Tag: Frome side

3817. Frome side (12)

I don’t know if there is an awful lot more I can say about the kawaii cuteness of Maesyhook’s work, other than to say that here is another fine piece hot off the production line, this time underneath the M32.

Maesyhook, Frome side, Bristol, June 2-021
Maesyhook, Frome side, Bristol, June 2-021

I think that this a rather sweet little creature emerging from a banana – how do you think of such a thing? Usually we associate large spiders with bananas, having hitched a ride from their native countries. This is a very nicely finished piece, painted with her soft pastel colours that lend themselves so well to these (edgy) cute characters.

3782. Frome Side (11)

I always feel a little anxious visiting this spot, because I get these ridiculous images of falling into the river, and need to be extra vigilant. The anxiety is more than worth it in terms of the reward of some seriously excellent graffiti art. This lively piece is by Lewse.

Lewse, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021
Lewse, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021

The format is a common one for Lewse, with letters in her own font, beautifully filled and book-ended with a lovely Yogi Bear cartoon character. Lewse has definitely got these writing/cartoon character combos down to a tee. Always good to see her work.

3767. Frome side (11)

The nice thing about dropping down beneath the M32, where a canalised section of the River Frome flows, is that it seems to be a popular spot for visiting artists to paint, often accompanied by Bristol friends showing them around.

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

This delightful piece by Wee Nuls was painted a few weeks back by the Belfast-based artist who, it appears, cut her teeth with spray painting in Bristol some time ago. I love this kind of portrait piece that sits comfortably alongside Slakarts, Pekoe and others who create bright and colourful faces about the city. I hope that Wee Nuls makes more trips to Bristol soon.

3759. Frome side (10)

Slakarts is not only a talented street artist, but he is also a really decent bloke. I was walking through the tunnel a couple of weeks back, and he cycled past me, and then stopped to say hello. After a very brief chat, he said he had to dash, but I was rather touched that he had bothered to stop at all.

Slakarts, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021
Slakarts, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021

This piece next to the M32 Spot is a rather interesting take on his faces, and with the tooth missing has the appearance of a punk granny. It certainly made me smile when I saw it, although I have seen another like it elsewhere. Slakarts keeps churning out his very distinct style of portraits, and Bristol is all the better for them.

3542. Frome side (9)

One of the real privileges of the last year or so has been to witness the emergence of so many new street artists in Bristol, and even more exciting is that roughly half of them are female and are absolutely smashing it. There almost seems to be a new school of female artists loosely linked and bringing their own particular colourful blend of art. Exciting times.

Tao.Create, Frome side, Bristol, February 2021
Tao.Create, Frome side, Bristol, February 2021

One of these artists is Tao.create whose beautiful trapeze artist is still adorning one of the columns at the M32 Spot. This looks like a practice piece to me although it is difficult to say. Tao.create seems to love the body form and has a great skill for portraying movement. Equally clever is the absence of facial features which helps to focus our gaze on the whole body shape. I love the understated nature and location of this piece. I can’t wait to see more.

3445. Frome side (8)

I think this piece was painted way back in October last year, but I only recently photographed it when I ventured down into this spot. I have noticed that there are some new pieces visible from the slip road and that I really ought to get myself down there again soon.

Claro_Que_sssnoh, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Claro_Que_sssnoh, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

This intricate piece of graffiti writing from Claro_que_sssnoh spells out SNOH is an absolute stunner, and there are so many elements in it to admire. The letters are elaborate and composed of two colours, plus outlines, tracking the curves and lines. The whole thing is set on an orange and red bubble background which is in tuning set on a black and white grid. Technically this is a belter, and it looks pretty good too.

3440. Frome side (7)

There are some pieces that will have very limited audiences, and this is one of them. Soap has painted one of his trademark smiley mouth-skull pieces on the back of a pillar under the M32 overlooking the River Frome. The only way of getting to see it is by dropping down under the motorway and walking along the reinforced bank of the River Frome. It can’t even be seen from the overlooking M32 Spot.

Soap, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Soap, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

One might ask why paint something that so few people will see, but that might be missing the point a bit about the motivations behind why graffiti and street artists do what they do. It tends to be for the love of doing it. This is a particularly nice example of his mouthy face, with a lovely yellow background and sharp lines with some nice fills. The white highlights work really well to give it that 3D lift. A great column piece.

3419. Frome side (6)

This is not the first piece that I have seen by Ugloe, but it is the first to appear on Natural Adventures. I will dig out some of the others soon. Ugloe has only recently come into my line of sight but her work is bright, bold and enriched with little characters, especially dogs, which can only be a good thing. I met her a week or two back when she was painting a piece on the M32 cycle path. Unfortunately when I returned to photograph it had been over-painted.

Ugloe, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Ugloe, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

There was less chance of this more recent piece being over painted because of the accessibility of the Frome side spot, so I got to see this lovely piece in all its glory. The block letters are beautifully filled in a multicolour fusion and the piece is pulled together nicely with a reclining figure and little dog. A quality piece from Ugloe and the first of many on this blog, I’m certain.

3415. Frome side (5)

The Frome side spot is marginally less accessible than most of the other regular spots in Bristol and certainly feels a little more edgy for an old codger like me, but the rewards are definitely worth the effort.

Dabuten Tronko, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Dabuten Tronko, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

On a recent visit I picked up a whole load of new pieces, including this one from Dabuten Tronko – it is a bit of a beast. Unfortunately the light conditions weren’t favourable for photographing this wall and there is quite a lot of glare. I wonder if dusk might be a better time to visit. The skull and skeleton are nonetheless very nicely done, complete with yellow teeth.

Dabuten Tronko, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Dabuten Tronko, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

What I assume to be guts form the letters HMR which is the crew of Spanish artists who are becoming so firmly established in the City. The thin green outline is brilliant and helps make the whole thing stand out. Another fine piece from Dabuten Tronko whose work often seems to be slightly off the radar.

Dabuten Tronko, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Dabuten Tronko, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

3406. Frome side (4)

I managed to get out to do some street art photography during the Christmas break without the dog. That meant that I could clamber down into the Frome side spot, which is behind and below the M32 Spot, with only my own safety to think about. The trip was well worth it, and I expect to post several pieces from this cavernous location in the coming weeks. One of the first pieces I saw was this rather nice burner from Conrico which I believe he had only painted the day before, so I was there at just the right time.

Conrico, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Conrico, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

For one reason or another I haven’t seen much Conrico work for the last few months. I think he has been painting a fair bit, but just not in the places that I tend to go to. The piece was painted during a particularly wet couple of days and is a warming fire set in a stormy sea kind of background. I like the piece very much, it has an untamed feel about it, bursting with colour and emotion. The message ‘F*ck the rain away’ tells its own story of frustration. Great to find.