3740. Cumberland Basin

From a few weeks ago, this pair of characters by Eman occupy this strange little tunnel space alongside several other pieces by the artist… he has made himself quite at home here, and why not. I chatted with Eman about what these creatures were, and I have since forgotten, so I will have to ask him again.

Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021
Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021

The rather cute characters are reasonably straightforward in terms of design and fills etc. and form the perfect template for development and the addition of more intricate patterning and shading. These would make a perfect subject to fill the void left behind by #Followmyrabbits’ return to Poland. More of these to come.

3737. Dean Lane skate park (420)

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, so when a large amount of scaffolding goes up against one of the most famous walls in Bristol what do you do?… well you simply work between the uprights like Zake has done with this small piece.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2021
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2021

Zake is another artist who has been reasonably quiet over the last year, but has been painting just enough to ensure we don’t forget about him. The piece painted here is necessarily tall and thin to fit into a space between the scaffolding uprights. A very nice piece full of character and a rather fetching Victorian stiff collar. Great to see Zake getting really busy again with this being one of several new pieces.

3735. St Werburghs tunnel (243)

When you get to see the work of particular artists again and again it becomes incredibly easy to be complacent or even blazé and you need to stop, think and take stock of what is in front of you. I am guilty of this day in day out because we are so spoilt with talent in Bristol. This lovely Elvs piece in St Werburghs tunnel is a case in point.

Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2021
Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2021

Elvs is one of those artists whose work I like to post every time, and to date I don’t think I have failed to post any of his pieces that I have photographed. This is a lovely piece, beautifully painted with his customary unique style and a lovely blend of horizontal fills from blue to white. The cartoon character is a mystery to me, but probably featured on TV during the 1990s I would guess. Altogether another outstanding work from Elvs.

Taboo

A gallery of outstanding graffiti writing and character pieces from Bristol’s Taboo

All photographs by Scooj

Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Taboo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020
Taboo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2020
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2020
Taboo, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2020
Taboo, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2020
Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2020
Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2020
Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020

3720.Dean Lane skate park (419)

It would seem that Laic217 has found some rhythm to his street work and is painting more regularly no than he was for much of the winter. This portrait of a rather gaunt character is tucked away on the swimming pool wall at Dean Lane, and is modest by Laic217’s standards.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021

There are some familiar elements in this character piece, but it does seem to mark a departure from skulls and skeletons continuing from his last Dean Lane character. Smoking and an exaggerated mouth gives this character a bit of a menacing look. All good stuff though.

3713. M32 Cycle path (129)

From a little while ago, this beauty by Daz Cat seems to have slipped the net… until now.  This door has undergone many transformations and is a good candidate for a Thursday Doors post in the future.

Daz Cat, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2021

Daz Cat has been one of Bristol’s most consistent character artists over the past twelve months, apparently undeterred by any impacts of COVID-19. His pieces can be found all over the city and range from quick cat face throw ups to elaborate and beautifully painted story pieces, in fact I believe he might have painted a new one at St George skate park only yesterday. Always great to see.

3711. Cumberland Basin

This particular secluded spot near the long wall in Cumberland Basin has been ‘occupied’ by Eman and there are currently six or seven of his pieces crammed into this particular space, of which this is one.

Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021
Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021

Eman is currently playing around with all sorts of designs and seems to be having a lot of fun with creating new characters. This simple and cute creature is fast becoming a ‘thing’ and I wonder if Eman might fill the gap left behind by Followmyrabbits and start populating Bristol’s streets with these loveable alien/imagined animal things. I like the reversed colours and spots that Eman has used to great effect and the simplicity and clean lines. Look out for more of these creatures right here on Natural Adventures.

3708. Sparke Evans Park (5)

This is just one small part of a large collaborative wall from our Spanish contingent here in Bristol. It may only be just one part, but this outstanding piece from Daubuten Tronko is for me the jewel in the crown of the paint jam.

Dabuten Tronko, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2021
Dabuten Tronko, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2021

Dabuten Tronko crafts these extraordinary characters with such skill and keeps everything so tight. This magician is beautifully painted and works so well due to the colours and clever use of light and shade throughout the piece. I particularly like the reflected green light on his hat from the wand… lots of thought has gone into that effect. Overall a really classy piece from a classy artist.

3702. Dean Lane skate park (417)

I fully expect that these foxes by Nebeldac will become a reasonably regular feature of Natural Adventures, although some of the ‘rougher’ ones might get swept up into a compilation.

Nebeldac, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021
Nebeldac, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2021

This chrome fox appeared in Dean Lane a couple of weeks back and is really rather cool, making the most of a rare day of sunshine in what has been a very wet and miserable Ma. Nice to see the foxes appearing all over the place.

3700. Leonard Lane (28)

It is interesting to see how some artists find a spot and then work it really hard. Perhaps they enjoy the textures and surfaces or maybe it is being out of the public gaze, whatever the reason it happens quite a lot and 3F Fino seems to have been enjoying himself quite a bit in Leonard Lane recently. This is good news, because the turnover in this dark alley tends to be quite slow. Lots of new stuff to admire there at the moment.

3F Fino, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2021
3F Fino, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2021

3F Fino has been having a bit of fun with painting characters coming out of windows. I love this kind of contextual work that uses the surroundings and incorporates them into the painting. The piece itself is bright and creative and has the rounded edges that Are a common feature of his character work. Great fun piece.