1265. Dean Lane skate park (103)

Another one from back in July last year, this time from Hire, who seems very much at home in Dean Lane. With a contrasting yellow background, this fabulous piece of gothic wildstyle writing stands out brilliantly.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017

Hire is a highly talented graffiti writer, who I can’t help feeling is slightly overlooked in the Bristol scene, so I am certainly playing my part in ‘bigging him up’. I cannot be sure, but I think this piece says HIRE. I think it is classy.

1263. Dean Lane skate park (103)

Biers is a really friendly artist who I have met on several occasions now. This was a piece from back in July 2017 which has been in my archive because Upfest posts tend to dominate my July/August time, and other street art snapped up around Upfest tend to get a little overlooked. But enough is enough, I am liberating a few images taken during last July since they are too good to ignore.

Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017
Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017

Biers, I think, is connected with the No Frills crew, although my understanding of crews is patchy at best. He often writes No Frills on his pieces or NFS. I managed to find him working on this piece, and was lucky enough to return a few days later and see it in its finished state. Sometimes work on these walls can last only a day or two, especially in the summer.

Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017
Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017

This is a nice clean piece that spells out Biers which once you get your graff goggles on you can easily read. I still find it interesting the way the layers go on in these pieces, with the fill going up first and the borders and finer lines last. Great skill required.

1254. Moon Street (41)

Clearly Whysayit spent a little more time on this lovely piece in Moon Street than he has done on some of his other graffiti writing. One of the things I really like about this writer is that he can produce work on a spectrum, from scrawly tagging through to quick throw ups and to something like this which is a nicely executed clean piece.

Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2018
Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2018

The colours are excellent, the green hovering beautifully on top of the pink. The fill is clever too, starting as spots on the left, transforming to stripes on the right. Whysayit has also created a real feeling of depth to this piece. There is so much more to graffiti art than simply disguising letters.

1253. M32 roundabout J3 (61)

I have become rather fond of Elvs pieces recently. I enjoy their symmetry and the Gothic styling. and the colours he uses. This is a recent example of his work on the roundabout of the M32.

Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2017
Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2017

I believe he comes from Cardiff, but tends to make fairly regular visits to Bristol to seek out some walls. He is in my view one of the best DBK artists…DBK seems to have such a broad spectrum from fairly hopeless taggers at one end right up to rather classy graffiti artists like Elvs. Nice new year piece.

1252. M32 roundabout J3 (60)

I don’t know an awful lot about Lopes…I think I have sen his name once or twice around Bristol, but can’t be sure. His burner here is nicely executed, but it is the Kid Crayon character to the left that makes this wall.

Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017
Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017

I am not sure if this was a deliberate collaboration or if Kid Crayon added his work afterwards. I suspect the latter. However it came about, the KC character with his funny accent in the speech bubble adds so much to the writing of Lopez, bringing the most out of it by drawing attention to it.

Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017
Kid Crayon and Lopes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2017

This is a witty and fun piece and so very typical of the understated brilliance of Kid Crayon. Perfect.

1244. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (32)

I see an awful lot of Face F1st’s work dotted around the Stokes Croft area and at the M32 roundabout, but this is the first piece I have seen where he has a message for us all. And the message is quite clear – ‘no ads on free walls’. What he is referring to is the increase in street art in this area that is advertising events in the local area. I have to say I have quite a lot of sympathy with him.

Face F1st, Stokes Croft, Bristol, November 2017
Face F1st, Stokes Croft, Bristol, November 2017

The face is angry, which again is quite unusual for this artist. The rest of the piece is colourful and bright and the word Face can be made out in the writing. An artist whose work I continue to enjoy, especially when it has this bit of edge to it.

1230. Leake Street tunnel, London (4)

Over the Christmas break, I took a train from Waterloo to Woking to visit the inlaws. I allowed myself some extra time to take a quick look at the graffiti art in Leake Street tunnel which runs under Waterloo Station. There was a great deal of wildstyle writing which I was not familiar with – London art is still a bit of a mystery to me – but I did recognise a couple of pieces by Sky High, of which this is one.

Sky High, Leake Street, London, December 2017
Sky High, Leake Street, London, December 2017

I know his work from visits he has made to Bristol in the past to Moon Street, Magdalen Place and Dean Lane. The piece features his characteristic block lettering in multiple styles and a curious snake at the left hand end. I have to say I am not sure about the snake, it is incongruous and I think the piece would be better without it. Maybe that is just me though.

SkyHigh, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
SkyHigh, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2016
Sky High, Magdalene Place, Bristol, June 2016
Sky High, Magdalene Place, Bristol, June 2016
Sky High, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016
Sky High, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2016

1227. Ashley Road (16)

This is the second piece by Fiva (Fiver) to appear on this hoarding in recent weeks, the first was featured in a post recently and that one was the first work I have seen from this artist in a while. It seems he is on a roll, and that his inspiration would appear to have come from (I think) recently becoming a father.

Fiva, Ashley Road, Bristol, December 2017
Fiva, Ashley Road, Bristol, December 2017

I do like these kind of writing pieces which conflate words and styles to create a layered puzzle. This is accomplished work from a good artist, and I’d like to see more of his work on the streets – as a new father though I expect his opportunities might be limited.

1221. City Road (6)

The truth about Face F1st is that I simply can’t keep up with him at the moment, he is being so incredibly productive. Another thing about his work is that it is largely confined to Stokes Croft and the M32 roundabout. I think I have only ever seen one piece of his in Bedminster.

Face F1st, City Road, Bristol, December 2017
Face F1st, City Road, Bristol, December 2017

In this piece we see Face F1st using some rather more upbeat colours compared with the sober tones he usually uses. I’m afraid that the focus in the feature photograph is really poor, and I might have to replace the picture when I next get a chance. I really like this piece.

1220. Dean Lane skate park (97)

It is always a pleasure to see a piece in progress and, if you are lucky enough, to see it again once completed. This was one such work by Ugar, our very own Hungarian Maestro.

Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017

I am really interested in seeing how he layers his work and that in common with many other writers, he starts with draft outline letters and then fills in the background before filling the letters. This feels counter-intuitive to me…being a non-artist, I would simply slap the background down first and then work up from there…this is one of the reasons why I am not out there spraying (apart from an utter absence of talent).

Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017

The final piece of wildstyle writing is exquisite and all the more admirable for being worked onto the pre-existing colourful piece beneath it. I must confess that I had come to photograph the Erase piece that Ugar sprayed over, and was a little disappointed initially. That was until I saw the final product. I am looking forward to seeing more from Ugar in 2018.