The second piece from the RBF collaboration is by the organiser of the BLM wall Pekoe, and is a superb face and characteristically colourful and decorated hair. Pekoe’s work is so distinctive and somehow feels very ‘Bristol’ if that makes sense.
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
I don’t think I will ever tire of her work, which is always colourful and vibrant. Her pieces often seem to be tinged with a little sadness, emphasised by the tear, a signature element of her work. This one is a real beauty and even more powerful as part of this Black Lives Matter wall.
RBF Crew + friends, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
This is the first of five posts from this magnificent Black Lives Matters collaboration which was organised by Pekoe under the banner of the RBF (Resting Bface Crew) from a couple of weeks ago. This is an all female (plus one honorary female) collaboration and starts off on the left with the word BLACK by Bnie.
Bnie, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
We are more used to seeing Bnie writing the letters of her name, but whatever she writes, the quality of her lettering and unique style of fills and 3D shading shine through every time. She is one of the tidiest writers I know of and consistency is a given. The green and black shading is absolutely stunning. The whole wall was amazing but as with all street art, it just didn’t last as long as it deserved… it was painted over a day or two ago.
RBF Crew + friends, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
In the previous post I was talking about a large piece by Taboo that I never got to see. Well, a tiny little bit of that piece, the ‘B’ I think, lies behind this delightful three-way collaboration from Laic217, Soge and Nevergiveup (Followmyrabbits).
Laic217, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
On the left of the three pieces is a rather dark and menacing face-masked face from Laic217, wearing a hat with the letters ACAB emblazoned on it. You might notice that many pieces in Bristol carry those letters at the moment, which resonate with the Black Lives Matters movement and the acronym stands for ‘All Cops are Bastards’. Bristol has lately become famous across the world for its rather revolutionary support for BLF.
Soge, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
In the middle is a bright and vibrant pink piece by soge, who like his two Polish buddies here has been extremely busy since the end of May. Clean and tight writing spelling out the letters of his name SOGE. The yellow stars and weave in the centre of the piece add nice touches.
Nevergiveup, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
On the right is a very long-eared rabbit by Nevergiveup, beautifully filled and perfectly executed. This artist is tireless it would seem and I have utterly lostcount of how many of these bunnies I have photographed, and that probably only accounts for about half of the total. Gallery soon? A very tidy collaboration from three top artists.
Unfortunately the photographs of this fine stencil by Madderdoit simply don’t do the piece justice, which is a pity because this is the first piece I have knowingly seen from this Bristol artist. How did that happen?
Madderdoit, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
The column piece features a woman wearing a blue face mask, which is I’m sure to become an iconic symbol for the year 2020. I see some similarities in technique to Stephen Quick’s work, which is of course a good thing. I love surprise pieces like this one, they keep me interested (not that that is difficult). I’d love to see more from Madderdoit.
So far, since the lock down restrictions were first eased, there seem to have been an extraordinary amount of collaborative sessions, I guess because artists have missed each other through the lengthy coronavirus isolation. In this case the artists combining their talents are Varo and Saik.
Varo, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Varo is an artist I met for the first time a couple of weeks back when he was painting alongside his Spanish compatriots during a paint jam on the M32 roundabout. I haven’t posted any of his work before, but that is all going to change from this moment forward. This is a nicely done piece spelling out VARO and has a natural, organic feel to it.
Saik, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Saik is no stranger to Natural Adventures, but it has been quite a long time since I posted anything by the artist. This piece of graffiti writing is really nicely done, nice and tidy with an interesting fill in shades of green. An unexpected and interesting collaboration under Brunel Way.
I managed to catch this piece literally minutes before it was painted over. The artists were on site having a quick smoke before getting started. I am pleased to have made it in time because even for the high standards expected from Rezwonk, this is an outstanding piece.
Rezwonk, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2020
Spelling out REZER, the piece is painted using a gorgeous palette of red, orange and yellow tones set on a white and orange background. To describe the fills fully would take way too long, but suffice it to say that there is a lot of craftsmanship involved and they are beautifully done. Linger for a while and study each letter. Magnificent work.
A column piece from Face 1st under Brunel Way. Simple, joyful, playful, there is nothing here to dislike. This is the kind of throw up that Face 1st can do in his sleep, but it is not quite as easy as it looks (believe me I have tried to copy his stuff in my garden, and utterly failed every time).
Face 1st, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2020
The girl’s face that we have become so accustomed to is topped with a high head of hair, maybe a beehive. The way the light reflects off the chrome hair gives the whole piece a wonderful effect. Some of these smaller pieces by Face 1st get left behind in the archive, but not this one, no not this one.
Often, the columns under Brunel Way are a bit scruffy, because they are painted over and over again but rarely buffed which means that sometimes pieces blend into one another or the eye is easily distracted. Fortunately that is not the case with this delightful piece by Tasha Bee from October last year.
Tasha Bee, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, October 2019
Two faces for the price of one in this lovely piece and superbly filled and decorated hair in the style we have come to associate with Tasha Bee. I love it that her work incorporates symbols and icons, in this case the peace sign and a yin yang symbol, adding to the mystery and otherness of her work. This is how to decorate a column!
From the moment I saw this piece I have had a terrible earworm and as the Coronavirus pandemic has worsened so has the earworm. To avoid the perilous infection don’t read the small writing under the ‘U’ of Subtle.. oh oh, too late… you’ve done it now! This is a cracking and topical piece by Subtle under Brunel Way in one of his favourite spots.
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020
I have seen several Coronavirus-related pieces lately and some are humorous and some less so. It is difficult to know where the lines are in making light of the pandemic – this is uncharted territory. In my view Subtle gets away with it in this piece, mainly because I now he is a great bloke and also it is a rather good piece.
In the rather damp environment under Brunel Way and immediately next to the River Avon, Subtle has painted another splendid piece in one of his favourite spots. There is no need ever to wonder who the artist is with his pieces, because his letters are always legible, clear and bold.
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020
I like his colours used here and the alternation of outline from black to white on each of the letters. I am not too sure what OPEX refers to… time for a quick Google search… OK it is operational expenditure, but I don’t think that is what Subtle is referring to here. I think it is definitely time for a Subtle gallery, don’t you?
Natural adventures 