Tag: Writing

1081. Upfest 20127 (81)

I have been mulling over the best way to present the Read and Weep (RAW) wall at Upfest this year, because there are six artists involved in the whole thing. I could have written one post about the whole collaboration, but regular readers will know that I like to concentrate a little on each artist…it is the way I do this blog. So here is the first of the RAW wall from left to right – Smak.

Smak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Smak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is a fabulous piece of wildstyle writing, and I have been trying to decypher it. Obviously, the first thing I would look for is SMAK, but I just can’t see it, so my guess is that it says RAW, which is a little more visible in the image above.

Smak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Smak, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The colour scheme was pretty much observed by all six artists, and the bright blue background really set off all the pieces brilliantly, particularly in the changeable weather over the three days. This long wall really was one of the highlights of Upfest 2017.

RAW wall, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
RAW wall, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

1080. M32 roundabout J3 (51)

As long as FaceF1st keeps spraying, I will keep posting his work. This one looks like it is a tribute to someone called Minty. Perhaps this is why the face looks sad. This is yet another fine piece from FaceF1st and I particularly like the sprayed drips and the real black drips.

FaceF1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017
FaceF1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2017

I’m not sure if this is a Google algorithm feature linked to my computer or if it is a real thing, but when I type ‘FaceF1st Bristol’ into google images, I see an amazing gallery of many of the images I have taken of his work. I have to admit it makes me feel pretty good that I have been able to record his work over the last couple of years.

1078. The Bearpit (99)

Mr Draws has certainly made a great comeback since losing his mojo sometime back in July around the time of Upfest. This piece in The Bearpit harks back to a piece he did in Dean Lane a few months back, where he has corrupted his name into ‘Zieht’ which is German for draws.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, September 2017

This is a colourful piece that has a layer of sophistication behind the ‘light’ style that Mr Draws tends to use. He really is one of the artists I most enjoy seeing about the place – always up for a chat and happy to talk about his work.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017

1069. Dean Lane skatepark (81)

A great hold the microphone piece by one of Bristols great writers, Soker. This piece is a little unusual, because Soker usually writes ‘SOKEM’ and I think this is the first picture I have where he has written smething else.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017

The colours are ones he has used before and he works the gradient between the colours skilfully with a kind of bubble effect, which is repeated in the deep purple background to the piece. I am not too sure what the piece refers to, there may have been an event or something, or maybe it was just for fun.

1065. Moon Street (36)

Right up at the north end of Moon Street you will still find this nice writing from Whysayit. Unfirtunately, every time I pass it, which tends to be in the mornings…these days I get the bus home…it is in shadow, so these pictures don’t really bring out the full colour Whysayit has used.

Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2017
Whysayit, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2017

His choice of colours is unusual, especially the lilac background. Maybe he buys his paint from the same place as Face F1st. The writing spells out YSAE, which I guess stands for ‘Why Say’. Always nice to find work by this modest graffiti artist.

1064. Bedminster

Yet another really sharp piece from Deamze, using colours that he likes to use together tucked away in Bedminster. This clever piece bisects his wildstyle writing and character diagonally from top left to bottom right, the top half being monochrome pink and the bottom monochrome green.

Deamze, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Deamze, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

It is a striking work that demonstrated Deamze’s talents to the full. I am not sure who the cartoon character is…answers on a postcard.

1056. Dean Lane skate park (80)

This is a lovely sharp piece of wildstyle writing from visiting artist Mario Messina (MM.Pat). I believe that this Sicilian artist is a tattoo apprentice, who must have been passing through Bristol sometime this summer.

Mario Messina, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017
Mario Messina, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2017

The letters are beautifully picked out in chrome over a colourful cloudy background. This particular spot is behind a set of high railings, and anything that is sprayed here tends to stay a while because it is a bit of a fag to scale the railings with all your gear. I passed by today, and it is still there. A lovely piece.

1054. M32 roundabout J3 (49)

The once highly productive Laic217 seems to have taken his foot off the gas a little recently, which has allowed me a bit of a breather. Maybe he has a new job or maybe he has been away, either way it is good to see him hitting the streets again. This is a reasonably recent piece on the M32 roundabout in which he reverts to his format of writing his name and incorporating a character.

Laic217, M32 junction 3, Bristol, September 2017
Laic217, M32 junction 3, Bristol, September 2017

This is a nicely sprayed piece, and shows just how far this artist has come since some of his work I posted about eighteen months or so ago. The colour selection works well with the rather ghoulish subject matter.

Laic217, M32 junction 3, Bristol, September 2017
Laic217, M32 junction 3, Bristol, September 2017

On my way to work this morning I saw another brand new piece, so keep your eyes peeled for this in the coming days.

1045. Church Road (2)

At the top of Church road there are a whole bunch of reasonably new pieces from members of the ASK crew of which this is one. The three sections are by Soker, Cheo and Deamze, although the Soker and Deamze writing are in exactly the same style and lettering and I am left wondering if only one artist was involved in those bits.

Soker, Cheo and Deamze, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Soker, Cheo and Deamze, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017

It is a colourful collaboration that is nicely balanced. The Cheo character in the middle is ready to spray…was it in fact this character that sprayed the rest of the piece? Always good to see ASK collaborations around the place.

Soker, Cheo and Deamze, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Soker, Cheo and Deamze, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017

1034. Dean Lane skate park (78)

I think I originally archived this one before I had become familiar with the work of either of these artists. The picture, from January 2016, was taken on one of my earlier and infrequent (at that time) sorties south of the river.

Sled One and Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016
Sled One and Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016

I like this collaboration between Sled One and Smak, but it is a partnership that I don’t recall seeing too often. The unusual colour palette is shared by both the artists and works well across the whole wall. Obviously I like the Sled One writing, he can do little wrong in my eyes.

Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016
Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2016

The Smak piece is interesting in that I suspect it is the first of his pieces that I consciously photographed, even though I was not familiar with the artist. I also noticed that I didn’t do a very good job, cropping the edges off either side. I am becoming more familiar with Smak’s work and like what I see. For some unknown reason I was a late adopter with his work.