Werm has had a very good year in 2024, and tried out several new variants of his letters, sticking with some and abandoning others. This was a particular theme that saw him through most of the year, crafting the letters WERM into a bilaterally symmetrical pattern.
Werm, Peel Street Green, Bristol, December 2024
This one looks like it might have suffered a little at the hands of the weather, or the background wasn’t fully applied, which is a pity, because it distracts a little from the writing itself, demonstrating why backgrounds can be so important. It’ll be interesting to see if Werm moves on from this style in 2025.
What an honour for Pekoe to have a lovely birthday tribute piece from Smak back in December last year. This is a classic piece of traditional Smak graffiti writing, and reminds me of some of the first pieces I noticed by the artist, many years ago.
Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024
The letters are mostly created by the outlines, and the fills resemble the background, giving them a bit of a transparent look. This piece also picks up on Smak’s current theme of including palm trees and hinting at the tropics. Great work from Smak.
While this is far from my favourite piece by Solar, and not the easiest to photograph, even on a wide-angle setting, I have included it in the name of completeness and documentation. I think it is only honest to post work by artists, warts and all, if and when possible. All too often such pieces get deselected, but during the Christmas and winter period there is lower turnover and I can post more of what I see.
Solar, River Avon, Bristol, December 2024
In this piece the letters SOLAR are stretched out, and difficult to notice when walking along the narrow pathway. Painted in subtle shades of grey with tints of duck-egg blue, the unruly letters touching on anti-style, are actually quite nicely done. I sense that this writing has been here a long while, but that I haven’t noticed it before.
This is a stunning piece of graffiti writing by Smak, incorporating a landscape view, framed in a wide rectangle. It is similar to a piece that he painted on the M32 roundabout a little while ago. I have a feeling that this piece was from around the same time, but I have only recently got round to photographing and posting it.
Smak, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024
The letters ‘SMAK’ are concealed, and I have to say I am assuming they are there rather than knowing that they are there. Within the overall design, there are fragments of a tropical paradise and plenty of palm tree references throughout. This is a truly classy piece from a very classy artist.
I have written this post in advance, because I am taking a break with my family to Marrakesh (apart from my son who jetted off to Thailand yesterday for a couple of months), and I will be busy today with getting ready for the flight, packing etc.
Mr Draws has been smashing it this winter, and when a lot of ‘fair weather’ artists retreat to the comfort of their homes, Mr Draws has been stepping up to the plate and turning out some lovely, happy pieces.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024
This is a large piece, covering up the whole wall, which can easily accommodate two or three pieces, and often does. Mr Draws has filled the space really well, with his bright letter fills set on a skyscape background and some stylised blades of grass running along the base of the writing. Mr Draws has quite a unique style, and I don’t think that the way he paints his pieces is all that conventional either. I really like this one.
I rather like my occasional trips to the recycling centre. My most recent, last week, consisting mostly of cardboard boxes, afforded me the opportunity to visit a few spots that I don’t get to see all that often, and I was chuffed to find a clutch of pieces in Sussex Street that I hadn’t been aware of, including this piece by Haka, which looks like it was painted in October 2024.
Haka, Sussex Street, Bristol, December 2024
This is a classic Haka combination piece, with his letters split either side of a character. You’ll have to forgive me for not knowing who the character is, but now that my kids are grown up I have lost touch a little with youth culture. The whole piece hangs together really well, and the writing has a lovely 3d drop shadow drifting to the right. A lively piece that probably looks a lot livelier on a sunny day.
It feels funny posting this piece by Risky, because it is only the third to have made it onto the pages of Natural Adventures, but I have been photographing his work for at least two years, so I am surprised I haven’t published more. I know little about the artist, and can’t find any socials at all, so until I catch Risky in the act I’ll have to remain ignorant – having said this, I have a nagging feeling that I may have met him a while back, painting under Brunel Way… the old grey matter isn’t what it used to be.
Risky, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024
I love it that Risky, like so many other occasional writers in Bristol, turns up from time to time with a vibrant and colourful piece like this one, that really catch the eye. While this isn’t technically high-end, it has loads of things that I like; some great letter shapes and that strong red colour works really hard; some interesting white highlights that help the letters to pop, and some more subtle red highlights, adding a bit of depth to the letters; finally, a green drop shadow and yellow border. Although not the tidiest piece I have seen, I really like it.
Klashwhensober, River Avon, Bristol, December 2024
This is a curious piece by Klashwhensober, painted alongside Sworm on a low wall that supports one of the bridges over the River Avon – a bridge that doesn’t actually lead to anywhere. It looks like this might have been a bit of a dregs piece, because there are a few colours involved, that don’t necessarily complement one another, and the light blue and yellow look rather thin, and perhaps were running out.
Klashwhensober, River Avon, Bristol, December 2024
Klashwhensober has been painting a lot of character/writing combination pieces over the last year, and as a general rule of thumb, the more time he spends on a piece, the better the outcome. While all the design elements are present in this piece, it feels a little rushed and rough around the edges. The character on the left is a bit strange, and slightly divorced in style and colour from the writing. Overall, this is an interesting piece, but not one of Klashwhensober’s finest.
I believe that this piece by Mr Klue was painted at breakneck speed. On the day it was painted, I checked out the wall around lunchtime, and there was nothing there. Paul H visited the spot a while later and the piece was completed. This is my account of events… of course I might have had a ‘moment’, or a blind spot and walked past the piece without noticing it, but I simply don’t think that happened. Anyhow, all’s well that ends well, and I managed to snap it up as if it were new, eventually.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2024
2024 was a stand-out year for Mr Klue, and what a way to round-off the year with this fine abstract writing piece set on a festive gold background. The letters spell KLUE, and are more defined here than in some of his more ephemeral pieces. The orange and turquoise work well together and are augmented with splashes of lime green and purple. A fine piece. I am looking forward to another great year from Mr Klue in 2025