Category: 5. Street Art

3778. M32 roundabout J3 (333)

This is an absolute gem of a collaboration from a little while ago by Hemper and Benjimagnetic, who will often be seen side by side painting Bristol walls, having said that, I still have yet to meet Benjimagnetic.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

On the left is is a gorgeous gloopy, fluid piece of writing from Hemper with some outstanding fills and drips adorning the letters (HEMS). The piece is finished off with a little mist of green yellow around the boundary providing a bit of movement and depth. A very nice piece of writing indeed from this master of the craft.

Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

To the right of the Hemper writing is a very tidy piece for graffiti from Benjimagnetic, spelling out BEN (I assume). In recent months, Benjimagnetic has reined in his work a little from the rather busy style he has, into something calmer and easier on the eye. Personally I like this new direction and find it easier to engage with his newer work. The geometric patterns are still there, but with out too much fuss. Another fine collaboration from this pair.

3777. M32 roundabout J3 (332)

An artist, who perhaps never quite gets the recognition he deserves, is Corupt, who also writes Stick. I think that for every piece I have published, there are two or three in my files, which somehow feels unfair, but actually with only two posts a day, I am never ever going to be able to do justice to all the artists in Bristol.

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

This piece of writing is truly magnificent and has been widely amplified on social media. A beautiful combination of letters each with its own style with the O and U being part of a worm leave this graffiti writing with a rather horticultural feel to it, and I am all in favour of that. This is an accomplished piece which really captures the imagination.

3776. Upfest 2021 75×75 (8)

What an absolute beauty from Irony. I want this post to be about the outstanding art and not the difficult light conditions, so I will get my apology in early. The sun was bright and behind the wall, so the artwork is a little on the dark side. This wall needs to be photographed on a dull day probably to get the full weight and beauty of the piece.

Irony, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Irony, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Irony is known for his incredibly detailed high-end murals and has appeared at many festivals around the UK, but he also paints walls all over London and he is far from a ‘pop star’ celebrity, preferring to keep his anonymity as far as that is possible. He is a modest talent.

Irony, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Irony, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

These giant rooftop pigeons, painted on the rear wall of The Hen and Chicken, are close to perfect. Their fluffed up ruffles so accurately portrayed and their general demeanour is so life-like. Irony has gifted Bristol yet another classic piece. But one that you have to look out for as it could easily be missed.

Irony, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Irony, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Upfest has definitely triumphed this year with its 75×75 event, and this is only the eighth one I have posted… so much more to come.

3775. M32 roundabout J3 (331)

It seems a very long time ago now, that pretty much every week we were being treated to a Rezwonk/Decay collaboration, since then, of course, we have had the pandemic and Decay has moved out of Bristol. The frequency of Rezwonk pieces has definitely declined, but the quality is still outstanding.

Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

This piece on the roundabout, builds on his rather industrial theme where the letters look like pieces of metal riveted into the wall. The wonderful letters spell out REZER with the ‘E’s reversed. The subtle shadings of red and white give the letters some depth and lift them from the wall. A very tidy piece indeed.

3774. West Street (5)

Upfest is the gift that keeps on giving. By spreading out the 75 artworks over a period of 75 days, people like me, who can be rather lazy, are forced to get out and go to places beyond the usual honeypots, to find new pieces in the Bedminster area. In looking for these new pieces, I have been lucky enough to stumble upon older ones that I have never seen before, such as this beauty by Gage Graphics.

Gage Graphics, West Street, Bristol, June 2021
Gage Graphics, West Street, Bristol, June 2021

This delightful commission is on the shutters of the ‘Mutty Professor’ pet shop, and certainly brings a bit of colour to an otherwise rather bland shopfront. There are two shutters, one over the window and one over the door. In purples and pinks, the piece is of a rather gentle rural landscape with meadows and rolling hills.

Gage Graphics, West Street, Bristol, June 2021
Gage Graphics, West Street, Bristol, June 2021

The large window features a dog and a cat enjoying this landscape in the shade of a tree in blossom and an ash tree (there won’t be too many of those left in a few years). A really nice piece that I definitely wasn’t looking for, which makes it all the more satisfying.

3773. River Avon (16)

I cannot tell you (except I am) how much I am enjoying these kawaii pieces by Maesyhook that have been appearing all over the city over the last few months. The style and characters are quite unlike anything else we see in Bristol, and her work is a breath of fresh air.

Maesyhook, River Avon, Bristol, June 2021
Maesyhook, River Avon, Bristol, June 2021

This piece is on the cycle path which runs alongside the River Avon opposite the paintworks. The cheeky little fox character has a little speech bubble with a kawaii poo emoji, which in itself is all rather cute. Cute is the kawaii way, although with Maesyhook it has some edge through painting her work on walls, rather than on computer screens. I love this piece and her work.

3772. Upfest 2021 75×75 (7)

Our household self-isolation is about half done now and it is getting a bit boring. When you can’t leave the front door for anything, the fear of missing out (FOMO) starts to build, and for me, this is manifested in how many new pieces of art I might never get to see, such is the high turnover. I confess, it really gets to me, but on the other side of this, it exposes my obsession, which probably needs moderating. A time for introspection.

Meanwhile, I have got a vast reserve of unpublished photographs that could keep me posting for a couple of years at least. Upfest pieces will always get prominence on Natural Adventures, and this astonishing piece from Peter Sheridan is really absolutely stunning.

Peter Sheridan, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Peter Sheridan, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

This one seemed to creep under everyone’s radar, and I don’t think I have seen any work in progress shots on social media. The finished piece was suddenly there, appearing as if by magic. The character piece creates an extraordinary atmosphere and sensation of being locked up, one I can utterly relate to at the moment, and one that probably reflects the past 18 months or so.

It is so good, I’ll just pause and leave you to enjoy it.

3771. L Dub (29)

If you want to see graffiti writing or character work from DJ Perks, and lots of it, then look no further than L Dub. It would seem that about 25% or so of all the pieces down there are by him, and he is constantly pushing himself and evolving his work.

DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, June 2021
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, June 2021

This is without doubt the largest piece I have seen by DJ Perks and features the Incredible Hulk (I assume) peering through a colourful brick wall. This is quite an undertaking, simply from an access and size point of view, but also artistically stretching. The only observation I have (call my picky) is that the bricks could have had a 3D element to them to give the whole piece a but more depth. All in all, so good to see such a large, creative piece from DJ Perks.

M32 Cycle path (131)

Irrepressible is probably the word I would use to describe Turoe’s current mood. For about a year now he has been interchanging his usual Turoe wildstyle pieces with his ‘shyte’ series, of which this is a recent example.

Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2021
Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2021

I actually really like this one… a lot. It has been written with rather slim letters on a thick white border which makes it look a bit like a giant sticker. The colour selections are very nice indeed and the horizontal transitions very nicely blended. Overall this is a rather splendid piece.

3769. Upfest 2021 75×75 (6)

Oh my goodness! There are some pieces that you look at and, well, they simply take your breath away. For me, this is one of those pieces. Painted for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event, this astonishing collaboration from Mishfit and Mazcan simply blew me away, and I look at now as I am writing and wonder at its magnificence.

Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

These two portraits work so incredibly well together and are perfect for the space vacated by Caro Pepe and AgeAge. To the left is a stunning portrait from Mishfit painted with incredible graded skin tones and a beautiful headdress, the colours of which are reflected in a cloud to the right of the subject. I haven’t seen any of Mishfit’s work before, but what an introduction.

Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Mazcan on the other hand has visited Upfest on a couple of occasions, but this piece is definitely a step up from before, and I think she must have been practising. This blue face has quite a lot of attitude and there is so much depth and bone structure created with clever use of shading. The red streaks in the hair add so much to the depth and contrast of the piece too.

Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Genuinely, this is a bloody brilliant collaboration and will definitely stick in my memory for a long, long time.