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
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.
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.
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 2017Feoflip, Little Paradise, Bristol July 2017Feoflip, Gloucester Road, Bristol, September 2016Feoflip, Welsh Back, Bristol, October 2016Feoflip, The Bearpit, Bristol, August 2016Feoflip, Wilder Street, Bristol, September 2016Feoflip, City Road, Bristol, August 2016Feoflip, North Street, Bristol, August 2016Feoflip, Ashton Gate School, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
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
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
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 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).
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
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
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.
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
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 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.
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 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…
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
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.
If there are any silver linings to the Covid-19 pandemic, and I say this fully recognising the horror that faces us all, one would have to be that Mother Earth can take a breather from carbon outputs, chronically stifling air quality, disturbance of species and habitats and rabid consumption that we have all become so accustomed to… a temporary turning down of the global dial. Another silver lining is that with fewer opportunities to photograph street art and fewer pieces being painted, I have an opportunity to delve into my archive and bring you some wonderful work that has been dormant on my computer files for a while. This is a resource I will be dipping into for as long as it takes. A trip down memory lane.
Bad Taste, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
First up from June last year is this rat piece from Bad Tast, an artist I posted about not too long ago showing a collaboration with Soap in St Werburghs Tunnel. I don’t know if Bad Taste sprays anything other than rats, but it is an accomplished piece and practiced style and a welcome addition to Bristol street art.
Soap and Bad Taste, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019
I have known about this piece behind St Werburghs City Farm for quite some time, but because the wall is in a narrow lane it is virtually impossible to photograph, and the wall, hedge and trees behind it make long-distance shots pretty tricky too. Winter does have some upsides and I managed to take these pictures through the leafless trees while perching on a wall (a difficult task as I am not as young as I like to think I am).
Rowdy, Stoney Lane, Bristol, March 2020
This large piece is by Rowdy and might be a collaboration although I am not sure about that. It features some toothy animal-like characters typical of the artist, looking pretty busy, and some mischievous laundry clips. It is a bright and colourful piece which I think might have been here for some time and which probably doesn’t get the exposure and appreciation it deserves.
Castles and spired towers decorate the letters of this medieval piece from Fiva, complete with a cartoon character knight. Thie last pece from Fiva in St Werburghs tunnel was an epic piece with massive letters, this is altogether much more the typical kind of piece we get from this brilliant Bristol artist.
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020
In spraying my own letters last year, the artist I studied the most was Fiva and on one occasion I tried to copy one of his letters, but without much success. I am definitely inspired by Fiva and really enjoy finding his pieces.
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