5478. Cheltenham 2023 (10)

Inkie, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Inkie, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

You can be pretty certain that Inkie will have a presence at the Cheltenham Paint Festival, which is great. What is even better is that although this piece was from the 2022 Festival, I managed to find it this time round… only a year late, but better than nothing I suppose.

Inkie, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Inkie, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

The character/writing combination is along the lines that you would expect to see. A beautiful girl with long flowing hair alongside some large block writing. I am not too sure what the ‘St Pauls’ refers to. There is a St Paul’s church very near where this was painted, but it could I suppose be a reference to Bristol’s St Paul’s district. Unmistakably Inkie, the piece is still looking fresh as a daisy. Nice Tribute to Julian too.

5351. Brunel Way (215)

Dai_luk_tattoo, Brunel Way, Bristol June 2023
Dai_luk_tattoo, Brunel Way, Bristol June 2023

A brief one this morning, there is just too much beauty and history around me. I sit in an ancient medieval library, part of a monastery that has been converted into a holiday let in Umbria. It is difficult not to become entirely enveloped in the culture of the place. Also I need breakfast, I am hungry. This piece is something rather different, and a first on Natural Adventures from Dai_luk_tattoo.

Dai_luk_tattoo, Brunel Way, Bristol June 2023
Dai_luk_tattoo, Brunel Way, Bristol June 2023

I can’t tell you much about the artist, but this is a beautifully designed work of a woman arched backwards in a graceful pose and with plentiful hair. I am not sure what the orange shapes by her feet are, but they look like teeth. Surely not. Based on this I would dearly love to see more street art from this tattooist.

5348. M32 roundabout J3 (488)

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

When I first encountered Daz Cat’s pieces, they were pretty much always portraits of cats, sometimes dogs, and reasonably basic, but with that Daz Cat style. Over time his work has become more sophisticated, and about 18 months ago reached a new level, each piece telling stories, rather than just a portrait.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

This one on the St Werburghs entrance to the roundabout, is a piece that uses the square space supremely well, and the illustrative rabbit (or cat with very long ears) curled up in a tight ball appears to be spinning. There is lots of movement here and even though it is painted in greyscale, it makes a strong impression. Who’d have thought he’d be producing stuff like this a few years ago. Great to see.

5320. Upfest 2022 (78)

Rob Wheeler, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Rob Wheeler, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

I have only once before seen the work of Rob Wheeler, I think, and that is on one of the commissioned columns under the railway on Stapleton Road, and his style is so distinctive, drawing on the William Morris style of large floral decorations, almost looking like a sumptuous 1970s wallpaper design.

Rob Wheeler, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Rob Wheeler, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The design is tight, the lines sharp and fills solid, and from a technical point of view this piece is near perfect. This floral treat was a highlight of the festival, although to be fair, there were so many highlights.

5316. Upfest 2022 (74)

Wee Nuls, Upfest 22, Bristol, Upfest 2022
Wee Nuls, Upfest 22, Bristol, Upfest 2022

Another visiting artist to Upfest 22 was Wee Nuls from Belfast, although she has visited Bristol at least once before, and left a rather nice piece underneath the M32, if my memory serves me correctly. I’ll try to dig it out and add it to the end of this post.

Wee Nuls, Upfest 22, Bristol, Upfest 2022
Wee Nuls, Upfest 22, Bristol, Upfest 2022

This is a rather delightful, demonic piece from Wee Nuls, that comes across as a highly designed and polished work. It is the kind of thing you might expect to see in a gallery or as a framed contemporary picture, but here it is as a piece of street art, wonderful.

Wee Nuls, Upfest 22, Bristol, Upfest 2022
Wee Nuls, Upfest 22, Bristol, Upfest 2022

The piece is really nicely finished and sharp, using up the space on the square board really well, giving a polished and professional appearance. Great work from Wee Nuls.

Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021
Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021

5172. Elton Street (22)

Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022
Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022

Following on immediately from the previous post featuring Katie Fishlock, here is a piece that she painted, in collaboration with Fyona Finn back in April 2022, a year ago. Once again we see a bold statement accompanied by a carefully crafted illustration.

Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022
Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022

Fishlock’s style seems to be very much about the message and arresting imageryto help drive it home. Some clever wordplay is at work here and the phrase can be read as ‘Love is expansive’ or a rather more pessimistic version ‘Love is expensive’. I suspect both are true statements, and that is the point. I don’t know which artist did which bit of this piece, but as a collaboration it works perfectly. Maybe we’ll have another chapter in April 2024.

5171. Elton Street (21)

Fishhlock, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Fishhlock, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

I go to great lengths to try and keep my street art/graffiti posts fresh by mixing up the locations and artists each time I post. Today I am making an exception, posting not only the same artist, Katie Fishlock, in two consecutive posts, but also in the same spot, Elton street.

Fishhlock, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Fishhlock, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

I am not particularly familiar with Fishlock’s work, although the next post is a piece by her from last year. I think she is mostly a designer and illustrator working in the studio, who from time to time paints murals. Her messages are usually pretty hard-hitting, and this particular phrase is something she has been working on in her designs. Really eye-catching and interesting. A simple message very tidily delivered.

4986. St Werburghs tunnel (344)

Peggy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Peggy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

I met Peggy for the first time yesterday in Dean Lane, but it was the most fleeting of meetings. Peggy was finishing off a piece on a sloping wall and wasn’t really in a position to stop and chat, so I left her to it, and will I’m sure, have another opportunity to say hello.

Peggy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Peggy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

This is a gorgeous piece at the farm end of the tunnel, which I don’t think lasted very long, which is a great pity. Clearly Peggy has a great eye for design and proportion, and manages to create a piece that fits a space very well. I expect she gets lots of practice from the henna work she does. As with other pieces she has created, there is an eye in the floral design. Quite what the eye signifies, I don’t know, but I will ask, if I ever get the chance. A fine piece from Peggy.

Manhole cover

.

Circular cover

designed so it can’t fall in

simply genius

.

by Scooj

4955. Dean Lane skate park (558)

Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

Having only recently ‘discovered’ the beautiful floral art of Peggy, it turns out that I have been photographing some of her work for a while, but didn’t know who she was, so hadn’t posted any of it. I took this photograph back in July, and am pleased to share it now, because it represents yet another type of art on the vast spectrum on offer in Bristol.

Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

Peggy creates some outstanding designs for her body painting work, and then upscales some of these for walls. Beautifully painted, these designs provide a unique and refreshing addition to any spot that she paints.

Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

To the right of the piece, Peggy has pasted three of her designs on the wall, and I remember thinking at the time, maybe we have a new wheatpaster in town. Sadly, I haven’t seen any more since then, but I live in hope. Lovely work from Peggy.