Month: July 2023

5360. Peel Street Green (15)

Lupa, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Lupa, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

At long last Lupa makes her debut on Natural Adventures, and not before time. I have a whole bunch of pieces by her, but for reasons unknown to anyone, including myself, this is the first here on this blog.

Lupa, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Lupa, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

There is a freedom and joy in Lupa’s work that lifts the heart. In this piece the blue letters are set on a pink background – it’s that winning pink/blue combo working hard once again. The fills create  great sense of depth, with their cosmic appearance, and the white details add interest as well. The three shapes above the ‘U’ have the appearance of a crown, in this appealing piece. I also really like the slightly rough and ready presentation, which allows a freedom of expression, that some more precise and on-point pieces occasionally lack. A great first to share with you.

Lupa has been decorating our walls for a few years with her colourful letters

5359. Sparke Evans Park (72)

Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023

A shiny and rather wonderful piece of calligraffiti from Todoaciem, spelling out CIEM on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park alongside his Sunday Lovers friends. This is a rather special piece from Todoaciem, and it looks like he spent a lot of time on it, with some clever fills and attention to detail.

Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023

The letters are filled with two tones of yellow, giving the effect of being shiny metal, perhaps gold. This sparkling effect is further augmented with some subtle little stars spread around the letters. The blue borders and drop shadow work really well against the yellow, and overall this is a very strong and assured piece of calligraffiti.

Glow worm


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Glow worm, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Glow worm, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

.

A light in the dark

pure bioluminescence

naturally bright

.

by Scooj

5358. Dean Lane skate park (618)

Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Dibz and Cheo have been at it again, with this outstanding collaboration in Dean Lane. Dibz has provided the writing and Cheo the wonderfully faithful Disney Donald Duck character. What is so clever about the piece is how Dibz has picked up on the lively character of Donald Duck in his writing, really bringing it to life.

Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

It is so pleasing to see Cheo getting out and painting walls again after what felt like a very long lay-off. In fact I am having some difficulty in keeping up with his work, but have to see that as a good thing really.

Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

We head off to Assisi today, so that’s your lot I’m afraid from a hot and windy Italy.

UPDATE: in the comments, you will see that the Donald Duck is by Fade and not by Cheo, although the bee is still there from a former Cheo piece. All is not as it seems. Any credit above afforded to Cheo needs to be transferred over to Fade, who has been smashing it since his return to the UK.

5357. Dean Lane skate park (697)

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

I was a little lazy with photographing this magnificent fish piece by Hire, and decided to squish through the leaves of a thick hedge, rather than walk round the perimeter of the swimming pool area to get a clean shot.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Hire has cleverly disguised his writing BF into the body of a rather fierce looking fish, which isn’t a proper representation of a real creature, rather it is more of an archetypal fish, with an extra dorsal fin. I am always up for some fish graffiti’s although there is something about this one that makes me feel a little uneasy.

Silver-washed fritillary


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Silver-washed fritillary, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, July 2023
Silver-washed fritillary, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, July 2023

Momentarily

incarcerated before

a tender release

.

by Scooj

5356. Cumberland Basin

Scooj, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Scooj, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

Although this is his debut piece, Scooj needs no introduction on Natural Adventures. He finally got the courage to paint his first wall during a Bristol Mural Collective paint jam a few weeks ago on a warm and very windy afternoon.

Scooj, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Scooj, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

To be brutally honest his work probably doesn’t match up to his ambition, but the abstract piece is certainly a little different from most of the work seen in the city. There might be a very good reason for that. Some bright colours distract a little from the overall untidy finishing, but for a first effort the piece is passable.

Scooj, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Scooj, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

Scooj is not an artist, and so it will be vital to practice his spray skills and hand control, and come up with designs he can execute. This piece is a little muddled, and the ‘holes’ cut through the yellow might be perceived as moons. My advice to Scooj would be don’t give up just yet, keep practising and hit a few more walls. Hats off to the Bristol Mural Collective for creating a gateway for new artists to have a go at painting in a fun and safe environment.

5355. St John’s Lane (4)

Werm, St John's Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Werm, St John’s Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Werm is, I feel, at last getting an appropriate level of coverage on Natural Adventures, having been somewhat underrepresented for a little while. This is a rather tasty piece painted during a not-so-recent paint jam on a clean hoarding just off St John’s Lane.

Werm, St John's Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Werm, St John’s Lane, Bristol, June 2023

As with all his recent pieces, the letters are small, and in this case painted red, in the centre of the piece. Everything beyond the letters is embellishment and artistry. This is a fine piece of graffiti writing, although perhaps not Werm’s best, in my opinion, the proportions just don’t seem to be quite right. Great to see Werm painting alongside some of the more established Bristol artists.

Weightless

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Love will lift your heart

take you on new adventures

gifting weightlessness

.

by Scooj

5354. M32 roundabout J3 (490)

Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

This is an absolute classic from Mind 49, who has done a lot of maturing lately, and has absolutely nailed it with this piece on the roundabout straddling the M32. Mind 49 has produced something really special here with the letters MIND forming a backdrop to a really unusual portrait.

Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

I don’t know who the portrait is of, but it looks like a Middle Eastern character popping a cigarette into his mouth. The photorealistic portrait is full of richness and interest, and totally not what you might expect to see in this spot.

Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

Unfortunately, when I last saw the piece, some muppet had dogged the face of the gentleman, which is simply so difficult to understand. Let’s hope it doesn’t put off Mind 49 from returning to Bristol.