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Vaulted canopy
in the distance a folly
shafts of light, moist air
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by Scooj
Heaven is a place on earth
Month: September 2023
5493. New Stadium Road (52)
In the murky underpass for pedestrians, still with a blackened ceiling from a car arson attack in the spring, Werm has painted his magic letters alongside a character, which, although he has done combinations before, is quite rare. The character in this piece is a busty bikini-clad lady, presumably enjoying the last throes of summer.
Werm’s work is becoming ever more complex and disguised. The letters WERM are at the centre of the piece, with elaborate extensions emanating from the centre. The letters are actually quite thin, which you can see if you concentrate on the green, tan and black ‘camouflage’ fill. The blocky look of the piece is down to much of the rest of the available space being taken up with the deep 3D drop shadow. This is a great combination piece from an artist constantly looking to improve and push boundaries.
Update: Painted as part of the World Wall Stylers camouflage challenge.
5492. Dean Lane skate park (636)
I really love it when a new artist becomes a regular on Natural Adventures, as it switches things up a little bit, and Bean has certainly made a massive impression in the short time he has been in Bristol. Bean is a master at creating character pieces, each one quite different from the last, but all of them in his very recognisable cartoon style.
Bean uses a two-tone colour approach to each element of his work, to define light and shade, for example, two tones of pink for the character’s face, two tones of green for the hair, two tones of blue for the clothing and so on. I imagine that he drafts up his work digitally, using design software, and then faithfully recreates his work at scale. Of course, I might be wrong, as I frequently am.
5491. Cumberland Basin
As far as I possibly can, I like to post every Laic217 piece that I find and with very few exceptions, I have managed to do that since starting Natural Adventures. Both Laic217 and I have been on an incredible journey since 2015/16, and now his steady drumbeat of outstanding artwork continues to feature in the blog, with this compelling piece from a week or so ago.
There are several of Laic217’s favourite themes incorporated in this portrait piece, returning once more to his facial distortion, where bits of flesh are stretched across the character’s mouth and teeth. The grotesque nature of Laic217’s work is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, although it would be difficult to deny his extraordinary artistic talent. Other ’emblems’ of his work are included, such as a cap with a smiley face, tracksuit with zip and a smoking cigarette/joint. The purple mask/colouring around the eyes is something new, and the eyes themselves are particularly nicely done. As ever, I was genuinely excited to find this piece.
5489. Greenbank (95)
The Barbie RBF paint jam is the gift that keeps on giving, and this is Barbie Bnie’s interpretation of the theme. Bnie has definitely stepped out of her normal style, as in fairness, have all the other artists, to create this stylised writing to match that of the Mattel doll brand. Lots of pink, a heart, soft curves and a yellow border.
I think that the paint jam theme was an inspired and contemporary choice, and gave us a glimpse at how an all-female crew (and Jody) would interpret and fashion their Own Barbie style. For me, the heart with a ‘Hi’ in it perfectly captures the mood. I have a feeling, although I can’t be certain that Bnie had more than a hand in creating the RBF (Resting Barbie Face) piece that accompanied the paint jam pieces, but was unsigned, although the more I look at it the less sure I am. Great work from Bnie.
5490. Dean Lane skate park (635)
There is no stopping these two at the moment, Dibz and Fade are on a roll and seem determined to make hay while the sun shines. The writing, by Dibz, is characteristically complex and perfectly finished, when is it ever not? The fill is a lovely earthy mix of colours in a style resembling army camouflage patterning. The 3D drop shadow has an icy cool feel to it, with a low central vanishing point, which works really well.
The superbly painted character, by Fade, is not known to me, but is probably, from the look of it, a Disney cartoon character. Since I and my children grew up, my knowledge of children’s cartoons has diminished and I often have to rely on Interweb searches to work out what people have painted. In this instance I have drawn a blank, so unless you know, you’ll have to linger, like me, in ignorance.
Update: Painted as part of the World Wall Stylers camouflage challenge.
5488. Brunel Way (228)
I caught up with Dopes and Fade for a little while as Dopes was finishing off this piece on the long wall alongside the River Avon. We chatted for a while, which was enjoyable and informative. Just as Dopes was packed up and leaving, he glanced at the piece and commented that the ‘D’ was all wrong and looked a little distorted. I have to say that I hadn’t noticed, but there you have it, artists know what they want and are deeply critical of their own work, and they always notice the little defects.
Chrome pieces are prized in the graffiti community, but I have to say that they are not my favourite, and I think they are probably more of a graffiti culture thing as much as anything else. As I would expect from Dopes, this is neatly done with consistent patterning and styling throughout.
5487. M32 roundabout (509)
An occasional visitor to Bristol, Minto is always very welcome, as the pieces he leaves behind are always out of the top drawer. This one painted alongside Hemper and others, a week or two back is really rather different and a total banger.
I’m not sure what this is all about, but there are three main components to this piece. The first and most obvious is the VW camper van, with a character sitting in the passenger seat, leaning out of the window. The camper van alone would have been more than enough to satisfy my interest. However, Minto has added a second component of some graffiti writing in the same orientation as the van, spelling out his name with a cracking style and colours. Finally, and slightly out of place with the whole thing Minto has painted a Wylie Coyote cartoon character. I’m not sure that the character adds much but it is fun nonetheless. Perhaps he was simply using up a bit of paint, as it looks a little crudely painted. Minto is an artist who will always be welcome in Bristol.
5486. L Dub (45)
The last thing I expected to find on a recent trip to L Dub was this vibrant piece by Hypo. L Dub tends to be the province of artists like DJ Perks, Dun Sum, Donz, Laic217 and a raft of DBK artists, so it is always quite a surprise to find work from central Bristol artists adorning the walls there. This surprise was a pleasant one.
The bright green background immediately grabs one’s attention and the graffiti writing itself fits the typical Hypo model perfectly, with a horizon running through the middle of the letters, a mechanism he uses a lot, and the near bilateral symmetry of the letters HY|PO. Another lovely piece from the artist who is having a very productive 2023.
5485. Brunel Way (227)
It feels like Pl8o has slowed down a little, especially compared to previous years, although that may be in part due to the fact that I haven’t seen much of his work, which doesn’t necessarily equate to a slowdown in activity by an artist. It was great therefore to find this piece on the long wall under Brunel Way.
I think that Pl8o hit the jackpot when he selected his letter/number combination, as there is something aesthetically pleasing about the shapes of the letters that flow together brilliantly, especially the way he paints them. These letters are filled nicely and the ‘8’ is represented by an alien cartoon style character. A fun and welcome appearance from Pl8o.
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