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Overwhelming sense
of time passing too quickly
and those jobs undone
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by Scooj
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Overwhelming sense
of time passing too quickly
and those jobs undone
.
by Scooj
Both of these artists have had a very busy year in terms of throwing paint at walls. Benjimagnetic and Hemper are not artists I would normally pair up, but they have painted together in the past and continue to do so from time to time. Benjimagnetic’s style is much more consistent, whereas with Hemper, each piece is incredibly individual.
On the left is a fascinating piece from Benjimagnetic spelling BEN, which is much less frenetic and busy than his usual offerings. The yellow outline, where you can make out his letters, is sitting over a blockwork pattern, and the whole efect is compelling. Two little speech bubbles state: ‘Stand in the balance’ and ‘Hold your head up’
To the right Hemper has created a sensational piece of writing spelling out HEMS in beautifully curvy letters which are filled to perfection with various colourful shades and bubbles. The whole thing is set on a very atmospheric green background with a few subtle shout-outs. ‘Free assembly is a right… …not a privilege’ is a sentiment very close to many Bristolian hearts at the moment. Kill the bill.
Soker is an incredibly versatile writer, managing to conjure up no end of extraordinary styles for his usual SOKER letters, but this piece is, in my view, an extra special one produced during a recent birthday celebration paint for Sled One.
The colourful letters are framed within a beautiful flowery border that oozes pure class. It doesn’t take much more than the slightest glance to see that this is a masterful piece with an outstanding overall design, beautifully crafted fills and superb finishing. A supreme piece of graffiti writing.
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Creaky metal bed
taken to the local tip
final resting place
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by Scooj
Another new artists for Natural Adventures in 2021 is Zed in the Clouds. Zed has been busy in recent months painting his small character pieces in most of the popular Bristol graff spots, and this one is on the long hoarding alongside the development at Greenbank.
Zed in the Clouds (a great name by the way) creates these expertly finished little cap-wearing characters that tend to blend well with all that is around them. Take a close look though, and you will see that this isn’t simple character tagging, there is a lot of skill and care that has gone into the fills and his lines are crisp and even. Lots more to come from this relative newcomer in Bristol.
I haven’t posted many pieces by Evey, mainly because I haven’t actually seen all that many. She tends to paint with other Resting Bitch Face (RBF) crew members, including Pekoe and Bnie, which was the case on this wall.
What I particularly like about Evey’s work is its simplicity and femininity (without being girly, if that makes sense). Her letters are nice and organic, but it is her fills, which are so often full of happiness, that show off her creativity. Although her work is still developing, there is something about it that I find incredibly attractive.
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A lifetime constant
content with second fiddle
a steady innings
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by Scooj
Slakarts has been ever so busy in recent months and I have enjoyed meeting him a couple of times lately. I think it says so much about my age that street artists, like doctors and teachers, seem to be so very young. In my mind’s eye I expect them to be so much older and am always surprised when I meet them. DFC1848 is a rare exception to this perception.
In this piece in the tunnel, Slakarts has reverted to his front face projection rather than three-quarter profile that he has been painting a lot lately. This character has crazy hair, maybe he is waiting for the barber’s to reopen, and rather dodgy teeth. Not the most attractive, but nicely done.
Bright sun is my enemy (only in the context of photographing street art, you understand), it adds the kind of interest to a piece that I could well do without, in this case the ‘interest’ is a blooming huge shadow cast across this magnificent corner piece by Sepr.
Sepr always has been and continues to be on fire with his distinctive cartoon style of character-based pieces and this one is a masterpiece. The central character is a Pied Piper playing on a flute, surrounded by an entranced troop of rats (mice?).
The rats appear to be dancing to the tune of the piper, seemingly under his/her spell while a bird nonchalantly looks on eating some popcorn. How on earth does Sepr come up with narratives like this? He is a master storyteller, and we are blessed in Bristol that he decorates our walls so beautifully and frequently.
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When the day is done
the clamour and noise depart
then the dreams begin
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by Scooj