Category: 5. Street Art

2537. L Dub (7)

I have only ever seen Dun Sum’s work at the L Dub spot, but there is quite a lot of it here. I am led to understand that he doesn’t live in Bristol, which might explain his presence here on the outskirts of the city.

Dun Sum, L Dub, Bristol, October 2019
Dun Sum, L Dub, Bristol, October 2019

Difficult to photograph in the murky depths of the underpass, this piece is absolutely fantastic. It portrays a kind of monkey DJ thing going on and a whole load of nods to other artists who paint in this space. Look carefully at the character’s tail and you can make out Dun Sum’s signature. A nice piece from the L Dub specialist.

2536. Cheltenham 2019 (15)

This is an incredible piece by Fabio Petani, an Italian muralist who rarely paints at festivals because he makes his living from commissions and can rarely afford give up the time to paint ‘for fun’. So this is a rare treat and a bit of a coup for organisers of the Cheltenham Paint Fesitval.

Fabio Petani, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Fabio Petani, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

His work is symbolic of connecting people with nature, which is something of a strong societal theme these days and his sketch-like illustration, on a grand scale, brings nature to the urban setting. I think the stark and perfect yellow ring reminds us of human endeavour and how we have divorced ourselves from nature. This is a thoughtful and beautifully painted piece.

Fabio Petani, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Fabio Petani, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

I managed to snatch a few words with the artist on the Friday and on the Sunday I just happened to be there as he finished the piece and moved the scissor lift out of the way. I believe I was the first to photograph the completed work.

2535. Cheltenham 2018 (7)

Three wonderful and elaborate tags from three amigos, painted I think at the 2018 Cheltenham Paint Festival and still all looking in pretty good nick. From left to right the artists are Decay, Nol and The Agent.

Decay, Nol and the Agent, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
Decay, Nol and the Agent, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019

Decay has been including ‘Chuck’ as a central character in most of his work for longer than I have known him. A former citizen of Cheltenham, he now lives in Bristol, but seems to paint pretty regularly in both places. Nol is a Dutch artist who will be familiar to anyone who has visited Upfest in recent years, his regular visits to Bristol are always more thasn welcome. The Agent is Bristol through and through and has encouraged his son to become one of the most inventive street artists in the city. His Minion pieces appear less regularly than they used to, but cometh a festival, cometh the man. A charming little triptych.

2534. Dean Lane skate park (258)

I was up at Dean Lane yesterday, and although this picture is from a while back, the little face by Mutatee is still there which is great news, because all too often installation pieces get vandalised or stolen.

Mutatee, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Mutatee, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

When I see this face it reminds me of the little toys of the 1970s called Gonks although with teeth, which I don’t think they had. I love these little curiosities that Mutatee has glued to various walls in Bristol, and I will continue to hunt them down. I do think that she needs to find a translucent glue though, as the white one used here is a little bit distracting. Always fun finding these.

2533. M32 Cycle path (35)

Around this time of year it is traditional for some street artists and crews to paint Haloween pieces although there have been few opportunities to spray recently, with so much rain. It is with not a little surprise then that this rather nice character piece by Jaksta appeared about a week ago as part of a collaboration along the M32 cycle path.

Jaksta, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2019
Jaksta, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2019

Jaksta is the king of characters and has appeared in Natural Adventures a number of times. This is Betelgeuse from the Tim Burton film of the same name and is wonderfully worked, especially those teeth. I have a feeling that the blond hair might be a reference to Boris or Donald, or perhaps both. I’m not sure what the Rake thing is, but I think it might be a crew name. Really nice work.

2532. L Dub (6)

Hats off to DJ Perks for this amazing character piece of Hong Kong Phooey in the depths of the underpass at Lawrence Weston. There is no doubt about it, this spot is very much favoured by Perks and the walls here are peppered with his writing but I think that this was his first character and what a start.

DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, October 2019
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, October 2019

The piece is nice and clean, and the colour matches are great. Seeing how well DJ Perks has been doing over the last few months fills me with inspiration and hope for my own exploits, which are probably on hold now until the Spring.

2531. Lower Approach Road (8)

This is the second of two #onyourside pieces down at TempleMeads station in Bristol and is by the brilliant Jody. The campaign is called ‘Goals worth talking about’ and this mural features Bristol City’s David Noble who scored a memorable goal at Selhurst Park.

Jody, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019
Jody, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019

It is great to have two such outstanding murals painted by two of Bristol’s best artists representing the two footballing halves of the city side by side. There is great rivalry between the two teams, but sometimes there are more important things to consider. This piece is not typically identifiable as a piece by Jody, as we are more used to seeing portraits of beautiful women. This is a concession perhaps to the beautiful game. Worth getting down to the station to see these two murals.

Jody, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019
Jody, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019

2530. Lower Approach Road (7)

This is one of two new murals near the entrance of Temple Meads station that were commissioned to mark World Mental Health Day and the associated football campaign #onyourside. Beautifully painted by Kin Dose (Nick Harvey) this piece depicts a Bristol Rovers player (one of two football league teams in Bristol) and is a rather unusual commission which Kin Dose has executed brilliantly.

Kin Dose, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019
Kin Dose, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019

Obviously there was some working together with (spoiler alert) Jody, who painted the other mural, because they both have a similar look and feel about them. What this demonstrates is the artist’s extraordinary talent for working to a brief and turning out something exceptional. We are lucky to have Kin Dose decorating our streets which he has done with such vigour over the past year or two.

Kin Dose, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019
Kin Dose, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019

2529. St Werburghs tunnel (105)

At the farm end of St Werburghs tunnel is this magnificent comic-strip piece by Conrico. I was lucky enough to meet Conrico last week while he was just putting some finishing touches on  a different work on the M32 cycle path. I stopped for a chat and do you know what, a nicer bloke you couldn’t hope to meet. He stopped what he was doing and we chewed the fat for quite a while, during the course of our conversation he gave me a ‘banana cap’ (a type of cap that you fix to the top of a spray can that regulates the pressure and spread of the paint) which he said might help me with my thinner lines. It was very kind of him and greatly appreciated.

Conrico, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Conrico, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019

I think the thing I like most about Conrico’s work is that each pecture tells a pretty elaborate story, and trying to work out what that story is is all part of the fun. I don’t know enough about anything to explain what might be happening here, but it is beautifully illustrated and the little details simply make the piece. His style is quite different from many of the character artists in Bristol, and I for one love it.

2528. Dean Lane skate park (257)

Consistently out there and consistently upbeat Mr Draws continues to create his inspiring and light-hearted pieces wherever he can find space. I have just updated his gallery on Natural Adventures, and he really has been very busy over the last three years.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

Mr Draws is quite unlike any of the other writers in Bristol and I would say that his style and fills are slightly unconventional. His lettering is reasonably straightforward, but the way he decorates his pieces is what brings them alive. In this piece I rather like the subtle shadow he has sprayed just to the left of the ‘D’ to lift it out from the wall a little. Nice technique.