5073. M32 Spot (157)

Object..., M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Object…, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

A little while ago, I was taking a Japanese friend on a tour of street art and graffiti spots around Bristol. She is writing an article on street art for a Tokyo journal and was getting a feel for the Bristol scene. Over the course of the day we were lucky enough to meet several artists, including Object… who was blitzing the columns under the M32 with his distinct expressive fingers and hands.

Object..., M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Object…, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

In this first piece, Object… has managed to work his fingers around existing pieces, making very good use of the Boris Johnson head, originally painted by John D’oh, creating something of a grotesque figure (not too difficult in the case of BJ).

Object..., M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Object…, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023

It was an education watching Object… paint these pieces (more to follow in another post), which he did with rollers and brushes. He would create the rough shape of the fingers with the roller in white, and then add outlines and some definition, resulting in these extraordinary gnarly digits. Of course, it was really great to catch up with the artist, as always.

Unthinkable

.

Thoughts of fascism

are incomprehensible

nation in decline

.

by Scooj

5072. River Avon (39)

Mote, River Avon, Bristol, February 2023
Mote, River Avon, Bristol, February 2023

It is nice to see a Mote piece by the River Avon, demonstrating that he really does get out and about to share his art with the citizens of Bristol. This monster piece follows a recent theme in his work of rather more organic characters with wobbly outlines, rather than the clean lines of his earlier works.

Mote, River Avon, Bristol, February 2023
Mote, River Avon, Bristol, February 2023

I think that Mote’s work lends itself well to illustration, and I wonder if that would ever be a direction he might consider. This particular toothy monster isn’t his best, in my opinion, but is another part of his growing menagerie.

5071. Dean Lane skate park (571)

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023

Somehow, I always feel comfortable when I see pieces by Hire. Hire was one of the first artists I spoke to, and I have bumped into him several times over the years. He is a mild-mannered, quiet and modest man whose particular style of graffiti writing is always on-point.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023

In this small piece, beautifully presented on a dark green buffed wall, Hire has written the letters BF, which I think relate to a crew – possibly a Polish crew. The jagged letters are superbly picked out by the cream border, and the whole thing is given a lift with the black shading surrounding the writing. A class act.

5070. M32 roundabout J3 (456)

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

Given that Zake is knocking out his stylised face pieces at an alarming rate at the moment, there is a strong likelihood that you’ll be seeing lots of his work on Natural Adventures. For example, this is the third piece I have featured here since the start of the month.

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

This glorious face, especially impactful due to the black background, was painted over one of his previous pieces, and this is a spot particularly favoured by PWA artists. Zake is using his specialist skills, when it comes to light and shadow, to create great depth and exaggerated features in this smiling character’s face. Beautifully done and definitely memorable.

Lineker

.

Defining moment

the state against the people

deflect and divide

.

by Scooj

#istandwithlineker

5069. Montpelier

Alex Lucas, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2023
Alex Lucas, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2023

Finding my way home through the depths of Montpelier, I came across this stunning front door painted by Alex Lucas. Of course, such a feature shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise in this area, as Alex Lucas is the ‘Queen of Montpelier’, which is the epicentre of her work.

Alex Lucas, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2023
Alex Lucas, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2023

In this piece, two cats are interacting with one another, one above the other, cleverly following the portrait aspect of the door. The space around the cats is occupied with decorative ribbons and flowers. Who wouldn’t want a stunning personalised front door like this? The door and the artwork is so very ‘Montpelier’ if you get my drift. Brilliant.

5068. Brunel Way (195)

Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2023
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2023

One of the pure joys over the last year has been the emergence of Mr Underbite and his charismatic character, Mr Underbite. This rather glum fellow is endearing to say the least, and despite his miserable disposition, cheers me up every time I see him.

Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2023
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2023

Mr Underbite tends to use a basic template which he goes on to ‘pimp’ with different features and themes. This recent piece under Brunel Way is the basic form, although this is the first time I have seen the character with a neck. Looking forward to seeing a whole load more this year.

5067. St Werburghs tunnel (358)

Zake and Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Zake and Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023

I love the irrepressible nature of Bristol street artists. There has been a bit of a war on this wall recently, with Bristol City Council buffing the wall with grey paint, only to be painted over moments later by artists and writers. For goodness’ sake, BCC, make this a legal wall and save your (our) money. Two of Bristol’s best character artists, Zake and Chill, have combined to decorate this wall, and have absolutely smashed it.

Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023

I go away for a couple of days, and what happens? This audacious piece appears, to engage and entertain passers-by. Zake has been on fire recently, and is arguably the busiest artist in town. His portraits are becoming more expressive and adventurous with each outing. Watching his work develop is one of the great pleasures of what I do.

Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023

Chill has also now become firmly established in the Bristol scene, which doesn’t equate to him being establishment (just in case you were wondering). In this piece, Chill is continuing his experimentation with colour, instead of presenting us with the black and white we are more accustomed to seeing. I think the colours are working, although it takes a little bit of getting used to. What a wonderwall from these PWA artists.

5066. Cumberland Basin

Marckinetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
Marckinetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023

I’ve not posted much from Marckinetic for a while, and that might be because he tends not to paint all that regularly. I might have missed a recent piece in the tunnel, but will have to correct that omission.

Marckinetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
Marckinetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023

This is a typical piece from Marckinetic writing in his unique style, set on a cosmic backdrop. I would like to think that his letters spelled out Mark, but I really don’t know, and I haven’t yet met him to ask. The pink arrow features on either side frame the piece really well, and you can imagine that the piece would be poorer without them. These ‘extras’ are what sets people above the ordinary.