This is another wonderful greyscale/chrome piece from Kosc, in a series of pieces that he has been working on recently. The elaborate letters spell KOSC and are presented on a KOSC printed background, a technique I have seen the artist use before. I guess he must have a roller with the letters on it, or a print block, to cover the whole wall… it could be a stencil, but it doesn’t quite look like it to me.
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2023
Once again Kosc has included his rivet theme which makes it look like the letters have been made up of metal plates welded and riveted together, which is a clever illusion, considering the whole thing is flat paint on a flat wall. A nice shout-out to the NTS crew and XXIII round off the piece nicely.
Newly buffed wall, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
In the dying embers of the Bristol Mayor’s tenure, it would appear that Marvin Rees is finally waging war on graffiti in the city. He has always shown a desire to keep the streets of the city clean and tidy, and recognised that graffiti and tagging is a challenging problem. In recent weeks, it has become noticeable that some walls in popular street art/graffiti spots have been buffed in a rather drab ‘Bristol grey’.
Teao One, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
Now here’s the thing. I can understand clamping down on tagging, especially on private property or in certain locations, but buffing walls in places which have a long history of street/graffiti art (for example St Werburghs tunnel), is a mindless waste of time and money, it could also have the unintended consequence of artists moving on to new walls and locations. A newly buffed wall is an invitation, a blank canvass upon which to work.
I believe that it would be infinitely preferable to set up legal walls/spots where there is a legacy of graffiti, with an element of curation or self-determination. Then, working with the street/graffiti art community, create some graffiti-free areas of the city and concentrate on policing those. Of course, commissions and permitted walls would still be a thing, but throw ups, bombing and tagging (which are currently illegal anyway) could be where the Bristol City Council (BCC) concentrated its efforts. I realise that this is a tricky dilemma, and is about managing subversion, but I can’t help thinking that every time BCC tackle this, they go at it like a bull in a china shop, without any clear strategy, and end up with a lose-lose situation in an effort to appease ‘small c conservatives’ whose hatred of any form of street art is visceral.
Teao One, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
It didn’t take Teao One very long to paint on this newly buffed wall, which had gone over his ‘Bad meaning Good’ piece (see this morning’s post). The words say it all. The point is that the whole of St Werburghs tunnel has been a graffiti spot for years, but BCC chose to buff two small sections at the entrance (spending our taxes), for what purpose? What is their intention? What engagement has there been with the local community? It is nuts.
The saga continues – the last time I went to the tunnel, the two short sections of wall had been buffed again. This could get nasty.
Other cities in Europe, such as Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris, Brussels etc, etc, all have a culture and history of street/graffiti art, but it hasn’t stopped the visitors from flocking to these places, and in many cases (I specifically went to Barcelona to see its street art) the street art scene drives visitors and investment.
The only reason Bristol hosts Upfest, Europe’s biggest street art festival, is because the city has a long and rich street/graffiti art culture. The Festival is something to be proud of and drives inward investment. How do you reconcile that with attempting to drive the culture away?
Bad meaning good. Teao One thought that this was pretty funny, and repeated it to me several times on a bright and crisp morning, while he was admiring his work. He has been one of the busier artists in Bristol in recent weeks, and has been favouring this area around the tunnel.
Teao One, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
The chrome lettering is clearly the work of a very experienced writer, and the borders and shadows 100% on point. I’m glad I took these pictures when I did, even though there was a lot of glare, because it didn’t last too long, adding credibility to the golden rule of always taking pictures when you can. Strange things have been happening to these walls lately… more in my next post.
Mommynature and Nugmoose, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023
It has been a pure joy to see the recent collaborative walls from Mommynature and Nugmoose and to see how their contrasting styles sit comfortably side by side. As seems typical when artists paint together, Mommynature is usually on the left and Nugmoose on the right.
Mommynature and Nugmoose, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023
The beautiful pigeon in front of a yellow sun is by Mommynature and clearly demonstrates her growing confidence with painting walls and owning her space. The stencil-effect of the piece is cleverly executed, too. To the right, Nugmoose has painted another avant-garde piece, the explanation of which is deeply rooted in his own imagination. There is some alien writing and alien forms, all presented in a rather trippy fashion. I am loving these two and look forward to their next creative collaboration.
Cheba’s influence on the city of Bristol cannot be underestimated. His unusual cosmic murals can be found dotted about the place, although most famously on the walls of the Full Moon and Attic Bar in North Street, just south of Stokes Croft.
Cheba, North Street, Bristol, February 2023
I spotted this piece last weekend while taking a young Japanese friend on a tour of some of the best spots for graffiti and street art in Bristol (a day to savour). Although Cheba’s work might look a bit random at first, there is some form and design in this piece with a diagonal row of stars and circles going bottom left to top right. There really is nobody else in Bristol who creates cosmic scenes as good as Cheba’s.
Stephen Quick, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, February 2023
I’m not quite sure if this actually qualifies as street art, even though it is by a studio/street artist, Stephen Quick, and was hanging up outside at the Tobacco Factory. The piece was for sale, alongside three or four others, in the outdoor café area. The resolution isn’t too great because it was quite dark when I took the pictures and I had to lean over some customers rather awkwardly.
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I am a huge fan of Stephen Quick’s work, and have enjoyed observing him grow over the years. More than that, I think I’d really like to own an original, but I think I’d better start saving up now. This piece is called ‘Crying Woman’ and is an absolute belter. Some of you might note that the background is courtesy of Paul Monsters. I think I might have to return to the Tobacco Factory soon and take some better pictures.
I just happened to be in Dean Lane skate park as Acer One was starting this piece. It was quite busy down there at the time, with Silver (thank you, Paul H for reminding me) painting opposite, DJ Perks who had just finished a piece on the pool wall (I think) and Peggy was on the sloping wall near the raised skate park, painting a floral piece. I do like it when there are lots of people to chat with.
Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
The wonderful piece, by Acer One, is a tribute to Shimmer, another artist taken away from us far too early in life. It is clear that Shimmer was a popular character, and there are tribute pieces all over the city dedicated to him. There is a lovely sense of order and geometry in this piece, but of course there is, it is by Acer One after all. Acer One uses a long ruler with a handle to achieve his straight lines, but you can see that he has also used the brick course to keep everything flush. A fine tribute.
Klashwhensober, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
Klashwhensober is utterly relentless. I reckon that I only post about one in five of his pieces, and I currently have a lot of catching up to do. This recent piece under Brunel Way is something a little different and special from the artist, and demonstrates his versatility.
Klashwhensober, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
Set on a grey background and ‘stitched together’ with a blue line running up and down and across the piece, Klashwhensober’s letters ‘SOBER’ each have their own character and design. I particularly like the E and R at the right hand end. The colours work pretty well together and the 3D drop shadow does a great job in lifting the letters away from the background. An unusual offering from Klashwhensober, but one that works really well. I’d welcome more like this from him.
There has never been a time when I haven’t been absolutely made up to find a portrait piece from the wonderful Pekoe. It feels like quite a while since her last piece, so this one was a very welcome find.
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023
Of course, the portrait has many of the characteristics you’d associate with Pekoe’s work; big hair, sad eyes, great shading to bring out the features and incredible presence. I would have to say that I am not entirely sure about the colour scheme, a little bit too much brown and orange for my liking, but overall this is another wonderful shot in the arm from Pekoe.
I don’t visit L Dub (Lawrence Weston) very often, and so there is always quite a lot of new stuff to look at when I do make the trip. I have heard DJ Perks talk to me about Donz, a painting friend, many times, but this is the first time I have featured him on Natural Adventures – it will not be the last.
Donz, L Dub, Bristol, February 2023
This fresh piece, spelling DONZ, is rather unusual, having white letters and borders of red , blue, pink and green – some nice original thinking going on here. This might sound strange, but I feel that there are some similarities with Benjimagnetic’s work, although a greatly simplified version of it. Perhaps it is the block patterns or the arrows, but there are several components that both artists use. Anyhow, this is a great piece to introduce Donz to Natural Adventures.
Natural adventures 