A really quick one this morning. I have to make an unexpected trip and won’t have much time for blogs. This is a pity, because it feels like an age since I last posted anything by Pekoe.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2022
This piece was painted for the annual Dean Lane Hardcore (DLH) event a couple of weeks ago, when skating, music and spray painting come together in a raucous and fun festival. All a bit loud for me, so I decided not to attend. I don’t mind what the reason for getting Pekoe out to paint, I will always welcome her work.
This is the first piece I have posted by Vozie, an artist from Cardiff, and inspiration to many female artists in the area. Up until this year I hadn’t really been aware of her work, but since Upfest, I have noticed a few of her pieces about the place.
Vozie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2022
Vozie is an extremely good writer, as this piece demonstrates and has all the features you might expect to see from a talented and experienced writer. The whole piece is really tight, with stunningly crisp lines and borders, but it is the design, colour selection and faded fills that ooze class in this piece. I am so pleased to introduce Vozie to the pages of Natural Adventures with an absolute belter.
The columns under Brunel way are a real pain to photograph, and it would be infinitely preferable if they were square, with four faces, like the ones under the M32. No amount of complaining will make any difference, so you’ll have to make do with these slightly inferior images of a rather interesting piece from Nugmoose. (Nice to see a Mr Draws piece in the background).
Nugmoose, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2022
Nugmoose definitely has his own take and unique style of subject and painting, usually, if not always, built around a world of aliens. This rather satanic goat-alien is typical of his creativity, all wrapped up with some alien writing at the bottom of the piece. Not all street art is the same, and Nugmoose definitely pushes the boundaries.
Here he is again with some more bright and striking pieces of graffiti writing. I am of course talking about the prolific Klashwhensober. It is strange, but there was a time a few months ago when I was bumping into Klashwhensober at least once a week, and our clocks were in sync… however, I haven’t seen him for quite a while now. The same thing happened with Werm.
Klashwhensober, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2022
Both of these pieces are at Greenbank, and a feast for the eyes. The first, spelling SOBER is really eye-catching and is notable for the smorgasbord of fills transitioning horizontally through the piece with interest through every layer, truly a thing of beauty.
Klashwhensober, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2022
The second piece is slightly more muted, but still beautifully presented. Spelling KLASH, this piece again offers some exquisite fill patterns and colours, complemented with a beautifully painted 3D shadow with a central disappearing point. Both pieces are top notch and a real celebration of Klashwhensober’s workmanship. Bravo!
This is an outstanding collaborative piece from Rusk and Zesk. Zesk was one of the first artists I wrote about on Natural Adventures, probably because he had painted a piece on the wall of a pub very close to my place of work. At the time I thought he was a regular artist in Bristol, but in reality I have only seen a handful of his pieces. I believe he lives a very long way away. It would seem that he is a pal of Rusk’s, as they did a couple of collaborations in what must have been a recent visit to Brisl by Zesk.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022
The artists have switched things up a bit, with each writing the other’s name, which in reality isn’t too much of a challenge as they share two letters in the right place. On the left is Rusk writing ZESK. I rarely have anything other than praise and admiration for Rusk’s work, and that hasn’t changed here. Tight and on-point.
Zesk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022
Zesk’s RUSK is an absolute delight and introduces his magic, glitery touch which makes his work stand out. The background stars are particularly pleasing. You’ve got to love that ‘R’ as well. Magnificent.
Another classic piece recovered from my archive, and one that baffles me that it never made it into Natural Adventures at the time. It is a wonderful piece by Conrico from October 2019, and features a house character painted in his illustrative style.
Conrico, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2019
The piece, like so much of his work, tells a compelling story, although I don’t quite know what the story is. Entitled ‘Bang’ the house-character is shooting indiscriminately with its pistol fingers. What I particularly like is that the house itself is a fine Victorian/Edwardian design, so typical of the housing stock in Bristol. Bravo!
Another rather nice piece rescued from my archive, this time by Trafficity in May 2018. I know that each time I dive through old folders, I will find more of these pieces that for whatever reason never saw the light of day, and actually, I quite like ‘discovering’ them… it feels like getting a bit of a present.
Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
The letters say ZIOM and take the form and style that Trafficity uses, which is rather unique. There is a kind of symmetry to the whole word, which although not a palindrome, is almost visually palindromic. The muddy dull colours, which are not my favourite, somehow just work well – perhaps it is the splash of blue background that helps.
Dott Rotten, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2017
Every once in a while, I take a quick canter through my archives, just to see if there is something significant that got left behind. This is most definitely a piece that I should have posted back in September 2017, but like so many pieces before it, missed out. I am sharing it now.
Dott Rotten, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2017
The writing is by Dott Rotten and spells out SPOILT, which he most commonly writes. What is interesting about this piece is that it is quite unlike much of his other work, and could easily be by half a dozen other artists about the place. Everything about the piece is good, the background and the design of the letters and fills. It is the execution though that stands out; this is a perfectly finished piece, crisp and clean, from a master.
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