1289. Raleigh Road, vector (21)

Well here we have a fine piece from RAW’s Smak in Raleigh Road. His wildstyle writing realy is out of the top drawer and this work really showcases his skill. set on a blue background, which was probably prepped for this paintjam, his subtle blue lettering is lifted by the yellow and red accents and of course by the cheeky mushroom skull character.

Smak, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Smak, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

I fear that this set of pieces may be some of the last at this site, which has hosted some remarkable work over the last 18 months or so, but the building work is nearing completion and it will not be long before the hoardings come down. We need some new sites to make up for it.

1285. Dean Lane skate park (107)

I met Rusk the day before he sprayed this magnificent piece in Dean Lane, while he was prepping the wall with black emulsion. We chewed the fat for quite a while, mostly talking about the street art scene in Bristol and some of the things that go on. He told me that he would be spraying the wall with a couple of friends the next day, I think it was a Saturday, and this is the result. I will post the other pieces in time, but felt I should do this one first.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018

As always with Rusk’s pieces, a lot of care and thought has been put into this. It has lovely clean lines and the gradient of colours from top to bottom is skilfully done. Definitely one of my favourite writers in Bristol, and one who makes time to talk about his and other people’s work. A nice piece.

1284. Jubilee Street (5)

I don’t get over to Jubilee Street all that often, but managed to get there recently whilst shopping for a chandelier in Gardener Haskins, a nearby and completely bonkers department store.

Soker, Jubilee Street, Bristol, January 2017
Soker, Jubilee Street, Bristol, January 2017

This is a super piece by Soker that sits in a bit of a backwater and probably doesn’t get seen all that much, apart from by the children in the adjacent school. The walls here are very much dominated by ASK members, in particular Deamze, and tend to remain unchanged for long periods of time. Visiting only occasuionally doesn’t seem to matter too much in this spot.

1280. Dean Lane skate park (106)

Well what a splendid piece this is by Ugar, who is appearing more and more in my posts these days. The letters, in white, spell out URAG, a little bit of fun. I am attracted to his style of writing, and particularly to his imaginative range of fills he uses for the letters.

Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018

As time goes on, this young artist seems to be gaining in confidence, bit with the pieces he is producing and with the locations he is choosing. I will be following his progress with interest.

1278. Raleigh Road vector (21)

The covers are coming off the scaffolding at this site, which means that the hoardings will probably be coming down soon too, which is a pity, because this is a top spot for street artists. I suppose hoardings are by their very nature temoporary, so we should be thankful fot the opportunity.

Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

This is another extraordinary piece by Sled One, who appears to be hitting the streets quite hard over the winter period. Sled One has offered us another masterclass in character wildstyle writing, where it is possible to make out the letters SLED, however I am less certain that I am able to unpick all the intricate stuff going on in the piece. There is so much detail to wade through. The main part of the story is in the letter D.

Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Sled One, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

There is a skull-like character consuming something, but it is all a bit odd and surreal. Sled One has a fertile imagination, and supreme skill to be able to commit it to a wall with such fine craftsmanship. Another great work from the young artist.

1276. Wilder Street (22)

This is an unusual pice of writing from Ryder. I don’t think it is the writing itself that is unusual, rather it is the bare wood hoarding behind it. Usually a backwash is applied to make the piece stand out on a single colour. Not only does this piece ignore such things, it also spans around a concrete pillar.

Ryder, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016
Ryder, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2016

Ryder is a fine Bristol writer, who I was slow to pick up on and appreciate, but I am a fan of his work now. This one does look a bit like a jelly though, all sort of wibbly wobbly, and the shading has a kind of electric/cosmos feel to it. Unusual.

1275. M32 roundabout J3 (63)

This is a cracking January piece by Smak of Read and Weep (RAW). Alongside a nice piece from Elvs, this fabulous example of wildstyle writing really showcases the technical art involved to create great graff.

Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018
Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018

With a little bit of training you can read the work SMAK, but it is all tghat surroubnds the letters that makes this piece stand out. the two predominint colours alternating through the piece, freat shadows and shading and a pleasing symetry to the whole work. One of Bristol’s best writers.

1274. The Bearpit (117)

In the partial light of one of the tunnels leading out of The Bearpit a little while back, there was this rather lovely collaboration between Kid Crayon and Ugar. I had caught up with Ugar a few days later and he talked about his collaboration partner most fondly and touchingly called him Crayon Kid. Well it works for me.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017

It is not often that Kid Crayon takes to writing, but I guess this was one of those days. What is lovely about his piece here is that he has included his signature crayon, which has been missing (and much missed) of late.

Ugar, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017
Ugar, The Bearpit, Bristol, November 2017

I am really enjoying finding Ugar pieces around the place. As a relatively new entrant into the Bristol scene, his work adds to the incredible diversity of street art that the city has to offer. He mostly works with the letters of his name, although not always, and here gives us an UG, beautifully filled and decorated. Nice collaboration.

1273. Brunel Way Bridge (5)

I think this is the last piece I have from the Halloween 2017 session by members of the ASK crew. The others were by Sepr, Sled One, Feek and Inkie. This is by the extraordinarily talented Epok.

Epok, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, November 2017
Epok, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, November 2017

Nobody writes quite the way Epok writes, with his highly designed angular letters which have a stro9ng geometric and architectural feel to them. The photograph really doesn’t do justice to this piece which is positioned under a bridge, where the light competes with the dark. All of the pieces here are much better seen in the flesh, than captured by a rank amateur like me. At least I can give you a feel for the artworks.

1266. Dean Lane skate park (104)

Still delving back into my archives, I have dug this piece out, because I met the artist a couple of weeks back, and now what I’m looking for and looking at. The artist is called Howl and often works in tandem with his collaborator Gumbo.

Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

I met them at the M32 east side of the roundabout and enjoyed a long chat while they were waiting for paint to dry. I said at the time that I didn’t know who they were, but that I probably had unidentified photographs of their work, and I was right.

Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

Both artists belong to the What crew, which includes 45RPM, but they said that the crew was fairly dispersed these days. This piece is in my view beautifully executed. It spells out Howl and incorporates some clever shading and filling. The colour selection works really well with the contrasts bringing the piece to life. I am guessing the ‘O’ is a dog howling, it would rather make sense. All good, and nice to publish this one at last.