3703. M32 Cycle path (128)

I have to take my hat off to Claro for even attempting to paint this wall, but to do it so well is truly awesome. This bit of wall on the M32 cycle path is made of stone and is very textured, horrible and lumpy and bumpy, not that you’d know it from looking at this piece by Claro.

Claro_que_sssnoh, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2021
Claro_que_sssnoh, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2021

Claro’s style is so very distinct and quite unlike anyone else’s in Bristol. Spelling out HONS his writing combines curves with angular straight lines that at times looks quite uncomfortable if you know what I mean. The letters on their own might be a little boring, but with all the decorations and border colours, the whole thing ends up looking pretty good. More to come soon.

3699. M32 Cycle path (127)

As mentioned previously, Lee Roy has had an exceptionally busy spring, and although he has been painting for a while he only appeared on my radar in February this year, and for every piece posted, there is at least another one in the archive.

Lee Roy, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, May 2021
Lee Roy, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, May 2021

What I like about Lee Roy is that he is constantly rethinking his work and his most recent ‘reimagining’, to use a contemporary word, has been to drape his pieces onto the ground and cascading down steps as in this example from the M32 cycle path. A great idea very nicely executed. Inevitably, there is more to come from the artist.

3697. M32 Cycle path (126)

Here is another fine piece from the slightly unloveable Turoe. This wall is in my view one of the best in Bristol, but it rarely fulfils its potential. I would love to see it fully buffed and some large-scale collaborations painted on it because these days it tends to look a bit messy.

Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021

This ‘shyte’ piece was painted back in April and stands out in chrome on a hot yellow, orange and red background. This is a classic wildstyle burner and another in the vast collection of pieces from Turoe.

3694. New Stadium Road (33)

Eman is an artist who has been knocking it out of the park recently, and this piece in the little underpass underneath the M32 is a bright, cheerful and exceptional writing/character combination from the artist.

Eman, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021
Eman, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021

The character part is one that he has been working on recently and has a strong impact thanks to the clean design and great use of colours. The shadows underneath the eyebrows is a really nice touch too.

Eman, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021
Eman, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021

The writing spells out EMAN and is presented in bright uplifting colours, perfect for this gloomy spot. The cracked letters are filled with various shades of blue in a random pattern, but it is the orange 3D shadow and green decoration dots that add som inch to the overall outcome. A very nice piece indeed.

3691. Dean Lane skate park (415)

When I saw this piece I heard a voice in my head shouting out the word aaciiid! In that rather annoying 1980s way, if you know what I mean. This is a lovely piece from Mr Draws in Dean Lane in which he uses letters other than his customary DRAW. Good to see.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021

I think that this is a beautifully executed piece with a good solid wall wash, great colour selections and some nice decorations in the form of blue horizontal lines with darker blue shadows. A tight piece from the Bristol stalwart.

3689. Brunel Way (103)

I have kept it as no secret that I have been struggling to keep on top of the sheer amount so street art and graffiti that is being painted in Bristol at the moment. I find myself constantly looking back into my monthly archives to see if there are any gems I have missed. Once I have hung up my camera for the last time, I will still have plenty of material to post, albeit historical.

Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021

This is a gorgeous piece from Ments, painted in April, that shows off his talents perfectly, incorporating his newer techniques with his older organic style of writing. Believe it or not, these abstract forms actually spell out MENTS although it takes a bit of creative thinking to make out some of the letters. A very nice piece indeed that fully deserved its moment in the spotlight last month. Blame the backlog.

3688. Dean Lane skate park (414)

I can’t be a hundred percent certain whether this was a collaboration or simply two pieces that had been painted adjacent to one another, but the black background leads me to believe it is the former.

Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

On the left is another wonderful piece from Flava136 painted on a recent visit to Bristol from his native Cheltenham/Stroud kind of area. It is an absolute scorcher with a lot of complex things going on in the fills and shadings of the goofy monster. Lovely precise work.

Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

To the right of the curved wall is a rather nice chrome set of letters spelling out VEK with a fine blue and green border, reflecting the colours of the 2DAE piece at the top of the wall, which I don’t think is a part of the collaboration, although I wouldn’t swear to it. Veks is having a bit of a busy time at the moment. I wonder how much all of these artists will be getting out once we resume a more ‘normal’ pre-Covid situation.

3687. Cumberland Basin

Here we have another fine piece from Dog Bless the Band in muted shades spelling out MOTEL. It has been written in a style that bucks the trend of the more traditional New York wildstyle writing and has a much freer and somewhat anarchic feel to it.

Dog Bless the Band, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Dog Bless the Band, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

Obviously it is the artist’s name that initially creates interest, but that is a bit of a side-show really. I love the subtle earthy tones of his work and ill discipline of his letter forms. The whole thing rather resembles the skin of a large mammal, like an elephant. Great work from an artist I know precious little about.

3683. New Stadium Road (32)

There is currently no stopping Lee Roy who appears to be extending himself with a series of pieces that are painted close to the ground and spilling out on to it or cascading down steps.

Lee Roy, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021
Lee Roy, New Stadium Road, Bristol, May 2021

It took me two attempts to photograph this rather dainty piece, because the first time I failed to frame it properly. It is so annoying when that happens. Written in big bold letters, this piece contains a variety of very interesting and original fills and lots of blue water drops. Lee Roy is definitely tapping into his creativity these days.

3682. M32 roundabout J3 (319)

It is a bit of a shame, but Smoke Perfume’s work never seems to last very long, which might be a feature of where and when he chooses to paint. My advice would be to not paint a high-turnover wall at the beginning of a dry spell of weather. It sounds obvious, but when it is wet, it is only the covered areas that get painted.

Smoke Perfume, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
Smoke Perfume, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021

This is a very nicely worked piece from Smoke Perfume with some interesting colour choices that contrast rather strongly – a deliberate use of prime colours I wonder. I think that he writes WINE, often toyed with or distorted in some way, but it is his trademark flames in the letter fills that give him away. I really rather like his work and look forward to finding more of it.