3690. M32 Spot (113)

What an absolute pleasure it was meeting Daz Cat again while he was painting this very nice column piece a week or two back. He was out with CD.TC who I met for the first time and also seems to be a really decent fellow.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

Daz Cat was using his ladder (I want one of those) to add some finer detail to the main structure of the cat he had painted. He came down to chat and said he felt a bit heady. I asked him if it was the paint fumes and he said that it was not, that he was simply rather hungover… good on him.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

I consider this piece to be very good indeed. Not only has he used the column dimensions really well, but the sharp detail on the piece is very well crafted. Furthermore the cat is in profile orientation rather than face on, and so we see a different aspect and depth to the cat’s face. This is one of my favourite pieces of his to date, although there are so many outstanding ones to choose from.

3670. M32 roundabout J3 (317)

I have separated this piece from a large collaborative wall with Face 1st, Sage and Soap, because I felt that it was deserving of its own post, but also because I like to switch things up from time to time.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2021

Daz Cat has been relentless in his pursuit of painting joy this year, and I have several unpublished pieces by him waiting in my archive. This large piece sits so nicely alongside the Laic217 piece next to it, you could almost believe that they were painted at the same time, but they were not. Great respect shown to Laic217. Daz Cat has taken a little bit more time pulling this one together and there is a lot of nice detail in the cat’s face and jumper. The anthropomorphism goes a little further with this cat who has a human hand instead of a claw. Another superb piece from Daz Cat.

3607. St Werburghs tunnel (234)

The minute I saw this piece from Daz Cat, I thought to myself ‘classy’, and I still think it now. It is a rather modest work, tucked away in the darkness of the tunnel but its quality really packs a punch.

Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2021
Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2021

The base colours of purple and orange are offset by the detail worked out in red and white. The piece looks more like an engraving than a spray-painted wall and has a moody quality to it. I can’t put my finger on it, but this cat I would consider to be one of his best (and what a vast collection to draw on). Blink and you could miss it.

3544. M32 Cycle path (114)

Readers of Natural Adventures will be familiar with cat pieces by Daz Cat, but I think this is the first Time I have posted anything by Sage. I actually got lucky because I met the pair for the first time when they were painting this rather nice collaboration. Such nice people… and like policemen and doctors and teachers, so young.

Daz Cat, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021
Daz Cat, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021

Daz Cat told me that he was using up dregs for this piece, not that you’d know it. This cat is full of colour and detail and the three-quarter profile has given Daz Cat some different perspectives to play with.

Sage, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021
Sage, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021

Sage, I think is responsible for some interesting mega tags that I have seen about the place without knowing who they were by. This, of course, is a bit of writing and I think he likes to do writing and characters in equal measure. I need to find and write about more pieces from Sage.

3517. M32 Spot (108)

Daz Cat is another artist who has been insanely busy recently, painting pretty much any wall that he can. I was lucky enough to meet him for the first time last weekend while he was painting alongside Sage. As with virtually every artist I have met, he was happy to stop for a chat, and I must confess to being slightly distracted by how much younger he is than I was expecting. It is funny how you can create an image in your mind of how somebody might look, and when you get to meet them it is a surprise how unlike that imagined person they are.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021

This is a quick column piece at the bottom end of the M32 Spot all in purple with black lines for the detail. I don’t know how many cats he has painted, but doing this must be like falling off a log sometimes. I am thoroughly enjoying this surge in Daz Cat’s work, and have several unpublished pieces lined up for Natural Adventures.

3488. Purdown HAA Battery (16)

This is an old Daz Cat piece from way back in October last year – I am posting it now because it is new to me since I only recently went up there to get some photographs. These concrete slabs that formed part of the gun emplacement are a favourite with artists such as Daz Cat, Kool Hand, John D’oh, Soap and a handful of others.

Daz Cat, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021
Daz Cat, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021

What is cooler than a cat wearing ski goggles? I love the way that the tinted lens has projected through onto the cat’s eyes. This is a fun piece from Daz Cat.

Recently some goats have appeared in this spot, and I am sure that they have contributed to the general muddiness there I also think that they stand up against these walls with their muddy hooves – how else would this mud end up on the front of these pieces?

3472. St Werburghs tunnel (223)

This is a really nice example of two artists who like to paint together switching things up a little. Kool Hand and Daz Cat have painted a lot together, but not so much over the last six months or so. When they collaborate, Daz Cat normally paints a character and Kool Hand provides the writing.

Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol January 2021
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol January 2021

In this recent piece in the tunnel, the leopard on the left is by Kool Hand and is superbly done, I think it might be one of his best characters yet and Daz Cat has thrown up the letters DKAT. It must be fun painting with friends and playing with styles and methods and it certainly keeps things interesting for the likes of me.

3462. St Andrews Road (3)

I first photographed this Daz Cat cat some while ago, but never posted it because there was a dark shadow cast across it. On a recent trip into the depths of Montpelier  I was able to have a second crack at it and this time the sun shone and I timed my visit (by luck not judgement) at the right time of day thus avoiding any shadows.

Daz Cat, St Andrews Road, Bristol, January 2021
Daz Cat, St Andrews Road, Bristol, January 2021

I have a feeling that Daz Cat enjoys painting in North Bristol and it is rare to find anything by him south of the river. This is just a nice chrome cat wearing a scarf and adding a little bit of character to a wall that was begging for decoration. Nice work.

3425. Narroways (1)

There is a little pathway close to the entrance of St Werburghs tunnel that leads up to a small nature reserve bounded by railway lines. The reserve is on the top of a hill and has some lovely views of Bristol and some interesting perspectives of the main lines coming into Bristol Temple Meads station. Of course, where you have railways and hills, you also have bridges, and where you have railway bridges there is a chance you might get some graffiti. That is the case here.

Daz Cat, Narroways, Bristol, January 2021
Daz Cat, Narroways, Bristol, January 2021

This is a rather unhappy, even angry, looking cat from Daz Cat. I think I prefer his happier cats. This one is mostly chrome and stands out amongst the other graffiti writing and throw ups around it. Worth the detour, and a nice peaceful oasis in North Bristol.

3338. M32 roundabout J3 (267)

I had to go back into my archives to dig this little beauty out by Daz Cat and CD.TC that had managed to get left behind. Daz Cat in particular appears to be going through a bit of a purple patch at the moment, but both artists are getting out and about.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

On the left of the collaborative piece is a Daz Cat cat in browns and greens with a red surround on a white buffed wall – colours that extend across the whole piece that makes it one of those colour/style sharing collaborations. The cat is holding one half of a sign which reads ‘More peace, fuck police’, and it was painted in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement gaining pace during the summer after the George Floyd killing.

CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

On the right is a wonderful and slightly grotesque character from CD.TC. I love the hand clutching a pencil, it has something really cool about it. These two artists would appear to be firm friends, along with Kool Hand, and their collaborations are a prominent feature on the Bristol street art scene.

Daz Cat and CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Daz Cat and CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020