Writer – Page 244 – Natural adventures

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 Thanks to the lock down I am going through old unpublished material because so little contemporary stuff is being painted just now.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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

2884. M32 roundabout J3 (205)

Back to more familiar territory with this absolute stunner from Hemper at the M32 from March 2016. Although it is obvious now to see the letters HEMS, at the time I took these pictures I was less familiar with Bristol artists and in particular the wildstyle writers, so I probably didn’t post this beauty because I didn’t know the artist,

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016

I cannot begin to articulate just how good this piece is. The letter style is outstanding, but it is the horizontally graded fills with drips and dots that makes this piece special for me. A very classy piece from a top Bristol artist.

2881. Shoreditch, London

In a small way, the lack of new art being sprayed in Bristol due to coronavirus lock down, has enabled me to dip into my archives and share with you some pieces that I simply didn’t have space for at the timw I took the pictures. The next three posts are from a trip to Shoreditch, London in August 2016.

This amazing piece of widlstyle writing is by Tizer who I understand is generally considered to be one of the best graffiti writers in the old smoke. Spelling out TIZER, the green,yellow and gold metallic-looking fill is given depth by the cleverly lined 3D shadow. Nice too be able to share this one from Tizer, an artist that when I originally saw this was completely off my radar (living in the provices as I do).

Hire

A gallery of extraordinary writing and menacing rabbits from Bristol-based artist Hire.

Instagram: @hireonebf

All photographs taken by Scooj.

Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Hire, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2022

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020

Hire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018

Hire, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2018

Soge and Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017

Hire, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, June 2016

Laic217 and Hire, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2017

2878. Upfest 2016 (173)

Like many of these archive posts from Upfests passim, it is hard to understand why I haven’t posted this one from SkyHigh and Roo before. I can only think that it is because I never got a clean shot of the finished collaboration.

SkyHigh and Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

These two London-based artists collaborate often, and where you find a SkyHigh piece, there is usually a Roo piece nearby. I took these pictures just as Roo (who previously I have assigned a male gender – dammit) was putting the finishing touches to her work. I suspect the lower right hand quadrant is not quite finished in these pictures.

SkyHigh, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

The SkyHigh half of the collaboration spells out SKY in his characteristic variety of block letters, each different from the next, and the colours used here are incredibly bright and cheerful. This is first class graffiti writing.

Roo has painted what I think is a dog, but looks a lot like a moose without antlers to me. The mischievous character has been spraying the letters Roo in magenta paint on the wall behind – a nice idea executed really well. This is a fine collaboration and I can only apologise for not sharing it before. (lots more apologies to come as I continue to scour the archives).

2877. Upfest 2016 (172)

Somehow, since the lock down I have a lot less free time than I had before, which feels rather counter-intuitive. I am still working full time, only at home and mostly on Covid-19 communications. The kids are at home all the time and there is no respite from looking after them 24/7. The dog still needs walks. My wife too is working full time at home and occupies the study to work, which is where our main computer resides, and all my associated street art files etc.

The upshot is that I am writing these posts in the few minutes I can when my wife takes a shower in the morning. I am on leave next week, and might be able to write a whole bunch of posts to get a little bit ahead. I don’t like flying by the seat of my pants.

This is a stunning piece from the perfectionist Rusk on the RAW wall at Upfest 2016. I consider this to be an outstanding piece of writing and somehow Rusk, using highlights, has managed to create a metallic effect, so the whole thing looks like the side of a car or something like that. I can’t understand why I’ve not posted this before. Worth the wait.

	hitandrun1964 on 7494. Purdown (100)
	hitandrun1964 on 7497. Surbiton Station, L…
	skat on London bound
	Bill Bisgood on Football train
	Cethru Cellophane (a… on Football train

	hitandrun1964 on 7494. Purdown (100)
	hitandrun1964 on 7497. Surbiton Station, L…
	skat on London bound
	Bill Bisgood on Football train
	Cethru Cellophane (a… on Football train

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