3351. Brunel Way bridge (78)

Once again the busy Pekoe brings us good cheer with this tidy little portrait piece on a pillar supporting Brunel Way. One of the features I love the most about her work is the bright colours she uses for the faces she paints, and why not use them when it seems to work so well.

Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020

Meeting her about a week ago was a genuine pleasure and long overdue. She celebrated her birthday yesterday, so I thought I’d post this piece to celebrate. The letters on the hat may not make much sense to readers, so I’ll enlighten you. BS3 is a Bristol postcode for the Bedminster area and RBF stands for the Resting Bitch Face crew.  Nice piece.

3349. M32 spot (92)

I think I have featured more new Bristol artists on Natural Adventures this year than in any previous year. It seems that every week or two new talent emerges (or equally, I become aware of someone who might have been painting for a while). Part of this talent pool seems to be home-grown, but because Bristol is a known graffiti city it draws artists in from further afield.

Morph, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Morph, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020

This piece is by Morph, who seems to favour the M32 skate spot, and is an interesting green face set on a black bubble background with the word MORPH written as if from a giant Posca pen. There is a simplicity about the piece, but also some nice shading work around the eyes, nose and mouth. It will be interesting to watch as Morph’s art develops over time. The first of I hope many posts showcasing the artist’s work.

3263. M32 Spot (86)

Woah there, steady… A column piece under the M32, who can it possibly be by? Zake of course, but unlike any Zake piece I have seen before. This piece feels like the artist has stepped up a level, having a depth and texture unlike any of his previous pieces, although there have been signs of continuous improvement.

Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020

The face (of course a face) is quite scary with bright teeth and a disturbing expression and the whole column certainly stands out. What I like most is that the piece is full of texture and folds, with light and dark and I think that Zake has really nailed it. I am totally annoyed though by the sticker over one of the eyes… I guess these things happen. Looking forward to more from Zake.

3161. Brunel Way bridge (54)

This is another nice column piece from Skor85 under Brunel Way. I have always liked her work from the first time I saw it at a time when I thought she was a he… before I knew any better. To add to the fact that I like her work, I also really like her as a person, she is so full of energy and always seems pleased to see me, which can’t be said for everyone I know. One of life’s dynamos.

Skor85, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2020
Skor85, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2020

This column piece seems to be of a female monster figure representative of I don’t quite know what, but surely representative of something. There is a sadness about the piece and I am drawn into feeling sorry for the figure. So much from a small and modest piece. Love her work.

3044. Brunel Way bridge (43)

I hadn’t seen Jee See for quite some time, so it was really great to catch up with him during a paint jam under Brunel Way organised by Skor85. By the time I got there he had already completed his Seismic column piece and was sitting in the sun chilling out.

Jee See, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Jee See, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020

In this piece, Jee See has worked the column well. I have to say that as a photographer, cylindrical columns are a major pest for two main reasons, it is hard to avoid reflected light and often the piece wraps around the column. In this instance Jee See has done me a real favour.

Jee See, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Jee See, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020

At the base of the ‘seismic’ is a character resembling a bit of a mash up of ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and Marc Bolan. Just as a footnote, Jee See stands for Goshiku Chavu (Japanese interpretation of Gothic Chav). You can see Goshiku Chavu written to the left of the character. This is all very Jee See.

2976. Stapleton Road

You don’t get to see too many pieces on the street from Rowdy these days, so finding one is a bit of a treat. Rowdy is responsible for one of the most iconic characters in Bristol street art, the toothy crocodile. Anyone living in the Stokes Croft area will remember fondly the crocodile on the top of the Carriage Works that looked over North Bristol, sadly knocked down last year.

 

Rowdy, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020
Rowdy, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020

This somewhat smaller beast is modestly tucked away at the foot of a column under the new railway bridge on Stapleton Road, and I only found it because a Face 1st piece opposite it caught my eye as I was driving past the other day. Who doesn’t love a Rowdy crocodile?

Rowdy and Sweet Toof, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2016
Rowdy and Sweet Toof, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2016

2975. Brunel Way bridge (32)

A column piece from Face 1st under Brunel Way. Simple, joyful, playful, there is nothing here to dislike. This is the kind of throw up that Face 1st can do in his sleep, but it is not quite as easy as it looks (believe me I have tried to copy his stuff in my garden, and utterly failed every time).

Face 1st, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2020
Face 1st, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2020

The girl’s face that we have become so accustomed to is topped with a high head of hair, maybe a beehive. The way the light reflects off the chrome hair gives the whole piece a wonderful effect. Some of these smaller pieces by Face 1st get left behind in the archive, but not this one, no not this one.

2943. Brunel Way bridge (31)

Often, the columns under Brunel Way are a bit scruffy, because they are painted over and over again but rarely buffed which means that sometimes pieces blend into one another or the eye is easily distracted. Fortunately that is not the case with this delightful piece by Tasha Bee from October last year.

Tasha Bee, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, October 2019
Tasha Bee, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, October 2019

Two faces for the price of one in this lovely piece and superbly filled and decorated hair in the style we have come to associate with Tasha Bee. I love it that her work incorporates symbols and icons, in this case the peace sign and a yin yang symbol, adding to the mystery and otherness of her work. This is how to decorate a column!

2934. M32 Spot (68)

Yes, I’m still working through my archives, unearthing some of the nice pieces that got left behind, which is inevitable when I can only post two new works a day. This is a rather nice column piece from Daz Cat back in July 2018.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2018
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2018

Yesterday’s second post was by Kool Hand, and given that these two like to paint together, this might have been sprayed during the same session. Daz Kat usually, but not always, paints cat faces each of which has its own character and colours. The text reads ‘scum triumphant’ – I’m not too sure what it means but it is a good graffiti message. I like the work of Daz Cat, it has a gritty and slightly edgy feel to it, which is what this is all about.

2725. Brunel Way Bridge (28)

I haven’t seen a great many pieces by Zinso just yet, and those that I have seen have been quite small like this one, but I very much like his fresh clean approach and his cartoon style. This piece is so clean that it looks like an enormous sticker (or slap as the jargon goes).

Zinso, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, January 2020
Zinso, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, January 2020

I wonder if, like Zake, Zinso will focus on vertical portrait pieces like this column or whether we will see a larger landscape piece in time. Looking forward to seeing how things progress.