It does snow in Bristol once in a while, but it is quite rare, and the March cold snap left us with a couple of inches for a day or two. It was bitterly cold on this dog walk with my daughter, and I didn’t want to hang around too long taking pictures, much to my daughter’s relief.
Zubieta, Purdown, Bristol, March 2023
The picture, by Zubieta is at odds with the snowy background, and had probably been painted a week or two before in the relative sunshine. Zubieta has painted two colourful flowers in conversation, with one telling the other “You can’t afford me”. The whole piece is nicely composed and definitely a welcome site on a cold day.
This stunning piece from RichT was painted way back in April, before I even knew of the existence of this little alleyway, and has been in my archive for a little while too, so I am a little late to the party. But better late than never.
RichT, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, May 2021
The mural is beautifully proportioned and makes really good use of the gateway and turns it into a feature. The message is clear – breathe – smell the flowers and connect with nature… slow down. It took me a little while to notice the hand holding the flower to the right hand side of the piece because it is quite stylised. A really lovely piece from RichT.
DNT has been one of those artists who has pretty much gone to ground over the last year and I have seen very little of his work. It was a lovely surprise then to find this delightful and somewhat out-of-character piece from him on the side of an eatery that has had a bit of a makeover.
DNT, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, April 2021
The El Jeffe José Cubans sandwich shop is so perfect for its Stokes Croft location and it is wonderful that they have turned to a local artist to decorate its side wall, which is at permanent risk of being tagged. A great piece like this from a local artist might see it given some respect.
DNT has painted some lovely flowers on a yellow cloud background, which is far removed from his robotic-monster pieces that we are more accustomed to. This is perfect for this spot and outlet and adds some colour and brightness to this little corner of Stokes Croft.
I knew that this piece by Rosalita existed, I just wasn’t quite sure where and when I finally discovered it on the Greenbank wall it was looking a little bit worse for wear. There is definitely a dark and tragic side to a lot of Rosalita’s work and this is something of a deathly portrait set on a backdrop of flowers.
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2021
I don’t often cut-and-paste quotes into Natural Adventures, but Rosalita’s explanation of this piece on her Instagram feed gives us an insight into this portrait:
“🌺From my rotting body flowers will grow🌺 Emptying cans with a mishmash of colours. Dreamt I visited my mother last night, in our old home, as if she had never departed. There was comfort in feeling her presence again. Buddhist believe in meditating on death and impermanence as the only certainty in life 🌱 The intention is that when we embrace the reality of death we are freed of its fear and are able to live our lives fully with an open heart 💓 It is shamanic work throughout all cultures. Themes of death are a form of meditation in my practice, the impermanence of murals is guaranteed and comes with the territory of graffiti/street art culture. In its own way is a reminder of how fragile life is, and through acceptance we can kiss the joy as it passes our way ☠️ nuff love !”
The piece is very similar to another one she painted at around the same time and which I posted here back in January 2021. Fabulous work, and I love the flowers.
I am going to be honest with you. My excitement at finding this collaboration piece by Nugmoose and Mudra was a little offset by the rather creepy and unsettling nature of the images. Nugmoose likes to experiment with alien forms and Mudra’s work is always pushing creative boundaries. The result in this case is decidedly odd, and the location slightly dingy.
Nugmoose and Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2021
Having said all that is it great that these two, and Slakarts too, have hit upon a friendship that is highly productive just at the moment. In this piece, Nugmoose’s figure is being drawn towards a hand clutching some flowers. The monster appears to have lost its eyes and is navigating its way forward using the sense of smell. Is that what is going on here? A weird piece, but a nice one to have found.
This is the second outstanding piece from a gathering of great street artists a week or two back orchestrated by The Hass. On Cattle Market Road, a theme has emerged on some of the pieces, involving a cow/cattle, the first one by Sled One that I posted yesterday.
Hazard, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, June 2020
This beauty is of course by Hazard and it really is an absolute stunner. Hazard talked about this a little in her Instagram feed saying that the vibrant red colours were chosen to reflect the sizzling lay hot day on which the piece was painted. The cow is magnificent, but it is the whole composition that screams out Hazard, with the amazing flowers and soft touch she creates with her spraying.
I hope that these hoardings remains intact for a while and that the taggers keep clear, because here we have a great showcase of Bristol talent.
Natural adventures 