Tag: Character

2928. St Mark’s Avenue (6)

Back in September 2019 I discovered an alleyway in Easton for the first time. It was one of those moments when I realised just how little I knew about street art in Bristol, that I could have missed this extraordinary spot with so many extraordinary pieces painted there, many of them dating back years.

3Dom, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, September 2019
3Dom, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September 2019

This piece at the entrance to St Mark’s Avenue (a very grand name for an alleyway) is by 3Dom and features one of his surreal and dreamlike characters that immediately tell you who the artist is. The only other artist in Bristol with whom his work could be confused  is Sled One.

3Dom, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, September 2019
3Dom, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September 2019

There is some deep pathos in this scene, in the way that the character is looking at a small flower plucked from the human-created devastation all around. An environmental message here. I don’t know how old the piece is, a few years at least, but I am still excited by discovering it.

If you’d like to see more from this artist/tattooist check out his Instagram account

2916. Sandbed Road

Here is another of those old ones, that inexplicably ended up on the cutting room floor. It is hidden away in St Werburghs and is by the hugely talented 3Dom. I think that I might have held back on posting it because the light is all wrong in the photographs and in my mind may have considered returning to take some better pictures. Of course, that never happened. The piece is much older than the pictures.

3Dom, Sandbed Road, Bristol, May 2019
3Dom, Sandbed Road, Bristol, May 2019

I envy the owners of this house having a lovely clean 3Dom piece on their wall and it certainly is a bit of a landmark in this quiet backwater. I’m not at all sure I know what the story is here, but there is a definite connection with nature going on, which is a very topical subject just at the moment. It is a beautiful piece with tranquility and menace in equal measure.

2889. St Werburghs tunnel (166)

Thanks to lock down, I am sharing this throwback piece from 2017 in St Werburghs tunnel by Fiva. His style is clean bold and instantly recognisable. Large letters with a character face in a cartoon style looking on.

Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017

It is so easy to like Fiva’s work, it has a lighthearted feel to it and somehow it always feels very welcoming and accessible. I’m not sure if that makes any sense to you, but it does to me. It is great to have the space to unearth this one from the archive.

2888. Dean Lane skate park (303)

Well, this is a piece I never knew I had, and may well be the oldest work I have by Nightwayss. I think that when one takes so many pictures of street art, there will be the odd ones that are difficult to recollect. Mostly they are the ones by artists that are unfamiliar, and so there are no reference points to engage with.

Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017
Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017

There are no monkeys here, which makes it a bit of a collectors item. The writing in shades of green is complex and nicely done, although I’m not too sure how much the characters add to the overall piece and I am not sure about the story they tell. I am a fan of Nightwayss’ work, so to uncover this early one has given me a real thrill.

2880. Upfest 2016 (175)

I think that my favourite festival artist at Upfest 2016 was this gentleman, Feoflip. I managed to catch him working on his ‘official’ piece although never saw it completed, which is a real pity and possibly the reason I never posted this before.

IMG_5549_edited

The reason I liked him so much was probably down to the unofficial ‘extras’ that he painted during his stay all over the city. The style is so different from anything we are used to seeing and he truly entered into the spirit of the Bristol street art scene. I would love to see him return and bless us with more of his outstanding work. Some of the pieces he painted are shown below:

Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, November 2017
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, November 2017
Feoflip, Little Paradise, Bristol July 2017
Feoflip, Little Paradise, Bristol July 2017
Feoflip, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, Welsh Back, Bristol, October 2016
Feoflip, Welsh Back, Bristol, October 2016
Feoflip, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016
Feoflip, City Road, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, City Road, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, August 2016
Feoflip, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Feoflip, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

2878. Upfest 2016 (173)

Like many of these archive posts from Upfests passim, it is hard to understand why I haven’t posted this one from SkyHigh and Roo before. I can only think that it is because I never got a clean shot of the finished collaboration.

SkyHigh and Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
SkyHigh and Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

These two London-based artists collaborate often, and where you find a SkyHigh piece, there is usually a Roo piece nearby. I took these pictures just as Roo (who previously I have assigned a male gender – dammit) was putting the finishing touches to her work. I suspect the lower right hand quadrant is not quite finished in these pictures.

SkyHigh, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
SkyHigh, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

The SkyHigh half of the collaboration spells out SKY in his characteristic variety of block letters, each different from the next, and the colours used here are incredibly bright and cheerful. This is first class graffiti writing.

Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016
Roo, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016

Roo has painted what I think is a dog, but looks a lot like a moose without antlers to me. The mischievous character has been spraying the letters Roo in magenta paint on the wall behind – a nice idea executed really well. This is a fine collaboration and I can only apologise for not sharing it before. (lots more apologies to come as I continue to scour the archives).

2861. Cheltenham 2019 (32)

I posted this collaboration by Turoe One and Rusk yesterday without any words by mistake, so here it is today with some words. Not surprisingly the post received as many views/likes as it might have done without any description which is a little disheartening, but it is still nice that people apreciate the pitures. Thank you Paul for pointing out my error.

Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

The piece itself was painted at the Cheltenham Paint Festival last September and I was lucky enough to bump ito the artists while they were grabbing some sandwiches midway through their session. The photograph above is the only one I have with the whole piece, including  the bookend characters.

Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

Both artists should be familiar to regular readers of Natural Adventures, and didn’t have to travel far from their native Bristol to get to Cheltenham. My poor knowledge of popular culture prohibits me from telling youn too much about the characters in the piece but it is certainly spectacular and a true collaboration where both artists have contributed to all aspects of the work.

Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

The end characters are beautifully painted, and I would guess the one on the left was by Turoe One and the other by Rusk (I’ve got a 50/50 chance of getting that one right).

A most impressive piece from these two graffiti writers.

 

2841. Waterloo Street (1)

I cannot begin to explain why it has taken me so long to post this outstanding piece by Deamze, especially as I am a lifelong fan of Goscinny and Uderzo’s Asterix the Gaul books. I guess that part of the reason is that my words simply can’t do justice to the genius of this piece, and so I left it, always meaning to come back to it.

Deamze, Waterloo Street, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, Waterloo Street, Bristol, October 2018

I rarely use the word genius, but I atcually think that Deamze is the absolute master of his craft and in this work, he has mashed up characters in the correct colour palette from Uderzo’s illustrations to draft out his name in his own style and it is all utterly commensurate with the ethos of the comic books. This is interpretive art at its very, very best.

Deamze, Waterloo Street, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, Waterloo Street, Bristol, October 2018

Deamze leaving Bristol for Hobart is surely one of the greatest creative losses for the city, and I am full of jealousy when I see his work from the other side of the world on Instagram. Maybe sometime he’ll pay us all a visit and drop a few pieces while he’s at it. One of my all-time pieces of Bristol street art.

2840. L Dub (15)

I took this picture on my first visit to L Dub (Lawrence Weston) in July last year, but there were so many pieces being painted in Bristol at that time, that this was one of many that got left behind. The silver lining of being in lock down is that I have time to free up photographs from my archives (only a fraction mind).

Dun Sum, L Dub, Bristol, July 2019
Dun Sum, L Dub, Bristol, July 2019

Dun Sum seems to ‘own’ L Dub, with barely a surface there that hasn’t been spray painted by him. His work is really unusual and distinct, with his characters all having an unreal air about them, a kind of fusion of fantasy and that which we recognise. Dun Sum creates a new world forr us to enjoy. It is just such a pity that so few people get to see his work due to the very low footfall at L Dub. Perhaps he could be tempted into central Bristol…

2837. M32 roundabout J3 (202)

Looking back to June 2019 and this rather different offering from Mr Penfold. Those who frequently visit Natural Adventures may be more familiar with his highly designed pieces with ‘liquorice allsort’ colours, often commissions, that adorn many a Bristol shop front.

Mr Penfold, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Mr Penfold, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

I didn’t know Mr Penfold did these character paintings, and this particular one probably remained in the archive due to being unsure who the artist was. How daft am I?… it couldn’t be much clearer, with the writing ‘PENNY’ slapped across the piece. It demonstrates that the human condition is to see what we expect to see and anything that falls outside our assumptions is at risk of being discarded. A more forensic approach might be needed. Love this unusual piece.