The coronavirus pandemic has provided inspiration for a great many street artists this year, whether characterising the virus itself as in this example from Kool Hand or reflecting the great work of the NHS and other key workers, the common enemy has got the creative juices flowing.
Kool Hand, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020
This rather different piece from Kool Hand Depicts the nasty red virus coming under attack from numerous sharp objects and weapons, presumably in an attempt to kill it off. There is a message for all, ‘keep safe people’ which, following today’s news that new cases in the UK are increasing exponentially, is as relevant now as it was when it was written.
A few days ago I commented that Mr Draws has been fairly slow out of the blocks since lock down restrictions eased, but I can safely say that he has now got back up to speed and he has returned to a steady pattern of spraying walls. I actually stopped for a chat with him yesterday at the Cheltenham Paint Festival and he was in good shape and is also sporting a very nice corona beard.
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2020
This piece plays into his current favour for horizontal Colour regimes in his pieces. I like the way he has gone for solid lines, no fusion of colours, and that some of the stripes are a bit wobbly. The white accents add a nice touch and create that 3D effect we’re always looking for. More pieces to come from Mr Draws.
I am enjoying these full-length pieces from Daz Cat that he seems to be working on at the moment, it gives the characters so much more personality and offers scope for the artist to develop that personality.
DazCat, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2020
This is rather a fun piece at the farm end of St Werburghs tunnel that shows a cat reading a right-wing newspaper, and suggests that readers of such papers are mugs. I would love to get all political about this, but it is a Monday morning and I am a little tired, so you can all rest easy. I love the way Daz Cat has painted the clothes on this character. A really nice piece.
Sometimes fate plays a part in our lives. Yesterday morning I gave my son a lift to friend’s house quite early because they were heading off for a day’s fishing. On the way back I stopped off at a few street art spots, the first of which was here underneath the M32. I just so happened to turn up as Ryder was finnishing off some rather lovely of graffiti writing.
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020
I stopped for a while but tried not to break his rhythm because he had to be at work for 10am and needed to finish the piece off quickly. He said that he was really pleased with this piece, it had just worked out really nicely for him and that is good to hear because in my experience street artists are unerringly self-critical. It is a bit of a stunner, and the amazing thing is he created this in a little over an hour!.
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020
As he was packing up he asked if I was heading off to the Cheltenham Paint Festival, which got me thinking. I hadn’t been planning on it, our weekends are a bit precious at the moment, but now I am giving quite a lot of thought to going tomorrow (which is partly why I am writing this post yesterday, almost immediately after coming home from taking these pictures, as I might not have time today (written yesterday as if tomorrow was today)).
Ryder, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020
Finally, I am rather chuffed with the Scooj shout out. Little things matter, and that made me feel very happy.
I have a feeling that you are going to be seing a lot more from this artist (Mest) who is making his debut on Natural Adventures with this rather nice piece on the M32 roundabout. Mest has only crossed my radar over the last few months but in that time I have noticed his throw ups and burners appearinng all over the place.
Mest, M32 roundabout, Brisol, August 2020
This is rather a nice black and grey number with a bit of a flame effect around the outside of the letters MEST. The letters, which are broken up into blocks of colour have an unusual 3D shadow and a turquoise border. The letters are a combination of small and full caps and overall I think the writing is pretty good. There is lots more to come, so watch this space.
Cort is an artist who appears to slip under the radar a bit in the street art community. His pieces don’t often appear on Instagram and he isn’t often talked about. I guess his graffiti writing is sometimes overlooked when painted adjacent to PADY crew member Laic217, whose pieces may ‘steal the show’ a little because of their vibrance. Nonetheless, this quiet and modest artist cracks out some really nice pieces like this one on the M32 cycle path.
Cort, M32 cyc;e path, Bristol, August 2020
Cort’s writing is unusual and assymetrical and the way he presents his colours and shadings is rather unconventional, but in being so also makes his work very distinctive. In this piiece I particularly like the yellow lines and rings and the orange and white circles both of which are regular motifs used by Cort. Note to self – time for a Cort gallery soon.
This is another nice column piece from Skor85 under Brunel Way. I have always liked her work from the first time I saw it at a time when I thought she was a he… before I knew any better. To add to the fact that I like her work, I also really like her as a person, she is so full of energy and always seems pleased to see me, which can’t be said for everyone I know. One of life’s dynamos.
Skor85, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2020
This column piece seems to be of a female monster figure representative of I don’t quite know what, but surely representative of something. There is a sadness about the piece and I am drawn into feeling sorry for the figure. So much from a small and modest piece. Love her work.
Bandito is another rather underrepresented graffiti writer in the pages of Natural Adventures, with this being only the third piece by him that I have posted. I have more photographs of his work in my archives and will need to dig them out… maybe if we have another period of lock down.
Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2020
This is a small but beautifully painted piece of graffiti writing that sits on top of a burner, with colours that complement it rather well. I am a little uncertain, but I think that the writing spells out EASE(E) in thin lettering with a deep 3D shadow. The blue outline is actually the background too and can be seen in the holes in some of the letters. Easy (see what I did there?) on the eye this one.
Soker never disappoints. His graffiti writing is always of the highest possible quality and he sets a very high bar for other writers in Bristol to aspire to. This is a super little piece alongside Inkie in Dean Lane from a week or two back.
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
The letters are filled with three slightly different shades of blue with some nice bubbles running through the middle. There is some partial 3D shading in yellow with a vanishing point behind the piece and the whole thing is set off perfectly with some red decorations around the perimeter. Clean and crisp, a great example of great writing.
I really like this recent piece by Nightwayss in Dean Lane. The only downside is that it is painted on the wall that is tricky to photograph, which is why these pictures are on an angle. There is more to this piece, but I have treated them as two separate pieces and the other side will follow.
Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
So here we have a giant blue monkey riding on an orange bus, and why not. The monkey in many of Nightwayss’ pieces isn’t always quite so obvious, but here it is the star of the show. I love the style of the piece and the bus in particular is notable for its wheels and the white reflections on the windows. This is a really wonderful piece from a talented artist.
Natural adventures 