It has been a good year for Zake in my view. His faces have developed well and in the second half of the year in particular his ideas and his execution have moved onto a new level. In addition to these improvements he appears to have been out and about more often.
Zake, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2020
This is a fine Halloween piece (his second of the year) which was painted on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park during an all-Spanish paint jam. One of the things that Zake has really mastered is creating shadows on the darker side of the face with varying degrees of tone and the same with brightness on the lit side of the face. Clever and accomplished work.
Following hot on the heels of the brand new artist gallery featuring Zake that I published yesterday is this Halloween piece that he painted during Face 1st’s birthday paint jam recently.
Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020
This might be the largest piece by Zake that I have seen and it is an absolute belter. The complementary colours and shadows in purple create a fantastic atmosphere with amazing expressions on each of the faces. I love his round faces with arms hanging off them, something of a speciality from Zake.
Sometimes artists tend to come into view with increasing frequency. Now I don’t know whether that is because I am noticing them more but that they have always been there or whether they are actually painting walls more often. Whatever the reason, I am definitely seeing work from CD.TC these days and that is a good thing.
CD.TC, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
This column piece at the M32 Spot is very nicely done and it has to be said that his portrait orientation style suits columns very well, a bit like Zake. The monster face contains many of the elements that we see in CD.TC’s work including great big teeth and swirly eyes. The monster appears to be consuming city buildings and smoking a cigarette. So much going on in this fun piece.
It took me a little while to solve the mystery of these faces that started to appear all over Bristol from about September time. Of course the answer was staring me in the face (almost literally) all the time, but I simply didn’t make the connection. It wasn’t until I saw an Instagram post by the artist that the penny dropped. It is of course by Slakarts.
Slakarts, Cumberland Basin, Bristtol, October 2020
Slakarts is another artist who has been fairly quiet for most of the year, but suddenly a rash of pieces very similar to this one started appearinng a few weeks ago. It is strange that an artist who is known for using a certain style changes the basic shape of his pieces and then repeats them all over the place in the form of a mega-tag, but that is what Slakarts has done. I like this piece with strong lines and fills, and it certainly catches the eye. Look out for more on Natural Adventures before too long.
With this modest piece hidden away in Cumberland Basin I bring you another artist new to Natural Adventures… drum roll… 3F fino. The wall is in a little tunnel that can easily be missed while admiring the main long wall of this spot, and 3F fino has used the space really well.
3F Fino, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2020
There is a North African Feel to this piece but I might be making some unconscious bias assumptions based on the headgear and could be quite wrong. What I particularly like about this wall is the background. The white wash has been applied in a way that has left the brick mortar lines, the result being what looks like a ceramic tile wall. An interesting debut to this blog.
Not a month goes by without a cheerful (and sometimes not so cheerful) piece from Face 1st. Today, I am going to treat you to two pieces by this prolific artist of which this is the first. Deep in St Werberghs tunnel, where there is limited natural daylight is this classic Face 1st Face.
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2020
The laughing girl whose hair is made up of the letters FACE, is a fine chrome piece that works quite well in the twighlight of the tunnel. It looks to me like Daz Cat has added in a little speech bubble with DAZ C in it. I think that is a bit of tagging fun which is allowed betwen artists. A standard Face 1st piece for all to enjoy.
It is truly great to see that Dibz and Shade One seem to be collaborating rather a lot at the moment, and they have absolutely knocked it out of the (skate) park with this recent piece in Dean Lane.
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
The face is by Shade One and to me represents a great example of a crossover of old school/new school, and what I mean by that is that there are some lines, for example the eyebrows that are quite angular and remind me of old New York style graffiti characters, but the blue frame, bubbles and decoration are much more contemporary in style.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
As ever the graffiti writing from Dibz is outstanding, and the sharp clean lines with a complex colour scheme so expertly done demonstrate clearly why Dibz is simply one of the best graffiti writers around. The red object to the right of the piece I believe is a butt plug (although I might be mistaken) and was not part of the original collaboration, unfortunately it doesn’t add much to the piece in my opinion, and is ever so slightly annoying.
Woah there, steady… A column piece under the M32, who can it possibly be by? Zake of course, but unlike any Zake piece I have seen before. This piece feels like the artist has stepped up a level, having a depth and texture unlike any of his previous pieces, although there have been signs of continuous improvement.
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
The face (of course a face) is quite scary with bright teeth and a disturbing expression and the whole column certainly stands out. What I like most is that the piece is full of texture and folds, with light and dark and I think that Zake has really nailed it. I am totally annoyed though by the sticker over one of the eyes… I guess these things happen. Looking forward to more from Zake.
This is the second piece I have posted by Mudra, but it was the first that I photographed, and as with any first discovery I am rather fond of this modest piece. Bold and yet subtle colours have been used to create this funny looking portrait of a moustached man.
Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020
There is something aboout the simplicity of the piece that makes it all rather interesting. In particular, I can’t keep my eyes off the dark pink nose. Like the last piece I posted, this one also has a little @ with a hat, which I am assuming is Mudra’s tag. Lovely stuff from the Bristol newcomer.
Natural adventures 