Tag: Character

5744. St Werburghs tunnel (396)

Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

Any and every time I see a piece by Fiva, it makes my heart sing. The rarity value has something to do with it and this is one of only three pieces painted in Bristol in 2023, and before these we had to wait three years for his reappearance.

Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

This is an outstanding piece, adopting his customary formula of writing his name and accompanying it with a fun cartoon character. As in previous pieces, Fiva has superimposed a script ‘fiver’ over his block capitals ‘FIVER’ to create an amazing and very clever effect. He is a master of this technique and seems to make the complicated look simple.

Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

The wonderful character is saying ‘Diolch Bristol’ which is Welsh for ‘Thank you, Bristol’. I’m not too sure what that means, but it has an inference of finality about it. I do hope not, and will be keeping my fingers crossed for a return by the artist in 2024. Meanwhile, I will simply enjoy and admire this outstanding piece.

5717. M32 roundabout J3 (535)

Wispa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Wispa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

This year, as in most recent years, Pekoe really celebrated her birthday in style with the RBF crew and associates. Wispa came along for the ride and painted this fabulous writing/character combination piece.

Wispa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Wispa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

Unfortunately I don’t know who the rather cute character with attitude is, but she is painted as beautifully as you’d expect from Wispa, who always finished her work so well, with crispness and sharpness. All aspects of this piece come together really well. Bravo Wispa!

5715. North Street

Cheo, North Street, Bristol, December 2023
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, December 2023

One of the most pleasurable things about going on my rounds to photograph street/graffiti art in Bristol is that I am frequently surprised by pieces that I didn’t know about and that stand out from the crowd. Frankly, pretty much anything that Cheo paints stands out, and due to a significant drop-off in his street activity in recent years, their rarity makes them even more exciting.

Cheo, North Street, Bristol, December 2023
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, December 2023

Painted on 1 December, this piece almost feels like the opening window of an advent calendar (which has just given me a brilliant idea to pitch with Upfest). The rather likeable mischievous character is peering through a wall, and an arrow points off to the right. This might have been some kind of promotional commission, but I prefer to think of it as a joyful artwork. Only three more sleeps until Christmas.

5705. Cumberland Basin

Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2023
Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2023

My train journey to London continues and the service is heaving. Christmas shopping and football matches have swelled the normal Sunday passenger numbers, but somehow I have managed to keep my unreserved seat beyond Chippenham, so I think I am safe. The above might not make much sense if it is not read in sequence from the previous two posts (5703 and 5704).

Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2023
Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2023

This is the second piece by Sait Bare that I have posted on Natural Adventures, although I think it was painted before the first. I am still acquainting myself with his work, and as he doesn’t appear to paint very regularly, I am still forming my thoughts about his style and execution. This is a fine piece of writing/character combination work, and the border lines and details are very nice and sharp.  The letter fills too are really nicely done with some great fades and ‘gaseous’ patterning. The character is quite straightforward with a quirky appearance. All good, and I look forward to seeing more from Sait Bare in the New Year.

5687. St Werburghs tunnel (391)

Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2023
Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2023

I think I might have to revisit my archives, because I have only recently become aware of the great work of Zaenone, but am told that he has painted in Bristol before. Perhaps I photographed but didn’t post his work because I didn’t know who he was – a little job for me over the Christmas break, maybe.

Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2023
Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2023

This is a lovely crisp and clean piece of writing, superbly presented on a yellow, grey and black background. I think that sometimes backgrounds are underrated, but they can make or break a piece, so thought is needed, and it is obvious that Zaenone has thought about this one. The letter fills and transitions are beautifully done and not overcomplicated or busy. I haven’t seen enough pieces by Zaenone to know whether he always incorporates ‘bookend’ characters, but in the two pieces I have seen, he has, and they are a unique and fun contribution, which really makes his work stand out. Looking forward to more from him in Bristol.

5674. Dean Lane skate park (663)

Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

Awkward is an artist who pops up from time to time, pretty much always in the Dean Lane area. Most, if not all, of his work appears to contain a rather stressed looking character, the face only, often with a speech bubble with the word Awkward in it.

Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

This piece comes with a further two messages, the first is ‘Free Palestine’ and the second might be an observation of the weather when he was painting, ‘Then came the rain’. Awkward seems to be well acquainted with a few of the established writers in Bristol, but just doesn’t seem to paint as often, which is a bit of a shame.

5673. Hepburn Road (23)

Biers, Hepburn Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Biers, Hepburn Lane, Bristol, November 2023

About a week ago I posted a piece by Biers which was not too dissimilar to this one. Similar colours and of course overall design of WD40, and incorporating a to cartoon character with ginger hair and glasses. The character from last week’s post was Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory, but I am stumped by this character.

Biers, Hepburn Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Biers, Hepburn Lane, Bristol, November 2023

I was lucky enough to bump into Biers while he was painting this alongside Bags, but he hadn’t started the character, so I couldn’t ask him directly who it was. It is good to see that Biers is out and about again with his very ‘Bristol’ style of graffiti writing. I have mentioned this before, and I don’t know if this is a perception or a real thing, but I think that different cities and districts have ‘house’ styles, and Biers typifies the Bristol ‘house’ style.

5635. Dean Lane skate park (658)

Dibz, Awkward and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Dibz, Awkward and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

This is a rather interesting collaboration in Dean Lane, in which Fade and Dibz have done their thing, but have been joined by Awkward, whose big-eyed character faces are in stark contrast to Dibz and Fade’s sharp graffiti writing.

Dibz, Awkward and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Dibz, Awkward and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

Dibz has written DIBZ and has a downwards and left facing drop shadow. Fade has written FADE and his writing has a drop shadow that goes up and to the right, which creates some imbalance in the piece (to my mind). Add to that the crazy character by Awkward and you have a collaboration made up of three great individual pieces, but the golden thread or flow is a little absent. Having made that observation, I still very much like the three core elements on this wall.

5633. Brunel Way (245)

Mr Crawls and Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

How could I not have seen this coming? Perhaps one of the most obvious collaborations in Bristol has happened, and it has taken place right under our noses. Mr Crawls and Mote have painted their distinctive birds side-by-side in this wonderful and ‘made-in-heaven’ collaboration.

Mr Crawls and Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

Mr Crawls’ bird head is one of several versions of his bird, this one having horns and a hooked beak. His style is rather cartoony and the expression of the bird enhanced by the use of heavy eyelids. Mote’s style is a little bit more doodle-based and his bird is tending to the monstrous. The hatch markings in the eyes and downturned beak create a slightly grumpy appearance. It is amazing that although the basic elements are similar in the two birds, my/our response to each of them is quite different. I’m definitely looking to more collaborations from these two.

5626. M32 Spot (174)

Theartofsok, M32 Spot, Bristol, Ocober 2023
Theartofsok, M32 Spot, Bristol, Ocober 2023

Theartofsok is not an artist I am particularly familiar with, so when I first saw this unsigned piece I c was a little puzzled and had to do a bit of homework. I could be certain it wasn’t by a Bristol artist but by a visitor, beyond that I was stumped. It is an outstanding piece from the South Wales artist, and one of two in the area from a visit he made a couple of weeks back.

Theartofsok, M32 Spot, Bristol, Ocober 2023
Theartofsok, M32 Spot, Bristol, Ocober 2023

The piece is very confidently painted, with strong, sharp black outlines and assured solid fills. There is a simplicity about it, but do not be fooled, behind the simplicity lies great technical skill and know how. The expression on the character’s face and movement around him is all rather special. Theartofsok is welcome to return anytime.