I first photographed this Daz Cat cat some while ago, but never posted it because there was a dark shadow cast across it. On a recent trip into the depths of Montpelier I was able to have a second crack at it and this time the sun shone and I timed my visit (by luck not judgement) at the right time of day thus avoiding any shadows.
Daz Cat, St Andrews Road, Bristol, January 2021
I have a feeling that Daz Cat enjoys painting in North Bristol and it is rare to find anything by him south of the river. This is just a nice chrome cat wearing a scarf and adding a little bit of character to a wall that was begging for decoration. Nice work.
Of all the ‘masters’ of Bristol graffiti writing, I think that Hemper is probably the least represented on Natural Adventures. I am not entirely sure why that might be. Perhaps it is the modest approach he takes to his highly technical freestyle work, or to the fact that he normally paints with other artists, which might take the attention away. I don’t know. Anyhow, I really ought to address this imbalance – perhaps with a gallery.
Hemper, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2021
In this piece under Brunel Way, Hemper spells out HEMS with some glorious curvy letters filled with a couple of shade of purple and embellished in a way that gives it a shiny 3D effect – how does he achieve that shiny thing? Some very clever white additions that give it a reflective quality. This is a real technical banger.
I have expressed before how much I like this wall. Protected from the rain, it is a wall that can change at almost any time without warning. Sometimes you need to be patient to photograph it because this is a DIY skate park and it can get quite busy, but there are often some really nice pieces here, including this one from T-Rex, so it is worth waiting.
T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021
Spelling out T-REX, this is an extraordinarily colourful and happy piece, with each letter having at least two fill colours and patterns expertly and cleanly executed. I have a feeling it is dedicated to Ryder – perhaps a birthday or anniversary or something like that. This is great graffiti writing.
A few years ago, it was the wheatpastes of Kid Crayon that fired up my curiosity about street art, but they are not common in Bristol, so whenever I find one it is always cause for celebration.
Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Mudra arrived in Bristol last year and immediately made an impact with several of his characteristic face pieces and writing. Now, if you hunt around in the Cumberland Basin you will find this beauty ‘data muncher’ which I very much hope is the first of many wheatpastes from him. Classy.
It has been sad to witness the downfall of graffiti spots in the Stokes Croft area under the relentless march of gentrification. I understand that redevelopment is part and parcel of the growing up of a city, it is just a shame that local communities and cultures are swept aside, without any allowance for them. For example the creation of ‘legal walls’ to keep that ‘feel’ of an area. Obviously that goes against the proliferation of clinical, sanitised, overpriced housing that we see emerging in towns and cities across the country.
It is the lack of imagination and creativity that is so upsetting, almost as if town planners and corporate architects have had their ‘fun chips’ removed. It is all about squeezing as much profit out of every square inch of land, no regard for local communities or indeed the natural environment. I don’t see much in the way of creation of proper green spaces accompanying the gentrification agenda. Let’s line our pockets with gold. Greedy fools.
There won’t be many more posts from Moon Street, is my guess, because of this relentless building programme, and many street/graffiti artists seem to have abandoned the area altogether. That is why it was especially gratifying to come across this quick collaboration from Rezwonk and Mena.
Rezwonk, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2021
Rezwonk has been fairly quite over the last six months, working on other projects not entirely unrelated to his art. This piece has an industrial/construction feel to it, with rivets locking pieces of his letters in place. Modest, but really nicely done. This could be walked past quite easily as a simple throw up, but it is rather more sophisticated than that.
Mena, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2021
Menaces adopted the same colour scheme, but her fills are rather more straightforward. Both artists have followed the ‘code’ of the colour scheme, and it is one of those collaborations that are joined but not fused. Nice to see.
When it comes to writing about graffiti writing by Ryder, there is little more to say than he is an exceptional talent and seeing his work is always accompanied by a bat-squeak of excitement.
Ryder, L Dub, Bristol, January 2021
A recent trip to L Dub was fruitful, and among that crop of superb pieces was this one from Ryder. Full of colour and a fine fluid movement of the letters which makes this piece of writing very easy on the eye. Sophisticated and smart.
It has taken me far too long to take photographs of this wonderful mural by Alex Lucas. It is in Picton Street on the facade of her shop and replaced one that she had painted a few years earlier and which had begun to look a little tired. The makeover is a huge success.
Alex Lucas, Picton Street, Bristol, January 2021
I think that Alex Lucas deserves a title, something like the Duchess of Montpelier would be appropriate on account of the sheer volume of outstanding murals, big and small, that she has painted in the area, helping to make it a ‘go to’ destination for visitors to Bristol.
Alex Lucas, Picton Street, Bristol, January 2021
The black and white birds are beautifully drawn and sit on a backdrop of outstanding purple flowers on a blue background. This is both sumptuous and eye-catching and a massive part of Bristol’s USP (one that Bristol City Council are conflicted about – I’ll probably leave that rant for another post).
Pekoe’s portraits just keep getting better and better and seem to flow with the ease of an artist really enjoying their trade. There is something just a little bit special about this one, Maybe it is the RBF T-shirt, maybe it is something else, but it works very well for me.
Pekoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2021
The lighting in the tunnel, as I have said countless times, is dreadful, and I had to adjust the colours to be a truer representation, because my original photograph was ‘yellowed out’. No tears on the face of this young lady, but an emphasis on cheeks and lips. Big hair as always and an all-round wonderful portrait piece.
I am very much enjoying this little pulse of activity from Laic217, and from all over the city too, what a treat. This is a tidy piece in which he recognises his PAD crew by name, and possibly represents some of them with his skeletal characters… who knows?
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
The black and white skeletons on a magenta background almost look like charcoal sketches and are very nicely done, and he has managed to achieve expressions from expressionless skulls – very clever. His crew (or kru as he calls them) are Cort, Ugar, who seems to have left Bristol, MRB and Zios (I don’t know either of them) Zbok (followmyrabbits) and Laic217 himself. Some great Polish/Hungarian talent there.
I have a feeling that this playful piece in St Werburghs tunnel was the first time that I became aware of the work of Ugloe, way back in October. I have stumbled across one or two others and each of them is carefully thought out and beautifully executed.
Ugloe, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2020
Ugloe’s style is a clever mash up of graffiti writing combined with illustration and is very effective. It merges the edgy with the safe. In this piece, the colourful letters spelling UGLO are being decorated and given some sparkle by three of her distinctive characters. A joyful piece.
Natural adventures 