Abstract – Page 3 – Natural adventures

6634. St Werburghs tunnel (469)

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2024

I believe that this piece by Mr Klue was painted at breakneck speed. On the day it was painted, I checked out the wall around lunchtime, and there was nothing there. Paul H visited the spot a while later and the piece was completed. This is my account of events… of course I might have had a ‘moment’, or a blind spot and walked past the piece without noticing it, but I simply don’t think that happened. Anyhow, all’s well that ends well, and I managed to snap it up as if it were new, eventually.

2024 was a stand-out year for Mr Klue, and what a way to round-off the year with this fine abstract writing piece set on a festive gold background. The letters spell KLUE, and are more defined here than in some of his more ephemeral pieces. The orange and turquoise work well together and are augmented with splashes of lime green and purple. A fine piece. I am looking forward to another great year from Mr Klue in 2025

6600. Upfest 2024 (59)

Dave Bain, Upfest 2024, Bristol, May 2024

Dave Bain is a reasonably well known muralist in Bristol, and I have featured a few of his pieces before in Natural Adventures. This was his Upfest 2024 piece, which as you can see took up the whole front of a terraced house, giving it that something special compared to its neighbours.

Dave Bain’s imagination and creativity have run wild in this floral piece which combined familiar shapes and figures with abstract ones. There may be a little symbolism in the piece too, with a spaceman-like figure holding up a polyhedral shape on a starry background. I feel that sometimes Dave Bain could be a little bit more adventurous with his colours, because this colour palette is quite subtle, and perhaps doesn’t do the artwork justice (my view only). An interesting festival piece.

6588. St Werburghs tunnel (463)

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

It has been a very good year for Mr Klue, who has been both productive and creative. This new piece in the tunnel differs from many of his others in the use of several colours in a single piece. Perhaps it was a dregs piece, or maybe he simply wanted to switch things up a bit.

The letters KLUE are about as obvious as you are going to seen in a Mr Klue piece of abstract graffiti writing. The top edge of the piece is noteworthy too, with his piece bleeding into the cream background. The photographs don’t really do this one justice, as I remember thinking when I saw it how stunning the colours were. All good stuff.

6578. Frome Side (45)

Mr Klue, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024

This large piece by Mr Klue is unusual in that it isn’t in St Werburghs tunnel, his favoured spot. It was painted as part of a paint jam themed along the lines of a cartoon film ‘Ninja Scroll’ as determined by World Wall Stylers.

Although there is little to link this piece to the film, except perhaps the letters, which I can’t read, it was very much in keeping in terms of palette selection with the other artists in the paint jam. I do like it when Mr Klue ventures beyond his safe space of the tunnel, as it gives his truly unique abstract writing more of a chance of being seen by more people, although that isn’t necessarily the case under the M32.

6555. Frome Side (44)

Astrea, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024

Astrea is finding her feet in the Bristol street art scene and has been developing at pace. The first time I encountered her work was on a hot summer’s day in Muriel Alleyway for the mini street art festival organised by Rtiiika. Now her work can even be found in the difficult-to-access Frome Side spot, underneath the M32.

Astrea’s abstract designs in black and white, remind me a little of Prince’s squiggle, when he was represented by a symbol. This column piece is imaginative, and although her finishing needs a little work, she has painted a fairly intricate pattern. My eye keeps getting drawn to the lower right-hand side of the piece where one of the squiggles looks a little bit like a dancing figure. It is so good to see Astrea getting out and and about practising her artwork.

6512. Greenbank (139)

Astrea, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024

I tend to get quite excited when new artists begin to make a mark with their work, especially when you can see a style develop and confidence grow with each new piece. Astrea, who when I first encountered her operated under the moniker of HNH, is one such artist, and I am enjoying the challenge of finding her work in a variety of Bristol spots.

Astrea’s abstract style is different and refreshing. It looks like she has used paint brushes in this piece to be able to get such sharp lines. The overall effect is aesthetically pleasing with curved lines framing the whole thing nicely. The two-tone colour selection is very effective, although I think that the circle at the top should have been filed with the brilliant white used for the rest of the fills. Excellent and original work from Astrea.

6410. St Werburghs tunnel (448)

Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2024

Benjimagnetic has been dropping pieces at about the rate of one a month or so for the whole year, many of them in St Werburghs tunnel, which leads me to think that he must live pretty locally to the spot.

This is a classic piece of deconstructive graffiti writing that Benjimagnetic specialises in. The letters spell out BEN, but without knowing that, you wouldn’t really be able to guess. The colourful piece is made up of so many independent components that all come together in a coherent abstract writing piece that makes a whole lot of sense. Very nice work from Benjimagnetic.

6403. Brunel Way (291)

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2024

This is a rather curious and abstract piece of graffiti writing from Mr Draws, who I know is always looking at ways to redefine his work, and likes to push boundaries. Sometimes Mr Draws will inject one of his ‘experimental’ pieces in the middle of a series of more customary work, and it is great to see.

In this one, there are some parallels with the style of Benjimagnetic, providing hints at the letters in amongst the decorative work. The ‘D’ and ‘R’ are clear but the ‘A’ and ‘W’ are more fused together. There is a nice cosmic feel to the whole piece and I like what I see. Keep pushing boundaries I would say.

6373. Muriel Alleyway (14)

Rtiiika and Mr Penfold, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024

The Muriel Alleyway mini street art festival organised by Rtiiika at the end of July was a perfect opportunity to see the work of artists that tend only to make occasional appearances on Bristol’s streets. This piece is a lovely collaboration from Rtiiika and Mr Penfold, right at the bottom of the alleyway.

The piece is a true collaboration, a fusion of the styles of the two artists to create a whole which presents their work as one. The black bits are most likely by Rtiiika and the pink and blue bars and white spots by Mr Penfold, but actually it matters not, because the piece is by both of them. A fine abstract mural, showing off the huge spectrum of styles we see in the city.

6344. St Werburghs tunnel (440)

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024

It is fortunate that I am a big fan of Mr Klue’s abstract pieces, because if I were not, then it is unlikely that I would share much of his work, or at least not in anything like the quantity that I do. Mr Klue is another of those artists who represents the consistency and beating heart of the Bristol street art scene, never looking to be the star of the show, but rather, modestly getting on with what he loves doing.

This KLUE writing has a rather nice emerald tint to it, contrasting well with the darker shadows of the piece. To the untrained eye, it might be difficult to make out the letters, but I think that this is one of the easier ones to read, especially if you know the letters you are looking for. Fine work from the very busy Mr Klue.

	cjsmissionaryministe… on 7568. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	Cath Moore on Thursday Doors – 9 April…
	hitandrun1964 on Urbane fox
	cjsmissionaryministe… on Urbane fox
	skat on Urbane fox

	cjsmissionaryministe… on 7568. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	Cath Moore on Thursday Doors – 9 April…
	hitandrun1964 on Urbane fox
	cjsmissionaryministe… on Urbane fox
	skat on Urbane fox

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: