Tag: Cumberland Basin

4490. Cumberland Basin

I am told you make your own luck, but I am not so sure, sometimes you just get lucky, and my chance encounter with SkyHigh and Roo down at Cumberland Basin while walking the dog a couple of weeks back, was a real lucky bonus.

SkyHigh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
SkyHigh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022

SkyHigh paints with an intensity and concentration that does not lend itself to chit chat, and so while he got on with the job of painting this stunner, I had a nice conversation with Roo, largely about dogs, not something I would have imagined doing four or five years ago. How curious our life pathways are.

SkyHigh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
SkyHigh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022

This piece from SkyHigh is an absolute jewel, with so much detail and interest in every letter. It seems that there is no limit to his talent, and it was amazing to watch him spray the folds in the letter ‘i’, to create a 3D look of paper. Each of the letters is meticulously and lovingly created to leave us with this masterpiece (not a word I use often). SkyHigh and Roo will always be very welcome visitors to Bristol.

4469. Cumberland Basin

When it comes to precision, there are few artists better than Flava136. In recent months, he has reinvented his work with a new look, ditching the monster character, but still uses the same style of blended straight lines and curves, solid fills and geometry. I would liken his work to Epok, although each has their own distinctive look.

Flava136, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
Flava136, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022

Flava136, now pushing the NTS label, teases us with these abstract shapes and designs, in a well thought out colour palette. I am not sure what the letters spell out, and I will need to get better at interpreting his cryptic work. Suffice it to say though, Flava136 is without doubt one of the tidiest artists painting in Bristol, and always produces spectacular work. This is a beauty.

4465. Cumberland Basin

I was lucky enough to be visiting Cumberland Basin on a dog walk at the same time as Roo and SkyHigh were painting next to one another on the long wall by the corner. I stopped for a chat and discovered that regrettably they weren’t going to be painting at Upfest this year, due to a clash of diary commitments – they will be missed. However, on this particular visit, they left three rather nice pieces between them for us to enjoy. This is a small giraffe piece from Roo.

Roo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
Roo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022

There is something about the simplicity of Roo’s animal characters that makes them both cute and very easy on the eye. The fills are nice and solid and the lines crisp and sharp. Roo has also injected some humour into this piece with the suggestion that the giraffe’s head is above the clouds on account of its height.

Roo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
Roo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022

There is a subtle difference between the two pictures in the body of the text here, that demonstrate the importance of properly finishing a piece with lines and details. You can see also how quickly a piece can get tagged (naughty boy Asre). It is always a pleasure to welcome Roo to Bristol.

4442. Cumberland Basin

Here is a piece for the iced biscuit lovers among you. It was painted by Nina Raines in what appears to have been a mini paint jam by the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective a couple of weeks ago. I’m glad I managed to get a picture of this piece, as some of the others had already been tagged, and all of them were painted over shortly afterwards. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.

Nina Raines, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, May 2022
Nina Raines, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, May 2022

I have enjoyed watching Nina Rains’ artwork over the years, because she seems to be able to turn her hand to pretty much anything, and her styles adapt to the work she is creating. If she didn’t sign her pieces, it could be difficult to identify her work. Not only is this beautifully designed and painted, but it fits the shape and texture of the wall perfectly. More great work from Nina.

4440. Cumberland Basin

One of the most recognisable styles in Bristol is from Taboo, and the interesting thing about that is that although he usually writes ‘Taboo’, no two pieces look the same, unlike some writers who like to recreate their letters in a similar format from piece to piece.

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022

In this one, Taboo’s unruly letters, once again seem to defy convention, for example, he uses two different border colours halfway through the word. The letters are imaginative and creative, and don’t really follow a font style, although one can tell that they are all by the same artist. No character in this piece, which is a bit of a pity, because they add a further dimension to the overall work. This is yet another wonderful piece of writing from an artist who likes to plough his own furrow.

4433. Cumberland Basin

I think that I have photographed this column piece by John D’oh pretty much every time I have visited this spot, always with the intention of posting it, but somehow it hasn’t made it onto Natural Adventures. Well it has now, and is a great record of the crazy world we have been living in over the last two years. Capturing pieces like this is to record history as portrayed through the work of some amazing street artists.

John D'oh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
John D’oh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022

John D’oh has sprayed this witty stencil, reminding us to keep our social distancing to 2 metres which roughly translates to Bristol croc’s length. This references many local stories about a Bristol crocodile, thanks in no small part to another fine street artist, Rowdy. The Bristol crocodile story dates back to at least 2014, and relies on repeated sightings of crocodiles in various watercourses. Some are fakes and some are recently ‘dumped’ pet crocodiles that get released irresponsibly. The Bristol crocodile has become quite a thing though.

4399. Cumberland Basin

Solar is an artist who is horribly under-represented on the pages of Natural Adventures. I have dozens of photographs of his graffiti writing, but very little of it has seen the light of day. I have no idea why this has happened, because in my mind’s eye it feels like I have posted a lot of his work.

Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2022
Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2022

Solar is one of those ‘it does what it says on the tin’ artists who spells out Solar in most, if not all, of his pieces. His letters are quite boxy and the holes in the ‘o’ and ‘a’ are distinctively low and squished. This is a rather fun throw up that uses the space well. I really must dig out more of his work and share it.

4380. Cumberland Basin

Mote certainly finds some secluded spots to practice his art and this one is tucked away in Cumberland Basin, which I only found because I decided to extend my usual circuit of the area a little. I’m not too sure how long this piece has been here, but it looks reasonably fresh.

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2022
Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2022

The monsters that Mote creates are nicely thought out and designed, and his crisp, sharp lines and solid fills give away the identity of the artist in his unsigned pieces. Another common theme in Mote’s work is the use of strong colours, especially green, yellow and red all featuring in this piece. His monsters are all rather loveable and have added to the wonderful free art gallery that is available to all on the streets of Bristol.

4350. Cumberland Basin

You can be pretty certain that when Paul Monsters and Andy Council team up, you are going to get something rather special, and this collaboration in Cumberland Basin is definitely special. The two have combined their unique styles into a bit of a mash up piece, rather than painting side by side in what I would call a true collaboration.

Andy Council and Paul Monsters, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022
Andy Council and Paul Monsters, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022

The colourful geometric shapes are by Paul Monsters and set the framework for  a stunning Andy Council nautilus or ammonite, a large version of the icon he uses for his signature. Set on a black buffed wall the collaboration is truly outstanding, and all for free! So good to see these two collaborating, and I hope they plan to work together again some time.

4346. Cumberland Basin

I met Mote for the first time, not long ago, when he was painting a small piece up at Purdown Battery, and what a thoroughly pleasant experience it was too. He told me that he had always wanted to paint and get out there hitting walls, but life had taken him down a different path. Mote now finds himself in a situation where he can paint, and my goodness he has been making up for lost time. Bristol is festooned with his work, but this is the first piece of his to appear on Natural Adventures.

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022
Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022

Mote is another character artist, specialising in monsters. His pieces tend to be smallish, but creative and imaginative. Mote uses bright colours (a lot of green) in his work and likes to keep sharp, crisp lines – he takes a lot of time to create his work, but it is time well spent. Look out for a whole ton more from this artist over coming months.