This fine piece by Soker was a part of the graffiti writer paint jam from a week or so back. I do think that there is a lot to be said for prepping a wall beforehand for artists of a certain calibre such as Soker, that makes a kind of statement that this work is worth proper treatment – some might view this as taking the edge out of graffiti and I would understand that, but I like it.
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
This piece is on the face of it wonderfully simple, until you take a look at the orange fills with blue drips and the use of five colours graded horizontally in the letters. The purple spots just add something special (Imagine the piece without them). Great work from a graffiti master.
Inkie’s work is consistently outstanding. What a privilege it was to happen upon a paint jam a short while ago at which some of the great and the good of the Bristol and London graffiti writing scene converged on the walls of the M32 roundabout on two consecutive days. A highlight of the year so far.
Inkie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
This piece needs no introduction. Rather I suggest that you simply admire the burning tones and typical ‘fairground’ lettering style that has become representative of the Bristol street art scene. A huge surprise and a red hot piece – happy days.
I have said it before that Dibz has been painting a lot recently, like so many other artists since lock down eased. I am guessing that many artists have been furloughed and have therefore had more time on their hands than usual. I expect that as time passes and things get back to our new normal many artists will return to work and this frenetic activity will start to slow.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020
This is an outstanding piece from Dibz, whose attention to detail and sensational finesse is second to none. Everything about this piece is good, from the black background to the colour selections to the design to the brilliant fades in the 3D work and the orange drips. This is a masterful work.
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.
Natural adventures 