What a delightful surprise it was to come across this unheralded piece from Haka on the M32 roundabout. Haka is one of those artists who very much does his own thing in his own way, and pretty much every piece is a tribute to his friend CK One, which is really touching.
Haka, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
This particular vibrant and wild portrait is, according to Haka’s own Instagram feed, a self-portrait. Having never met the artist, I can’t vouch for its accuracy, but I haven’t seen anyone looking like this in the Bristol area before. Great fun piece.
An outstanding calligrapher who is possibly a little underrepresented in Natural Adventures is Stivs. This beautiful piece of calligraphic writing from not too long ago so perfectly demonstrates his extraordinary ability to paint such beautifully formed letters.
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
The whole shape and size of this piece is really most aesthetically pleasing and easy on the eye. The writing which spells STIVS is elaborate and complex, but in the hands of the artist is expertly executed. Note to self – time for a Stivs gallery?
From a little while ago, this beauty by Daz Cat seems to have slipped the net… until now. This door has undergone many transformations and is a good candidate for a Thursday Doors post in the future.
Daz Cat, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat has been one of Bristol’s most consistent character artists over the past twelve months, apparently undeterred by any impacts of COVID-19. His pieces can be found all over the city and range from quick cat face throw ups to elaborate and beautifully painted story pieces, in fact I believe he might have painted a new one at St George skate park only yesterday. Always great to see.
Billy is an artist whose work I really admire and enjoy. Her childlike naive style betrays a clever storytelling ability through art and words that make her pieces talk. Add to that the wonderful colours that she uses with such freedom and you have a vibrant and meaningful piece of art that we can all relate to.
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, May 2021
In this wonderful little lane in Brislington, Billy brings us a ‘wish you were here’ postcard-style holiday piece featuring a sunbathing nude and a curious blue character on a beach next to the sea. I wonder if this is more about our past reminding us what a holiday actually looks and feels like. It has been such a long time for us all since out last proper holiday. First world problems!
A wonderful and enjoyable piece.
This particular secluded spot near the long wall in Cumberland Basin has been ‘occupied’ by Eman and there are currently six or seven of his pieces crammed into this particular space, of which this is one.
Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021
Eman is currently playing around with all sorts of designs and seems to be having a lot of fun with creating new characters. This simple and cute creature is fast becoming a ‘thing’ and I wonder if Eman might fill the gap left behind by Followmyrabbits and start populating Bristol’s streets with these loveable alien/imagined animal things. I like the reversed colours and spots that Eman has used to great effect and the simplicity and clean lines. Look out for more of these creatures right here on Natural Adventures.
Leonard Lane has had a small renaissance lately thanks in no small part to 3F Fino who seems to have been enjoying himself and experimenting with ideas in the murky, narrow, stinky Lane.
3F Fino, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2021
This is an unusual and impactful piece from 3F Fino, and I’m not sure I would have been able to attribute it to him if it were not signed. There is something faintly Van Goughian about the artwork which looks like a series of brush strokes rather than the work of a spray can. Original and interesting work.
One of the golden rules of enjoying urban architecture and culture is to remember to look up. We spend most of our lives looking at where we are going, or worse, looking at our digital screens, that we forget to look back, look around and look up. If we don’t pause to look and enjoy then we risk the world passing us by, and then, what’s the point of anything?
Gage Graphics, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2021
The recent piece I featured by Gage Graphics on the front elevation of a new development is actually one of three pieces (that I have found) on the building by Ollie Gillard. This one is high up on the balcony of one of the apartments and is really quite magnificent. Painting on brickwork like this can’t be particularly easy, and it might have been better to have rendered this section of wall prior to commissioning the artwork however the end result is outstanding.
The piece features a cockatoo wearing a headdress made, ironically, of feathers, and singing into a sparkling microphone. In the distance a mountain rises high and at the top left the sun shines with some birds silhouetted against it. I don’t know what the story is but I definitely like the piece.
This is just one small part of a large collaborative wall from our Spanish contingent here in Bristol. It may only be just one part, but this outstanding piece from Daubuten Tronko is for me the jewel in the crown of the paint jam.
Dabuten Tronko, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2021
Dabuten Tronko crafts these extraordinary characters with such skill and keeps everything so tight. This magician is beautifully painted and works so well due to the colours and clever use of light and shade throughout the piece. I particularly like the reflected green light on his hat from the wand… lots of thought has gone into that effect. Overall a really classy piece from a classy artist.
I have to credit Kaya at @loveforbristol (Insta) for disclosing the location of this street in Brislington. It is an alleyway I have been keen to find for quite a while, but simply didn’t know where to look. As it turns out, it is an area I visit reasonably often because my son has a friend nearby.
This piece by Merny (I still call him Morny) is one I have seen all over Instagram and at last I have now seen in the flesh.
Morny, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, May 2021
Merny is a hoot, and I think that this is a fabulously witty piece picking up on ‘announcement-speak’ ‘this is not a drill’ and deliberately misinterpreting the word drill. Who else in the street art world would paint a power drill on a wall. Another oblique reference (deliberate or otherwise) is to the René Magritte painting ‘Ceci n’est pas une pipe’ (this is not a pipe) painting. I love this piece so much, and I am really enjoying his little lettered (or numbered) labels he has started adding to his pieces, like notes for instructions. So good.
This large collaboration goes back a few weeks, and I have already posted the fourth element, the Daz Cat character, a little while ago. The remaining triptych is by Face 1st, Sage and Soap, and is really rather special.
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
To the left is the familiar work of Face 1st painted in a dazzling chrome. The letters FACE contain a feature used by Face 1st before, the introduction of a couple of swords. Quite what these swords symbolise I can’t say, but they appear to be driven into the smiling girl’s head, which is a little unsettling to say the least.
Sage, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
The middle section is, in my view, outstanding. The character by Sage just has something about it that really chimes for me. It is the perfect centrepiece to the triptych and really shows off Sage’s talent. The cartoon-style character somehow seems to fit the PWA ‘brand’ really nicely and reminds me of a very early PWA wall in St Paul’s (now gone)
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
On the right, as is so often the case in these PWA collaborations is a very nice piece of writing, also in chrome, from Soap. Lots off bones and gems in this veritable archeological/geological piece. The soap tag forms the centrepiece of tis complex piece.
Another wonderful PWA collaboration for us all to enjoy.
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