I really like Eman’s work, he has real depth to his range of characters and writing and appears to be striving to improve all the time. This complex piece of writing on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park documents well his continuous improvement.
Eman, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021
Spelling out EMAN, this is a smorgasbord of colour lines and shading that is a feast for the eyes. He has been working on this style of writing for a little while, and when you see something like this, you can see that the practice is well worth it.
What a pleasant surprise this little combination was a couple of weeks back on my routine scout around the M32 roundabout. Unannounced and unusual, this pairing of Ra and Vee is both welcome and refreshing. Neither artist has been on my radar before, but since seeing this, I note they have painted more pieces on Bristol and the West.
Ra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
On the left hand utility box is a piece by Ra, whose name and artwork is obviously influenced by ancient Egyptian culture. The god Ra is normally depicted with the head of a falcon, and is male, so this piece is likely to be someone else. Stunning nonetheless.
Veee, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
The smaller utility box has been painted by Veee, and is a bright and cheerful face. The styles of the artists couldn’t be more different, and next to one another you’d never guess that this was a collaborative paint. It seems that these two routinely paint together. I wonder whether their styles ever meet.
Another Dibz piece in one of his favourite spots. This is a magnificent piece of graffiti writing, made all the better with the appearance of a little Marvin the Martian character, adding interest. Marvin the Martian is a bit of a favourite with street artists and has made several appearances on Natural Adventures in the past.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
The colours of the letters are sublime, and the explosive oranges and reds around the border work so well. The Marvin the Martian character seems to have a wonderful 3D quality about him, not a straightforward flat cartoon that you might expect. This is a highly accomplished and stunning piece of writing from the master.
In Dean Street, which has always been ripe as a street art spot, is this new piece by Zase for Upfest’s 75×75 event, sits opposite the fine Ments piece I posted a few days ago. Zase is an artist whose large murals, especially around the St Paul’s area, are local landmarks and part of Bristol’s DNA.
Zase, Dean Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
This is a lovely piece of 3D writing has been given a bit of rainforest treatment with the Swiss cheese plant leaves and a toucan. Usually this artist writes ZASE, but in this particular instance it is really rather cryptic, but if you look behind the big red stripe, you can make it out.
Zase, Dean Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Zase has a bit of a fascination with Swiss cheese plant leaves, and they have featured in his pieces before. Perhaps he has one in his home, and they are always front of mind. He is not alone, lots of other artists paint them too. The drips on the leaves add a little extra graffiti credibility too. A wonderful, vibrant and beautifully painted piece.
At the western end of the floating harbour on the north bank is a pub called the Pump House, a place I have walked past a hundred times but never been in, which probably reflects the fact that I am not much of a pub person, not because I don’t like pubs, but because I have got out of the habit, probably since having children.
Inkie, The Pump House, Bristol, August 2021
Inkie painted this fabulous commission around the same time as he painted his ‘I can’t get you out of my head’ piece for Upfest 75×75. You often see this with Inkie, that when he is in town, he will paint several walls over a few days, before returning to London.
Inkie, The Pump House, Bristol, August 2021
This wall is an absolute gift for Inkie who is known for both his ‘signwriting’ skills and his stylised portraits of women with stunning hair. This whole piece is embellished with some beautiful patterns and flowers and is a ‘must see’ wall for anyone walking the Harbourside circuit. Good on the Pump House for tapping into and supporting Bristol’s fine tradition of celebrating street art and street artists.
I was lucky enough to meet Mest when he was painting this piece, just a couple of days before the Italy v England Euro 21 cup final. Perhaps the less said about the result of that match, the better, although being an Italophile, losing to the Italians wasn’t so bad.
Mest, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2021
Mest wasn’t at all what I expected, but then I can’t think of a single artist who looked anything like I thought they might before I met them. His simple large letters in white are embellished with a large red cross through the middle to create a Mestivellian St George cross, The whole thing neatly bound with a black and blue border. A nice patriotic football piece. I must be getting close to having enough of his work for a gallery.
There is an interesting crossover with this piece from Soker in so much as it is an Upfest 75×75 piece from a Bristol graffiti writer who produces this kind of thing regularly all around the city to this high standard, without being ‘special’ event pieces. I’m not sure if I articulated that very well, but perhaps what I mean is that we are spoilt in Bristol with having so many outstanding writers like Soker.
Soker, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
This is a lovely clean and colourful design from Soker, spelling SOKEM. There are two or three colour/fill themes going on through the letters and a central vanishing point for the 3D shading. This is what great graffiti writing looks like.