Character – Page 18 – Natural adventures

6650. Dean Lane skate park (798)

I think it would be fair to say that Kush is massively underrepresented in Natural Adventures, and although I have pictures of his work dating back years, I have only ever published two of them here, this being the second. I will try to make improvements in this area this year, because Kush’s pieces deserve to be seen more.

This piece was painted on the swimming pool wall which is only accessible by climbing up onto the lower roof of the pool, and can only be photographed from distance, unless climbing is your thing (it is no longer mine). I love this combination piece. The writing is beautifully filled with red and white in a tablecloth design running through the letters. The mischievous character is a girl with boggle eyes and a beret, spraying out the letters. It is a well-conceived and executed piece and deserving of praise. I will try harder to post pieces by Kush in 2025.

6637. Sussex Street

Haka, Sussex Street, Bristol, December 2024

I rather like my occasional trips to the recycling centre. My most recent, last week, consisting mostly of cardboard boxes, afforded me the opportunity to visit a few spots that I don’t get to see all that often, and I was chuffed to find a clutch of pieces in Sussex Street that I hadn’t been aware of, including this piece by Haka, which looks like it was painted in October 2024.

This is a classic Haka combination piece, with his letters split either side of a character. You’ll have to forgive me for not knowing who the character is, but now that my kids are grown up I have lost touch a little with youth culture. The whole piece hangs together really well, and the writing has a lovely 3d drop shadow drifting to the right. A lively piece that probably looks a lot livelier on a sunny day.

6635. River Avon (73)

Klashwhensober, River Avon, Bristol, December 2024

This is a curious piece by Klashwhensober, painted alongside Sworm on a low wall that supports one of the bridges over the River Avon – a bridge that doesn’t actually lead to anywhere. It looks like this might have been a bit of a dregs piece, because there are a few colours involved, that don’t necessarily complement one another, and the light blue and yellow look rather thin, and perhaps were running out.

Klashwhensober has been painting a lot of character/writing combination pieces over the last year, and as a general rule of thumb, the more time he spends on a piece, the better the outcome. While all the design elements are present in this piece, it feels a little rushed and rough around the edges. The character on the left is a bit strange, and slightly divorced in style and colour from the writing. Overall, this is an interesting piece, but not one of Klashwhensober’s finest.

6628. Sparke Evans Park (114)

Jevoissoul, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, December 2024

Jevoissoul, who prefers to be called @slowlane100 on Instagram has had a very good year, and built up his repertoire from basic character pieces to tidy combination pieces, with writing that has seen a steady improvement. This wonderful piece, in Sparke Evans Park, shows how constant practice pays dividends.

The letters SLOW are bookended with two characters, one with a cap and one without, and both with the characteristic mouth design that epitomises Jevoissoul’s work. There is a lot to like in this combination piece, but overall it is the neatness that comes across most. I am looking forward to a further year of improvement.

6623. St Werburghs tunnel (468)

Xavier Ren and Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2024

A little while before Christmas, this excellent collaboration appeared in the tunnel. In fact these pieces, by Xavier Ren and Hypo were two-thirds of the collaboration which included some graffiti writing by Minto, to the left, which I have already posted.

Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2024

Hypo has had an extraordinary year, and indeed has been one of Bristol’s most prolific and consistent artists since Covid. This piece underlines his fantastic eye for colourful combinations that create some stunningly vibrant work. The bright letters spell out HYPO, and he has used a clever device to ‘stitch’ the letters together. Really nice graffiti writing.

Xavier Ren, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2024

I know little or nothing about Xavier Ren and so assume he must be a visitor to Bristol, but I really like this character piece. The blue head-and-shoulders portrait piece is full of attitude and moodiness, and presented nicely. It is always great to see something a little different in the city that visitors bring with them.

6619. Cumberland Basin

Sam Brentall, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024 — Sam Brentnall, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024

The Christmas break continues to be ultra-busy so I am rushing today’s posts a little. Normal service will resume in a few days. This piece, by Sam Brentnall is a wonderfully uncomplicated cartoon character dog holding a chicken, and whoever not?

I have only posted one of Sam Brentnall’s pieces before, which was up at Purdown, so coming across this one in the Cumberland Basin was a very pleasant surprise. His work really justifies the phrase ‘less is more’ and what I mean by that is the simplicity of the scene tells a story without overindulgent elaboration. I would definitely like to see more of Sam Brentnall’s work on the streets… perhaps in 2025.

6618. Cattle Market Road (19)

Mote and Mr Crawls, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, December 2024

I guess it only feels right that a special Christmas Day post should fall to Mote and Mr Crawls, who have been Bristol’s most productive partnership this year. Although they have been quite quiet over the past month or two, I am expecting a resumption of their characters brightening up our streets in the New Year. I think I was a little late to the party with this piece, but I don’t visit this area of Bristol too often.

The multi-eyed monster to the right is by Mote, whose presence and development has been a pleasure to witness in recent years, and all the time he is tweaking and adding ideas and techniques. Mr Crawls, too, has been developing his style and characters, and the two appear to bounce ideas off one another. Mr Crawls has had two bites of the cherry here, painting one piece on the hoarding and the other on the utility box. By having two pieces together you can see his identity and style running through, even though the characters are quite different, save the hats. More next year I hope.

6615. M32 roundabout J3 (644)

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024

Stivs has had a fabulous year with both his calligraffiti and his character pieces, and this recent beauty is on the west side of the M32 roundabout. This piece is a rather faithful rendition of a teenage mutant ninja turtle, although I couldn’t tell you which one.

It doesn’t really matter what Stivs does, characters or writing, because they always turn out well and are prefectly executed. Short one today… too many things to do before the big day tomorrow.

6610. Cumberland Basin

Vane and Bnie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024

This stunning collaboration from Vane and Bnie was painted a little while ago during a paint jam organised to wish Mena a swift recovery from her accident in Thailand. The character on the left is by Vane and the writing, spelling MENAS is by Bnie.

The colour selection in this collaboration is really quite something, with the purples, pinks and mint green working exceptionally well together. I don’t get to see much artwork by Vane, and Bnie hasn’t painted too much this year, so this collaboration was bonus and a bit of a treat. I hope all the good vibes created during this paint jam have helped Mena on her journey to recovery.

6602. M32 roundabout J 3 (643)

Scrapyardspec, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2024

One of the important functions of Natural Adventures is to represent the broad spectrum of graffiti and street art that I encounter on my walks in Bristol, and sometimes other cities too. I could concentrate on high-end murals or throw ups and tags, but that all becomes a bit niche and exclusive, and my intention is to share the full spectrum of free art on the walls of my adopted city.

The distinctive pieces by Scrapyardspec are part of this amazing offering, and this quirky three-eyed monster character is demanding to be looked at and enjoyed. It is more than simply a bit of fun, it is part of a series of pieces that, combined, form a presence and familiarity around the place. I like what Scrapyardspec does and how he does it.

	Dan Antion on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…
	scooj on Waterlogged
	scooj on Waterlogged
	wrookieschu on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…
	restlessjo on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…

	Dan Antion on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…
	scooj on Waterlogged
	scooj on Waterlogged
	wrookieschu on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…
	restlessjo on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…

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