It seems that as soon as I post a piece by Mind 49, I get to photograph another one, such is the rate at which he is painting at the moment. His portrait pieces always have a sense of mystery about them, with the faces often being partially obscured. He leaves much to the imagination, which is clever stuff really, and which reminds me a little of Caro Pepe’s approach to her art.
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2024
This is a writing/portrait combination which is really striking in its orange and red colouring. I am not sure that the portrait is of anyone specific, and in his Instagram feed Mind 49 says that this was ‘experimenting’. Well it seems to have been a successful experiment from what I can see. More to come soon.
Tao Create and Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2024
There are some pieces that stick in the mind, sometimes for a long while, and sometimes forever. This is one of those. This striking collaboration between Tao Create and Rozalita has embedded in memory, and it will be one of those iconic pieces that I will be able to recall and tell people about for as long as my mind is good.
Tao Create, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2024
On the left, Tao Create has painted a gorgeous portrait piece, and in doing so has shown us just how far she has come over the last two or three years. I can only think that she has been to art school, because the transformation is extraordinary. The near-photorealistic portrait is utterly captivating and the contours of the face are perfectly handled with skill using shading in browns and yellows. I cannot express how much I love this portrait, not how surprised I was to see that it was by Tao Create.
Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2024
On the right is the third recent piece by Rozalita depicting Frida Kahlo, and it is another cracker, this time in various shades of yellow. There is a strength that comes from the portrait, perhaps reflecting the strength of Kahlo herself. The flower design is, I think, also by Rozalita, who has undergone a renaissance lately. Oh joy. My favourite piece of the year.
Mr Underbite and Herman Creates, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
This is a rather nice tribute piece to the late Lazo, who will be much missed in Bristol, by Mr Underbite (MUB) and Herman Creates. Both halves of the collaborative wall hang together really well, and definitely stand out on the pathway alongside the River.
Mr Underbite, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
On the left is a beautiful rendition of Mr Underbite in blue against an orange background. The joy of this piece is its simplicity. Nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, just Mr Underbite doing what Mr Underbite does, and does very well.
Herman Creates, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
To the right is a debut piece from Herman Creates on Natural Adventures, and she has painted some more-than-decent block letters with rather nicely done fills. Herman Creates doesn’t do an awful lot of street pieces, but I do have one or two examples of her work in my archive which I will try to unearth, if ever I get a chance. A lovely tribute. And below some work by Lazo:
Lazo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, November 2022Lazo, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Andy Council and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2024
Andy Council and Acer One are having a productive 2024, which is so good to see, and this is one of several collaborations that they have painted recently. This one is a bit of a play on words, altering the well known cliché ‘one love’ to ‘one dove’ and illustrating it accordingly.
Andy Council, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2024
The dove (rock pigeon), rather hidden behind a bush, is beautifully painted by Andy Council, and has beautifully captured the colouring of the bird, and represented the iridescence of the collar with greens, reds, oranges and yellows. The typical style that Andy Council uses includes the ‘stitching together’ of component parts with threaded lines. Great pink feet.
Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2024
The writing is by Acer One, and deliberately or otherwise reflects the raining above the piece, with the vertical lines dominating. The stylised letters are beautifully picked out with the use of a dark shadow dropped behind them, giving them a bit of a lift. This is another wonderful collaboration and continuation of this purple patch the artists seem to be enjoying.
It has been a while since I last posted street art and graffiti doors, such has been the growing stock of door images in my files from my travels around the country and abroad. I felt a little pause to combine passions was well overdue, so this week are some doors that have been posted previously on Natural Adventures, but not gathered together for a Thursday doors post. I hope you enjoy this selection, which were previously posted in December 2022, January and February 2023.
Conrico, Park Street, Bristol, December 2022Taboo, Nelson Street, Bristol, December 2022Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023Tanith Gould, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, December 2022Cartoonneros, Moon Street, Bristol, February 2023Cheba, North Street, Bristol, February 2023Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, February 2023
So that’s it for this week. Next time I think I might move on to some doors from Nottingham and a trip I made there last year. Until then, may I wish you a very happy Easter weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
It is such a pleasure to have a wheatpaster in Bristol, and one who pastes her pieces just often enough to make discovering each one an exciting event. This is a small one by Abbie Laura Smith on the bridge (Ashton Avenue Bridge) that crosses the River Avon, joining the south bank with Spike Island.
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
The black and white portrait is beautifully drawn and conceals a whole ton of writing in the hair, which I am guessing is a poem or lyrics to a song. I can make out some phrases, but not the whole thing. I have a feeling that the piece might be called “When you can’t sleep…”, as that is the label Abbie Laura Smith gave the piece on her Instagram, although that might be a reference to when she created the portrait. All good stuff and I am looking forward to finding more.
Well I never! This is a really unusual piece, on several counts, the first of which is a bit of a Bristol thing. It is quite rare to find ‘saucy’ street art, and nudes are almost non-existent. I was chatting with Inkie and Sepr about this a week ago and they suggested that the reason for this is that such pieces get dogged and ‘censored’ very quickly – it would seem that the city is generously populated with prudish activists. Another reason that this is unusual is that I think it is by Laic217, but there is no signature, and it is without many of his usual trademarks.
Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024
I would say that I am about 95% certain that this piece is by Laic217, and I base this on the style of artwork, which includes the folds in the material of the girl’s jacket, the tones of the flesh and the thin white border around the piece. In my experience, though, this subject is something I have not seen from the artist before, and I very much welcome it. Laic217 is having something of a purple patch at the moment, and is definitely experimenting and pushing a few boundaries. An unusual find.
Evey, Pekoe and Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2024
This is a pleasurable post to write because it involves one of my favourite walls with one of my favourite groups of artists. The RBF ladies have been a little quiet this month, but this collaboration from Evey, Pekoe and Bnie has laid that to rest pretty well.
Evey, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2024
Evey continues to smash it each time she paints and her improvement from piece to piece is so gratifying to witness. The letters here are nicely designed and cleanly finished, with good fill transitions and well organised spotty details. She appears to be building her confidence with is an important part of improvement.
Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2024
In the middle is another Pekoe portrait piece, full of fun and style. The subject has beautifully painted big hair and a rather smart yellow cap or beret. The blue face is rather RBF, if you know what I mean and the whole piece has an interesting dot – dash border. For me though, the hoop earrings steal the show, they are brilliant.
Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2024
Finally, Bnie never ever disappoints with her beautiful letters. This is classy writing, with stunning fills, a wonderful drop shadow and yellow border complete with drips. The colour selection of pinks and oranges works really well against the green patterned background. It is good to note a small Palestinian flag under the ‘B’, should we forget what is happening in Gaza right now. A wonderful collaboration from this RBF trio.
Natural adventures 