Month: April 2022

4341. Greenbank (35)

So far, this year has been a good one for Billy, with her joint exhibition at the Centrespace gallery, and a series of inspirational pieces, such as this recent storyboard piece at Greenbank.

Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

The cartoon-style storyboard is split into four segments with the narrative saying ‘I don’t shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you, I throw up’. My reading of the piece is that is is a criticism of our Government and Boris Johnson in particular at the refugee fiasco and National embarrassment brought upon us by their hostile approach to people in need.

The piece is beautifully illustrated, I love the world maps on the girl’s t-shirt, and other details like that, cleverly presented in her naive style. A really great piece from an artist whose work I am really enjoying right now.

Garden mouse

.

The tiniest glimpse

of the tiniest rodent

scuttling away

.

by Scooj

4340. Cumberland Basin

I am beginning to wonder whether Haka has young children, because many of his recent pieces feature characters from children’s picture books, such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Lazybones and in this piece, Stick Man, created by the fabulous Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Haka, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022
Haka, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022

Not only is this a faithful homage to the creators of the character, but it is also an anti-war piece in support of the people of Ukraine whose world has been thrown into turmoil by the invasion by Russia, directed by the dictator Putin. I am very much enjoying Haka’s work at the moment, and really feel it is high time for a gallery.

4339. Greenbank (34)

I cannot fully express how much I am enjoying Rozalita’s renaissance, and find myself simply marvelling at her work. This piece fits the formula of a few of her recent pieces with a two tone portrait framed within a floral display. One of her favoured spots is this long wall on the Bristol to Bath cycle path, and several of her pieces can be seen here in one visit.

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

The colour tones of this piece are perfectly complementary, and help to bring out the features in the greyscale face. I’m not too sure what the blue cap is all about, but it separates the face from the background very nicely. The flowers are very nicely painted, I particularly like the one on the left, which looks a little bit like a protea. The improvements in Rozalita’s work is tangible from piece to piece, and I have a tinge of excitement each time I come across a new one.

4338. St Werburghs tunnel (285)

Rarely has an entrant to the Bristol street art scene been as dramatic as that of Asre. Although this is the first piece of his to appear on Natural Adventures, it most certainly will not be the last. In the last week or two, I have photographed more than ten of these character faces, most of which, if not all, will have been painted this year.

Asre, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2022
Asre, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2022

Asre is one of several new character artists in Bristol, and their numbers seem to be swelling. I wouldn’t quite call it a school or a movement, but it is definitely a thing. Asre’s cartoon-style characters are very nicely finished with thick line borders, but the feature details are really nicely worked too. I suspect the artist could probably create one of these with his eyes shut, given the amount of practice he puts in. Watch this space for more. A nice shout out to Bogat and and Klashwhensober too.

4337. New Stadium Road (39)

She’s not been painting for all that long, but already Desi has established herself on the Bristol scene, and her short ‘desi’ pieces are appearing at all the popular spots in the city. Desi’s USP is to keep her letter designs broadly similar, with the rather special little heart over the ‘i’, but to fill the letters with experimental combinations of colours and fill styles, often blending in all sorts of curious ways.

Desi, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2022
Desi, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2022

The colour selection for this piece; black, pink, purple, white helps the letters to stand out from the wall without the need to buff the wall first. I am looking forward to watching on as Desi develops and improves, as I think there is headroom to work with here.

4336. Sprke Evans Park (36)

There are currently two top-drawer calligraffiti artists in Bristol at the moment. Stivs and Todoaciem. Both have their distinct styles, and both pay incredible attention to detail in their craft. This is a superb piece from Todoaciem, spelling CIEM on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park.

Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

The letters of this piece are incredibly regular and to the untrained eye might be very hard to read, but all becomes quite clear when you know what the letters spell out. Todoaciem has chosen his colours well, with two tones of blue for his letters and black and yellow 3Dshading to help the letters pop. I cannot be sure if the blue and yellow colours have been chosen to support Ukraine, but even if they weren’t consciously, perhaps there was something unconscious about it. I’ve not seen one of these for a little while.

4335. Jamaica Street (25)

Jamaica Street is one of the more vibrant and interesting streets in Bristol; it is a spur running off Stokes Croft at Turbo Island and is well known for its addiction clinic, and the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft. There is a row of houses that over the years have been heavily tagged, adding to the rather grubby feel of the place, but recently Hazard has been commissioned to paint the front of these houses, in an effort to breathe new life into and respect for the area. Her subtle pieces are just the ticket, and thoroughly uplifting. They are, however, also almost impossible to photograph. I managed to capture one recently and am sharing it with you now.

Hazard, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2022
Hazard, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2022

In addition to her remarkable portrait pieces, Hazard has a supreme talent for painting flowers, and she has worked wonders with these roses and other leaves/flowers on this building. This work reminds me of the kind of decorative painting you see on buildings on the continent, but is much less common here in the UK. Superb work that is utterly uplifting in a place that benefits so much from kindness, love and decency.

I am now getting a little nervous in case this isn’t by Hazard, because I can’t find any verification on the interweb. I am sure I shall be corrected if it isn’t by her.

Shooting star

.

Brilliant moment

razor slash through the night sky

and orange sparkles

.

by Scooj

4334. Brunel Way (148)

If you see the word ‘Milk’ written in a streaky script style on a Bristol wall, the liklihood is that is is by Wxttsart. In recent months the number of these pieces has swelled significantly, and Wxttsart would appear to be a rather busy man.

Wxttsart, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
Wxttsart, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022

This fine piece is on the long wall under Brunel Way, and showcases Wxttsaet’s fine skill as a graffiti writer. His style is unorthodox, and very much his own, and is beautifully worked. What is quite clever about his work is that at first glance it looks a bit untidy, but on closer inspection it is very carefully crafted and finished. Watch out for more milk art in coming weeks.