2752. Richmond Road (5)

I truly believe that DNT is one of the unsung heroes of the Bristol street art scene. He is  creative, edgy and prolific, with a style all of his own and a kind of artistic  determination that is uncomprimising. I think that for some, his artwork is hard to like because it is unfamiliar and unusual, but scratch under the surface and there is so much to like.

DNT, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2020
DNT, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2020

This piece would appear to be a commission for a friend or ‘patron’ and can be found at the bottom of Richmond Road. The rather organic letters, spelling out DNT, bear a similarity to some of Object…’s work in that there is a weirdness and fragility to them. Painted in 2019, I have only recently come across this piece.

2751. M32 cycle path (51)

Aah! the familiar large letters with deep 3D shading of Bristol’s mighty Soker. It doesn’t seem to matter what design, shapes or colours Soker uses, his supreme qulaity always shines through. I cant’t fully identify what it is that makes a piece stand out from the crowd, but it might have something to do with the assured skill and confidence that the artist embeds into the work at the time of spraying.

Soker, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2020
Soker, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2020

I aven’t seen too much from Soker over the winter months – perhaps he is more of a fair-weather artist or maybe he has been busy with other projects, either way, it is always a pleasure to see anything by him.

2749. Dean Lane skate park (281)

I have a feeling that this is the work of an artist who will be appearing with some regularity on Natural Adventures. I met Creks at the back end of last year when he was down from Leicester with some friends painting at the M32 roundabout (to follow). It seems that since then he has painted a few walls around Bristol and I am wonderinng if he has moved down here.

Creks, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Creks, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020

Creks is a graffiti writer who seems to play with a number of different styles and this small quick one in Dean Lane is just a little sample of his obvious talent. Watch this space for more from Creks.

2741. M32 roundabout J3 (194)

There is rarely a time when I don’t enjoy seeing work by Mr Draws. His DRAW moniker will be a familiar site to any observant Bristolian in recent years, even if they haven’t considered the name any further.

Mr Draws. M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2020
Mr Draws. M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2020

In this fun piece, Mr Draws has added interest to his writing with a little spaceship sending light beams down onto his work. Although not an original concept, it is a fun idea that brought a smile to my face. Mr drwas continues to show great stamina, painting walls come rain or shine and keeping Bristol’s USP ticking over nicely.

 

 

 

2740. St Werburghs tunnel (141)

It is not too often that you get to see a piece by Gage Graphics that is not a commission or a festival work, so this recent stunner in St Werburghs tunnel is something of a rarity. Featuring writing and a character, it is a real beauty and was a nice surprise when I came across it last week.

Gage Graphics, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020
Gage Graphics, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020

The writing says serif (I wonder if it is in anyway related to the typeface) and is expertly painted, with some nice arrows incorporated too. I suspect that Biers (who has other names) would definitely approve of the horse/donkey braying ‘ooohhhyyyeeeaaahhh’. A real treat.

Gage Graphics, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020
Gage Graphics, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020

2738. Dean Lane skate park (280)

When Inkie comes back to Bristol, he usually marks his return with a little gift or two, and this one from a recent visit home is an absolute corker. Deliciously clean and sharp, this vibrant INKIE is a classy piece.

Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020

It is incredible how the colours leap out and slap you in the face, an effect probably exaggerated by the gray day and flat light. It is great to see a little shout out to The Agent, who is one of the longer established street artists in Bristol. Altogether a superb piece. Thank you Inkie.

2736. Dean Lane skate park (278)

Forgive the rain spot on the feature image, it was a very wet day when I took these pictures, and no matter how hard I tried to protect the lens from the rain, I just didn’t meet with much success. Sometimes though you simply have to venture out in all kinds of weather to capture incredible pieces like this one by Decay for fear that they could be tagged or painted over at any time, especially in Dean Lane.

Decay, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Decay, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020

I am loving the new direction that Decay is taking with his writing this year, with the inclusion of an additional set of letters behind his familiar ‘DECAY’. In this piece on the famous curved wall, he has written the letters HTM, which I believe is a crew name, possibly his partnership with Rezwonk, which stands for Hold the Mustard (thank you Paul). I look forward to January when it comes to Decay, because he seems to reinvent himself, not too much, and then kicks off for the rest of the year with the new idea. This particular idea has a lot of mileage in it and I can’t wait to see more.

 

 

 

 

2734.Dean Lane skate park (277)

It is such an obvious thing to say, but I can’t stop myself… this is a two for the price of one wall from Slim Pickings (TES). It is not often that you get to see two pieces by the same artist side-by-side, especially painted around the same time. What is nice about these it that you can compare the subtle differences between the two designs, both of which are beautifully clean by the way.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020

I don’t know the derivation of his TES pieces, but I suspect they began as a tag and have evolved over time into these elaborate and aesthetically pleasing works. The one on the left has some excellent colour choices with a wavy separation and some nice drips on the T. Woz Yer = was here, possibly one of the oldest mottos used in graffiti.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020

On the right is a slightly older form of his TES with little accent marks to the bottom left and right of the letter sequence. There is a single solid fill, but in this one the whole thing is finished off with a red boundary line. Spotting the difference between the two is rather fun, perhaps he should do this more often.

2733. L Dub (11)

L Dub, (Lawrence Weston) is a spot I visit infrequently, but one that always rewards the effort. It is my premium dog walking spot, because it takes ten minutes of walking through a curious wasteland to get there and is close to Kings Weston where the dog and I spend many happy hours, particularly in the excellent cafe (doggie ice creams!)

Smak, L Dub, Bristol, January 2020
Smak, L Dub, Bristol, January 2020

On my most recent trip I was greeted by this magnificent piece of writing by Smak. He really is a brilliant writer and all round street artist and seems to be at the top of his game at the moment. The best way to try to understand just how good this piece is, take a good look at it and consider the colour transitions, the sharpness of the letters, the overall design, the shadows, the outline in blue and the decorative fills. All of these elements are brought together in a vibrant crisp clean piece… stuck out in the middle of nowhere where footfall is minimal. The joy of an artist in form.

2727. Armada Place (16)

This is something of a new style being developed by Ments, and I have to say I like it and I think it has great potential. The clever combination of colours has the appearance of molten metal, but if you look up close it just looks like streaks of paint. Really clever work.

Ments, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2020
Ments, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2020

most of his work spells out MENTS, but I have to say that I struggle to see it here, but I suspect it is there somewhere. This work reminds me a bit of Fanakapan, although it is doing something different. I saw a little sneak preview of this new style in development down under Brunel Way bridge a little while back. I am so looking forward to seeing where this will lead us.

Ments, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, January 2020
Ments, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, January 2020