This morning, I updated the gallery of Mote’s work and tweeted it (not that anyone looks at my Twitter feed, but I did it anyway). I was surprised at how many pieces he has painted since February/March last year, and how he has really established himself as a constant presence in the city in little over a year.
Mote, River Avon, Bristol, May 2023
This is a lovely piece on the cycle/pedestrian riverside path adjacent to a light-industrial estate. The imaginary beast contains several elements that are familiar, but the way they are assembled presents us with a weird and wonderful creature of Mote’s imagination. I love Mote’s work as it really stands out, and here are only one or two other artists doing anything like this in Bristol at the moment.
Dog bless the band, Louisa Street, Bristol, May 2023
You can expect to see more pieces from Dog Bless the Band on Natural Adventures over the coming weeks, for two reasons; He appears to be painting more frequently, and I have found an area where he likes to paint that has been off my radar, and where there are several older pieces.
Dog bless the band, Louisa Street, Bristol, May 2023
I love two things about Dog Bless the Band, his name, and the fact that he writes MOTEL – both apparently random elements, but probably with significance for the artist. This piece, all in green, is nicely put together with its super-chunky letters. The thin, and rather subtle, pink spotty 3D drop shadow lifts the piece from being ordinary, to another level altogether. It is funny how these small details can alter a piece completely.
It is not all that long ago that Mudra moved to Bristol and since he arrived, his work has been getting bigger, bolder and more sophisticates. Another more recent arrival is Raid, whose work has made a significant impact, and who is developing his style as he goes along.
Raid, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
This piece is an upper case RAID, which is the first I have seen, all his other works being written in lower case. The two-tone green fills are different for each letter, and all work rather nicely, and the colour contrasts nicely with the splash of pink background. I expect Raid to be a reasonably regular contributor to the pages of Natural Adventures.
One of my life’s great pleasures has been finding and cataloguing graffiti art pieces by Face 1st. For the duration of this blog, Face 1st has been a constant presence, gently evolving his style and boundaries, but sticking fairly rigidly to his basic concept of a smiling girl’s face. I try to post as many of his pieces as I can, but inevitably some get left behind. I might have to do a trawl through my archives and write an ‘amnesty’ post with all the pieces that never made it.
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, May 2023
In this vibrant piece, Face 1st has painted four laughing girls, appearing to have lots of fun, there is also quite a lot of stickiness on their faces. I would like to think that each of the faces is a letter of the word FACE, but I think that is probably stretching things a little. Face 1st continues to spread joy.
Maybe is an artist who has brought something totally new and fresh to the streets of Bristol over the last couple of years, starting with some very modest interlocking face pieces and now branching out into a large portfolio of creative ideas. This new piece on the Ashton Avenue Bridge, over the River Avon, takes us in another creative direction.
Maybe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Maybe has painted a view out of a window of an aeroplane wing (in this case, Easyjet), using the shape of the bridge inspection hatch really creatively. It is always great to see street artists incorporating the surrounding elements to augment their work.
Maybe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Opposite the aeroplane window piece is a more ‘traditional’ offering from Maybe, complementing his work on the inspection hatches at the other end of the bridge. It would appear that Maybe is on a bit of a roll after quite a quiet winter.
I am so pleased that Vozie appeared on my radar about a year ago, but also a little disappointed in myself that I hadn’t woken to her talents sooner. Every piece she paints is an absolute masterclass for aspiring graffiti writers. Starting with her selection of excellent letters to work with (VOZIE) followed by her outstanding execution.
Vozie, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
This is an Easter beauty painted alongside RBF crew mates back in April. My first set of photographs from this paint jam were heavily compromised by dappled sunlight sprawled across the hoardings, so these pictures were from my second attempt. Vozie’s letter shapes are beautifully crafted, but it is the fills that steal the show in this piece. Sumptuous colours and colour combinations take it in turns through the letter components, with some nice spots and curls thrown in. The whole piece is bordered with a neon green line that sets the writing off perfectly. This is a superb piece of writing from Vozie.
In this game, exploring definitely pays off. We have been clearing out the house recently, and on one of my two trips to the recycling centre, I drove a different route home, and was rewarded with a block of hoardings and a couple of warehouse buildings with graffiti art of varying ages. Finding a spot like this is both exciting and also a little bit embarrassing, because it has taken me so long to find it.
Merny, Barton Road, Bristol, May 2023
Merny’s work beautifully reflects the Bristol textile quarter – something I never knew even existed. The colourful piece features bobbins, cloth and sewing machine parts in beautiful design, brightening up the shutter door of the Bristol Weaving Mill. The piece is actually twinned with a Billy piece – to follow.
Good morning all. A fine start to a brand new week, the sun is shining and in the blink of an eye it will be Friday and the beginning of another weekend. This amazing cartoon portrait piece by Zake was added on to an existing collaborative wall, and looks like it could almost be a part of the paint jam, but it was added a day or two later.
Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2023
Perhaps a little bit creepy, Zake’s face is less than happy, with large tears rolling down the cheeks and a rather snotty nose. The open mouth looks like an archetypal cartoon whale mouth, if you know what I mean. The face is sitting over a daisy and a bed of clouds. There may be some symbolism here, but I can’t quite fathom it out. I also don’t think the balance of the piece is quite right, and although I can’t put my finger on it, it leaves me a little uncomfortable.
