6380. Cumberland Basin

Zake, Noise and Drake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 29024
Zake, Noise and Drake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 29024

This is another section of the incredible World Wall Stylers ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, paint jam from last month. I made a bit of a booboo with my photographs of this section, and have included the Jessica Rabbit character by Drake, on the right, and severed it from his piece of writing (to follow), But somehow I felt it worked better bookending the writing by Noise and Zake’s Baby Herman on the left. – this may have been a mistake.

Zake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 29024
Zake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 29024

Zake has been producing cartoon characters for as long as I have been posting his work, but this is the first time I have seen a character based on an existing artwork. Rather than being a faithful reproduction of Baby Herman, this is very much a Zake take on the little cigarette-smoking infant. Very nicely done.

Noise, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 29024
Noise, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 29024

Noise, as I have said countless times this year, is absolutely smashing it with every piece he paints, and this characteristic writing has very much adhered to the colours of the brief.

Drake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 29024
Drake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 29024

Finally the character of Jessica Rabbit really ought to be attached to the writing of Drake to its right, but I goofed, so it is here with the Noise and Zake pieces creating a rather nice little Triptych. This particular paint jam proved to be a fabulous showcase of talent. Big ups to Participants and to World Wall Stylers.

6366. Cumberland Basin

Peanutsdeli, Cumberland Bassin, Bristol, August 2024
Peanutsdeli, Cumberland Bassin, Bristol, August 2024

Who Framed Roger Rabbit was the theme for Chapter 16 of World Wall Stylers, and the Bristol graffiti writing and street art community went to town (toon town). This is a remarkable piece by Peanutsdeli, who doesn’t live in Bristol, but visits often enough to be part of the gang.

Peanutsdeli, Cumberland Bassin, Bristol, August 2024
Peanutsdeli, Cumberland Bassin, Bristol, August 2024

Peanutsdeli’s work adopts the manga cartoon style, and here he fuses that with characters from Roger Rabbit, with the chief protagonist himself and a manga Baby Herman. Peanutsdeli sticks to the brief really well in terms of content and colour, contributing fabulously to this wall.

6360. Cumberland Basin

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

I am getting close to the end of the latest batch of wonderful paste-ups by Abbie Laura Smith, and genuinely can’t wait for her next release, which might not be for a while as I imagine it probably takes quite a lot of time to draft and assemble her wheatpaste pieces, and to find suitable locations for them too.

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

This is another amazing portrait piece in black and white, where large parts of the face and hair are taken up with words, which might be lyrics to a song, but I haven’t yet deciphered them. I can read some of the phrases, but when I Google them I don’t get anything that makes sense. I will keep trying. This is the skill of ALS’ pieces, they ask questions and create curiosity. Clever and beautiful stuff.

6356. Cumberland Basin

Lokey (Lokea) and Ember, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Lokey (Lokea) and Ember, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

It is so good to see Lokey painting a little more often these days, and I wonder if the frequency of his painting is related in any way to his daughter joining him and ‘collaborating’ with him – pester power can be a very compelling force. This is one of several recent collaborations that Lokey has painted alongside Ember.

Lokey (Lokea) and Ember, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Lokey (Lokea) and Ember, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

Lokey has taken to writing LOKEA, which I suppose is simply switching things up a little, which writers like to do from time to time. His distinctive anamorphic writing style lifts wonderfully well from the wall. His daughter, Ember, has painted a cat, her character of choice, and I have to say it is rather good. I don’t know how old she is, but I can see that there is great potential. It looks like naïve, childish art because that is exactly what it is. Fantastic!

6346. Cumberland Basin

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

In my view, wheatpasting is a much underrated branch of street art, perhaps because the artwork itself is usually created in a studio and the street art bit comes into the placement of the piece. I, however, embrace the art form because it is often quite meaningful or challenging, and the skill of placement is as significant as the art itself.

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

Abbie Laura Smith is Bristol’s only active wheatpaster at present, so when she releases a batch of her work, it is always an exciting time trying to track them down. This is classic Abbie Laura Smith… a black and white portrait of a woman (slightly moody) with long, flowing hair. The piece almost looks like a woodcut, although I think it is an ink drawing. I’ll need to find out more about her technique. I can comment on the composition, though, which I think is wonderful. More from this batch to come.

6345. Cumberland Basin

Foksymoron, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Foksymoron, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

Having been largely overlooked but not unnoticed by me over the last few years, Foksymoron has been ‘going large’ recently, growing his fox character from a small mega-tag to a fully fledged adult adorning walls that wouldn’t have been conceivable only a short time ago.

Foksymoron, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Foksymoron, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

This piece has the rather laid back cool fox reclining and accompanied by a speech bubble with the unromantic words “Straight in, no kissin”. Foksymoron’s foxes have long been a part of the furniture in the Bristol hot spots, but now they are moving centre stage, and deservedly so. Who doesn’t love a fox?

Foksymoron, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Foksymoron, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

And here is another little extra from Foksymoron with one of his mega-tag foxes.

6342. Cumberland Basin

#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

There is a charm and a simplicity to #DFTE’s philosophical musings, which have grown from small framed installation art pieces to these large full-scale wall street art graffiti writing pieces. Throughout, he has never lost or compromised his ‘house font’, which identifies his work so specifically.

#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

Black and white pieces always make an impact, and this one is no exception. The words spell out the phrase “You are already perfect”. Kindness at its simplest and best. Often less is more when composing messages, and this one lands with grace and impact. The drips from the letters create an accidental (or intentional) 3D drop shadow. Another wonderful piece to enjoy from #DFTE

6335. Cumberland Basin

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

Hurrah! this is the second paste up in a new batch from Abbie Laura Smith dotted around the Cumberland Basin area. I would say that this one is by quite some considerable margin the largest that I have seen yet from Abbie Laura Smith.

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

The piece is different also in that it is a fuller portrait piece from the waist upwards, rather than the customary head portraits that ALS usually creates. The torso is covered in writing, which I haven’t had time to reconstruct fully, but I can see the phrase “Nope, you are lucky enough to tell the tale that those before you…” running down the arm. The piece as a whole feels more ambitious than previous works, and I sense that ALS is pushing a few boundaries, which is so good to see. More coming soon.

6332. Cumberland Basin

Ryder and Inkie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Ryder and Inkie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

I am rather tired this morning. I got back late last night from Copenhagen, after a wonderful long weekend there with my 89 year old mother. We packed a lot in to the three full days, and I am still processing much of the trip. I have managed to keep my posts going on Natural Adventures through this period, but might need to slow down a little as I ease myself back into work after two weeks off.

This wonderful collaboration between Ryder and Inkie was actually painted way back in May and for some inexplicable reason never got posted at the time… it happens.

Ryder, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Ryder, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

To the left, and slightly impacted by the shadow cast across the top, is some superb writing by Ryder, which is accompanied by Evil Edna, the television character from the cartoon series Willo the Wisp. There are some great fill colours, oozing confidence, without overcomplicating things. Great to see Ryder managing to paint a little.

Inkie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Inkie, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

Inkie is arguably the best know Bristol artist still regularly painting in the city, and this is a sumptuous example of his stylised lettering. The piece is pretty much perfect in every way and like Ryder’s piece is confident and uncomplicated. Both are writers at the top of their games, with nothing to prove, and it comes across in their work.

6331. Cumberland Basin

Mr Tanner, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Mr Tanner, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

I was lucky enough to meet Mr Tanner a couple of weeks back under the Brunel Way flyover, and following our chat I was mindful that there was a piece of his lurking in my archive, and so prompted by the encounter, I decided to dig it out and post it. Here it is.

Mr Tanner, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024
Mr Tanner, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

Mr Tanner writes TOPIA, and each of his pieces seems to be quite unique, with originality appearing to be his USP. This is a rather organic looking, but tight piece of graffiti writing painted back in May this year. Although he lives in London, Mr Tanner appears to be a reasonably regular visitor to Bristol. I dearly hope that the piece he was painting when I met him will still be there on my return from Copenhagen.