Oh hurrah! It is that fabulous Mr Underbite, decorating our walls again. I love this character and long to see many more variations of this cartoon face in Bristol. He reminds me of a comic character called Plug from the Bash Street Kids in Beano, who had a terrible overbite.
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
The flowers are a lovely touch and make this grumpy character somehow feel a little less grumpy. This is a nicely painted face character face piece and one of a growing number of such pieces by various artists in the city at the moment. This is a highly memorable piece.
Although Daz Cat has been a little quiet of late, apart from a smattering of quickie cat faces, when he does have time he creates something magnificent, like this recent cat down by the river under Brunel Way.
Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
This piece is a dreamy look forward to the summer and days of warmth, shorts and ice lollies. The cat is one of Daz Cat’s full length versions and tells a story, rather than just a static piece. I’m not too sure what the pink lines on the shorts are, but some idiot has ‘augmented’ the piece, which is a pity. All in all rather wonderful stuff.
I passed this spot yesterday, and unfortunately this Ukraine piece from Mr Underbite has already been overpainted, which is a pity. Mr Underbite is another new artist to Bristol, and is following in the footsteps of artists like Enn Kay, Mote, Asre and Bogat, all of whom have been spraying like mad in the last few months, and all who have made recent debuts on the pages of Natural Adventures.
Mr. Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
Mr Underbite paints this rather lovable character with an underbite, in a comic cartoon style. In this particular piece, painted in the familiar colours of the Ukrainian flag, Mr Underbite offers a simple message ‘pray for Ukraine’. Sobering and appropriate in these troubling times. More to come from this artist soon.
If you see the word ‘Milk’ written in a streaky script style on a Bristol wall, the liklihood is that is is by Wxttsart. In recent months the number of these pieces has swelled significantly, and Wxttsart would appear to be a rather busy man.
Wxttsart, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
This fine piece is on the long wall under Brunel Way, and showcases Wxttsaet’s fine skill as a graffiti writer. His style is unorthodox, and very much his own, and is beautifully worked. What is quite clever about his work is that at first glance it looks a bit untidy, but on closer inspection it is very carefully crafted and finished. Watch out for more milk art in coming weeks.
Because I go out about three times a week, walking the dog in some of the easy-access graffiti spots, it is inevitable that I will meet artists from time to time. Now that the weather is improving and the days are getting longer, I expect to meet more while they are actually painting.
RZA and Enn Kay, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2022
I was lucky enough to bump in to RZA and Enn Kay while they were painting this small collaboration. Stopping to chat with them was a real pleasure as both artists took time to chew the fat with me. I think that this might be the first piece I have posted from RZA, although I know I have others in my archive. Enn Kay is, of course, no stranger to the pages of Natural Adventures, in spite of the fact that he has only been spraying walls since the back end of last year.
RZA and Enn Kay, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2022
This chirpy collaboration features an ‘octopus’ type monster from Enn Kay sitting alongside a face in a white burst breakout box (is the best way I can describe it). Enn Kay, in particular, is rapidly establishing himself in the Bristol scene with both his creativity and his productivity. Watch this space for more from these two.
This is another stunning tribute to the honour and bravery of the people and government of Ukraine in the face of an invasion directed by the Russian dictator Putin. Maybe Paints, to give him his full moniker, is without doubt going from strength to strength and is grabbing the attention of the Bristol community, as evidenced in this lovely interview he recently gave to Bristol 24/7 which is well worth a listen.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
This column piece (he talks about columns a lot in the interview) is in his favoured Brunel Way location, and features two face profiles, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, looking at each other, with the sun, the earth and the moon between them in an inky black starry sky. His techniques include the use of stencils, and a ‘secret’ method for creating the planets. I have enjoyed following his progress over the last year, and am excited about what he has in store for us in the future.
The Bristol Womxn Mural Collective paint jams have become events worth looking forward to in Bristol and always turn up some real gems that offer something slightly different to the usual fare we see on a daily basis.
Raquel Blazquez, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2022
This is a gorgeous portrait piece by Raquel Blazquez and is a perfect follow up to the piece she painted in Dean Lane skate park in November 2021. There is a lot of feeling and emotion in this portrait, and how good is it to see this kind of free art in a D.I.Y. skate park, in the middle of a concrete jungle? Seeing fine art pieces in these settings is truly wonderful, and long may these paint jams last. Exquisite work.
Raquel Blazquez, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
What a wonderful piece to come across a week or so ago. This was one of several new pieces tucked away in the D.I.Y. skate park under Brunel Way, following a paint jam by the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective. These paint jams always throw up some unusual and unique pieces, bringing studio art out onto the streets.
Erviti, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2022
This column cat, by Erviti, is set on a dark blue background and stands out as something rather special. Apart from Daz Cat’s offerings, you don’t see too many street art cats about the place, so this is a real pleasure.
Erviti, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2022
One of the things about studio artists painting murals is that they often use rather more conventional paints and materials, rather than spray paints and so the artwork is often more detailed and stands up to close inspection. Erviti has absolutely nailed this cat portrait, and what a fine contribution to the urban landscape it is.
This is a rather special collaboration from a pair of Spanish artists who seem to like painting together, Varo and Zake. Their styles are rather different, but their collaborations seem to gel really well together, maybe thanks to a common background and slight interface.
Varo and Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2022
To the left are some rather nice and colourful letters spelling out VARO. The letters kind of start with a dragon figurehead to the left and a different colour for each letter. The grey 3D shading is really nicely worked and bordered with a fine red line.
Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2022
To the right is one of Zake’s familiar faces, although this time it is attached to a body with the classic spray paint theme going on. I love Zakes faces that major on shadings to create depth and contours around the features. A classy double act.
This is absolutely amazing. This column piece is by yet another new artist on the Bristol scene, Morag, and it absolutely ticks all my boxes. Beautifully executed, with a unique style and endearing expression. There are so many things it reminds me of… Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures and Thomas the tank engine faces, for example.
Morag, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2022
This particular piece is the second one I have found in Bristol so far and I will be posting the other one very soon. I am not usually so fond of circular column pieces because they are so difficult to photograph, but this one can be forgiven because it is just so good and original. I am really looking to seeing from Morag this year – we need great creative stuff like this.
