I am Stephen. I live in Bristol, UK. I decided to shorten my profile...to this: Wildlife, haiku, travel, streetart, psychogeography and my family. Not necessarily in that order.
I’m glad I took this photograph when I did, back in April 2022, because much of this magnificent piece by Gage Graphics is now obscured with bins and advertising hoardings. The commission for Stokes Croft Takeaway is an outstanding scene featuring Disney’s Goofy character.
Gage Graphics, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2022
Goofy is faithfully recreated in this piece, but it isn’t just the character or the writing that makes this piece a great one, but also the magnificent tree rising high into a sunset sky. I also love the detail of the little bird sitting on the roof. Gage Graphics is one of the most versatile artists in Bristol, and one who receives some significant commissions about the place.
The primary reason for pieces being left behind in my archive is that I couldn’t identify the artist at the time of taking the photographs, and then the moment passes and that is that. I am sure that my archives are full of gems, and if I had more time I would mine them out on a regular basis, but at the moment that is not possible. And while I am spending time digging out archive images, I am not posting the New Year pieces, which makes life difficult. Anyhow, this is an absolute beauty from Vozie back in April last year.
Vozie, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Vozie has a great eye for her colour combinations, and has chosen some great letters for writing. The ‘V’ at the start is a strong letter and allows for all sorts of variations, and the ‘O’ and ‘Z’ also allow a certain amount of play. Vozie is clearly very accomplished and her fades, highlights and borders are always on-point. This is a lovely piece painted pre-Truss (remember her?).
Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2023Todoaciem, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2022Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2022Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022Todoaciem, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2021Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2021Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, November 2020Todoaciem, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020Todoaciem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2020Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, September 2020Todoaciem, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2020
Acesartworld, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022
It is curious that one of the most arresting pieces of 2022, never actually made it onto the pages of Natural Adventures. I know that I delayed publishing the amazing piece at the time because I was unsure about the artist. However, as I know to my cost, the risk of delaying posting is that pieces get overlooked and eventually disappear under the weight of newer pieces landing in my image folders.
Acesartworld, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022
This is by Acesartworld, and is quite unlike much of his other work. What I particularly like about this (robot/alien?) headshot is the way the burning orange pupils of the character’s eyes have projected light onto eye surrounds and cheeks. There is a lot of depth and texture here, provided by some clever shading. I have other pieces by the artist that also haven’t been published, and will need to dig them out.
Bogat is an artist who is underrepresented on Natural Adventures, so this flurry of pieces that I photographed in March last year should go some way to addressing this. Although I took the pictures in March 2022, some of the pieces in the M32 J2 tunnels may have been there for a while.
Bogat, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, who often painted alongside Asre, has a thing for open-mouthed portraits and the occasional octopus. The piece above, from Brunel way, is rather nicely done, with some nice shading on the octopus and its tentacles providing some depth. I rather like the bubbles rising off the writing, too, and filling the black space.
Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022
The rest of the pieces were photographed in the tunnels of the M32 roundabout junction 2, a few hundred meters North East of the junction 3 roundabout, which is a much more popular spot.
Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022
These tunnels are quite narrow, and dark, making photography something of a challenge. Somehow I managed to capture these pieces reasonably well, perhaps because they are in a portrait orientation rather than landscape.
Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022
It feels good to have posted these pieces, even if they have been collected together into one post. If I didn’t do that, then there is a real possibility that they would remain in the archives forever.
I think I know why pieces from Sparke Evans Park sometimes get left behind in my archives. As mentioned on these pages numerous times, there is a row of mature trees that run parallel with the long wall, roughly 5 meters away from it. If there is even a hint of sun, then it is impossible to photograph anything on the wall due to dappled shading – summer or winter.
Often I will photograph the wall and be dissatisfied with the pictures, and then return some time later on a dull day to take more pictures. Because of the volume of new street/graffiti being painted each week, these second sets of pictures can get a little lost in the competition for space on Natural Adventures. By looking back through my archives I can pull out a few pieces that I feel should be posted. This beauty by Rozalita is one such piece.
Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Although last year was a relatively quiet year for Rozalita, compared to 2021, the quality of her work was outstanding, and this gorgeous piece combines her skills at painting portraits with her detailed flowers and butterfly. I am looking forward to another great year from Rozalita.
I rarely miss posting anything by Hire if I can help it, so I was surprised to find this outstanding piece from this gifted artist in my March archive. On the upside, I guess, I am sharing it with you now. Even though I am currently going through an unpublished back-catalogue of street art, there is at least 50% still unpublished, which gives me a minor panic attack.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
The striking colours used in this piece are divine and the writing itself, spelling HIRE, is outstandingly painted. The fine lines cutting through the middle of each letter is what elevates this writing from the good to the exceptional. This is an absolute belter of a piece from a lovely artist.
I simply fail to understand how I managed not to post this absolute cracker by Face 1st back in February 2022. It has been lurking in my archive, screaming to be released and shared, and now at last is liberated, and just look at how happy those girls are.
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2022
I definitely noticed that nearly all Face 1st’s work last year was overflowing with joy, and this piece early on in the year certainly set the tone. To me this is brilliant, and one of my favourite Face 1st pieces ever. The colours are sensational, and the positive and mischievous energy flying off the wall is a pleasure to observe. What an absolute blast!
Another fine piece that got overlooked in my February postings last year is this magnificent work from Saor. On a dull winter day, the orange elements of the piece really cut through and draw the eye in. The piece was painted alongside NTS crew mate Mudra.
Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022
I may have said it before, but Saor’s style reminds me quite a lot of Epok’s work (what has happened to Epok – I wonder). The concept is highly designed and very cleanly finished, almost as if it was painted with fine brushes. I particularly like the shadow behind the right-hand side of the orange letters. As always from Saor, a nicely conceived piece, brilliantly executed.
Natural adventures 