Tag: Writer

2500. Cheltenham 2019 (11)

One of the comforting things about the Cheltenham Paint Festival is that it is only a short distance away from Bristol and that I am familiar with a great many of the artists that make the short journey. One such artist is Lokey, whose 3D anamorphic lettering is out of the top drawer.

Lokey, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Lokey, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

This piece has the appearance of being unfinished, but it is signed and I have not seen any photograhs of it in a more advanced state. It is a clever effect which keeps the mind wondering what might the bottom half look like and your brain trying to fill in the gaps. I ought to add that the little cat to the right of the piece was painted by his young daughter and will is worthy of its own post (to come).

2497. Cheltenham 2018 (4)

Going to Cheltenham for the first time this September was such a treat, especially because so many pieces from last year (2018) were still intact, including this extraordinary and brilliant piece by SkyHigh.

SkyHigh, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
SkyHigh, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019

I have seen SkyHigh’s work in London and in Bristol, but I think this piece in Cheltenham is as good as any other that I have seen. I can’t quite be sure that it isn’t a collaboration, because the jungle bookends don’t quite match his style that I am used to. As always SkyHigh spells out his letters with each one being distinct from the next to bring together an ecclectic whole that just seems to work. I have seen other artists try thisd technique, but in my view SkyHigh is top of the division. Sensational piece.

2494. M32 roundabout J3 (172)

Grrrr. Dappled shade. It drives me bonkers.

This great piece, if you can see it, is by Hypo, whose work pops up every now and again, and although not the most prolific of Bristol artists, his work is always worth waiting for.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2019
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2019

This ‘HYPO’ has an icy feel to it, which is perhaps exaggerated by what look like icicles hanging off some of the letters, and the red and yellow fills have a translucent look to them like ice lollies or stained glass. A fun piece wallowing in late summer sun.

2493. Brunel Way Bridge (23)

Always neat and tidy, Rusk has painted yet another lovely piece of graffiti writing this time under Brunel Way. I never get to see as much of Rusk’s work as I’d like to, nor meet him often enough, as he is a really decent bloke who is great for an in-depth chat about his and other artist’s work.

Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019

If I ever get even remotely good at spray painting, I’d like to think I’d have a similar approach to is as Rusk. He is meticulous in his work and will take time to get his lines perfect and his brilliant blended fills just right, stepping out from his work to get a good look at it and then going back to tweak it. Back and forth with love, care and attention.

2492. Dean Lane skate park (253)

Slim pickings has been very busy during the late summer and early Autumn, and it seems that there is barely a week that goes by without a new TES at Dean Lane. This clean and tidy one in grey shades is really rather smart looking, and the curved line between the E and the S is there, a point of discussion on my last post on Slim Pickings’ work.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

I used to think that his pieces were all identical, but that is not the case, and he is constantly evolving the form of TES, perfecting it and then making subtle adjustments. Always good to see these beauties.

 

 

2486. Brunel Way Bridge (22)

Some more high-quality writing, this time from Turoe One down at the riverside path under Brunel Way. I think I have written before that I know little about Turoe One, in so much as he has not been on my radar too much in the past until quite recently. This is a strange state of affairs as he is absolutely one of the long established Bristol graffiti writers and commands three pages in Felix Braun’s seminal work ‘Children of the Can’. Maybe he hasn’t been too active since I started getting interested over ther last five years or so, but he certainly seems to be quite busy now.

Turoe One, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019
Turoe One, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019

Spelling TURO (he seems to spell it several different ways), this piece is crisp and clean and the red and green contrast brilliantly. I have always been quite fond of the apple green and red combination and think I might try it out next time I spray my board in the garden. I’m very much enjoying the work of this Bristol master.

2485. Dean Lane skate park (252)

Tight is probably the best word to use when describing the work of Dibz. Always meticulously thought out, clean lines, perfect 3D shading, crisp fills and more often than not, fabulous colour choices. Dibz really pays attention to his pieces and each one is carefully constructed to produce a complete and stylish work.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

This one in Dean Lane is simply another example of just how accomplished the artist is, and what he lacks in quantity, he more than makes up for in quality. There is beauty in this, and I challenge even the most ardent critics of graffiti writing not to concede that this is a high quality piece. Nice one.

2484. Cheltenham 2019 (8)

We all love a little sunshine, or at least when it is the right kind of sunshine. In this set of photographs we have the wrong kind of sunshine, the kind that casts shadows in tunnels, the kind that people like me don’t like very much, especially when you don’t get regular opportunities to visit particular places.

Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

This is one of two pieces that Inkie painted for the Cheltenham Paint Festival, the other larger one being a little bit further out of town and rather more celebrated. Inkie has painted a truly Inkie piece here with his characteristic writing supported by one of his iconic profile portraits and lots of swirling hair. The letters spelling out ChelSpa, a confated version of Cheltenham Spa (for which he would have needed a much longer wall).

Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

It always great to see Inkie pieces especially when on travels outside his native Bristol/London bases, and Cheltenham certainly has some to be proud of, if you include his contributions to the 2018 Paint Festival.

2474. Brunel Way Bridge (21)

I realise that graffiti writing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and it is one of the reasons that I try to mix up street art pieces and graffiti writing pieces on Natural Adventures, but I do have a mission to grow an appreciation for writing and writers whose work is often highly technical and commands supreme spray painting skills. This piece by Veks is really out of the top drawer.

Veks, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019
Veks, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019

Some of the things that make this piece so good include fantastic variations of colours blended nicely through the letters, an outstanding selection of complementary colours bounded by a very tight and sharp yellow border, a fine background and most of all a nicely balanced design, not over-complicated or too fussy. Great work from Veks.

2473. Dean Lane skate park (251)

It feels like an absolute age (and it probably is) since I last posted anything from Jee See, and here on one of the ramps at Dean Lane he recently painrted this little collaboration piece with Pekoe. I think it might have been at the rescheduled DLH (Dean Lane Hardcore) event a couple of weekends back.

Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

Jee See has written a rather nice 3D rendition of his moniker which adopts a whole load of very nicely done shadings, hatchings, drips, cracks and colour fades. So good to see him back in action.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

Just to the right of Jee See’s writing is another one of Pekoe’s beautiful ladies in blue, a colour she often favours, and with a little tear beneath her eye – what does this tear tell us about the srtist? Is there some inherent sadness there? There is a clue in the top right of the piece which indicates that it is a tribute to Janet. Tribute pieces are often painted with a little extra love and have a poignancy to them.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

I am so enjoying finding and appreciating Pekoe’s work which just seems to be on a steady improvement.