A gallery of fabulous dinosaurs and writing from Bristol’s very own T-Rex
Instagram: @rawtrex
All photographs by Scooj
T-Rex
Category: 5. Street Art
4811. New Stadium Road (42)
This piece, by Lazo, is one of the most arresting portraits I have seen in quite a while. It was painted during a Paint jam between some artists I know and some I have never heard of, including Lazo.
There is some good shading work in tones of blue, green and yellow which provide plenty of depth to the face. Although this is not the best portrait piece I have seen, and there are some things that don’t quite work for me, I think it is very good and there is something about it that compels me to look at it. Perhaps it is the expressionless face, or the hanging hair, or the colours. Whatever it is, it fascinates me. I hope to see more from Lazo.
4810. Brunel Way (177)
I was lucky enough to meet Cobo recently while he was spraying another piece of graffiti writing on the other side of this wall under Brunel Way. It turns out that he is a lovely bloke who has come to Bristol from New Zealand very recently and is looking for walls to paint. I hope I was able to help him with that in a small way. I’m not sure how long he will be staying, but expect to see more from Cobo in the coming weeks.
Cobo is clearly an accomplished writer, using the letters ‘COBER’ in this piece, although I know he likes to switch things up a little bit. These solid, strong letters, looking like a rocky outcrop, are beautifully laid out in two shades of blue, the darker shade with additional decoration. The dark green background sets the letters up really nicely, providing a buffer between them and the overpainted works beneath. A nice introduction to another talent to hit Bristol.
4809. Coach and Horses
It is too easy in life to take things for granted, and sometimes we need something to remind us that special places, people and events are happening all around us all the time, if only we woke up and appreciated them. I had such an awakening yesterday, when photographing this Halloween paint jam from the RBF crew on the wall of the Coach and Horses. This spot is easy to drive past, but very difficult to stop and park near, but thankfully I found some obliging double yellow lines that I occupied for five minutes.
Hazard is a phenomenon. Her work goes from strength to strength and this recent Halloween portrait is absolutely exceptional. The detail, the shading which provides depth, and the expression are flawless. I love this piece and Hazard’s work, and I do not take it for granted, rather I see it as a privilege that I get to see her work on a regular basis. Brilliant.
4808. Brook Road (3)
I have said it countless times before on Natural Adventures, and will unapologetically say it again, that some of the most satisfying rewards can be found when diverting course from the familiar. Yesterday, I switched up my spots a bit and decided to visit the Star and Garter, because I haven’t been there for a while. On arrival, I spotted a large mural down Brook Street, that I hadn’t been aware of. As I approached I felt the excitement rising, and was blown away by this magnificent piece by Sled One.
This morning I took a quick look at Sled One’s Instagram account, and it turns out he painted it back in August, which makes me feel a bit useless. The mural itself seems to be an eclectic mix of components slapped on the wall resembling a collage of memories. A cat, razor wire, a knight’s horse, some flowers and a merry-go-round, with a rather sinister body precariously lying horizontally on a seat. The stuff of dreams and nightmares.
There is a photorealism in this piece that I wouldn’t ordinarily associate with Sled One, as more commonly he paints cartoony surreal pieces. His talent, whatever the style, is immense. My favourite part of this mural has to be the cat, although the razor wire does add a sense of threat that is rather uncomfortable. What a privilege to stumble across this piece.
4807. Dean Lane skate park (538)
As part of a collaborative wall, this is something rather different from Kosc, but the high quality of the piece is there for all to see. Taking a break from his writing, which he seems to have been enjoying of late, Kosc has created this amazing rat skeleton character.
There is more than a little menace about this rat, brought about by its posture and open mouth. You can tell that Kosc enjoys the anatomy of the creature and clearly has a good understanding of skeletal structure. There is some complementary artwork from Saor, whose part in this collaborative wall was just to the left, that cuts through the rat’s tail. Fabulous artwork from Kosc.
4806. Cheltenham 2022 (20)
The pavilion in Cheltenham is an absolutely perfect place for long wall pieces and collaborations. Set on the edge of a football field, the building plays host to some of the most memorable pieces from the Cheltenham Paint Festival over the last few years. This year, Smak and The Art of Sok painted this awesome collaboration.
To the left is a remarkably tight piece of wildstyle writing from Smak. The sensational colour scheme combined with a crisp design, delineated with white and black borders, contribute to an outstanding eye-fest of colour and form, clearly the work of a super-talented graffiti writer.
I haven’t come across The Art of Sok before, but I am guessing from the dragon on the character’s chest that there is a Welsh connection. The piece itself is outstanding, so clean and crisp, full of character and movement. The blocked-out colours are very stylised, presenting a highly designed feel to the work. Overall, this is a superb and compelling collaboration. Bravo!
4805. Cheltenham 2022 (19)
I was not aware of Eyesaw until Upfest this year, where he painted at least two and possibly three pieces over the festival period. I have not posted those yet, but this piece from the subsequent Cheltenham Paint Festival, is typical of his style.
Eyesaw’s works are painted with the colours and blur of 3D pictures, and to date I haven’t tested them with the blue and red specs that you get from time to time, because I haven’t got any (note to self – get some 3D specs). This one is of a tiger flexing its muscles. The designs are clever, but are slightly lost on me without knowing for certain that they work.
4804. Cheltenham 2022 (18)
One of the delights of street art festivals is that they introduce you to a whole bunch of artists you haven’t encountered before and new styles and ideas, which is most refreshing. This piece is by Dawn, who is a bespoke signwriter based in the Cheltenham/Gloucester area.
The sign, painted in the backyard of the Two Pigs Club, is beautifully crafted and contains all the hallmarks of a skilled sign writer. It is funny, but the cross-over from signwriting to street art is not as straightforward as one might think, but Dawn has made a great job of it here.
4803. Cheltenham 2022 (17)
I always feel a little surprised when I see some Elvs graffiti writing that isn’t in his usual highly elaborate and cryptic style, and it demonstrates what a great artist he is that he can switch it up so dramatically, presenting a very different style of writing here.
The writing is in large block letters, once again seeing the use of pink and blue – a superb combination and contrast between the letters and the cloudburst background. Although the wizard character feels familiar, I don’t know who it is. I’ll be back in a moment after a pause to Google…
…no luck I’m afraid. Perhaps someone out there can let me know.
This is a great piece from a superb artist whose versatility is powerful.
Natural adventures 