Design – Natural adventures

7154. Peel Street Green (43)

Cort, Peel Street Green, Bristol, August 2025

I have mentioned a couple of times recently that Cort has been having a surge this summer, not only in the quantity of his graffiti writing pieces, but also in the quality of them. This is another example of his unusual writing style on one of the large wall spaces at Peel Street Green.

Cort has been playing with all sorts of variants of his letters this year, and this one spells out KORTOS. The irregular shaped letters are verging on the ‘anti-style’ form, but have enough regularity and recognition to remail as conventional graffiti writing. The fills are nicely designed to run through the letters in a coherent pattern. I love the two characteristic black spots on the ‘T’. The wall is sensibly buffed, helping the letters to really stand out on the irregular white background. This is a beautifully designed and presented piece of graffiti writing.

6969. Peel Street Green (43)

Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2025

There is an unwritten rule in street/graffiti art that suggests that you shouldn’t paint over a piece that is better than the one you are covering it with. Of course, this is unenforced (it is a jungle out there) and also is subjective. The logical conclusion is that you end up with every wall having high-end pieces that remain forever. This is where taggers and bombers come in – they have little regard for conventions and bring every wall back to square one. The ecosystem seems to work.

I mention this in passing, because I was surprised to see this Bloem piece appear on this particular wall only a matter of days after it had been painted by 3Dom. In the grand scheme of things, there are few better artists than 3Dom in Bristol, and seeing this Bloem piece certainly raised my eyebrow. Fortunately, I don’t think 3Dom is at all precious, and Bloem is rising up the ranks of Bristol artists with each new piece she paints.

To have replaced 3Dom’s piece with this superb flower character/design certainly softens the blow. Bloem has a keen eye for design and matches it up with superb technical ability. I have to remind myself that she really only started painting walls a couple of years ago and has progressed at an alarming rate. This is a real beauty, and she has perfected chrysanthemum petals to a tee.

6958. Wharf Street, Leeds

Mr Penfold, Wharf Street, Leeds, May 2025

There is something very comforting about wandering around a place that I don’t know very well, and stumbling across the familiar artist, in this case, not just familiar, but Bristol’s fabulous Mr Penfold.

Mr Penfold has had a great deal of success with his commissions, and being invited to decorate this large building in the heart of Leeds must have been a real feather in his cap. It is interesting that alongside his colourful designs there is a lot of ‘white space’ which acts as a perfect counterbalance to his shapes and patterns. The building could risk looking too busy if all of it was ‘pimped’ a la Monsieur Penfold.

I felt very much at home in my ancestral city, in the company of artwork from a Bristol artist, and the sun was shining. What’s not to like about such an occasion?

6793. St Werburghs tunnel (481)

Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

I am well used to seeing outstanding pieces by Benjimagnetic, but I think that this recent one in the tunnel is the cream of the crop so far. The graffiti writing is so striking in form and colour, and it is difficult to walk past without stopping and admiring it.

When I look at the design elements, I am reminded of a kind of 1960s retro feel about it, bringing things like magazine racks and shelving units that were oh so modern when I was growing up. There were a few TV cartoons at that time that really picked up on this modern style. Perhaps I am imagining things, but that is what I see in this amazing work. I’m not entirely certain what the letters spell, but I have a good feeling that it spells GRO. Tight, colourful, beautifully designed and superbly presented. What more could a man want?

6640. Dean Lane skate park (796)

Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024

Tucked away behind the railings and hedge that borders the swimming pool is this charming small floral piece by Peggy. At first I thought it might have been an old piece, because I know she has painted here before, but I am pretty certain that it is new, which is great news, because she hasn’t painted much this year, and I do like her work.

This piece is so typical of her floral work, and it is great to see how she transitions her tattoo designs onto walls. There is symbolism in the piece, the flower has an eye. I am not too sure what it all means, but it is distinctive and curious. I hope Peggy hits the street more often in 2025.

6341. Greenbank (133)

Le Imposter Design, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2024

This is exactly the type of discovery I love to make, and highlights why I do what I do. The Bristol to Bath cycle path is a very busy thoroughfare for cyclists and walkers alike. The vast majority of footfall (or wheel-fall) passing the long hoarding alongside the Chocolate Factory development, will miss this little gem, and some of the larger gems here too, being more focussed on getting from A to B. Observers of the world, however’, will stop and enjoy treats like this one from another first-timer on Natural Adventures, Le Imposter Design.

This modest design is dwarfed by the larger pieces of graffiti writing and street art surrounding it, and is easily overlooked, being at about knee to waist height. The art piece sets out a wonderful view out of a window and onto the street. There are lots of little details to enjoy, the plant and pot, coffee with a heart shape in the froth, some paperwork, and even a stall and awning on a building across the street. Wonderful calming stuff in a frenetic spot. A big welcome to Le Imposter Design, I hope to see more of her work before too long.

6321. Cumberland Basin

Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

By the time you read this, I should be some 35,000 feet or so in the air somewhere between Bristol and Copenhagen, so I wrote this post yesterday. I am spending a long weekend in Copenhagen with my mother who gifted me the trip as my 60th birthday present.

Acer One has been smashing it recently with a range of different ideas, including these cryptic boule writing designs that are designed to challenge the viewer to work out what is going on… visual puzzles I guess you could call them.

The gold letters along the top spell ‘Change is inevitable’ and the black letters running along the bottom of the piece spell out ‘Growth is optional’. So this piece is both a puzzle and philosophical. Great technical work from Acer One.

6302. Cumberland Basin

I’m not entirely sure how Acer One finds the time to paint so much, but I am glad that he does. One of the upsides of self-employment I guess. This is a really classy design piece in one of his favoured spots, which he pretty much ‘owns’ these days.

The word ‘love’ is written in the same format as the background, and emerges from it due to the curves in the lettering where they depart from the horizontal background pattern. If the letters were to straighten out, they would disappear into the wall altogether. The piece is nicely conceived, and as always with Acer One, beautifully executed.

6203. White Street (3)

Mr Penfold, White Street, Bristol, June 2024

I have to confess that I really struggle with promotional pieces. In my purist mind I feel that straying into advertising (whether for mates or for commercial outfits) crosses the line between street art and the ‘edge’ that goes with it, and mainstream commercial activity. This is a personal view, and you may wonder why I post promotional pieces… well I suppose I do it for completeness and to showcase the full spectrum of whet we see in Bristol.

Mr Penfold uploaded a video of himself painting this piece, which reveals his techniques for getting his straight lines and curves into his designs. It is a great abstract design from the artist and is perfect for the spot that he chose to paint.

6050. St Augustine’s Parade (3)

Mr Penfold, St Augustine's Parade, Bristol, May 2024 — Mr Penfold, St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol, May 2024

At my work, there is quite a strong push to bring people back into the office, after an extended period of being enforced, then encouraged, then allowed to work from home. It seems that the Government direction (driven by Rishi Sunak’s conviction that we aren’t buying enough sandwiches in Pret a Manger, leading to the collapse of urban economies) is to get folk back into those empty buildings. My personal view is mixed. It seems mad that loads of office buildings are empty, but it also feels that we work in a new era, where for many office jobs, we are set up to work from home. I expect that this is a debate that will run and run, and then be overtaken by AI replacing our jobs in any case.

I mention all of this because I am now starting to return to the office, which gives me a chance to explore and seek out street/graffiti art on my walks to and from work, which are not on my more usual ’rounds’. I saw, for the first time walking to work recently, this commission piece by Mr Penfold in St Augustine’s Parade. It is a wonderful piece of corporate design, but so distinctively Mr Penfold, who has managed to blend his design work with his street art passion – great work if you can get it.

	paulh121 on 7352. Cumberland Basin
	Sheree on 7352. Cumberland Basin
	paulh121 on 7350. Hillgrove Street (9…
	Bill Bisgood on Thursday doors – 11 Dece…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 11 Dece…

	paulh121 on 7352. Cumberland Basin
	Sheree on 7352. Cumberland Basin
	paulh121 on 7350. Hillgrove Street (9…
	Bill Bisgood on Thursday doors – 11 Dece…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 11 Dece…

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