Because he tends to paint most of his work in L Dub, Donz is a little bit underrepresented on Natural Adventures, which is a pity really, because he has a distinctive style and slightly different take on things. He is far from unconventional in his work, but he does things his own way, if that makes any sense at all.
Donz, L Dub, Bristol, August 2023
The letters spell DONZ, although the ‘O’ is much reduced and resembles an eye, giving the writing a bit of character, a little bit like Decay’s Chuck (check out this Decay gallery to see what I mean).The colours in the letters are bright and rather striking, and whilst not naturally complementary, seem to be incredibly effective in this piece. I will try to photograph and post more Donz pieces if I can.
Lost_in_illustration, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023
I believe that this piece was painted during a Bristol Mural Collective paint jam, and like so many pieces that are painted on these occasions is totally worthy of inclusion in Natural Adventures. It is always great to see artists who are more used to studio work painting walls, although I know that Genevieve Clapp (Lost_in_illustration) has painted walls in Bristol before. There is a freshness and originality that adds to the vast spectrum of subjects and styles we see in Bristol.
Lost_in_illustration, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023
This mysterious piece with a kind of atmospheric/cosmic background features a hooded woman, painted in contrasting shades of blue, clutching a glowing sphere in true fantasy fashion. It is a lovely and rather different kind of piece, which sits comfortably alongside any other works on this wall. I hope to see more from Genevieve Clapp before too long.
Daz Cat painted this wonderful piece during a paint jam some while ago, which was themed along the lines of a dystopian future. I ought really to have written up the whole collaboration in one post, but felt that each element was worthy of its own write-up.
Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
I am not quite sure what the creature in the piece is meant to be, but I think that is in part the point. A goat? A cat? Whatever it is, it is well armed with some kind of futuristic ray gun. The background scene is suitably gloomy, and the ground appears to be composed of toes, eyes and teeth. All a bit weird. Something a little different from Daz Cat.
N4T4, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
A favourite artist of the paint festival circuit is N4T4, who has been a feature of Upfest and Cheltenham posts on Natural Adventures for a few years now. His portrait pieces are always beguiling and beautifully crafted – I have only good things to say about his work.
N4T4, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
This was actually N4T4’s second piece at this year’s festival, the other one, which I have ready posted was a stunning goldfinch. In this piece you can just about make out the patterns on the woman’s face, that add texture and complexity to the portrait. The patterns from the face overspill into the surrounding orange and red decorations. Lots of swirls and blended colours give away this piece as a work by N4T4. A fabulous festival piece.
Unify, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
One of the very earliest street art pieces I posted on Natural Adventures was by Unify, painted on the side of the Highbury Vaults in Kingsdown. Both Unify and I have come a long way since then. This wonderful monkey in a spacesuit stencil piece is perfectly presented on the side of a ramp in the Cheltenham skate park.
Unify, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
The freehand background is very dramatic and sets the scene perfectly for the intricate stencil work. I love the reflection of the earth in the space helmet. I don’t know why, but I have seen a lot of space monkey street art over the years and it appears to be a really popular theme (note to self – potential for a themed gallery). This is a classy piece from Unify, whose work can be found all over London where I think the artist lives.
Pekoe, Vozie, Bnie, Wispa and Evey, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
The Resting Bitchface (RBF) crew appeared to have a ball at the Cheltenham Paint Festival, painting this long collaborative wall, and then going on to decorate the multi-storey car park, which was opened up as a CPF venue for the first time this year. The dayglo colours of the piece give is a bit of a 1980s look, but with a contemporary RBF twist.
Pekoe, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
On the left and starting off the collaboration is a writing/portrait combination from Pekoe. This is as good a piece of writing I have seen from Pekoe and the character to the right is something a little different, a punk or skinhead girl with a plaster on her head. Vibrant stuff.
Vozie, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Next up is a classy piece of writing from Vozie, spelling out her name and breaking up different sections of the letters with different colours from the paint jam colour palette. The overall design is top class and the execution brilliant. Amazing stuff.
Bnie and Wispa, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
The next section has Bnie and Wispa snuggly side by side. Bnie’s writing picks up on the colour palette, but designs in the colours in a completely different way to Vozie. Bnie has gone for some horizontal layers, and a horizon line running through the midpoint of her BNIE. Finished to perfection, this too is an outstanding piece. Wispa has gone for a character piece overflowing with attitude. She has also decided not to go with the ‘corporate ‘colours and the impact of that is her character stands out as being a bit different. I get a feeling that the attitude isn’t constrained to Wispa, but runs through the whole collaboration in its loud colours and boldness.
Evey, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Finally, the right hand end of the collaboration is represented by a fabulous piece of writing from Evey. In recent posts I have spoken about her rate of improvement this year, and this piece only goes to reinforce my view. Great letter shapes and delightfully eclectic fills that somehow work incredibly well together. This collaboration has all the hallmarks of a very successful and enjoyable day out for the RBF Crew. Outstanding.
#DFTE, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
One of the rather nice things about the Cheltenham Paint Festival is that due to its proximity to Bristol, it often feels a bit like a home from home, as a lot of the domestic artists that paint at the CPF are from Bristol. #DFTE is no stranger to the streets of Bristol, and this one at the festival was a real cracker.
#DFTE, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
‘Thoughts are not facts’ – I love this. It is so true, and yet for so many people thoughts are projected as facts – and I am sure I am guilty of this myself to some degree. I come from an analytical evidence-led training, and work in ma sector where evidence is crucial, so the phrase chimes very strongly with me. #DFTE’s unique font – in this instance with lots of lovely drips – is bold and accessible. A truly wonderful piece, from the unusual philosopher/graffiti writer.
Sam Art, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Each time I do a burst of ‘festival’ pictures I become mindful of just how far behind I am with my posts – I still have dozens/hundreds of pieces to share from Upfest 2022 and many more from Cheltenham last year and this. I simply have to face the fact that I won’t be able to publish them all, at least not until I have retired. This is an unbelievable piece by Sam Art at this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival.
Sam Art, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Sam Art uses spray paint to create his photorealistic masterpieces, but he does so in a studio and then transports the piece to the festival site. Some might consider this cheating, but it is not. The pieces take a long time to paint and would probably be next to impossible outside exposed to the elements. The portrait of a young girl is stunning and the kingfisher – a street art favourite – sensational. The splashes of colour contrast perfectly with the greyscale portrait. Magnificent stuff once again from Sam Art.
A classic Pekoe portrait piece looks like this, although this year Pekoe has been developing her style and experimenting more with graffiti writing. With regard to her portrait pieces, they have become a little bit less busy and more thoughtful in composition, of which this is a great example.
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Pekoe painted this alongside RBF crew friends, in one of two consecutive paint jams, supplying me with plenty of material to post. There is a very strong comic-book cartoon style happening here, especially with the eyes and nose, which I really like. The hair too is different from anything I have seen from Pekoe, and overall the piece is a good one. I am enjoying this slight shift in Pekoe’s work.
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