I have spoken ad nauseam about how Daz Cat’s work has become more sophisticated in recent years, so I won’t go on about it now except to say that this is a wonderful, complex piece that encapsulates the new level that he has found for himself.
Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
A cat-human character, wearing bright yellow sunglasses, is playing host to a cat character nestled in her hair. There is a story, but I can’t fathom it out. Daz Cat has selected some calming purples and oranges for this piece, which work very nicely together. There is plenty of depth in the portrait, which the three-quarter profile helps to achieve. A really cracking piece from Daz Cat.
Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
The curved wall at Dean Lane has played host to so many fabulous pieces (and some not so fabulous). This collaboration from Conrico and Daz Cat is a wonderful piece, full of creativity and colour, with the two distinct styles coming together in great harmony.
Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
The left hand side of the wall belongs to Conrico, who has written his name in one of his familiar landscapes, with a distant monster that might be Godzilla emerging from the stylised choppy sea. To the right, Daz Cat has painted a sage-like old fish/axolotl type character watches on as if he might have the answer to an unknown question. Is that an orange platypus in his packet? Lots of stories in this brilliant collaboration.
Mr Crawls, Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
This is something of a rarity, a character collaboration. Often you get combinations of characters and graffiti writing in small or large collaborative efforts, but exclusively character pieces is unusual and just how brilliant is this collection from Mr Crawls, Kool Hand and Daz Cat?
Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Mr Crawls has hit the ground running this year with some outstanding pieces and a slight change in direction or modification of his characters. He is always looking to move things forward and adding new ideas around his central theme of a bird wearing a hat. This most recent phase I would describe as stylised cartoon work.
Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Another artist who has been busy over the winter is Kool Hand, and what a good artist he is, I have just updated his gallery and there are some really fine pieces to enjoy there. This piece features a three-quarter profile of his famous orangutan character, this time in green. Crisp and clean and really well presented.
Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
An artist whose work has become more sophisticated and complex over the last few years is Daz Cat. In the early days his cat pieces were fairly two-dimensional, and although fun to find, had plenty of headroom for improvement. Now Daz Cat is operating at an entirely different level, turning out first class portrait pieces (mostly of cats) with every outing. This smiling cat is a perfect example of his work, so full of character and detail and a enjoy to behold. Below is an example of his early work to give you an idea of what I am talking about. This is a very fine character collaboration.
The derelict gun emplacement at Purdown is located within a fenced-off area which is home to a small herd of goats. I think that they are ‘employed’ to help the vegetation down. The presence of the goats makes my trips with the dog something of a challenge, because their smell and very existence drives him crazy, and I have to keep him on a very tight lead. This of course makes taking photographs all the more difficult, with many images blurry of at jaunty angles, when the dog pulls just as I take the shot. I did manage to get a couple of decent pictures of this fabulous goat character piece by Daz Cat.
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024
Daz Cat continues to develop his style and his pieces are so much richer in content and style and offer a great deal of depth and context that was absent from his early ‘flat’ pieces. He is a great example of an artist who learns and improves all the time. There are other artists who tend to remain quite static and comfortable doing what they do. Both approaches are legitimate, although as an observer, watching the development is an added bonus. I hope the goats of Purdown appreciate this homage.
A few years ago, Daz Cat was painting charming cat portraits, but compared to the pieces he is turning out today, they were flat and unsophisticated and his work since then has elevated several levels. He is now turning out complex pieces that tell stories and have amazing depth to them.
Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2025
This cat with ginger hair and plenty of attitude contains so many interesting features and details. I love the wristwatch and the zip on the tracksuit top, small things that add so much to the story. Also interesting is the creative border, which, rather than being a solid black line, is a dynamic red interface between the character and the background. A very nice piece from Daz Cat.
When the Greenbank hoarding is eventually dismantled, I wonder what will happen in the other spots. Will turnover increase, or will some new hoardings become an oasis for graffiti/street artists? I, for one, will miss this place and its colourful gallery. Daz Cat has painted a few memorable pieces here, but this one is a little bit special.
Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2024
As with many of Daz Cat’s larger pieces, there is a story unfolding here. A girl, wearing a bird costume, is sitting on a log in a wood, and beside her is a cat spirit. I don’t know what the conversation they are having is about, but it feels earnest and important. There is a lot of spirituality in this colourful and beautifully illustrated piece.
Kid Krishna and Daz Cat, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, November 2024
Two artists, two very different styles, and not a collaboration from Kid Krishna and Daz Cat. Actually, you could argue that there are three artists represented here, because the background of sunflowers and a swirly sky in a Van Gogh style has been on this wall for a while now, and is by an artist unknown to me.
Kid Krishna and Daz Cat, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, November 2024
To the left, Kid Krishna has painted one of his mega tags, which are simpler than his larger and more complex graffiti writing pieces. These quick throw ups are usually painted using rollers and can by completed in minutes. The letters, in pink, spell out CRIE as with all of his work, although it can sometimes be difficult to decipher. He has selected two very strong contrasting colours, pink and black, for maximum impact.
Daz Cat, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, November 2024
To the right, Daz Cat has painted one of his cat portraits on the front door of a flat. The gold cat has also been painted in haste, I would suggest, as it is a simple outline and single colour piece. I always like it when he tags his pieces with Caroline, who I guess is his special person. Cats are always most welcome on Natural Adventures.
Like sentinels guarding the gate to Rivendell, well not exactly, but sentinels nonetheless painted naturally by Daz Cat. The character on the left is definitely a cat, but I am a little unsure about the creature on the right and am going to assume it is a dog. Cats and dogs are appropriate for this spot, because when it rains heavily, this tunnel floods, and you can see it is partially flooded in this picture.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024
Daz Cat has been reasonably quiet this year, but these quick ones have brought him front of mind once again. The cat painted in steel blue tones is looking a little vexed. It is great to see how much depth Daz Cat works into his characters compared to the flat cat portraits he was painting when he started.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024
The dog? portrait on the other side reflects the same colours as the cat and also has a certain amount of depth to it. This is not the first time Daz Cat has painted on either side of the tunnels here. Let me see if I can dig out a previous example…
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2019
This is my 80th post from Purdown, but if I am honest, it feel like an awful lot more. Daz Cat seems to like it up here and the square format of the concrete blocks seems to suit his designs. It is always far more difficult for writers to fill a square space than for character artists.
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, September 2024
Daz Cat has painted a cat (naturally) curled up in the square. The blue cat is wearing a fabulous orange striped shirt and shorts combination, and looks really rather cute. The cat is smiling and there is a good feeling all round about this piece. I will never tire of Daz Cats’ cats.
My heart sang when I saw this wonderful piece by Daz Cat on the end of the long wall under Brunel Way. It is not the first time he has decorated this spot with a cat, and somehow the space lends itself really well to his upright characters, which I guess is why he paints there.
Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2024
In this piece, the androgenous cat is doing a hand stand on top of a globe or water or a toilet seat, or something decorated with clouds. The pants the cat is wearing are hilarious, and the tottering movement of the legs, brilliantly portrayed. This Daz Cat at his fabulous story-telling best.
Natural adventures 