Tag: Graffiti

4340. Cumberland Basin

I am beginning to wonder whether Haka has young children, because many of his recent pieces feature characters from children’s picture books, such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Lazybones and in this piece, Stick Man, created by the fabulous Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Haka, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022
Haka, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022

Not only is this a faithful homage to the creators of the character, but it is also an anti-war piece in support of the people of Ukraine whose world has been thrown into turmoil by the invasion by Russia, directed by the dictator Putin. I am very much enjoying Haka’s work at the moment, and really feel it is high time for a gallery.

4339. Greenbank (34)

I cannot fully express how much I am enjoying Rozalita’s renaissance, and find myself simply marvelling at her work. This piece fits the formula of a few of her recent pieces with a two tone portrait framed within a floral display. One of her favoured spots is this long wall on the Bristol to Bath cycle path, and several of her pieces can be seen here in one visit.

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

The colour tones of this piece are perfectly complementary, and help to bring out the features in the greyscale face. I’m not too sure what the blue cap is all about, but it separates the face from the background very nicely. The flowers are very nicely painted, I particularly like the one on the left, which looks a little bit like a protea. The improvements in Rozalita’s work is tangible from piece to piece, and I have a tinge of excitement each time I come across a new one.

4338. St Werburghs tunnel (285)

Rarely has an entrant to the Bristol street art scene been as dramatic as that of Asre. Although this is the first piece of his to appear on Natural Adventures, it most certainly will not be the last. In the last week or two, I have photographed more than ten of these character faces, most of which, if not all, will have been painted this year.

Asre, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2022
Asre, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2022

Asre is one of several new character artists in Bristol, and their numbers seem to be swelling. I wouldn’t quite call it a school or a movement, but it is definitely a thing. Asre’s cartoon-style characters are very nicely finished with thick line borders, but the feature details are really nicely worked too. I suspect the artist could probably create one of these with his eyes shut, given the amount of practice he puts in. Watch this space for more. A nice shout out to Bogat and and Klashwhensober too.

4337. New Stadium Road (39)

She’s not been painting for all that long, but already Desi has established herself on the Bristol scene, and her short ‘desi’ pieces are appearing at all the popular spots in the city. Desi’s USP is to keep her letter designs broadly similar, with the rather special little heart over the ‘i’, but to fill the letters with experimental combinations of colours and fill styles, often blending in all sorts of curious ways.

Desi, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2022
Desi, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2022

The colour selection for this piece; black, pink, purple, white helps the letters to stand out from the wall without the need to buff the wall first. I am looking forward to watching on as Desi develops and improves, as I think there is headroom to work with here.

4336. Sprke Evans Park (36)

There are currently two top-drawer calligraffiti artists in Bristol at the moment. Stivs and Todoaciem. Both have their distinct styles, and both pay incredible attention to detail in their craft. This is a superb piece from Todoaciem, spelling CIEM on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park.

Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

The letters of this piece are incredibly regular and to the untrained eye might be very hard to read, but all becomes quite clear when you know what the letters spell out. Todoaciem has chosen his colours well, with two tones of blue for his letters and black and yellow 3Dshading to help the letters pop. I cannot be sure if the blue and yellow colours have been chosen to support Ukraine, but even if they weren’t consciously, perhaps there was something unconscious about it. I’ve not seen one of these for a little while.

4335. Jamaica Street (25)

Jamaica Street is one of the more vibrant and interesting streets in Bristol; it is a spur running off Stokes Croft at Turbo Island and is well known for its addiction clinic, and the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft. There is a row of houses that over the years have been heavily tagged, adding to the rather grubby feel of the place, but recently Hazard has been commissioned to paint the front of these houses, in an effort to breathe new life into and respect for the area. Her subtle pieces are just the ticket, and thoroughly uplifting. They are, however, also almost impossible to photograph. I managed to capture one recently and am sharing it with you now.

Hazard, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2022
Hazard, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2022

In addition to her remarkable portrait pieces, Hazard has a supreme talent for painting flowers, and she has worked wonders with these roses and other leaves/flowers on this building. This work reminds me of the kind of decorative painting you see on buildings on the continent, but is much less common here in the UK. Superb work that is utterly uplifting in a place that benefits so much from kindness, love and decency.

I am now getting a little nervous in case this isn’t by Hazard, because I can’t find any verification on the interweb. I am sure I shall be corrected if it isn’t by her.

4334. Brunel Way (148)

If you see the word ‘Milk’ written in a streaky script style on a Bristol wall, the liklihood is that is is by Wxttsart. In recent months the number of these pieces has swelled significantly, and Wxttsart would appear to be a rather busy man.

Wxttsart, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
Wxttsart, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022

This fine piece is on the long wall under Brunel Way, and showcases Wxttsaet’s fine skill as a graffiti writer. His style is unorthodox, and very much his own, and is beautifully worked. What is quite clever about his work is that at first glance it looks a bit untidy, but on closer inspection it is very carefully crafted and finished. Watch out for more milk art in coming weeks.

4333. M32 roundabout J3 (400)

It is fitting that the 400th piece I have posted from the M32 roundabout should be by one of Bristol’s most established and respected artists, Andy Council. This is a superb piece that was part of a collaborative effort alongside Hemper.

Andy Council, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Andy Council, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022

Andy Council’s work is easily identifiable by its composition. His creations usually feature an animal that is made up of component parts; he used to paint small buildings and architecture, but these days he uses ‘blocks’ threaded together, almost like a child’s toy. He manages to turn a 3D concept into a completely credible piece of wall art – amazing really. This beast looks a little bit like something from a horror film. Always good to see Andy Council’s imaginative work.

4332. M32 Cycle path (169)

One of the most noticeable things about Bristol street and graffiti art over the past two years has been the sheer volume of new artists either trying their hand at spaying walls or moving to the city famed for its graffiti culture, either way, it all adds to the vast melting pot we are privileged to observe.

Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022

This is the first of many pieces, I’m sure, by Bogat to appear on Natural Adventures, but already I have several more lined up and in the archive. I am rather drawn to this style of street art, faces and portraits are always interesting. Bogat is ideally suited to columns and doors, because his work is often vertically drawn out and sometimes bleeds onto the ground. This is a birthday shout-out to his fiend and painting pal Asre (another new artist to Bristol).

This piece is on one of my favourite doors which has hosted many artists – I feel a special post coming up featuring this door. So much more to come from Bogat.

4331. Horfield skate park (9)

John D’oh definitely has a clever approach to his craft. He manages to present a blend of humour and politics in his work, using lots of different stencil techniques and influences to get his messages across. Sometimes he leans heavily on pathos, sometimes deep criticism and at other times wit, and in this stencil, he deals with a very serious issue with the latter approach.

John D'oh, Horfield skate park, Bristol, March 2022
John D’oh, Horfield skate park, Bristol, March 2022

I very much like the fact that he visits this skate park from time to time, partly because it is reasonably close to where I live, but also because it is an infrequently visited spot by artists and turnover there is very low.

This peace dove has had its work cut out over the last few years, and is once again called upon to intervene. We need all the peace we can muster at the moment. A beautifully crafted and sensitively pitched humorous stencil piece from John D’oh.