3704. Cumberland Basin

Some days just turn out really well, and last Thursday I met Jelly for the first time at the viewpoint, Cumberland Basin… an already good day became a whole lot better. I was on leave last week, so my dog walks became rather longer than usual and much more relaxed. The upshot was that I was able to visit more spots and stay longer at each. Cumberland Basin was my last stop for the afternoon and when I turned up, there were two artists at work, Jelly and Fierfear (to follow) and to help with introductions, Paul H happened to be there too, sunning himself on the viewpoint bench. Paul had been helping Jelly with a spot to paint.

Jelly, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021
Jelly, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021

My first impression with Jelly’s work was that it had a hint of a Pekoe/Hazard blend about it, but perhaps that had more to do with the portrait approach rather than the actual style. I thought I might have seen Jelly’s work in London (her home town) before, but since she’s only been spray-painting for two and a half years (!!!), it is highly unlikely. Perhaps I have seen her work on Instagram.

The portrait is a stunner, a beautiful face with big blue hair with green highlights. Jelly’s signature long eyelashes add a touch of class and the flashes on the hoop earrings are beautifully done. The tag line ‘Because I’m wurf it’ I think is a nod to a Bristolian accent, although I might have been tempted to change ‘I’m’ to ‘oim’.

Jelly, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021
Jelly, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021

Of course, it wasn’t only the artwork that made this a red-letter day, but also meeting Jelly, who was very happy to stop for a chat and talk about her work. It is always great to welcome fellow Londoners to Bristol, and I hope that she enjoyed her day out enough to come and visit us again before too long, although I ought to add that it isn’t always such pleasant weather here.

Great piece, lovely lady, good day.

3687. Cumberland Basin

Here we have another fine piece from Dog Bless the Band in muted shades spelling out MOTEL. It has been written in a style that bucks the trend of the more traditional New York wildstyle writing and has a much freer and somewhat anarchic feel to it.

Dog Bless the Band, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Dog Bless the Band, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

Obviously it is the artist’s name that initially creates interest, but that is a bit of a side-show really. I love the subtle earthy tones of his work and ill discipline of his letter forms. The whole thing rather resembles the skin of a large mammal, like an elephant. Great work from an artist I know precious little about.

3686. Cumberland Basin

I am very much enjoying the high level of activity coming from Eman at the moment, and he really seems to be extending himself with a range of character pieces, including this very impressive skull from a few weeks ago.

Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021
Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021

I’m not sure how long Eman has been doing these kinds of pieces, but he seems to have a natural flair for them, and his soft blending as well as good proportions make this a piece that is easy on the eye. Adding to the impact of the skull is the neutral background with hints of colour that just give the whole thing a bit more oomph. Very nice work.

3675. Cumberland Basin

As I said in a post yesterday, I seem to keep bumping in to Eman, and this happened again at the weekend. I had made an excursion specifically to photograph this and another piece by him from a few days earlier, and guess what… he was in the same spot painting a new piece opposite this one. I think Eman rather likes this spot, which is nicely out of the way from the main drag.

Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021
Eman, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2021

The character piece is something that Eman has been working on and I believe he has created a sticker of it too. The character has a lot of charisma and is clean and simple on the black background. It is great to see a writer building on character skills. More to come from Eman.

3637. Cumberland Basin

Ordinarily this artist would need no introduction, but that is especially the case right now, as hardly a week passes without Pekoe appearing on the pages of Natural Adventures. This wonderful portrait in purples and greens was part of a large paint jam in Cumberland Basin, and the themed colours ran from piece to piece.

Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

This is a wonderful piece from Pekoe and incorporates a new feature that she is incorporating, namely the dotted circle on the cheek with the tear in it. I have only recently noticed this embellishment, and think I rather like it. It’ll be interesting to see whether it becomes a mainstream part of her work. This is a fabulous portrait as always, and she even has a Kid Crayon party hat.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

3634. Cumberland Basin

It would appear that this wall, after a considerable period of neglect is becoming a little popular. A week or two back there was a nice new collaboration from Mudra and Nugmoose. This has now been replaced with this more than half-decent piece from Pl8o.

Pl8o, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, April 2021
Pl8o, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, April 2021

I am very pleased to see that Pl8o seems to be active again after quite a long absence – he is another artist who has gone to ground for much of the lock down period. This is a delightful deep-shadowed piece of graffiti writing spelling out the artist’s moniker yellow to orange to black fades. His letters lend themselves very nicely to writing and there is something very easy on the eye about them. Great to see Pl8o back hitting walls again.

3630. Cumberland Basin

Watching the progress of Big Hev is proving to be an uplifting experience. Her naive style is gradually becoming more sophisticated, and she is building on her themes. However, I think that she is very much at the start of her journey (one that I sincerely hope she pursues) and is learning from piece to piece.

Big Hev, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Big Hev, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

Big Hev seems to like this spot, and why not, it is secluded and away from public gaze. Her customary portrait has fused a little with some abstract ideas and swirls and some hearts. I would consider this to be a practice piece, but all part of the formation of new and beautiful ideas.

3620. Cumberland Basin

Since I took this photograph, which really isn’t too long ago, this wall had been painted over at least twice and it is fast becoming one of the highest turnover walls in Bristol. I’ll be heading down that way today to see what’s new.

Subtle, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Subtle, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

This is another in a very strong series of pieces from Subtle. At last he seems to have exhausted his supply of pink paints and instead gives us this stunning beast in red. The writing is really sharp and greatly enhanced with the yellow highlights and black spots. This is a very bold and striking piece that demonstrates clearly the great skills of Subtle.

3616. Cumberland Basin

Here we have a classic Face 1st piece. A wall tucked away from general view and a chuckling girl’s face splashed on it. It is pieces like this, dotted all over the city that add to the overall fabric of Bristol. Sub-consciously, many thousands of people in Bristol will have seen one of these faces, they might not have registered them, but they will have seen them, and they will process them simply as being part of the furniture of the city.

Face 1st, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Face 1st, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

Somehow, Face 1st injects a sense of fun and mischief into his work that comes across so well. These cheeky girls probably play slightly into the hands of subversive minds (it is graffiti after all), but are entirely accessible for all to enjoy and feel free. This one is a particularly lovely ecxample.

3603. Cumberland Basin

Another interesting piece from Big Hev who seems to be having a great time experimenting with spraying walls about the city. Her work is still quite naive, but there is a definite style emerging and with practice I’m sure she will emerge as yet another fine Bristol wall artist.

Big Hev, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2021
Big Hev, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2021

In a move away from her portraits, this piece ‘you can’t hide our smiles’ features a seahorse in an orange circle, surrounded with love hearts. Her work is bold and colourful and there is a lot of energy there. Her skills and technique with the spray paint will develop over time, but so far watching her progress is hugely enjoyable.