6024. Anchor Road (5)

Inkie, Anchor Road, Bristol, May 2024
Inkie, Anchor Road, Bristol, May 2024

This container, behind the Watershed, is one of the more curious spots in Bristol. I am not sure who owns the container, nor do I understand quite why the council has given permission for it to be sited here, but here it is and fortunately for us, it has played host to a series of high-end commissions over the years. Inkie replaced the Paul Monsters piece that had been here before a little while back, but I have only recently photographed it.

Inkie, Anchor Road, Bristol, May 2024
Inkie, Anchor Road, Bristol, May 2024

There are several Inkie elements that have come together in perfect harmony in this combination piece. The print background runs through the whole piece and sets a regular patterned backdrop. Of course the distinctive writing in very Inkie colours is as good as you’ll see and to the right is one of his beautiful Art Nouveau style characters. The only board of the piece that leaves me scratching my head is the cartoon-style spray can, which doesn’t look like an Inkie piece at all and doesn’t quite fit with the rest of it.

6020. M32 roundabout J3 (575)

Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024

There are one or two artists that are on fire at the moment, and I am really struggling to keep up with their work, which vexes me a little, because I want to share it all – I’ll need to find a way of sharing moor, possibly through mini galleries or something like that. Kid Krishna, has been going nuts lately, and I must have seven or eight recent pieces in my archive, all waiting to be posted.

Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024

This is a bright and colourful piece of graffiti writing spelling out CRIE, which you can see more clearly in this one than in some of Kid Krishna’s other pieces. There is so much intricate work, and a flow that runs through the letters both in design and colour. Kid Krishna’s work always comes across as quite organic, chaotic and unplanned. I don’t know if that is the case or not, but it is also consistently good.

6018. M32 Cycle path (265)

Mind 49 and Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024
Mind 49 and Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024

Regular readers may be experiencing ‘déjà vu’ on seeing this fine collaboration from Wxttsart and Mind 49, as they have overwritten and incorporated elements of their last collaboration on this exact spot, and the unobservant might have missed the ‘update’ altogether.

Mind 49 and Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024
Mind 49 and Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024

The ‘old’ work is the purple and cream script by Wxttsart running through the middle of the piece which has a clever ‘ripped wallpaper’ look to it and has been augmented with fresh writing at the top and bottom of the piece that appears to spell out MYLK, (milk being Wxttsart’s moniker). The portrait, by Mind 49, is rather larger than its predecessor and beautifully executed. Mind 49 manages to paint informal portraits in a photorealistic style while retaining a softness about them, and this is a prime example. Both artists have combined (again) perfectly to create this striking collaboration piece.

Wxttsart and Mind 49, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024
Wxttsart and Mind 49, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024

6017. M32 Cycle path (264)

Minto, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024
Minto, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024

Minto keeps his work ticking over nicely with a fairly regular weekly/fortnightly contribution, and each and every piece is a cracker. Minto has a distinctive style and creative streak that makes for outstanding graffiti writing – character combinations and mash-ups.

Minto, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024
Minto, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024

This piece, on the Cycle path behind the Black Swan, looks like a bit of a quick one and features trainers, something of a theme for the artist at the moment… that and camper vans – perhaps we can read into that a profile of his lifestyle. The letters, which spell out Minto, are nicely rounded off with a yellow and orange border. So good to have him back in Bristol.

6015. Dean Lane skate park (715)

Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024
Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024

Werm is producing, in my view, some of his best writing work at the moment, having pulled back a little from his highly technical and complex pieces. There is something a little more accessible about his graffiti writing now, that hasn’t always been the case.

Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024
Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024

The colours in this piece spelling out WERM are certainly eye-catching and benefit from the buffed black wall, which enhances the impact of the writing. I suspect, consciously or otherwise, that the selection of purple and yellow for the letters might be related to the colour wheel, where they are complementary colours – they do work well together. I wonder if we’ll get to see Werm incorporating characters in his work, he would be more than capable of doing it and has done so once or twice in the past. I’ll ask him next time I see him.

6012. Frome Side (34)

Grimes, Frome Side, Bristol, April 2024
Grimes, Frome Side, Bristol, April 2024

I would say that over the last two years or so, the intake of ‘new’ artists in Bristol has far outweighed any losses, and we have a ‘net gain’ of talent. This is great news, although it makes things a little troublesome for me, as there is so much more art to photograph and catalogue than ever before, and it is difficult to give artists the exposure they deserve.

Grimes, Frome Side, Bristol, April 2024
Grimes, Frome Side, Bristol, April 2024

One of the newer artists to Bristol (at least on my radar) is Grimes, whose characteristically colourful and busy pieces have been brightening up spots all over the city. This piece underneath the M32 is typical of his work, full of letters and symbols, beautifully crafted and filled. I have loads of his pieces in my folders and will try to dig them out, as he has added something a little special to the Bristol mix.

6011. Sparke Evans Park (96)

 

Claro_que_sssnoh, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2024
Claro_que_sssnoh, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2024

What stands out for me in this lovely piece of graffiti writing by Claro_que_sssnoh is the subtle colour selection and slight softening of his letter style. The writing runs smoothly, where often his letters can have a slightly staccato feel running through curvy to straight lines in abrupt fashion.

Claro_que_sssnoh, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2024
Claro_que_sssnoh, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2024

I am not entirely clear what the writing spells as I would usually expect to see HONS. Claro_que_sssnoh has managed to do just enough of a background and ‘sparkles’ to differentiate his piece from the pre-existing pieces on the wall, and drips ad further interest. For me though, it is the colours that shine. Nice work.

6009. M32 roundabout J3 (572)

Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024
Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024

This is something a little different from Mr Draws, and I really rather like it. The colour scheme that he has selected works really well with the verdant spring growth at the base of the wall and the trees behind set on a stunning blue sky (something of a rarity this year).

Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024
Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024

The character hand and letters combination looks really good and is nicely proportioned. This is so typically Mr Draws, and I can’t fully explain why, but his whole approach to graffiti writing is unconventional, which is great to see, as there is quite a lot of ‘Samey’ stuff out there. I love the hand, and I think that it is something he should bring into his work more often. A great piece from an artist I really like.

6008. Dean Lane skate park (714)

Fade, Dibz, Noise and and Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024
Fade, Dibz, Noise and and Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024

I am not sure that I have seen this wall painted as much as it has been over the last year or so, not just painted, but painted with so many high-quality pieces. This recent collaborative piece is by Fade, Dibz, Awkward and Noise.

Fade and Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024
Fade and Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024

The left-hand end of the wall is collaborative combination from Fade and Awkward. Starting with the latter, I think that this is the most extensive bit of work I have seen from him, with so much more than his usual mega-tag face. Here Awkward has included a complete character as well as some woodland beasties and flowers, with loads of little details. The character is wearing a Cheech Wizard hat and surreptitiously holding a spray can. Fade has painted some beautifully finished letters, acting as a central platform for Awkward’s decorations.

Dibz and Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024
Dibz and Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024

The middle section is by Dibz with a combination of outstanding writing and a couple of characters… a Vaughn Bode Lizard and another masked character whose name I don’t know, both faithfully reproduced. There have been a whole ton of Vaughn Bode inspired pieces lately, and I guess it is a theme from World Wall Stylers or something like that.

Noise and Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024
Noise and Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2024

Rounding off the wall and sticking with the colour theme, Noise, who seems to be enjoying a spate of collaborations, has produced another of his NOISE pieces composed of dense letters with stunning fills and transitions. Awkward makes another appearance with a character peeping over the ‘S’ along with a couple more woodland bugs. Altogether a wonderful piece from the foursome.

6007. M32 roundabout J3 (572)

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024

I have enjoyed immensely the vigour with which Hypo has upped his game over the last year or two, both in terms of the quality and quantity of his painting. Sticking with his HYPO letters, he has come up with a sequence of colourful and strong designs of which this is one of his more recent.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024

Unfortunately I captured this piece on a late sunny afternoon, and there is a bit of glare, but it doesn’t hide the excellence of the artwork. The colour palette is really good and the transitions through greens to yellows and oranges and blue are really well done. some spots are added for decoration, but it is the overall design of the letters and the clean finishing that I am particularly attracted to in this piece. Great work from Hypo.