I think this one from qWeRT goes back to roughly the time of Upfest 2018 and is pasted on a door, along with multiple other wheatpastes – you can see one from Losthills just to the left – that is opposite one of the Upfest feature walls.
I am always happy finding qWeRT wheatpastes, it is a little bit of a game to hunt them down, and I am pretty safe in the knowledge that there are others in Bristol that I have yet to find. The googly-eyed character is in loving mode in this piece.
I realise that it must get a bit wearing for regular readers of Natural Adventures to keep seeing pieces by some of the more productive street artists in Bristol, but I shall not apologise for it. Artists like Face 1st are the lifeblood of any urban street art scene and without them we would be left with high-end commission-based artists painting in sterile environments, and frankly who wants that? Not me.
This is a beautiful piece from Face 1st, and the colour selection is rather special. For those not in the know, you should be able to make out the letters FACE in the hair/decoration around the face…for example the C is around the left of the face, and the E is to the right. So good.
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Belief suspended
a day is a long time in
politics, they say.
.
by Scooj
The M32 spot is a sprawling area of columns and walls underneath the M32 where skateboarders like to congregate when it is raining. The ramps and obstacles in this ‘unofficial’ skatepark are cobbled together by what I think is called DIY – a group of enthusiasts who create skating opportunities. It is also an area where street artists like to spray, and although turnover can be quite high, there are some pieces that have remained for ages and ages.
This piece, it will come as no surprise to you, is by NEVERGIVEUP or as he calls himself Nevergiveup Familia or NGU. It is one of his ever-multiplying rabbits, that really are hopping out of pretty much every piece of concrete in the city. This particular one is one of my favourites – the colours and his slight plumpness make him most endearing. This is not the last of his bunnies I will be posting here.
I took this picture a little while back, and thught I had published it, because it is quite similar to a couple of other pieces by Kool Hand. But I hadn’t so here it is now. Kool Hand creates distinctive natural world creatures, such as this orangutan with strong black outlines and bold solid colours. The pieces are simple, but effective and he has carved out this neat style.
Most of his work is set on a white background, which probably brings out the pieces in a clearly defined way, uncluttered. He is a tidy artist. I haven’t yet met Kool Hand, but as with all artists in Bristol, it is just a matter of time before we both pitch up at the same place at the same time.
Kin Dose is a Bristol artist who doesn’t hit the streets too often, but at Upfest 2018 he really excelled himself, spraying several wildlife stencils along the North Street area. This is the second one I have featured in Natural Adventures.
This piece, a bat of some description, is perfectly fitted to the utility box on which it appears, and kind of blends in a little so as almost to be invisible to the passer-by. You can tell, at Upfest, the difference between general visitors and street art ‘hunters’ as the latter are always looking at every wall, every door, every side street, every lamp-post, every utility box, in fact pretty much everything, whereas the former tend to stroll along chatting and seeing art almost passively.
Lost my thread a bit there…anyhow, this piece, along with its partners is something really special, which is what Kin Dose does so well. Special.
Bart says “reach for the stars” and Lemak has done just that with this fabulous space stencil. Some of you might remember that I have already posted this stencil, in a slightly different format from Park Street a few weeks back.
There is little more for me to say than I have already said about Lemak and his superb artwork. His stencils are always precisely presented and always have some original thinking behind them. Checking out his Instagram account also gives you some real insight into the kind of works he is producing. Always good, never sub-standard.
Malevolent chief
appointed by the fearful
keeps them in their place.
by Scooj
Out come secateurs
as wisteria leaves drop;
autumnal milestone.
by Scooj
Shade One is a Bristol artist who has been spraying since 1985, so can probably be considered as one of the godfathers of street art in the city. Having said that, I am relatively new to the street art scene here and anything older than about five years is a bit of a murky area and I need to do extra research.
This is a striking cartoonesque portrait that for me has Disney written all over it. Something about it reminds me a little of Cruella de Vil. Fabulous crisp lines and solid fills, this is the work of an expert.
Natural adventures 