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2016
Corupt is an artist whose work is horribly underrepresented in Natural Adventures, and over the coming weeks I will attempt to correct this. His work can be found in all the main spots in Bristol, but he definitely favours the tunnel and M32 roundabout.
Corupt, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2020
The letters in his work have a unique style that makes his writing quite easy to spot, especially as he writes under other names from time to time. This one is a real gem with some clever colour combinations and a cornucopia of fills. So often his pieces in the tunnel don’t photograph very well due to the awful light conditions, but this one has come out really well. Great work.
Another artist relatively new to me and whose work I have started to notice about the place is Alos (I think), whose earthy and organic writing is deceptively well thought out and executed. For example the raggedy edges of the letters are reflected in a similarly raggedy shading and outline.
Alos, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
I have some other recent pictures of work from this artist and am enjoying trying to figure out more about him/her. The style might not be to everyone’s taste, but I rather like it as it is vert different from a lot of the regimented and precise writing that we see all too often. Watch this space for more on Alos.
Ooh, it is always great to come across new work from Elvs and I am particularly enjoying his accompanying characters at the moment, which complement his superb writing really well. This is a nice spot on the M32 roundabout that Elvs favours from time to time. Yesterday this exact same wall was being painted by Inkie, Soker, Tizer, Minto, Rusk and Stivs… some of the greatest writers you’ll get to see in a single gathering. More on that paint jam to come soon.
Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
It goes without saying that the beautiful script writing and shading are of such a high standard. Elvs has really nailed his technique for this style of lettering.
Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
The character, Marvin the Martian, seems to be a favourite with street artists. Dasco has just done one in Spain and there are a couple of other examples below:
Dtor, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020Deamze, Hill Street, Bristol, October 2018
Adjacent to the new hoardings on Cattle Market Road that have been immaculately painted by Josh B, Bnie, The Hass, Hazard and Sled One are some slightly older hoardings which are beginning to be ‘decorated’, this one by Haka
Haka, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, June 2020
Haka’s work is a little more edgy than his neighbours and has a real sense of vandalism about it compared to their high-end work. All of this wonderfully illustrates exactly why I love street/graffiti art… the vast spectrum of styles, ‘respectability’, talent on offer caters for pretty much every taste. This character-writing combination is a cheerful piece with Tom and the Roadrunner flanking a nicely written JESSE. A fun piece.
I think that this might be the first Slim Pickings (Tes) piece that I have posted since the easing of lock down restrictions, and what a nice one to be kicking off with. Some lovely colours and the customary care and attention that Slim Pickings always applies to his work.
Slim Pickings, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
The piece was part of a No Frills collaboration that was painted over the RBF Black Lives Matter collaboration before it, emphasising just how rapid the turnover here is right now. An aesthetically pleasing piece from a great writer.
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