5. Street Art – Page 80 – Natural adventures

6700. M32 Cycle path (278)

Ryder and Jaksta, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2025

Turnover on the M32 Cycle path has been fairly slow this winter, and I have reduced the frequency of my visits to the spot accordingly. On my last visit, however, I got really lucky and met Ryder and Jaksta, along with some of their friends, who were all painting together to celebrate Jaksta’s birthday. It appears that January is a big month for street art birthday paint jams.

Ryder, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2025

In this combination collaboration, Ryder has painted the letters RAKE and Jaksta the character. Painted on a good old-fashioned brick wall, this piece looks like a throwback to the 1980s. The graffiti writing by Ryder is superb, spelling out RAKE, and not only celebrates Jaksta’s birthday, but also 25 years of painting together.

Jaksta, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2025

Jaksta is the cartoon character king, who manages to create incredible caricatures of people both famous and unknown. This is an absolute peach, and one of two pieces painted by the artist during this session. The exaggerated features and overized head are key components of Jaksta’s style, and would not look out of place in Montmatre’s (Paris) crazy art markets. A fabulous collaboration by the RAW duo.

Stay humble, eh

Manchester City

soundly thrashed by the Gunners

stay humble Haaland

by Scooj

Last night was a sweet moment for Arsenal fans, with the team beating the premiership champions 5-1. It was extra sweet, because the last meeting was a fiery affair, with an Arsenal player sent off in the first half with Arsenal leading 2-1. Manchester City grabbed an equaliser in the last minute of the game, and Erling Haaland (a Manchester City player and most prolific goalscorer in the world) was recorded saying ‘stay humble eh’ to Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal Manager at the end of the game. These are words that will follow and haunt Haaland for the rest of his career. Stupid boy.

6699. Purdown (83)

The derelict gun emplacement at Purdown is located within a fenced-off area which is home to a small herd of goats. I think that they are ‘employed’ to help the vegetation down. The presence of the goats makes my trips with the dog something of a challenge, because their smell and very existence drives him crazy, and I have to keep him on a very tight lead. This of course makes taking photographs all the more difficult, with many images blurry of at jaunty angles, when the dog pulls just as I take the shot. I did manage to get a couple of decent pictures of this fabulous goat character piece by Daz Cat.

Daz Cat continues to develop his style and his pieces are so much richer in content and style and offer a great deal of depth and context that was absent from his early ‘flat’ pieces. He is a great example of an artist who learns and improves all the time. There are other artists who tend to remain quite static and comfortable doing what they do. Both approaches are legitimate, although as an observer, watching the development is an added bonus. I hope the goats of Purdown appreciate this homage.

6698. Dean Lane skate park (802)

One of the best Christmas presents I received this year was a signed Inkie print from my wife, who managed to get down to the ‘Pipe and Slippers’ pub, while I was away, and catch up with the artist and some mutual friends. I don’t think that my wife made the link back to me, which is a pity because it all might have made a little more sense to him at the time. The print is a good one, and awaiting framing, along with dozens of other pieces of artwork I have accumulated.

This lovely piece by Inkie is a tribute to an old friend of his Paul ‘Peewee’ Miller, who’d recently died. Inkie mentions on his Instagram that he painted this exact wall, presumably with Peewee, 36 years ago. That is going some.

6697. Frome Side (49)

Regular readers will know that I have a special liking for the work of Nips. It is difficult to pin down exactly what it is about her writing that I like, but it just somehow appeals to me. This chrome piece was painted under the M32, on the far bank of the River Frome, which involves crossing the river on a slender concrete beam, not one for the feint-hearted.

In this piece, Nips’ usual creative fills have given way to something much simpler (which is often the way with chrome writing). I like the double border, which creates just enough separation between the letters and the graffiti wall. The lasting thought though is I really want to know who ‘Evil David’ is.

6696. Sparke Evans Park (119)

Zed in the Clouds and J9449j, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2025

I sometimes wonder if anyone would notice if I stopped writing about the street/graffiti art pieces that I post, and simply presented the photographs, but then I have to remind myself that this blog is primarily for me and my mental health… that others might enjoy it is a joyous blessing. I cannot be certain that this vertically stacked pair are collaborative or simply adjacent. There are red drips running through both, but I think that has more to do with the lower piece by j9449j incorporating them into his piece.

The top piece is by Zed in the Clouds, an artist who is ridiculously underrepresented on Natural Adventures, a situation I simply must remedy. His combination piece contains the letters ZED and his trademark character. With the incorporation of the background the piece is literally zed in the clouds.

The lower piece is by an artist who seems to delight in changing his Instagram handle on a regular basis, making it rather difficult to know what to call him, so I stick with the first name I used, which is j9449j. Among his other monikers are Dr3amc0re94 and all_4_n0thing – this is someone who doesn’t want to leave much of a digital footprint like many other street artists. His letters, which I can never read, always have fills that I like to think have a natural emphasis with lots of leaves and plant shapes. This is a fine piece of writing that could so easily be dominated by the vibrant background, but actually complements it well.

6695. M32 Spot (198)

Stivs and Mest, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2025

I can’t believe that today is the last day of January… I swear that time is accelerating, or at least that is how it feels (it is my age you know). I recollect that Stivs told me a long time ago that he and Mest had shared a flat for a while, which might account for this coming together to paint this collaborative wall.

Stivs has been smashing it consistently for a long time, and his current penchant for painting characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is a very welcome theme. A fun fact – did you know that ponds and lakes up and down the country (particularly in the south) are populated with terrapins (a non-native species) which were purchased by children and families thanks to the power of the movie franchise, as adorable exotic little pets. Little terrapins grow into big terrapins, and as these creatures outgrew their tanks, people released them into the wild (an illegal act without a licence). Some survived and have adapted to their new environment, and that is why you might spot them if you keep your eyes open.

I have always liked the simplicity of Mest’s writing, and although he doesn’t paint all that often, he manages to retain his style and technique with ease. The letters, in an informal font, are nicely proportioned and filled without being fussy. There is a very nicely done drop shadow, which again is delivered without fuss. What lifts the piece, in my view, is the way the greys work with the background colour and the fabulous interface created with the subtle green border. A fine collaboration.

6694. Dean Lane skate park (801)

I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025

I have a sense that 2025 is going to be a good one for street art in Bristol. Already January, a month that is traditionally rather slow, has been a very active period with loads of artists hitting the ground running. A signal that we could be in for a treat this year is the early appearance of Kid Crayon and I am Ian in Dean Lane.

This skull piece by I am Ian is full of joy and humour. Painted in a mischievous cartoon style, the grinning skull is accompanied by the slogan ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’, which I guess is a brief description of our existence. The character is expertly painted, with some great shading and fine lines to create features and depth. A wonderful way to start the year.

6693. Frome Side (48)

Bbygwya, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

As someone who photographs and writes about street and graffiti art, it can be quite a challenge keeping up with Instagram monikers and even the letters that artists write. Bbygwya, AKA Flux, writes Flux. Luxe and in this instance Lukz and you have to know her style and range of letters to be able to identify her work successfully.

This piece was painted under the M32, alongside the River Frome early this month, and might signal a healthy presence from her and the RBF crew, who have all had a pretty busy January. Her letters have that unruly feel to them, being slightly irregular. The fills are nicely done and capped off with a couple of brilliant starbursts. Like other pieces painted during this session, there is some rain damage, which suggests that it was a wet paint day. There is a nice final touch… the shout out to Mena.

6692. M32 roundabout J2 (8)

Chill, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, January 2025

It is always a little sad when street/graffiti artists move away from Bristol, but some consolation that new artists are emerging or moving to the city, generally at a faster rate, growing the incredible pool of talent. PWA (Pirate Wall Art) took a double hit at the end of 2024, with both Face 1st and Chill leaving town and leaving behind a significant void. Face 1st, it should be registered, has returned several times to paint, just as he said he would. This piece by Chill, however, I think was painted before he left, which made it all the sweeter to find.

Chill has managed to squeeze one of his stylish cartoon characters onto a column with great skill and without making it look too distorted or contrived. I will miss his urban street-wise people with their caps and ear discs. If you miss them too, here is an updated gallery of his outstanding work.

	scooj on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…
	equinoxio21 on Waterlogged
	Cethru Cellophane on A dog’s life
	Dan Antion on A dog’s life
	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…

	scooj on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…
	equinoxio21 on Waterlogged
	Cethru Cellophane on A dog’s life
	Dan Antion on A dog’s life
	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…

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