In this piece on the long wall under Brunel Way, we see Claro_que_sssnoh doing what Claro_que_ssnoh does so well – that is create distinctive interesting writing that creates a wonderful pattern of shape and colour.
Claro_que_sssnoh, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
His work usually spells out HONS and his combination of curvy and straight lines are decorated with lines, patterns and dots in equal measure. In this piece it is the colour palette that is most notable, brightening up this drab and dingy corner. Painted as part of an HMR paint jam, it was the pick of the bunch alongside Dabuten Tronko.
This wall under Brunel Way was taken over a couple of weeks back by the Bristol Women’s Collective in a fabulous paint jam which resulted in several small and very interesting pieces. This one is by Billy, and really ticks a lot of boxes for me (in other words I like it).
Billy, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
The abstract design, inspired by a swirly rug in Old Market, obviously, is simply painted and presented, but combined with the words tells a wonderful story and encourages the mind to wander into the market and imagine. An unmistakably Billy piece, and fabulous at that.
The Spanish HMR crew hit the support wall under Brunel Way a week or two back and this amazing black panther portrait from Dabuten Tronko was the centrepiece, flanked by a pair of writers on each side.
Dabuten Tronko, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
Dabuten Tronko’s character pieces set a really high standard in Bristol, and although he doesn’t paint all that often, when he does it is nearly always a beauty like this one. It is interesting to see how he has left the writing above the panther intact painting the red light around the back of the letters. A nice touch. This is yet another fine piece from the artist and makes me think that perhaps it is time for a gallery of his work.
I am a little annoyed with myself, because I was actually very close to Pekoe while she was painting this piece, but was having a long conversation with Tack Jucker at the time. When, finally, I walked under the bridge to see who was painting, I saw that it was Pekoe, but she had gone, and I missed her by minutes. Such a pity as it is a while since I last spoke with her.
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
Notwithstanding my irritation, the piece she painted is a good ‘un. A classic Pekoe portrait in a vibrant red with decorated big white hair. The tears are there, which always makes me a little sad, because it projects a sadness in the character, and maybe in the artist too. Great to see another piece from this prolific Bristol portrait painter.
Tick tock, tick tock – the beating heart and soul of Bristol street art and graffiti writing, Mr Draws continues to paint his pieces, reliable and faithful, providing us all with a sensation that all is well with the world (even though it isn’t, of course).
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
I have followed Mr Draws pretty much from the day I first started writing about this stuff and have enjoyed his unwavering determination to just keep going, even through the hard times. This is a nice piece spelling out Draws and with horizontal colour slices running through. Always great to see his work and the sense of comfort it brings.
There is a relatively new artist in town (at least he has been painting more frequently) who in a few short months has been making an impression with some lovely character/animal pieces. He is Tack Jucker (see what he did there with his name?) and made his debut on Natural Adventures with a monkey piece in Sparke Evans Park, a week or so back.
Tack Jucker, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
Here we have another monkey piece, and I managed to catch up with the artist and a friend while he was finishing this one off. He is friends with Nightwayss and that is rather apt as both appear to enjoy painting monkeys. This melting-face individual has smoke discharging from its eyes and seems to be more horror-based than natural history-based. It is a fine piece and one of several in the pipeline.
This piece under Brunel Way is something of a rarity. It is by Stiff, who doesn’t paint walls all that often, and this is only the second piece of his that I have posted on Natural Adventures, although I know I have a third somewhere (just found it labelled Unknown!).
Stiff, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
I love his cartoon compositions that tell fabulous stories in his preferred format of black background and green and white artwork. The alien/quirky scientist face-off is beautifully animated and very nicely sprayed. A bit of fun and a welcome surprise. I would love to see more from Stiff.
This is happening with a comforting regularity and in my view it is definitely great news… SkyHigh has been visiting Bristol again and left us with this utterly amazing piece that on a near epic scale. The wall on this concrete support is pretty high and this is piece is larger than it looks.
SkyHigh, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
Using his block letters that he seems to run off with consummate ease, including a smiley sticker and ‘Hello my name is’ badge, Sky High has written ‘Smile More Often’ which is the name of a London crew and this piece is not dissimilar to one painted by SkyHigh in Leake Street in 2020.
SkyHigh, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
There is so much to like in the detail of this piece, but it is also SkyHigh’s finishing that is admirable, he really is a perfectionist, and his work always stands out from the crowd. Keep coming back, Bristol needs you.
It is such a pleasure to welcome back Roo to Bristol, after her summer visit for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days. This superb lion was painted, I assume, at the same time as SkyHigh, her partner, painted a piece a few yards away (to come). This is not the first time Roo has painted at this spot, and one of her previous pieces remained for a very long time, demonstrating the respect graffiti artists have for her work.
Roo, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
The cartoon lion is simply (I want to use the word adorable, but it is a rather patronising word and I don’t want to be patronising) gorgeous (still the wrong word) and gives off a sense of mischief and fun. Roo crafts these amazing animal characters with great skill using big bold designs and colours while not over-complicating things and keeping it simple. Roo and SkyHigh have visited Bristol a fair bit this year, I reckon they should just move and make things better for all of us.
Brace yourselves for some more wonderful pieces by Maybe, which although this post is titled Cumberland Basin, actually come from three different spots in Bristol. The feature image was the first piece that I found from Maybe that wasn’t under Brunel way, but was posted on a column on the north bank of Cumberland Basin.
Maybe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021
This first piece has two face balloons whose strings are lovingly intertwined as they drift off into a galactic scene. It is also a dreadful photograph and slightly out of focus. My camera is getting a bit goofed up and I think I will be replacing it fairly soon.
Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021
The second piece was in Dean Lane skate park on one of the ramps and it is the only one I have seen there to date. Here a face looks on as a hand picks out a star, once again on a galactic background. There is a calmness and serenity about most of Maybe’s pieces that makes them really accessible for all to enjoy.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2021
The final piece from this group was from Brunel Way, where most of his pieces have been painted, and this one features another face and hand combination, where the hand is actually another face. All of this curiousness is set on a stunning Red Sea and red sunset. A true beauty. We have come to a point where expectations of his work are getting higher and higher, because his pieces are getting better and better.
