Tag: Writer

2915. Hereford Street (1)

What an absolutely gorgeous sunny morning it is in Bristol today, deep blue skies and optimism in the air. This is an old photograph (consistent with all my recent lock down posts) of an even older piece by Smak. It is on a curious hoarding on the southern edge of Bedminster that leads to a tunnel under the railway.

Smak, Hereford Street, Bristol, April 2019
Smak, Hereford Street, Bristol, April 2019

It is all too easy to run out of superlatives when describing Smak’s work, and it is a rare thing indeed to find anything to be critical of. This is a thing of beauty, and I rather like the juxtaposition of urban graffiti writing set against greenery on the other side of the hoarding, like a scene from the Terry Gilliam film Brazil. Did I ever mention that my dad was the stage manager for Monty Python during their Drury Lane shows?

2911. Dean Lane skate park (306)

There is no order or plan with which I am going through my archive (during lock down) I am simply skipping from monthly folder to folder, spotting something and thinking, ‘ah yes, this needs posting’. This exact process has happened several times with Slim Pickings (TES) and each time I put the moment back to be returned to another time. Well, enough is enough. Here is a rather lovely TES from March last year, that didn’t get posted first time round.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2019
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2019

As I would always expect from Slim Pickings, this is a really tight and clean piece, painted in pillar box red set on a dull bronze background with some green gunge and drips for good measure. The white highlight lines are just enough to give the letters a 3D feel. Clever and consistent. Note to self… high time I did a gallery.

2910. M32 Spot (65)

Another piece from January last year, released from the archive, this one is by Minto. My knowledge of Minto is a little bit patchy but I think he used to live in Bristol and then, like so many street artists/designers, moved to London, so pieces here are few and far between.

Minto, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019
Minto, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019

This is an unusual piece of writing, unlike anything I have seen before really, and I am not certain it is necessarily in Minto’s usual style either. Not really my cup of tea, but it is always great to have a spectrum of art in the city.

2895. Raleigh Road vector (30)

This long piece is a bit of a monster and unusually garish for Soker. It has the appearance of a huge washing up session with the grimey green slime getting a bit of a clean up from the bubbly water. The SOKER will come clean.

Soker, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2019
Soker, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2019

Painted in February last year, the piece would have been one of the last to appear on this particular wall, because not long after the hoardings were removed and the block of flats inhabited. Previously the empty lot had been a wonderful spot and was used every year by Upfest. Another loss to the Bristol street art community, but at least the housing provided looks like it was appropriately affordable.

2894. M32 cycle path (56)

Oh what a beauty from Rezwonk on the M32 cycle path. I think that the most prolific artists are at greater risk of having work that I struggle to post. One of the reasons for this is that I like to present a representative spectrum of the street/graffiti in Bristol and so if an artist paints three walls in a week, I will reserve a couple of them to post at a later date… this is a later date, a much later date.

Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2019
Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2019

I really love this piece, the colours, the letter style and the details. Set on a flame-coloured background of Rezwonk ‘R’ tags, the letters are supported with a deep 3D shadow that seems to have a vanishing point somewhere behind the ‘Z’. The finishing touches of cracks in some of the letters adds even more interest to the whole thing. Classy.

2891. New Stadium Road (23)

Due to his incredible turnover, it was always inevitable that some pieces by Deamze were going to get left behind in the vast filing system that is my archive. Thanks to the lock down I am going through old unpublished material because so little contemporary stuff is being painted just now.

Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2017
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2017

All the hallmarks of a great Deamze piece are here… the angular technical and complex wildstyle writing and a cute little character. I think that the character is meant to be Garfield, and if it is, then for once it is a bit of a dud from Deamze in terms of its likeness. If it is not Garfield, then it is a brilliant little cat, and who doesn’t like cat street art?

2890. St Werburghs tunnel (167)

The biggest mystery to me during this rather self-indulgent trip into my street art archives imposed by the coronavirus pandmic lock down is that I find it quite hard to understand why so many great pieces got left behind on the ‘cutting room floor’, like this beauty from Elvs.

Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017
Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017

Painted back in March 2017 this wonderful piece of wildstyle writing incorporates an addition of a skull and intriguingly some Japanese-looking script in yellow and pink running through the ELVS lettering. I know that several pieces by Elvs incorporate some Japanese lettering, but I don’t know why… I’ll have to ask him next time I see him (which could be some considerable time). A classy piece from this exceptional artist.

Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2016
Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2016

2889. St Werburghs tunnel (166)

Thanks to lock down, I am sharing this throwback piece from 2017 in St Werburghs tunnel by Fiva. His style is clean bold and instantly recognisable. Large letters with a character face in a cartoon style looking on.

Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017

It is so easy to like Fiva’s work, it has a lighthearted feel to it and somehow it always feels very welcoming and accessible. I’m not sure if that makes any sense to you, but it does to me. It is great to have the space to unearth this one from the archive.

2888. Dean Lane skate park (303)

Well, this is a piece I never knew I had, and may well be the oldest work I have by Nightwayss. I think that when one takes so many pictures of street art, there will be the odd ones that are difficult to recollect. Mostly they are the ones by artists that are unfamiliar, and so there are no reference points to engage with.

Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017
Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017

There are no monkeys here, which makes it a bit of a collectors item. The writing in shades of green is complex and nicely done, although I’m not too sure how much the characters add to the overall piece and I am not sure about the story they tell. I am a fan of Nightwayss’ work, so to uncover this early one has given me a real thrill.

2885. Raleigh Road vector (29)

What I am rather shocked by is the sheer number of outstanding pieces I have in my archive, and I guess it just goes to show that the high productivity of great street art in Bristol is pretty much relentless, and people like me struggle to keep on top of it. At least this pause caused by the coronavirus lock down provides me with an opportunity to share pieces like this amazing Deamze one that I had left on the shelf.

Deamze, Raleigh Road, Bristol, November 2016
Deamze, Raleigh Road, Bristol, November 2016

Although he is now in Hobard, Tasmania, Deamze will be forever a legend in Bristol and is sorely missed. His combination pieces incorpoorating wildstyle writing and a character are out of the top drawer and these technical masterpieces are something we can only reflect on these days.

Deamze, Raleigh Road, Bristol, November 2016
Deamze, Raleigh Road, Bristol, November 2016

One of the great things about Bristol is that the reputation for street art draws artists to come and stay or live in the city, so that for every great artist that leaves, at least two arrive, so the future is bright. The king is dead… long live the king.