4084. M32 roundabout J3 (363)

Another fine piece that has been in The Natural Adventures ‘departure lounge’ for an eternity is this lovely bird by Aspire, reminding us of what we have missed since he moved to London a few years back.

Aspire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016
Aspire, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2016

Painted as part of a paint jam, you will notice a Kid Crayon character just to the right… what heady days those were. Pieces would stay intact for much longer back then. These days if you snooze you lose. I have had trouble identifying the blue and white bird, which troubles me as I consider myself quite good at identifying wildlife. It is beautifully painted with Aspire’s signature pixelated boxes. It was a sad day indeed, when he left Bristol.

3399. Dean Lane skate park (373)

Rezwonk is an artist whose work I simply haven’t seen enough of this year, I guess we have been spoilt previously by the frequency with which he was hitting walls, and it was inevitable that it would slow down at some point. A similar pattern has been shown by Decay, and it is interesting that these two who used to collaborate a lot, haven’t done so for a long while.

Rezwonk, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Rezwonk, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

This Fabulous piece of graffiti writing in a frosty cold blue (to match the winter temperatures) looks like it was painted n collaboration with a Pekoe piece just to it’s left (coming soon). As well as the technical brilliance of the piece with it’s riveted sections, the prep work has made all the difference with the fully buffed wall in a neutral colour lending support and focus to the writing. A fine piece from Rezer.

3109. Brunel Way bridge (52)

Just when you think you have got your head around all the new artists in Bristol, more seem to appear out of the ether. Some will be one-off visitors, some will be emerging new talent some may have been around for a while but I just haven’t picked up on their work yet. I am not sure which category Elv8 fits into, but this is a lovely recent piiece from under Brunel Way bridge.

Elv8, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2020
Elv8, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2020

The portrait piece is really striking probably due to its fantastic use of bold colours, the dark blue and red making a very strong statement – no wallflower this piece. There is a simplicity that is attractive, but also some complexity in the white shading that offers some relief on the girl’s face and shoulders. Great to see and I hope there will be more.

2708. Hepburn Road (12)

So here he is again, this time turning up in ‘crack alley’ or Hepburn Road as it is formally known. I am of course talking about Slakarts, an artist that I can’t seem to keep off the pages of Natural Adventures at the moment, and there are more in the pipeline.

Slakarts, Hepburn Road, Bristol, January 2020
Slakarts, Hepburn Road, Bristol, January 2020

This piece is a little different from most of the work we see by this artist, because the face is in semi-profile, where normally his subjects are seen from the front. The piece is nice and clean with strong outlines and solid fills, and there is a little bit of movement going on with the double lines near the nose and cheek. I don’t remember ever seeing a piece by Slakarts down here before and it is good to see him moving about the place.

2655. Turbo Island

Here at Turbo Island we have two Mutatee faces for the price of one. One has been painted over while the other had been stuck to the wall more recently at the time I took this picture.

Mutatee, Turbo Island, Bristol, November 2019
Mutatee, Turbo Island, Bristol, November 2019

On the left the face is almost invisible, especially from a distance as it blends into the wall. What is rather comforting is that both of these little faces will probably be here for some time and undergo reasonably frequent facelifts whenever the wall is repainted.

Mutatee, Turbo Island, Bristol, November 2019
Mutatee, Turbo Island, Bristol, November 2019

The more recent face on the right has retained its vibrant blue colour that we have come to know and love in Bristol. I have now found quite a few of these little installations, but am rather hoping that there are plenty more to find.

2595. Upfest 2018 (166)

The curious thing about Upfest is that one is exposed to so many pieces in the space of such a short time that it can be overwhelming, and my coping mechanism is to take as many pictures as I can so that recall is enhanced when it comes to posting some time after the event.

Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Hypo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This fabulous piece from Bristol-based Hypo passed be by on the day I took this picture. I kind of remember seeing a piece by him, but I didn’t commit it to my deep memory – thank goodness for my archive. This is a clean and sharp piece with interesting and legible letter shapes and that central fill is rather special. Always great to (re)discover work by Hypo.

2506. Leonard Lane (21)

Leonard Lane remains one of my favourite secrets in Bristol. Completely off the radar of most of my fellow citizens, this little lane plays host to a diverse and interesting range of graffiti and street art. One of the more recent additions is this fabulous little sculpture by relative newcomer Mutatee.

Mutatee, Leonard Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Mutatee, Leonard Lane, Bristol, September 2019

I don’t know too much just yet about Mutatee, but it is great to have an artist in Bristol working in a different medium from spray paint or paste ups, carefully placing these little gems for the curious to discover. I have seen a few of her pieces dotted around, but this is the first I have posted on Natural Adventures. It is pieces like these that are so rewarding for the observant, those whose eyes are peeled and who look at the world around them living in the moment. Thank you Mutatee for maki;g my day when I found this.

2392. Brunel Way Bridge (16)

Wowzer… this is quite the best piece I have seen by Pekoe yet. It is beautiful and I truly believe that in this piece we are witnessing an artist reaching a new level, I see it as a really significant piece. The blue-faced portrait has something very special about it, the expression, the tone, the confidence and of course that amazing hair.

Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, August 2019
Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, August 2019

In this piece I feel that Pekoe’s naive style has transformed into something altogether more sophisticated and mature, and I love it. I would like to think that a lot of thought, care and effort went into this piece, it certainly looks really tight.

Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, August 2019
Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, August 2019

The patterns in the hair are so typically Pekoe, but the addition of three layers of base colour add an extra dimension. The eyes too work well with several dots in each creating a glassy effect, very clever. There is so much to like about this work. Bravo Pekoe!

2211. Dean Lane skate park (212)

When you see a piece like this in blue tones with a dash of white and it is so incredibly clean and tight, you can only stand back in wonder and admire the extraordinary talent of Bristol’s Cheo.

Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019
Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019

Cheo usually paints character pieces, and I don’t think there is anyone better at creating this cartoon style anywhere in the country. Every line and shadow is immaculate and skilfully laid down. As always he has marked the piece with his signature bee. This was a lovely surprise piece to find in Dean Lane and is another little reminder of the world class street art scene in Bristol.

1760. Upfest 2018 (54)

Wowzer, a staggering work in blue from Ketones6000 in South Street park at this year’s Upfest. A piece as striking as this is hard to overlook…it simply draws you in to get a better look. The artist, AKA Jerome Davenport is an Australian who has been working out of London during 2017 and 2018, and Upfest was just one of several festivals he painted at this year.

Ketones6000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Ketones6000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This photorealistic vision in blue is rather haunting and clearly has a maritime theme going on. The face is the first and most obvious component that you see in this piece, but when you get up close, some other interesting details emerge.

Ketones6000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Ketones6000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

On the right hand side of the portrait you can see a tall ship emerging from the fog, so I am guessing the hero is probably a sailor of some kind. I love this piece and the atmosphere it creates – it would be great to get Ketones6000 back for next year.