Month: September 2023

5470. Brunel Way (224)

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023
Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023

It was while he was finishing off this writing/character piece that I first met Bean, and what a decent bloke he is too. We chatted for a while, and I was impressed by his knowledge of other artists in the city, which believe me, isn’t always the case with graffiti writers or street artists, who can sometimes be locked into their own work or crew and immediate friends.

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023
Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023

I don’t know where Bean refined his skills before coming to Bristol, but he has definitely hit the ground running with immaculately finished work. This piece combines his character skills with a lovely piece of writing in great colours. The whole thing might have benefited from buffing the wall, to help it stand out a little from the fairly busy wall beneath it. There is an awful lot to like about this piece, and indeed the others that are adjacent to it. For a short while, this stretch of wall was ‘owned’ by Bean. I am definitely enjoying what he has to offer, and look forward to more from him.

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023
Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023

5469. Dean Lane skate park (633)

Noise, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
Noise, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023

Noise has only recently come into my consciousness, but I don’t know whether that is because he is reasonably new to Bristol or whether I simply had a blind spot. Whatever the reason, I seem to see his pieces on a reasonably regular basis, which is great, because I like his rather big brash letters.

Noise, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
Noise, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023

This piece on the recently bricked up wall under one of the large Dean Lane skate park ramps spells out NOISE in great big chunky letters that take no prisoners. There is plenty of room for fills, which are beautifully done in turquoise and white, bounded by tidy black borders and drop shadow and a red outline. This is another attractive piece from Noise.

5468. River Avon (51)

Wxttsart, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023
Wxttsart, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023

With the turnover of art in Bristol being such as it is, I get an awful lot of pieces left behind in my archives, and then I forget whether I have posted them or not. I guess that this is a bit of a first-world problem, but it troubles me a little. I was certain that I had posted this piece by Wxttsart, but it would seem as though I hadn’t. It is still in great condition, so perhaps it is relatively recent, and I am mistaking it for another similar piece. Anyhoo, it is a bit of a blinder.

Wxttsart, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023
Wxttsart, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023

I describe Wxttsart’s work as a bit of a blend of calligraffiti with a touch of anti-style. I’m not too sure how the artist would describe it, but it is unique and always recognisable. The red script letters spelling MILK are nicely proportioned (a feature of calligraffiti) and have been bestowed with a deep 3D drop shadow in lilac shades. The whole thing is set on a fine green cloudy backdrop which contrasts well with the letters. This is another great piece from Wxttsart.

5467. East Street

Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

A rare foray into a part of Bedminster last week, looking for something that wasn’t there, led me to East Street, long after the shops had shut, which meant only one thing, a glimpse at closed shutter artwork that I hadn’t even been aware of before and which might have been there for some time. Among the discoveries was this gem from Andy Council.

Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

From the signature, it looks like Andy Council painted this composite dinosaur piece in 2022, so it is possible that it was painted as an extra piece for Upfest, but more likely it might have been a permitted or commissioned piece from the shop store owners. As with much of Andy Council’s work, the whole monster character is made up of different components, including buildings and mechanical joints. He has thrown in a few toadstools for good measure too. I was most happy to come across this, especially as the things I was looking for didn’t even seem to exist.

5466. Cumberland Basin

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023

I don’t quite know if Mind 49 has moved to Bristol, the West of England or something like that, but he is painting in the city much more frequently than he used to and, I have to say, he is knocking it out of the park on a regular basis. This pink portrait piece was his contribution to Werm’s birthday paint jam a little while back.

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023

Mind 49 has a great touch, and his artwork almost looks like it has been painted with brushes. His portrait work is excellent, and he hasn’t gone down the route of super photorealistic, giving his pieces a bit of street authenticity, I like to think. The material on the jacket has been well painted, with plenty of texture, shading and folds that give it depth. Mind 49 is really establishing himself with this kind of portrait work in Bristol.

5465. Queen’s Road (4)

Aspire, Queen's Road, Bristol, August 2023
Aspire, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023

Aspire is no stranger to the pages of Natural Adventures, indeed, when he was still living in Bristol his outstanding bird paintings were a regular feature on the blog. Sadly, for us, he left for London, and now is just an occasional visitor to the city and to street art festivals in and around the Bristol area.

Aspire, Queen's Road, Bristol, August 2023
Aspire, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023

It is so good that Apire was invited to take part in the Bristol 650 years celebration paint jam in partnership with Upfest and Bristol BID, and he has done a great job with this magnificent bird piece. The four-panelled mural shows that Aspire is equally good with brushes as he is with spray cans and he has captured the renaissance theme well with the addition of a piece of red material draped from a plant. The Kingfisher and Peregrine are, as you might expect, perfect and both incorporate the pixelation Aspire adopts in his work.

Aspire, Queen's Road, Bristol, August 2023
Aspire, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023

The kingfisher is absolutely stunning and is a bird that many artists paint, probably on account of its beautiful blue and gold plumage. Unless Aspire pays Bristol a visit to see friends etc, I can’t imagine we’ll see him again until next year’s Upfest.