So far on Natural Adventures, we have seen a few pieces from this artist under the name Asre, but they were all the same character, this is another one from his portfolio, a rather cheeky comic strip kind of character. The artist’s Instagram handle is @runaway_joey, and somehow this character seems to fit that moniker rather well – he looks like a Joey.
Asre, River Avon, Bristol, April 2022
There are several of these around Bristol, but this one on the River Avon wall has lasted really well. Full of character and very nicely sprayed with some nice thick clean lines – Asre is no one trick pony, that’s for sure.
After a very quiet lockdown period, there seems to have been no stopping Biers, who now writes WD40, from decorating walls all over the city. This piece from a couple of weeks back is on one of the best known walls in Bristol, and a particular favourite of mine – I have even done a special gallery of it, that needs updating.
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
In this lively piece, Biers takes something of a self-deprecatory look and critique of his own work that is not entirely complimentary. I would beg to differ with his analysis, as I think it is a rather tidy piece with loads of activity and movement, and the character with the speech bubble is nicely done too. Don’t be so hard on yourself Biers.
Along the River Avon cycle and footpath is this wonderfully dreamy piece by Mest. The blue colours match perfectly, and the letter shapes and fill designwork really well to create one of his best pieces yet (in my opinion) although there are a couple of other recent contenders for that particular crown.
Mest, River Avon, Bristol, April 2022
This spot is a strange one and you can never be sure what you are going to find. There are usually one or two gems, like this one, and so it is pretty much always worth the trip. The blue colours might be inspired by the adjacent river, but on reflection, it would need to be in brown colours and not blue. A really lovely piece from this Bristol writer.
The last time I met these two, Benjimagnetic and Acer, they were painting this exact spot with an epic piece that regrettably had been painted over by the time I went back to photograph it. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again, and having seen it on Instagram, made the tunnel my first port of call.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2022
The left hand of this collaborative wall is a superbly clean and light piece of wildstyle writing from Benjimagnetic, spelling out BEN. The colours and shapes are inspiring, and the little grey shaded areas provide a little bit of solidity to the frame. Lovely work.
Acer, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2022
On the right, Acer continues to dazzle us with his highly stylised rainbow lettering, spelling out CHAOS. Is this a random word, or a description of the mad, mad world we live in? This is a thing of beauty and great skill, I love the grey shadows of the black shadows. An absolutely fabulous collaborative wall.
Benjimagnetic and Acer, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2022
This is definitely one of those occasions when you get more for your money, to loosely use an expression, because as we already know, street/graffiti art is completely free… imagine that, completely free art for all to enjoy, no entrance fee required. A double helping from Klashwhensober, which is surely a treat to savour. In this double act, we have two of his monikers, ‘Klash’ and ‘Sober’.
Klashwhensober, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2022
To the left is Klash written in his long slim lettering and a gorgeous transition fill from blue to pink, with some lovely patterns spanning the letters. The whole thing is coated in a kind of green goo, that Face 1st would approve of.
Klashwhensober, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2022
To the right of the pair of the work is the word Sober which again has lovely slim curvy letters and a superb red/orange 3D shadow shared across both words – with regard to the 3D shadow, Klashwhensober has a vanishing point somewhere behind the piece and the shadows work in both directions. The imaginative patterns and fills are a joy to behold, and a specialism that Klashwhensober works really hard on.
Klashwhensober, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2022
I met Klashwhensober again yesterday on the M32 cycle path, and it was another pleasurable experience. We chewed the fat for a little while, and discussed different pieces and styles, amongst other things. I think that we must have similar body clocks, as we keep meeting – three times now in just over a week.
Dopes is an artist who appears to like spraying in tight little spots tucked away on the margins of popular graffiti spots, or maybe I just happen to find his pieces in such places. This one is underneath the bridge in Sparke Evans Park, alongside a Maesyhook piece that until a week ago had been there forever (to make an appearance on Natural Adventures soon).
Dopes, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022
Set out in chrome on a turquoise background, Dopes spells out his name, with a rather curious character figure making up the ‘O’. A subtle splash of pink decoration and border gives the piece a little bit of zing and lifts it up above other chrome throw ups.
For a little while I feared that Maesyhook might have abandoned Bristol in favour of some other city or country, as her work appeared to drop off, and some of her Instagram posts were not from Bristol, but thankfully it would seem that she is here, and normal service is resumed.
Maesyhook, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022
I have always really liked Maesyhook’s work as it is unlike anything else we see, which makes a refreshing change. This tiger in her preferred pink and blue colours is low-key but rather beautiful. It is very illustrative and could easily be a character in a children’s picture book ‘the pink tiger who came to tea’ maybe. It is so, so good to see maesyhook painting again.
I think that I could quite easily fill up all my posts with work from about four or five artists in Bristol who seem to be unstoppable in their quest to brighten our streets and practice their art. One of those artists is Face 1st, who has been a constant drumbeat through the development and progress of Natural Adventures. Always there, always painting.
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2022
This piece is in my favourite street, for sentimental reasons really, in Bristol, Moon Street. Definitely a quick one from Fac 1st, as so many of his pieces are, but even though it probably only took an hour or so to paint, there is a lot to like about it. The change of pink to orange as you read left to right, and the blending of the colours, works really well. Of course, no Face 1st piece is complete without a girl’s face somewhere, and in this one, she is lurking in the letter C.
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