To use urban slang, this piece is sick (metaphorically and literally) and is a long awaited resumption to spraying walls by Biers (who goes by several other names, but Biers is the one I use).
Biers, River Avon, Bristol, November 2021
I find it hard to read exactly these letters, but I am confident that Paul H might be able to enlighten me. This is a tight piece; the letters are bold and clean, the fills nicely horizontally graded, the white accents neat and tidy and the character clean and simple. Overall this is the work of a talented and experienced graffiti writer and it is great to see him getting busy again.
I simply don’t get round to posting as much of the work I see as I would like to, and this is one of several recent Mudra pieces I have photographed and actually managed to write up. This one is notable for its location, because I haven’t seen many Mudra paintings on the north side of Bristol, apart from under the M32, alongside the river Frome.
Mudra, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2021
Mudra has a style and tone that is quite easily identified, but it is his @ signature that confirms the artist. Mudra likes to use these soft blues reds and pinks in his work and he uses a lot of soft curves too. This piece is some kind of alien or monster, not unlike something that Nugmoose might create. A nice column piece.
Finding and photographing this wonderful collaboration between Haka and Logoe was a very special moment, because I met Haka for the first time, just as he was tidying up and photographing his work; and what a phenomenally nice bloke he is.
Haka, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
On the left is a fairly typical piece of block letter writing combined with a cheeky character. His somewhat chaotic style belies his talent as a graffiti artist of great merit. It is always great to see too his everlasting tributes to CK1.
Logoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
On the right is another Logoe piece from his recent prolific assault on Bristol’s walls. Haka was able to shed some light on this peak activity. I understand that Logoe lives in Pembrokeshire and only occasionally visits Bristol. When he does come he brings with him loads of sketches and ideas for pieces and paints like there is no tomorrow. This is, of course, great news for us. This script style piece decorated with shades of grey and purple carries the message “Just because you grow old… you don’t have to grow up”. Makes sense to me. More to come from this Logoe marathon.
Life is full of surprises, and for me some of the best surprises are new murals in town that have not been on my radar, and this outstanding new piece in St Werburgh’s Park, by Gabriel Pitcher, is definitely one of those great surprises to lift the spirits. This piece is part of an initiative called ‘Vanguard x TOward 2030, What are you doing?’, and there is a very good webpage from Street Art News that explains the event and showcases several artworks and artists around Bristol – more for me to seek out!
Gabriel Pitcher, St Werburgh’s Park, Bristol, November 2021
I have borrowed some text from the Street Art News website to help explain some of the background to this Gabriel Pitcher piece:
“Gabriel Pitcher has partnered with community ambassador, The Global Goals Centre to paint a mural in St Werburgh’s, Bristol celebrating Bristol 17 hero Katie Cross, founder of Pledgeball.
Pledgeball harnesses the power of football and its fans to accelerate the pursuit of global sustainability. Through affiliated clubs, it prompts fans into small lifestyle ‘pledges’ in support of their favourite team and their only planet and empowers fans by demonstrating the huge impact even small changes can make for the benefit of themselves and their environment.”
Gabriel Pitcher, St Werburgh’s Park, Bristol, November 2021
The piece itself is so natural. Subtle colours, tons of movement and a modesty that is a rare thing in large murals these days. It is so good to see this kind of people-engagement with the environment through art, something we could see a lot more of in the coming years, I hope. This is a fabulous and worthy (in the good sense) piece.
I have a feeling that this mask-like face may have been a Halloween piece from Laic217, at least it was certainly painted around that period at the end of October. The piece is far from typical of Laic’s work but contains his recognisable style.
Laic217, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2021
Set on a vibrant pink background the grey scale demon stares out from the wall menacingly. The mask-like structure is rather static and fixed, which is different to most of his other work which tends to be full of animation and movement. Great to see something a little bit different.
Now I know that this classic piece from John D’oh has been here for a while, but as I only recently visited Burnham-on-Sea for the first time, I have not seen it before, but what a fabulous shutter piece it is. Beautifully executed and witty.
John D’oh, Princess Street, Burnham-on-Sea, September 2021
It is a really cleverly constructed pastiche of the work of Lichtenstein, and comes together as such really well. It takes a lot of skill and courage to carry something like this of, but John D’oh has managed it with his customary class. An excellent piece and really worth seeking out if you find yourself in the area.
It is also worth noting the cheeky little Veee character in the left of the shutter in the feature photograph.
This wall under Brunel Way was taken over a couple of weeks back by the Bristol Women’s Collective in a fabulous paint jam which resulted in several small and very interesting pieces. This one is by Billy, and really ticks a lot of boxes for me (in other words I like it).
Billy, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
The abstract design, inspired by a swirly rug in Old Market, obviously, is simply painted and presented, but combined with the words tells a wonderful story and encourages the mind to wander into the market and imagine. An unmistakably Billy piece, and fabulous at that.
On Natural Adventures, I typically prepare the images in advance that I am going to post, so I might have maybe up to two week’s worth of material waiting in the wings. Then each morning, before work, I quickly pull some words together and insert the prepared images, and hey presto, we have street art post number 4046.
This approach means that I know, several days in advance what pieces I will be posting, so when Skronius posted this new piece on Instagram yesterday, I was able to inform him that I had coincidentally prepared a blog which I would publish today. I expect that this rambling is just too much information, so on to the piece.
Skronius, Purdown Battery, Bristol, October 2021
Skronius definitely seems to favour this spot, and I haven’t yet seen any of his work anywhere else in Bristol. His style is quite illustrative and is full of dynamism and movement. This bright and colourful creature munching on steps reminds me very much of the Buddhist art you might see in Nepal or Tibet, the theme, style and colours could all have been lifted from that region and placed here in Purdown. I am a fan of Skronius’ work which is refreshing and different. Looking forward to finding more, and seeing Skronius develop as a street artist.
The Spanish HMR crew hit the support wall under Brunel Way a week or two back and this amazing black panther portrait from Dabuten Tronko was the centrepiece, flanked by a pair of writers on each side.
Dabuten Tronko, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
Dabuten Tronko’s character pieces set a really high standard in Bristol, and although he doesn’t paint all that often, when he does it is nearly always a beauty like this one. It is interesting to see how he has left the writing above the panther intact painting the red light around the back of the letters. A nice touch. This is yet another fine piece from the artist and makes me think that perhaps it is time for a gallery of his work.
Having only recently started to post pieces by Dopes, it was particularly gratifying to find this absolute beauty recently. Sprayed during a recent paint jam celebrating the opening of a relocated eatery, this piece really stood out, and ticks a lot of my boxes.
Dopes, City Road, Bristol, October 2021
The multi-coloured, beautifully and skilfully patterned fills are truly exceptional, and the white spots and trims provide the depth and 3D look. Dopes’ letter shapes are all very nice too, particularly the elaborate D. This is a belter of a piece of graffiti writing from the RAW man.
Natural adventures 