Tag: Character

4391. L Dub (34)

DJ Perks has to be one of the most modest artists in Bristol, as well as one who takes a great interest in other people’s work about the city. I think I have only met him once while actually painting, all of my other encounters have been while both of us have been photographing in the popular spots.

D J Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022
D J Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022

DJ Perks has made this spot in Lawrence Weston (L Dub) his own, and he has smashed it with this Bugs Bunny piece on the wall of the pumping station. Combining the beautifully neat writing with a very sharp and clean Bugs Bunny (with outstanding shadow, cleverly done), DJ Perks has promoted himself into the top division of street artists in Bristol.

D J Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022
D J Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022

His work improves with every outing, and he is always exploring new ways to stretch himself. The more he practices, the better he will get, and I am very excited about just how far he will get. A notable piece.

4384. Brunel Way (152)

One of the most endearing characters to appear in Bristol in recent months, in my opinion, is Mr Underbite. This simply conceived character is overflowing with charm and intrigue, and the artist, MrUnderbite is making this area his home, with at least four recent pieces in the vicinity.

Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022

This small piece on one of the footbridge pillars has been painted with sprays and the black lines drawn with a Posca pen or similar. The overall outcome is clean and tidy, with the two shades of brown working really well to frame Mr Underbite’s face. The crosses for eyes are similar to those used by Asre on one of his characters – a common cartoon style technique. I love this little piece.

4381. Dean Lane skate park (481)

Truly, good things come to those who wait, and what a long wait it has been to see a public piece by Pelmo, but this is one of three very recent pieces that I know about and it is great to see he is out and about painting again.

Pelmo, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Pelmo, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022

This small piece in Dean Lane skate park features one of his oversized characters flipping a little skateboard. What a joy to find this. I have long been a fan of Pelmo’s unusual work, that tells stories about people of extraordinary proportions doing ordinary things. There is something most endearing and compassionate in the way Pelmo portrays his characters with love and affection. Watch this space for more.

4380. Cumberland Basin

Mote certainly finds some secluded spots to practice his art and this one is tucked away in Cumberland Basin, which I only found because I decided to extend my usual circuit of the area a little. I’m not too sure how long this piece has been here, but it looks reasonably fresh.

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2022
Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2022

The monsters that Mote creates are nicely thought out and designed, and his crisp, sharp lines and solid fills give away the identity of the artist in his unsigned pieces. Another common theme in Mote’s work is the use of strong colours, especially green, yellow and red all featuring in this piece. His monsters are all rather loveable and have added to the wonderful free art gallery that is available to all on the streets of Bristol.

4379. River Avon (30)

So far on Natural Adventures, we have seen a few pieces from this artist under the name Asre, but they were all the same character, this is another one from his portfolio, a rather cheeky comic strip kind of character. The artist’s Instagram handle is @runaway_joey, and somehow this character seems to fit that moniker rather well – he looks like a Joey.

Asre, River Avon, Bristol, April 2022
Asre, River Avon, Bristol, April 2022

There are several of these around Bristol, but this one on the River Avon wall has lasted really well. Full of character and very nicely sprayed with some nice thick clean lines – Asre is no one trick pony, that’s for sure.

4353. Purdown AA Battery (42)

There are some artists that paint so much, that the only way to showcase them here on Natural Adventures is to save up several and post them all at the same time. When I went up to Purdown a week or two back, I was confronted with several pieces by VZA (Veeez) on the concrete walls, and here they are.

VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022
VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022

VZA has three or four strong forms that he likes to paint, one of which is a simple character with big white eyes. The saying ‘less is more’ is probably appropriate with his work, like the famous London street artist Stik. I would like to think that the colour selection in this piece is in support of Ukraine

VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022
VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022

Another piece in a similar form, and again sporting the colours of the Ukranian flag, is this time presented in a landscape format.

VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022
VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022

Sticking with the two large eyes, the introduction of an arrow and an exclamation mark in red and white, is as good as any signature. Although the form is again simple, there is a lot of texture and character in the piece.

VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022
VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022

A similar piece only a matter of yards away indicates, through the similar colours used, that it was most likely painted during the same session, along with the final piece posted below.

VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022
VZA, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022

By placing all these VZA pieces together in one post, you can get a real sense of his style and his work rate. I have another whole pile of his work to share and will soon do another of these compilations.

4348. Brunel Way (149)

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, 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.

4338. St Werburghs tunnel (285)

Rarely has an entrant to the Bristol street art scene been as dramatic as that of Asre. Although this is the first piece of his to appear on Natural Adventures, it most certainly will not be the last. In the last week or two, I have photographed more than ten of these character faces, most of which, if not all, will have been painted this year.

Asre, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2022
Asre, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2022

Asre is one of several new character artists in Bristol, and their numbers seem to be swelling. I wouldn’t quite call it a school or a movement, but it is definitely a thing. Asre’s cartoon-style characters are very nicely finished with thick line borders, but the feature details are really nicely worked too. I suspect the artist could probably create one of these with his eyes shut, given the amount of practice he puts in. Watch this space for more. A nice shout out to Bogat and and Klashwhensober too.

4308. Dean Lane skate park (473)

Cort is a quiet, unassuming, Polish artist who has been writing in Bristol for several years now, but he is an artist I have only met on one or two occasions. Although he has finished this piece in Dean Lane by the time I arrived, he was still in the area chilling. I did manage to exchange a few words, but I’m not entirely certain he enjoys conversation about his art, and he comes across as rather modest.

Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022

I happen to think that this is one of his finest pieces to date, and there have been an awful lot to choose from, and it also demonstrates what a good character artist he is too, although he rarely paints characters. The colour selections are attractive and there is good balance between the character and the writing, with a clever bordered box drawing all the elements together.

Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

The character is really nicely painted in a semi-abstract form, including a Mickey Mouse hand. The character is smoking a joint, a theme commonly used in street art, which chimes with the ‘edgy’ or rebellious nature of the art form. Cort also spells out the crew name (PAD) for us, which in full is Paint and Destroy. This piece raises the bar for Cort, and I will be looking out for more characters from him.

4288. St Werburghs tunnel (283)

The artist Merny has an extraordinary ability to convey very strong messages and emotions in the simplest of ways through his naive style that somehow seems to get straight to the point. Usually his pieces are quite witty or comical, but this one is tinged with sadness and desperation.

Merny, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Merny, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

The character is bent over double with his head in his hands and alongside him is the caption ‘I’ve got no money’. Unfortunately, with a cost of living crisis heading our way and the impacts of the war in Ukraine, for which Russia (Putin and his cronies) are wholly responsible, this is a desperate image we can expect to see more of this year. Real people in severe difficulties. Well done Merny for tackling such difficult subjects with his art.