Mr Draws has been turning out some really nice pieces recently and this one is a particularly colourful one. His work has a tendency not to last too long, probably an artefact of the walls he paints rather than any commentary on the quality of his work.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
In this piece, as usual, he spells out DRAW! and his fills are a colourful array of lines, spots, stars and squiggles. This is classic ‘make it up as you go along’ artwork and looks like it was fun to do. The streets of Bristol would be duller without Mr Draws.
A couple of weeks ago I bumped into Paul H in St Werburghs tunnel and he tipped me off that Smak was likely to be painting at the M32 Spot, so naturally my next port of call was to my favourite board under the motorway. There I found not only Smak, but Mena too, both busily spraying.
Smak and Mena, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
I have many photographs of Mena’s work, but I think this is the first time I have posted anything, so I guess a bit of a rummage through my archive will be happening in the not too distant future.
Smak, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
On the left of the board is a beautifully worked piece of graffiti writing from Smak. What is noticeable about this is that the light conditions on the two days I visited this piece have presented two different tones, one much yellower than the other – I guess that cameras get pretty goofed up with poor light under the motorway and bright light bleedinng in at the sides. Auto settings simply can’t cope.
Mena, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
On the right is a ‘stock’ piece of writing from Mena. The letters are uniform in size with interesting shapes and Mena really goes to town with some beautiful horizontal fills in wonderful complementary colours. The outcome is very pleasing, and the black 3D shading really helps to lift the whole thing out from the wall. I am really looking forward to sharing more from Mena.
There is a thing at this time of year in the street/graffiti art world and that is to do a Halloween piece. I haven’t seen too many this year, although I have just been out to walk the dog and photographed a whole bunch more. This one is by Biers, who I am pleased to report is writing Biers again having spent the last year or two writing OhYeah.
Biers, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2020
This piece is a classic writing/character combination with a rather friendly looking grim reaper popping up to the right hand side of the writing. Biers has been reasonably dormant this year, so it is great to see him getting out and about.
It has been a very, very long time since I last saw a piece from Object… and at this time of political turmoil I have missed his interjections and commentary defending the less well off and downcast members of our society.
Object…, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Another rather grotesque imagining of a hand being eaten by hungry mouths… a piece with a lot of pain anguish and rage. The whole scene is rather unpleasant and uncomfortable, but I think that is the point, this is a challenging and political piece. The slogan ‘Eat the Rich’ accompanies th work as in so much of Object…’s art. A provocative and compelling piece.
Doors 127 – Bristol doors with interesting surrounds
Sometimes it is not so much the door that is interesting but the brickwork, the awnings, the steps, or the whole design around an entrance that makes it stand out. This week’s selection of doors all have rather plain doors, but what surrounds them is worth a good look. Here we go:
A rather fancy entrance, Bristol, September 2020There is something about the 15 above the door, Bristol, September 2020Door covered in ‘slaps’ (stickers), Bristol, September 2020Door and doorway, Orchard Street, Bristol, September 2020Door and doorway, Orchard Street, Bristol, September 2020Door and doorway, Orchard Street, Bristol, September 2020
That’s yer lot for another rather turbulent and unsettling week… US Election and England lockdown.
Be safe and kind wherever you are and have a great week.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors and you really ought to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
– Written before the final result of the Biden/Trump election, fingers tightly crossed. A Trump win will give Boris succour and further self-belief, on the other hand a Biden win will come as a huge wake up call for Boris and his populist cronies.
With this modest piece hidden away in Cumberland Basin I bring you another artist new to Natural Adventures… drum roll… 3F fino. The wall is in a little tunnel that can easily be missed while admiring the main long wall of this spot, and 3F fino has used the space really well.
3F Fino, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2020
There is a North African Feel to this piece but I might be making some unconscious bias assumptions based on the headgear and could be quite wrong. What I particularly like about this wall is the background. The white wash has been applied in a way that has left the brick mortar lines, the result being what looks like a ceramic tile wall. An interesting debut to this blog.
A recent epic collaborative piece on an ‘Upfest’ wall appeared without warning or fanfare a couple of weeks ago that brought together some fine atists, namely: Smak, Sled One, Ments and Curtis Hylton. What an utterly pleasant surprise and something of an improvement on the piece that adorned this wall before it.
Smak, Clift House Road, Bristol, October 2020
On the left is a crazy but exquisite scene depicting venus flytraps feasting on various flying insects. In the middle is what looks a bit like an old microphone, although I’m not too sure if that is what it is. The story here… your guess is as good as mine.
Curtis Hylton, Ments and Sled One, Clift House Road, Bristol, October 2020
Sled One has pulled together an equally bizarre piece that sems to be of a king cobra dressed as a policeman complete with truncheon and whistlewith an iced ring doughnut round its neck. The policeman woud appear to be in pursuit of a graffiti spraying mouse or two. Could this be a reference to some heavy handed policing which let to the prosecution of a street artist in St Werburghs tunnel recently?
Curtis Hylton, Ments and Sled One, Clift House Road, Bristol, October 2020
To the right is a beautiful Hornbill by Curtis Hylton whose work usually involves a blend of stunning creatures composed of flowers, and he has worked miracles with this style here. Curtis Hylton has also embraced the colour scheme used by Sled One so that the two pieces merge into a true collaboration.
Ments, Clift House Road, Bristol, October 2020
Dotted around the whole piece are a dozen or so ‘liquid’ spheres painted by Ments. It has been clear from recent pieces by Ments that he is working hard to create these solid/liquid forms and judging from his contribution to this collaboration this direction he is moving in is going really well. The whole collaboration is a celebration of bright creative ideas and utterly worth seeking out, although parking nearby is a bit of a challenge.
Smak, Curtis Hylton, Ments and Sled One, Clift House Road, Bristol, October 2020
Classy. It is something of an overused word on Natural Adventures, but in this case it is simply the best word I can think of to describe this amazing piece of graffiti writing by Claro_que_sssnoh. To make things a little easier I am going to call the artist Claro, that should save me about five minutes in typing time.
Claro_que_sssnoh, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2020
The letters spell out SNOH, but it is the superb way Claro has layered colours onto the chrome structure, with really interesting letter shapes that stands out in this piece. It is clean, creative, complex and he has even thrown in a little character for good measure. It is great to see a quality piece like a this on this wall.
Natural adventures 