5333. Cumberland Basin

Daz Cat, Werm and Kool Hand, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Daz Cat, Werm and Kool Hand, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

I am very pressed for time this morning, so this is a bit of a quick one. There were actually four pieces in this collaborative wall, but these three were more familiar to me and formed part of a set, with the fourth having a slightly different feel to it. The three artists, well known to regular readers are Daz Cat, Werm and Kool Hand.

Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

To the left of the three is a rather cool rabbit character, or long-eared cat, sitting cross-legged and striking something approaching a yoga pose. What you don’t get from this picture is the scale of the piece which is probably 9ft tall, I know this because I painted something immediately to the left, which was dwarfed by it.

Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

In the middle is another stunner from Werm, who is getting his style sorted with his small letters and expanding decorative extensions. He has consistently been one of the most productive artists on the streets for quite some time , and rarely disappoints.

Kool Hand, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Kool Hand, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

On the right, Kool Hand has painted one of his customary character/writing combinations in his soft curvy style. The toothy dog is leaning on the letters, and both elements are nicely highlighted with white dots which offer depth to the piece. Altogether a nicely colour coordinated triptych from the trio.

5283. Purdown (56)

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, May 2023
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, May 2023

A little bit about the mechanics of Natural Adventures, which might explain why there is a bit of a time-lag between a piece being painted and that piece being posted on the blog. I would guess that on a typical day I will come across 5–10 pieces of street/graffiti art that are new to me, and all of these go into a monthly folder. I then select from the folder pieces I’d like to feature on the blog and upload them in batches, so that I usually have at least a week’s worth of images ready to go, which gives me time to write the post in the morning before work, or the evening before.

So anything appearing on Natural Adventures will be at least a week old, and often considerably more. In exceptional cases I might fast track something special to the front of the queue, but that is rare. So if you are looking for ‘breaking news’ blog posts here, you are in the wrong place.

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, May 2023
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, May 2023

This is an interesting piece from Daz Cat in a spot that he likes to frequent. The blue cat character, with the yellow top, appears to be casting away an abominable creature with rabbit ears, horns, cat-like claws and a dragon tail – what is that thing? There is lots of movement in the piece, aided by the cream flashes, but its meaning is a little lost on me.

Looking at it again, the creature looks like it is by GYS? And the style is rather different from Daz Cat’s. There is nothing on Instagram that would help me work this out, though.

5247. Greenbank (81)

Kool Hand and Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023

I can’t believe we’re almost at the end of May, but it is true and with each day that passes more and more pieces of graffiti writing, and street art adorn our city walls. It can be a struggle at times to keep up, but a pleasurable struggle, if there is such a thing.

The light wasn’t particularly helpful on the day that I photographed this collaboration between Kool Hand and Daz Cat, but I might have just got away with it.

Kool Hand and Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023

To the left, a Kool crocodile chills up against a colourful palm tree, looking almost like a piece of quilt work (watch out Louis Masai!). On the right is a Daz Cat cat floating and mixing music. What is interesting about the collaboration is that Kool Hand’s work is quite flat, and Daz Cat’s has depth and perspective, bringing different aspects and styles to the piece. It is always good to see these two painting together.

5204. M32 Cycle path (214)

Kool Hand, Conrico and Daz Cat M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Kool Hand, Conrico and Daz Cat M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

I’m not sure that I will ever work out this wall properly. Sometimes pieces will stay on it for months and turnover will be practically zero, other times it can change twice within a week, and I believe that this recent charming triptych by Kool Hand, Conrico and Daz Cat has already been painted over.

Kool Hand, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Kool Hand, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

The left-hand panel is a wonderful leopard character from Kool Hand, wearing a floppy bucket hat. The fingers appear to be magically zapping the letters KH, and the blue/purple feline is set on a fantasy woodland backdrop, painted by Conrico I would guess.

Conrico, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Conrico, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

In the middle is a rather shady looking character shrouded in a cloak and holding a spray can, probably preparing to do a spot of illegal spraying by the look of it. This is a really nicely worked piece by Cobnrico, with some great attention to detail in the creases and folds in the cloak and hat. A classy character.

Daz Cat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Daz Cat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

On the right-hand panel, Daz Cat has departed from his customary cat characters to give us this woodland sprite holding a couple of frogs, one of which is holding a toadstool. I’m not too sure what the smoking head is all about, but this section, in fact the whole thing, definitely has a bit of a dreamy fantasy feel about it. An unusual and entertaining collaboration from three fine graffiti artists.

5102. St Werburghs tunnel (361)

Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023

Daz Cat is no stranger to painting this exact spot on the flat section of wall at the entrance to the tunnel. I like to think that the characters he paints are guardians of the tunnel, protecting the pieces within. Just a little fantasy of mine.

Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023

Indeed, Daz Cat reinforces my imaginative interpretation with this ‘Gandalf’ cat and the famous words “you shall not pass”. Daz Cat has come on such a long way over the years and his cats (and dogs) are part of the furniture, with many cat face ‘super tags’ to be found all over the city. A quick squint at this Daz Cat gallery presents, in reverse chronological order, his journey over the last five years.

4892. M32 roundabout J3 (438)

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022

Quick ones this morning – a bit of Christmas ‘ground rush’ with way too much to do in a short weekend. This is a lively piece from Daz Cat in one of the tunnels under the M32 roundabout, which have had rather a low turnover in recent months.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022

Daz Cat’s work has grown over the last year or two and each piece adds a new layer of sophistication to his central cat characters. He has also created pieces which tells stories, and I wonder if this one is about heartbreak and sadness. Great colours and some real passion and emotion in this one. Poor cat.

4747. M32 Spot (147)

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022

It would seem that after a rather dormant spell over the summer, Daz Cat is becoming a little more active again, and his pieces are definitely moving more in the direction of narratives than straightforward portraits of cats and dogs.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2022

In this column piece, under the M32, a cat, with a fox curled up on its head is holding a little dog and is standing next to a chicken with a frog on its head. Don’t ask what the story here is, I wouldn’t know where to begin. I prefer to enjoy the spectacle and the elements that make it up. Another fabulous us piece from Daz Cat.

4707. St Werburghs tunnel (309)

Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2022
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2022

I really enjoy these occasional collaborations from Daz Cat and Kool Hand, who have been teaming up for several years now. Their creations are steadily becoming more sophisticated and intricate as each of the artists improves and develops.

Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2022
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2022

Both artists have created characters on hoverboards, cruising through a deep red, starlit sky. Kool Hand has a crocodile on a ‘Silver Surfer’ kind of board and Daz Cat has painted an elaborate Ms cat with loads of detail in the face and clothing. The whole thing is an effective and atmospheric work, creating an exciting and dynamic scene.

4646. Dean Lane skate park (520)

Zake, Conrico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022
Zake, Conrico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022

I have not missed my routine tours around Bristol photographing street art, while I have been away, it is good to have a break from routines, but it is one of the things that will soften the blow of returning home.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022

Shortly before leaving Bristol I managed to photograph the curved wall in Dean Lane, with this fine collaboration between Zake, Conrico and Daz Cat. The Zake portrait is a fine 3/4 profile of a woman with fine blonde hair. Very nicely done.

Conrico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022
Conrico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022

The main part of the wall is slightly crazy and brilliant all at the same time. The dragon hatching from an egg in front of a mountain and desert scene is by Conrico, and the cats, but Daz Cat, although I am not sure if the larger orange cat is a cat. A refreshingly different kind of collaboration from these three.

4614. Purdown (45)

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, July 2022
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, July 2022

I am missing my regular dose of Daz Cat pieces this year… he definitely seems to be on a bit of a go slow as far as work on the streets is concerned. It was a nice surprise, therefore, to find this new piece up at Purdown recently. The battery area has been closed for a period, while the council constructed a tarmac pathway through the site, which I must say is a huge improvement, because it is prone to get extremely muddy in the winter.

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, July 2022
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, July 2022

This piece, counter-intuitively, is of two dogs, and the portraits are rather sophisticated, taking in different view points of the dog’s faces. This is an absolutely lovely piece and seems a little bit more earnest than some of his comic or satirical work. I like it a lot, especially as the green one could easily be a portrait of my very own canine.