Greenbank is the most wonderful temporary graffiti/street art spot. It is a very long hoarding, perhaps 100m, which separates the Bristol to Bath cycle track from a large new development. I guess the hoarding will be here for a few more months and then this great art asset will disappear and we’ll all have to look for somewhere else. This is the way.
Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Pekoe has been on fire over the last year and she is turning out some truly magnificent pieces. This ‘kill the bill’ portrait is in magnificent purple and yellows (which I recollect from school are opposite colours) and with her white beanie, it really hits the mark. This is beautifully finished and it looks like she took her time to add in some details in the face and hair. Another triumph from the very busy Pekoe.
Another interesting piece from Big Hev who seems to be having a great time experimenting with spraying walls about the city. Her work is still quite naive, but there is a definite style emerging and with practice I’m sure she will emerge as yet another fine Bristol wall artist.
Big Hev, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2021
In a move away from her portraits, this piece ‘you can’t hide our smiles’ features a seahorse in an orange circle, surrounded with love hearts. Her work is bold and colourful and there is a lot of energy there. Her skills and technique with the spray paint will develop over time, but so far watching her progress is hugely enjoyable.
There are dozens of these mega-tags all over Bristol and it took me quite a long time before I realised that they were by Sage. This one at the Purdown battery has an outstanding view of North Bristol behind it… such a great location.
Sage, Purdown, Bristol, March 2021
Most of these mega-tags are monochrome quick ones, but it seems that Sage has taken a wee bit more time with this one, giving his capped character little bit of extra decoration. Often, the location can be as important as the art, and I think this is a good example of that.
Both of these artists have had a very busy year in terms of throwing paint at walls. Benjimagnetic and Hemper are not artists I would normally pair up, but they have painted together in the past and continue to do so from time to time. Benjimagnetic’s style is much more consistent, whereas with Hemper, each piece is incredibly individual.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021
On the left is a fascinating piece from Benjimagnetic spelling BEN, which is much less frenetic and busy than his usual offerings. The yellow outline, where you can make out his letters, is sitting over a blockwork pattern, and the whole efect is compelling. Two little speech bubbles state: ‘Stand in the balance’ and ‘Hold your head up’
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021
To the right Hemper has created a sensational piece of writing spelling out HEMS in beautifully curvy letters which are filled to perfection with various colourful shades and bubbles. The whole thing is set on a very atmospheric green background with a few subtle shout-outs. ‘Free assembly is a right… …not a privilege’ is a sentiment very close to many Bristolian hearts at the moment. Kill the bill.
Soker is an incredibly versatile writer, managing to conjure up no end of extraordinary styles for his usual SOKER letters, but this piece is, in my view, an extra special one produced during a recent birthday celebration paint for Sled One.
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
The colourful letters are framed within a beautiful flowery border that oozes pure class. It doesn’t take much more than the slightest glance to see that this is a masterful piece with an outstanding overall design, beautifully crafted fills and superb finishing. A supreme piece of graffiti writing.
Another new artists for Natural Adventures in 2021 is Zed in the Clouds. Zed has been busy in recent months painting his small character pieces in most of the popular Bristol graff spots, and this one is on the long hoarding alongside the development at Greenbank.
Zed in the Clouds, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2021
Zed in the Clouds (a great name by the way) creates these expertly finished little cap-wearing characters that tend to blend well with all that is around them. Take a close look though, and you will see that this isn’t simple character tagging, there is a lot of skill and care that has gone into the fills and his lines are crisp and even. Lots more to come from this relative newcomer in Bristol.
Natural adventures 