5305. M32 roundabout J3 (482)

Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

Tucked away, hidden by a bush on the M32 roundabout, is this fun little character piece by Bean. Although each of Beans pieces that I have seen so far are different characters, there is something about his style that it quite distinctive. It might be the colour palette that he uses, which often includes lots of bright yellow, orange and red.

Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

This cartoon character, with a green moustache is sporting a fine headdress of flowers and toadstools. The piece it really neat and tidy, and beautifully drafted, with great use of light and shade to create depth in the facial features. I am very much enjoying Beans’s work, which seems to crop up at reasonably regular intervals.

5304. Weston-super-Mare

#DFTE, Weston Wallz,Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
#DFTE, Weston Wallz,Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

Continuing with the Weston Wallz theme this morning, is this fabulous piece from the enigmatic #DFTE, who after something of a hiatus has come alive over the last year or so, upgrading his small pictures dotted around Bristol to full-size murals with his witty and sometimes wise one-liners.

#DFTE, Weston Wallz,Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
#DFTE, Weston Wallz,Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

#DFTE comes from the ‘signwriting’ school of street art, but with his own idiosyncratic twist. In this piece from Weston Walls 2022, the drippy letters, in his own ‘house font’ says “Don’t think too much, just do what makes you happy”. If only it were that easy, but I love the sentiment. #DFTE is another artist who I am lining up for a gallery – watch this space.

5303. Weston-super-Mare

Bex Glover, Weston Wallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
Bex Glover, Weston Wallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

The Weston Wallz initiative has without question introduced a breath of fresh air in this breezy seafront town. Many of the buildings in the town, instead of being drab and rather weathered can boast some of the finest murals in the country, but it is not only the large walls, but some of the smaller ones too that have a direct uplifting impact on the locals, and Old Post Office Lane hosts a handful of wonderful pieces.

Bex Glover, Weston Wallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
Bex Glover, Weston Wallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

Bex Glover is no stranger to Bristolians, and to see one of her beautifully designed murals in Weston-super-Mare as part of Weston Wallz 2022 was a real treat. Her nature pieces create a sense of calm and beauty, and reminds of a natural world that we should cherish. The fox is a beauty, and I am rather fond of the two little fish that make an appearance too. A wonderful piece in a ‘ghost’ window.

Happy Father’s Day

.

My father is gone

and my surrogate fathers

today is for me

.

by Scooj

5302. Purdown (58)

Enn Kay (NAK), Purdown, Bristol, May 2023
Enn Kay (NAK), Purdown, Bristol, May 2023

Let’s hear it for the goats! The ruins of the Purdown Anti-Aircraft gun emplacement, commanding fine views over North Bristol, are contained within a fenced area into which goats are introduced each spring, presumably to keep the undergrowth in check. This humorous piece by Enn Kay (NAK), carries a strong message for dog owners, to make sure they are kept on a lead, as there have been several attacks by dogs on the goats. This is a sentiment I fully agree with as a responsible dog-owner, and I always have my cocker spaniel on the lead in this space.

Enn Kay (NAK), Purdown, Bristol, May 2023
Enn Kay (NAK), Purdown, Bristol, May 2023

The goat, in cartoon style, is looking pretty fed up with yet another dog passing by, mine was right in front of this piece while I photographed it. It is beautifully painted, and the look on its face is priceless. It goes to show that not all advisory notices have to be authoritative and stern, humour and kindness can have a similar impact. Nice work from Enn Kay.

5301. Peel Street Green (12)

Solar, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Solar, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

As mentioned in a previous post, I am trying to give Solar a bit more of a profile on Natural Adventures, because I believe his work provides another strong element on the vast spectrum of graffiti writing in the city.

Solar, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Solar, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

I’m not quite sure how I would describe Solar’s style, but I think ephemeral and free are words that spring to mind. Like Lee Roy’s work, it is tending towards anti-style, but perhaps in a more passive way. The letters in this piece, spelling SOLAR and with a PLB crew tag, are written in a mixture of upper and lower case, breaking any formal conventions. The blues are uplifting, and unusually the background is also the fill. The letters are disrupted by vertical streaks of cloudy something. The whole piece is rather atmospheric and compelling in a modest presentation.

5300. M32 roundabout J3 (481)

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

He doesn’t paint all that often, but when he does, Serm pretty much always does a grand job of it. I think it might have been the polite thing to do to buff the wall a little first, because you can still see the Hypo piece beneath, but it is no big deal, because overpainting is part of the way of life for graffiti writers.

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

Although the writing clearly spells SERM, I keep reading SESK, because there used to be a writer in Bristol called Sesk some time ago, a writer of some notoriety I might add, but that is another story. The chunky letters are really nicely filled with a complex layering of patterns, topped with some thin line bubbles. To go with the chunky letters is a very deep 3D drop shadow drifting to the right, in a range of blues. This is a nice tidy piece by Serm, and after a couple more from him, I’ll have enough for a gallery.

PD

.

Parkinson’s disease

incurable, progressive

a part of our lives

.

by Scooj

  • In 2020, during lock down, my wife was diagnosed with having Parkinson’s Disease. Of course, it was a huge shock, and we are gently easing ourselves into a life with the disease. Last night I went to my first event for people with PD and their partners/families/carers. It was a brilliantly funny comedy evening with Paul Mayhew-Archer, writer of the Vicar of Dibly, amongst other situation comedies. His honest and intelligent look at PD was brilliantly delivered, and for me at least, removed some of the fear about what lies ahead. I don’t think I would have self-disclosed this through the haiku had I not been to see his comedy show last night. Bravo Paul M-A and all who live with PD.

5299. Brunel Way (209)

Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023

I would definitely like to see more from Mr Underbite on the streets. His versatile, if rather unfortunate, character definitely adds a touch of butter sweet humour to the streets of Bristol. Although this is a small piece, probably a little old and slightly out of the way, I thought I would post it, because it has a charm about it and is very much a part of the everyday street art experience in the city.

Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023

Technically, this piece is more Daveside than Brunel Way, but I use the latter as a generic area description, in much the same way that I use Cumberland Basin to describe the large area just north of the river. Nicely painted, the hapless character, with his comb-over hair, makes me smile, just as all of Mr Underbite’s pieces do. I only found this by mistake, reminding me always to walk the few extra yards and to be inquisitive… the rewards are out there.

5298. Dean Lane skate park (609)

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

It might be the colour palette, I don’t know, but there is something about this piece that instantly grabs you and says ‘hey, I’m special’. Hire’s work will be a familiar to regular readers of Natural Adventures, and he is one of my favourite graffiti artists in Bristol, and I think that what he has done here is exceptional.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Three things stand out for me in this piece. The first is the colour selections for the letters and the background and the way they complement each other so well – very pleasing to the eye. The second is the almost imperceptible difference in colour shade used for the H and R, compared with the I and E of his name, so subtle and so clever. Finally, I think that the little squiggles surrounding the letters are brilliant and remind me of a visualisation of Brownian motion. Each of these elements lift the piece from being great to exceptional.