Laic217 is on fire at the moment, and painting fairly regularly, which is great to see. This portrait piece takes us back to a theme that Laic217 particularly enjoys, which is the distortion and disintegration of the face.
Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Set on a red background, the skin is melting away to reveal the skull underneath. Of course, a baseball cap with an ‘L’ on it is a required accessory and shows off the artist’s skill with recreating the illusion of fabric and materials. A great example of Laic217’s work, with more to come on Natural Adventures soon.
Maybe is an artist who has brought something totally new and fresh to the streets of Bristol over the last couple of years, starting with some very modest interlocking face pieces and now branching out into a large portfolio of creative ideas. This new piece on the Ashton Avenue Bridge, over the River Avon, takes us in another creative direction.
Maybe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Maybe has painted a view out of a window of an aeroplane wing (in this case, Easyjet), using the shape of the bridge inspection hatch really creatively. It is always great to see street artists incorporating the surrounding elements to augment their work.
Maybe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Opposite the aeroplane window piece is a more ‘traditional’ offering from Maybe, complementing his work on the inspection hatches at the other end of the bridge. It would appear that Maybe is on a bit of a roll after quite a quiet winter.
Coincidentally, this stunning floral piece by Peggy is a birthday tribute, and although it was not planned this way, I happen to be posting it on my Wife’s birthday, and that feels good.
Peggy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
The piece has all the wonderful attributes you would expect from Peggy. Beautiful leaves and petals with some concealed eyes. When I next see Peggy I’ll need to ask her if there is any symbolism involved. I love Peggy’s work, and it brings a different a different element to the Bristol scene.
The quickest of quick ones this morning. It is my wife’s sixtieth birthday today, and there is much celebrations to do, and guests to prepare for.
Lee Roy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Sunny days and a dazzlingly bright piece from Lee Roy, who has been painting a lot lately. He has jazzes this piece up a little with the inclusion of a rather scary cat. Great work, marred only by the sight of a shadow-selfie… it happens sometimes.
There are many artists in Bristol who have created their own unique stamp or style, but none more so than Nugmoose, whose surreal alien pieces entertain and confuse in equal measure. This is a recent one from the long wall in Cumberland Basin.
Nugmoose, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
I am not even going to attempt to decipher what is going on in this piece, but it is a mash-up of alien writing, plant-life, hoofed legs and a human face. The whole thing, painted in soft tones, hangs together nicely, and demonstrates so clearly the breadth and depth of street/graffiti art in our city.
It is a remarkable thing, but I continue to ‘find’ graffiti writers and street artists, only to discover that they have been around for years and that they just haven’t been on my radar at all. One such artist is Still, who I met about a week ago, and since meeting him I have found two of his recent pieces. How does that work? And how many do I have in my archive?
Still, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
Still is obviously an accomplished writer, and when I met him, he was coaching Maes, another artist I haven’t yet featured on Natural Adventures. This is a very busy piece, spelling out STILL, with a great overall shape and dynamic fills, finished off nicely with a clean red border. Watch this space for more from Still.
A weird thing I have noticed about my last three posts is that the three different featured artists’ names all end in ‘OE’. Logoe, Turoe, and in this post, Pekoe. What are the chances of that? We are used to seeing Pekoe’s stylised portraits, but her last couple of pieces have been graffiti writing instead. Perhaps she feels like a bit of a change.
Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
I think the most noticeable thing about this piece is the colourful fills in the letters, which are painted in a fairly random and unruly fashion. Features that are common with her portraits are the tears and little diamonds, adding interest. Although I like the fact that Pekoe is doing something different, I do prefer her portraits, which bring out her strengths.
If anyone can tell me what is going on here, then I doff my cap to you. Some fabulous anti-style graffiti writing from Taboo with a pink flamingo holding a Halfords bag in its bill, and the words “I’m Champa(i)gn, you… Lambrini”.
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
The colours here are striking without being gaudy, and I have to say I love that red colour, and I think it works very nicely on the light blue background. The whole thing feels slightly anarchic or eccentric – it would be nice if there was a word that meant both of those things – ‘anarcentric’ perhaps. More great stuff from Taboo.
Klashwhensober, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
Klashwhensober continues to paint frequently, and in as many spots as he can find. These two pieces are from Cumberland Basin, in slightly different places. The first piece, on a virgin wall, is rather noticeable as it is on the side of one of the buildings that have something to do with the lock gates into the Floating Harbour. Definitely an edgy spot.
Klashwhensober, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
I was fortunate enough to catch up klashwhensober while he was painting this rather nice blue piece. Strangely, this was our second encounter in two days, after a long period when our paths didn’t cross at all. We got talking a lot, and it turns out that we have more in common than we might have thought, including attendance at the same school in London, although at completely different times.
Klashwhensober, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
The piece itself is fairly straightforward, spelling SOBER with nicely defined letters and plenty of designs in the fills. There are no ‘explosive’ elements in the writing, which has been a bit of a trend recently, but it is nicely done nonetheless.
Klashwhensober, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
For a little while now, Peggy has been brightening up dark corners of our streets with her beautiful floral designs. This small piece is on the warehouse on the opposite bank of the river facing the Riverside Garden Centre. I don’t wander alongside the warehouse, so am not too sure how long the piece has been there. It is still looking pretty fresh though, however old.
Peggy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
Peggy’s style is instantly recognisable with its flowing shapes and beautiful tones, more often than not, an eye makes its way into the composition. It is easy to see the crossover between Tattoo art and street art in her pieces. This is a little beauty.
