Colour – Page 5 – Natural adventures

6129. Upfest 2024 (26)

Paul Monsters, Upfest 24, North Street, Bristol, May 2024

I have a feeling that this was one of the first walls to be completed for this year’s Upfest, and there is likely a very good reason for this. Paul Monsters, whose colourful geometric murals are well known in Bristol, also works with Upfest, so I imagine he needed to complete his piece early so that he could help with his festival responsibilities.

The wonderful mural is painted on the side of the Bristol Beer Factory, and Paul Monsters has carefully incorporated the pint glass logo into his design. The use of various tones of colours to create depth in these geometric pieces is a trademark of Paul Monsters’ work and although at first glance his work might look simple and straightforward, it is in fact complex and sophisticated. This post reminds me that it is high time I produced a gallery of his outstanding work.

5881. Picton Lane (18)

Amy Magee, Picton Lane, Bristol, February 2024

One of the most fulfilling things about wandering around the known street art spots in Bristol is finding pieces that are beyond my expectations. I mean that I can go to spots and either be searching for something specific that I have seen on social media or be pretty sure what kind of artwork I am likely to find and by whom. So when an outlier like this one by Amy Magee comes along, I get extra excited.

Although Amy Magee comes from Bristol, I am not familiar with her work and I don’t recall seeing anything by her before, and I suspect that she doesn’t often paint walls. This beautiful portrait piece was painted alongside a piece by Kosc, and I am guessing they were painted at the same time, with Kosc sharing one of his favourite spots with Amy Magee.

The portrait is stunning and is greatly enhanced by the colourful surrounding wisps of cloud and the atmosphere generated. The beautifully proportioned subject has a wistful expression, and incredible eye makeup. It would appear that colour is very important in Amy Magee’s work, which comes across in this piece. I hope that this adventure into painting a mural on the streets isn’t a one-off, and would encourage her to do it again – perhaps at this year’s Upfest.

5867. St Werburghs tunnel (409)

Kid Krishna, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2024

A little earlier in the year, Kid Krishna announced his return to the streets after a bit of a quiet period. Since January, he has been super-active and smashing it on walls all over the city, so much so that I am having to consider bunching a few of them together into a single post.

One of the things that Kid Krishna brings to his pieces is an incredible sense of colour, sometimes subtle and other times overt, but always carefully matched and incorporated. I have been puzzling over the character, and feel like I should know who it is, more than that, he was on some posters which I spotted in Nottingham, or something very similar. It will remain a mystery. This is a lovely fresh piece from Kid Krishna in the tunnel.

5832. M32 roundabout J3 (52)

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024

There was no stopping Hemper during the Covid period, but now things have returned to relative normality, his productivity has fallen back considerably, which makes it extra special when he does get out and paint one of his stunning burners.

This is a wonderful piece of graffiti writing bursting with colour and energy, spelling out the letters DRAPE, which I am guessing is a shout-out, rather than a tribute. Each letter in this piece has been given a different colour treatment and fill patterns. There is lots to look at and enjoy in this skilfully pulled together writing.

5763. M32 roundabout J3 (548)

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

Ooh! The colours of this wonderful piece by Hypo burst out of the wall and immediately infect the viewer with a sense of optimism and wellbeing (results based on a survey of one!). A sensibly neutral buffed wall add to the sense of energy and excitement generated by this cornucopia of colour.

The letters spell out HYPO as you’d probably expect, with a couple of nice graffiti arrows incorporated. I really like the way that Hypo produces something utterly different with each of his pieces, although there is always an underlying style that seems to permeate through. A delightful piece from Hypo.

5672. M32 roundabout J3 (530)

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

Last week I posted a piece by Hypo that showed something of a development of his style into a more cryptic wildstyle approach. This piece on the other hand is the more familiar graffiti writing we expect to see from Hypo, and what a colour-burst it is too.

The letters are clear to read, and there is a real sense of joy and optimism about the piece. The colours come together as if they were sweets in a jar and the whole thing looks almost edible. I love the design, and the colour fades and decorations, I think though, and I know I am nit-picking, that the black shadow might have been a little tidier. Beautiful work from Hypo.

5641. River Avon (54)

I find it hard to believe that I have only posted 54 pieces from the walls that run alongside the River Avon, but that is perhaps a measure of the task I have set myself. I would guess that I photograph between 20 and 40 new pieces every week, but have the capacity to post a maximum of 21, more commonly 14. As you can see, there is a large deficit, which is actually considerably larger than that, because there will be many pieces that I don’t find at all. Notwithstanding this challenge, I shall continue to push that bolder up the hill, because I enjoy it.

Raid has been a little quieter than when I first became aware of his work, but is still turning out some lovely pieces from time to time. This piece stands out with its big bold letters and super colour scheme. It is interesting how some colour combinations really stand out, such as orange and green as in this piece, pink and light blue (the colours of the 2023 season) and black and red. Everything about this piece has been done well. Great letter shapes, lovely fills which are interesting but not over-busy and a well worked drop shadow and neat border. All in all, this is a very tidy piece from Raid.

5622. St Werburghs tunnel (391)

Klashwhensober, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2023

Klashwhensober is a force of nature, and his painting is his ‘rock’ in a turbulent environment. Over the last couple of years his work has been leaning towards quantity rather than quality (painting is what makes him happy), but recently I have noticed that that balance has shifted and he is starting to turn out some outstanding pieces, but fewer of them.

This is a wonderful and colourful piece at the farm end of the tunnel, spelling out SOBER. The letters each have an individual colour, with quite a lot of blended fills going on. The drop shadow is tidily done and lifts the letters from the wall a little. at the right hand end Klashwhensober has painted a sword, which is cutting into the letters. It looks like Klashwhensober has spent a little bit more time on this piece and has finished it off with care and attention. I like this more focussed approach from Bristol’s most prolific artist.

5596. Cheltenham 2023 (15)

N4T4, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

A favourite artist of the paint festival circuit is N4T4, who has been a feature of Upfest and Cheltenham posts on Natural Adventures for a few years now. His portrait pieces are always beguiling and beautifully crafted – I have only good things to say about his work.

This was actually N4T4’s second piece at this year’s festival, the other one, which I have ready posted was a stunning goldfinch. In this piece you can just about make out the patterns on the woman’s face, that add texture and complexity to the portrait. The patterns from the face overspill into the surrounding orange and red decorations. Lots of swirls and blended colours give away this piece as a work by N4T4. A fabulous festival piece.

5551. Dean Lane skate park (647)

Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

When Ceus moved to Bristol, sometime in 2021, it was a day to celebrate. His fresh and invigorating pieces have brightened up Dean Lane no end, and his unique style has now become part of the furniture, particularly in this spot.

Ceus tends to use a full colour palette, mixing and blending the colours he selects with great skill , such that they bleed from letter to letter, and by using some contrasting black and white edging creates fabulous depth. This particular piece is beautifully framed in two corners with a cloudy, white straight edge. This is an altogether outstanding piece from Ceus.

	paulh121 on Pyramidal Orchid
	paulh121 on 7228. Greville Road – Up…
	scooj on 7224. East Street
	scooj on Pyramidal Orchid
	scooj on 7222. Cumberland Basin

	paulh121 on Pyramidal Orchid
	paulh121 on 7228. Greville Road – Up…
	scooj on 7224. East Street
	scooj on Pyramidal Orchid
	scooj on 7222. Cumberland Basin

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