Tag: Graffiti

4858. Dean Lane skate park (543)

Dibz and Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Dibz and Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

Two of the greats of the contemporary street art scene in Bristol, Dibz and Acer One, have come together to create this magnificent collaborative wall in Deal Lane. You could hardly get two more contrasting styles of writing side-by-side – perhaps the inclusion of someone like Stivs or Mudra might just do it.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

Set on a buffed duck-egg blue wall, Dibz has painted one of his outstanding wildstyle pieces, which would normally spell DIBZ, but in this case it says EVIE. Using the tried and tested pink and blue (lilac) combination for the letters, Dibz has contrasted it with little yellow/orange squares, which personally speaking, I don’t think work very well with the background wall colour, and leaves me feeling a little queezy.

Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

To the right, Acer One, who I was fortunate enough to have a long chat with yesterday in the tunnel, has also written something different. The name TOBY is the focus of this piece, which was a birthday tribute piece for his son. What better present could a person wish for? Some great colours in the letters, and the customary double shadow together create an amazing 3D effect, with the letters really standing out from the wall. Happy belated birthday, Toby.

4857. Porto (15)

Fedor and Costah, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Fedor and Costah, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

One of the key differences between street art in Bristol and street art in Porto is the walls to paint on. In Bristol, most of the walls are brick, rendered, shutters, containers or hoarding. In Porto, sun-bleached stone walls and breeze block walls are favoured by artists, although commissions tend to be on rendered walls, much like at home.

Fedor, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Fedor, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

This is a lovely piece by Fedor (a street artist and graffiti writer from Porto), fringed with some Costah paste ups to its left. The wise old dog is beautifully painted and the mastery of working with a spray can, can be seen in the dog’s nose, with three shades (like a stencil) providing texture and depth. A lovely and slightly weathered piece.

4856. Porto (14)

Berri Blue, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Berri Blue, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

I love this. If you are going to create street art in Porto, what better medium to use than tiles? Looking back through my photographs of Porto street art, my only regret is that I didn’t find more of these installations by Berri Blue than I did.

Berri Blue, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Berri Blue, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

Berri Blue is a Polish/Irish artist working in Porto who believes that interpretation of her work is up to the viewer. Well I fully approve of that, but interpretation of her work could end up down a rather macabre blind alley, so I will take a more superficial viewpoint and thoroughly enjoy the artwork and presentation, including the selection of location. The people of Porto are blessed to have pieces like this one in their city.

4855. Porto (13)

 

Costah, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Costah, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

This piece, by Costah, was photographed in early June and is clearly in support of Ukraine. The shock waves of Putin’s aggressive war against Ukraine since then have contributed to human suffering far beyond the borders of the two countries. There is little that citizens of Europe can do apart from offering help and hope.

Costah, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Costah, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

Costah has placed a pair of his characters in a solemn embrace in the centre of a Ukrainian flag and the word HOPE. In an act of solidarity for the oppressed, he has also listed Palestine, Myanmar, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Iraq along the foot of the piece. Pieces like this remind us about the bigger picture and take us away from our first world problems, at least for a moment.

 

 

4854. Porto (12)

Antoine Caramalli, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Antoine Caramalli, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

Although small, this wheatpaste was probably the most striking piece of street art that I came across in Porto. The placement of the piece was key, being on a bright yellow wall in a side street. The curious would stop and take a closer look, others would stroll on by without a glance.

Antoine Caramalli, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Antoine Caramalli, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

The wheatpaste is by a French? artist Antoine Caramalli whose work appears to be strongly themed and considered. The two characters, a man and a girl are riding an octopus, and why not? And the man is wearing a pair of blue and red 3D glasses, a recurring theme in the artist’s work. Unusual and intriguing.

4853. Porto (11)

Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

Although I have more than enough Bristol pieces I want to share on Natural Adventures, I feel it would be wrong not to also feature a few more pieces from my trip to Porto in June this year. It is remarkable how different these pieces are from the kind of thing we see back home, and it illustrates how each country/city has its own distinct style and culture.

Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

This small selection is from Hazul, who would appear to be the most prolific artist in Porto, alongside Costah. Judging from the aged look of some of Hazul’s pieces, I would guess that the artist has been painting the city walls for quite some time.

Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

Hazul specialises in beautiful abstract designs, normally painted in soft muted colours, and quite often incorporates a crystal, acting like a signature. I think that I have enough photographs of Hazul’s work to do a little gallery, which demonstrates both the endurance and proliferation of the artist’s work.

4852. Cumberland Basin

It has been a little while since I last saw a piece from Mr Underbite, so it was a pleasure to encounter this new piece, tucked away in Cumberland Basin. I love the way that Mr Underbite uses his basic character template and then ‘pimps it up’ to tell a different story.

Mr Underbite, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
Mr Underbite, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022

The story in this piece is the Bristol story, and, as it the custom here, features the Clifton Suspension bridge designed and built by I. K. Brunel (although I believe he died before its completion). The suspension wires on the bridge have given Mr Underbite a smile, which isn’t something we are accustomed to with this character. Keep up the great work. (Note to self – do a gallery of Clifton Suspension bridge pieces).

4851. Brunel Way (185)

Klashwhensober, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022
Klashwhensober, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022

There doesn’t seem to be any letting up from Klashwhensober, and you have to admire his grit and determination. Added to that, you also have to admire the constant improvement and development of his bright pieces, as he becomes one of the more prominent writers in the city.

Klashwhensober, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022
Klashwhensober, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022

This bright SOBER writing is accompanied by a rather sinister gun-toting character, whose shooting has peppered the writing with bullet holes and bleeding. What marks this piece out, and indeed is a bit of a signature feature from the artist, is the objects and splashes bursting out of the middle of the writing. A fine grey-3D drop shadow and day glow green border (with drips) and cloudy background finish the piece nicely.

4850. Coach and Horses

Bnie, Coach and Horses, Bristol, November 2022
Bnie, Coach and Horses, Bristol, November 2022

This post gives you an indication of how long it takes me to process a piece from seeking it out, to photographing it, to preparing it, to posting it. In this case it has taken about a month, and that is why you are seeing a Halloween piece on 30 November. My apologies.

Bnie, Coach and Horses, Bristol, November 2022
Bnie, Coach and Horses, Bristol, November 2022

This is by the outstanding writer Bnie whose work grows on me more and more with each piece I see. The letters were painted as part of an RBF Halloween paint jam, which has been the source of some great content for Natural Adventures. Fantastic letter shapes and great colours are perfectly presented, together with the spooky scene playing out in the fill, and is exactly what you want from a Halloween piece. Woooo!

4849. Cumberland Basin

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022

As I said in a recent write-up, I struggle to keep up with the prolific Mote, but like to post what I can when I can. This is a rather fun piece from the artist in one of his favourite spots on the north bank of the river in Cumberland Basin.

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022

Mote has made space on the wall to allow the piece to stand out from the surrounding graffiti, something he tends to do very well. The monster is another creation from his fertile imagination, and is rather likeable. The decorations in the fills are rather interesting, in particular the toadstools – I’m not too sure where they are coming from…