Tag: Character

4058. Dean Lane skate park (436)

I posted a piece by Biers last week, that was actually painted after this one in Dean Lane, both representing a bit of a come back from this No Frills artist. Thanks to Paul H, I now know that Biers is writing WD40, it would have taken me a long time to work that out on my own.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021

This piece comes with a little bit of text saying: “I can’t wait to feel the weight of nothing on my shoulders” – a message that certainly chimes for me. The letters/character combination is tight as always, and the ‘0’ lends itself to all sorts of character opportunities which Biers has grabbed in this instance. It is so good to see his work appearing again.

4057. Sparke Evans Park (19)

This piece is from another birthday celebration, this time for Nightwayss. I am sure that these birthday jams are becoming more of a thing than they were a few years ago. Maybe there is a safety in numbers thing or perhaps there are simply more friendships emerging from the growing pool of talent in Bristol.

Morph, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021
Morph, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021

This small piece is by Morph, who more commonly paints at the M32 Spot, is beautifully painted and really powerful, which is made all the more impactful by its modesty. A young woman dressed in a kimono is brandishing a gun and there are target sights dotted around the piece. Disturbing, edgy and beautiful all in one piece. Very nicely done.

4056. L Dub (32)

I took these pictures a little while back, and the beautiful collaboration featured is by DFC1848 and Peanutsdeli, painted as part of the DJ Perks 50th birthday paint jam. I am very familiar with DFC1848’s work, but this is the first time I have seen anything by Peanutsdeli, but on this evidence I’d love to see more.

DFC1848, Ldub, Bristol, September 2021
DFC1848, Ldub, Bristol, September 2021

The central characters are a familiar sight on Natural Adventures and DFC1848 has switched things up a bit by positioning the second character upside down and separating the two with a yellow “f”. Stepping back, you can see the whole thing spells out DFC. Nice tidy work.

Peanutsdeli, Ldub, Bristol, September 2021
Peanutsdeli, Ldub, Bristol, September 2021

The centrepiece is bookended by two remarkable characters by Peanutsdeli. These mischievous little folk are great fun and beautifully painted. They represent that clever crossover from illustration to street art. The characters would not look out of place in a children’s story book.

Peanutsdeli, Ldub, Bristol, September 2021
Peanutsdeli, Ldub, Bristol, September 2021

I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for more from Peanutsdeli, but I don’t think he paints much in Bristol, and I am guessing he is probably from the Cheltenham/Gloucester/Stroud area. Lovely work and a fine collaboration.

4046. Purdown HAA Battery (39)

On Natural Adventures, I typically prepare the images in advance that I am going to post, so I might have maybe up to two week’s worth of material waiting in the wings. Then each morning, before work, I quickly pull some words together and insert the prepared images, and hey presto, we have street art post number 4046.

This approach means that I know, several days in advance what pieces I will be posting, so when Skronius posted this new piece on Instagram yesterday, I was able to inform him that I had coincidentally prepared a blog which I would publish today.  I expect that this rambling is just too much information, so on to the piece.

Skronius, Purdown Battery, Bristol, October 2021
Skronius, Purdown Battery, Bristol, October 2021

Skronius definitely seems to favour this spot, and I haven’t yet seen any of his work anywhere else in Bristol. His style is quite illustrative and is full of dynamism and movement. This bright and colourful creature munching on steps reminds me very much of the Buddhist art you might see in Nepal or Tibet, the theme, style and colours could all have been lifted from that region and placed here in Purdown. I am a fan of Skronius’ work which is refreshing and different. Looking forward to finding more, and seeing Skronius develop as a street artist.

3988. M32 Cycle path (144)

It was a case of third time lucky with these pictures… my previous efforts were taken in bright sunlight and a shadow was cast across the middle of the piece, so while the colours were perhaps a little more vibrant the photographs were shit (pardon me). (my spell checker has just highlighted a profanity, ha ha).

Taboo, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, September 2021
Taboo, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, September 2021

Taboo is a real favourite of mine and his wacky of-beat pieces are a fantastic challenge to all that is conventional in street art. Taboo’s writing is eratic and unpredictable and usually in a monotone, somewhat akin to the writing of Alos and other similar writers, but then, alongside this unconventional writing, Boom! Taboo gives us a perfect rendition of Mini Mouse.

Taboo, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, September 2021
Taboo, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, September 2021

This juxtaposition is what gives his work its unique and memorable identity, something we can all identify with while at the same time be puzzled by. I have made it no secret that I am a big fan of his work and get a buzz whenever I see his stuff.

3987. L Dub (31)

I am very fond of 2Keen’s work. His old school cartoon characters are rather special, and there are few artists in Bristol who can create them as well as this artist. Even as a single monochrome sketch, the quality and class shine through.

2Keen, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021
2Keen, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021

This piece was painted as part of DJ Perks’ 50th birthday celebrations, and I tell you what, that is an honour indeed. The toothy (of course) character is smoking (a very common theme in graffiti art) and listening to music. This is a fine tribute to fellow artist DJ Perks, and something to cherish.

3951. River Avon (18)

Yep, even more from Eman, a Bristol graffiti artist who appears to be tireless in his pursuit of happiness. Eman has painted a lovely old-school flat-capped character on the long wall that runs alongside the River Avon, opposite the paintworks. There are several of his pieces along this stretch which he obviously favours.

Eman, River Avon, Bristol, September 2021
Eman, River Avon, Bristol, September 2021

Eman is developing, and at the moment his characters are reasonably simple in their composition. The cartoon design is bounded with a black outline and the fills are solid with a little shading around some of the leading edges to lift the piece. Over time, I expect to see him add more depth and detail to his work, because this is an artist who doesn’t like to stand still.

3935. Greenbank (15)

I first posted about Eman on 20 December 2020 and since then I would think that he has been the most productive artist on the streets of Bristol, and although other artists such as Turoe and Hemper have had very productive pulses, Eman has been regular as clockwork and experimenting with characters and different writing styles. It is difficult to keep him off these pages, and I have dozens more of his works in my archives.

Eman, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2021
Eman, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2021

This is a lovely character piece featuring a young man contemplating a joint. In this piece, Eman uses an uncomplicated style of strong lines and solid fills to create a cartoon effect. There is not a lot in the way of shading, decoration or depth, but that is not important to pieces like this. I do know that Eman is constantly pushing the boundaries and striving to broaden his rage and improve his technique, and I am enjoying the ride. Great stuff.

3924. M32 Cycle path (139)

There is nothing like a bit of old school graffiti work to remind us where all of this started. This is a lovely collaboration from Veks and Turoe on the M32 cycle path on a wall that has a pretty slow turnover, so I would expect it to be hanging around for quite a while.

Veks, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2021
Veks, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2021

On the left is a classic character by Veks, holding a cigarette in his clenched fist and wearing a variation on a flat cap. This is a classy character piece and amply demonstrates Veks’ experience and skill.

Veks and Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2021
Veks and Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2021

The writing is by Turoe and is finished off with nice deep 3D work on the letters. Both elements are nicely bordered with a lime green and white line, cleanly applied. I managed to get these pictures on about my fourth visit – this particular wall usually has a shadow cast across it during the day, which makes photography rather challenging.

3923. Picton Mews (3)

Back in February 2020 I published a post for Thursday doors that featured the Charley Box in Montpelier. Kosc has gone one step further and produced this extraordinary piece on the side of the Charley Box depicting a miscreant who would have been caught while up to no good by the local nightwatchman and locked up in the little jail for the night to cool down.

Kosc, Picton Mews, Bristol, August 2021
Kosc, Picton Mews, Bristol, August 2021

Kosc has been producing some of the best portrait pieces in Bristol lately, with his greyscale faces and bright, vibrant backgrounds. In this piece, Kosc is playing with us duplicating the face of the character in a double exposure manner that we used to see a lot of in the days when we used little Kodak Instamatics to take pictures of our families or pets. He has also created a scene so totally relevant for the place and is helping to bring local history to life. An outstanding artwork.