I don’t quite remember exactly the name of the road that this stunning Feoflip piece is in, but it is in Bedminster off East Street I think. Just one of the amazing legacy of works left behind by the artist during and after Upfest 2016. I like everything about this artist – his style and soft colour choices, his attention to finding the right spot and his adventurous spirit.
Feoflip, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
This Picassoesque face in grey shades on the mustard yellow background works perfectly on the red brick wall. Feoflip seems to have developed a technique that generates splatty thin lines that create the detail in his work and give it a really interesting texture. Unlike any other artist I have seen, Feoflip’s unique style works really well for me. I do hope he returns to Bristol before too long.
Tucked away in a lane not usually associated with Kid Crayon was this rather unusual two-tone piece from July 2017. One of the things that I would often associate with Kid Crayon is his abundant use of colour, so this was something of a change.
Kid Crayon, Hepburn Road, Bristol, July 2017
My guess is that this was a quick one that was more for his own amusement than for public display. I love finding works like this, because they show another side of an artist and the range and diversity of their work. Without the signature, this would be quite difficult to identify as a KC piece. I’m not sure what the speech bubble says, but it looks like ‘wired’ to me. Does it refer to KC himself or to the character of the piece?
This long piece is a bit of a monster and unusually garish for Soker. It has the appearance of a huge washing up session with the grimey green slime getting a bit of a clean up from the bubbly water. The SOKER will come clean.
Soker, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2019
Painted in February last year, the piece would have been one of the last to appear on this particular wall, because not long after the hoardings were removed and the block of flats inhabited. Previously the empty lot had been a wonderful spot and was used every year by Upfest. Another loss to the Bristol street art community, but at least the housing provided looks like it was appropriately affordable.
Oh what a beauty from Rezwonk on the M32 cycle path. I think that the most prolific artists are at greater risk of having work that I struggle to post. One of the reasons for this is that I like to present a representative spectrum of the street/graffiti in Bristol and so if an artist paints three walls in a week, I will reserve a couple of them to post at a later date… this is a later date, a much later date.
Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2019
I really love this piece, the colours, the letter style and the details. Set on a flame-coloured background of Rezwonk ‘R’ tags, the letters are supported with a deep 3D shadow that seems to have a vanishing point somewhere behind the ‘Z’. The finishing touches of cracks in some of the letters adds even more interest to the whole thing. Classy.
It was those damn shadows cast across the piece from bright sunlight passing through leafy trees. That is why I never posted this magnificent wall from SPZero76. It is not the first time and it won’t be the last time that I have struggled with this wall. Having said that, I usually manage to get back and take a picture on a dull day, regrettably not on this occasion.
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76 has an arrangement with the owners of the wall where he decorates it for them and they pay for the paint. Not a bad arrangement really. This piece from 2017 is painted entirely in three or four tones, and looks a lot like the artist’s sketches that he churns out regularly.
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
Painted in the pre-EAT era (the collaborative partnership with Kid Crayon) this is a solo piece with all the wonderful detail we expect from SPZero76. The Ancient Egyptian inspired scene includes figures that appear to be a fusion of people with robots, a favourite theme used by SPZero76.
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
I am always completely baffled by the fine detail detail that he manages to incorporate into his work and I am happy at last to share it with you after so long under wraps.
I think that regular readers of Natural Adventures will be more used to seeing rabbits from Nevergiveup (#followmyrabbits) than from Hire, but it was the latter who painted them in Bristol first, especially in The Bearpit and Dean Lane.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2017
This old one is on the famous curved wall at Dean Lane skate park and is beautifully finished. Set on a dark red and rather moody background, this menacing rabbit (with Gothic styling) is painted in a grey-green that contrasts brilliantly with it. One that escaped my clutches from way back in February 2017. Nice to free it.
Due to his incredible turnover, it was always inevitable that some pieces by Deamze were going to get left behind in the vast filing system that is my archive. Thanks to the lock down I am going through old unpublished material because so little contemporary stuff is being painted just now.
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2017
All the hallmarks of a great Deamze piece are here… the angular technical and complex wildstyle writing and a cute little character. I think that the character is meant to be Garfield, and if it is, then for once it is a bit of a dud from Deamze in terms of its likeness. If it is not Garfield, then it is a brilliant little cat, and who doesn’t like cat street art?
The biggest mystery to me during this rather self-indulgent trip into my street art archives imposed by the coronavirus pandmic lock down is that I find it quite hard to understand why so many great pieces got left behind on the ‘cutting room floor’, like this beauty from Elvs.
Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017
Painted back in March 2017 this wonderful piece of wildstyle writing incorporates an addition of a skull and intriguingly some Japanese-looking script in yellow and pink running through the ELVS lettering. I know that several pieces by Elvs incorporate some Japanese lettering, but I don’t know why… I’ll have to ask him next time I see him (which could be some considerable time). A classy piece from this exceptional artist.
Thanks to lock down, I am sharing this throwback piece from 2017 in St Werburghs tunnel by Fiva. His style is clean bold and instantly recognisable. Large letters with a character face in a cartoon style looking on.
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017
It is so easy to like Fiva’s work, it has a lighthearted feel to it and somehow it always feels very welcoming and accessible. I’m not sure if that makes any sense to you, but it does to me. It is great to have the space to unearth this one from the archive.
I have heard this a lot from people, particularly those who are still in full time employment during this difficult time, that counter-intuitively there seems to be less spare time, rather than more. Working at home when the whole household is home creates a whole raft of time-thieves. Home teaching, cooking extra meals, general care and a job that has become busier thanks to the virus.
Even though I have taken a week off this week, I have filled my time with the allotment, garden and other jobs. The upshot is that I am doing a very quick and easy Thursday doors this week. I have been going through my street archives and thought I’d bring you some graffiti doors. You might have seen one or two of these before. I have a rich vein of material so expect more like this in the coming weeks.
Nick Walker, Anchor Road, Bristol, April 2015
This door was stolen a few years ago and then returned when the thief realised that selling it would give him away. It is by Nick Walker who now lives in NYC.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2015
An iconic landmark in Stokes Croft from Alex Lucas.
Rowdy, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2015Aspire, coal tit, Devon Road, Bristol, May 201623 Magpies, Warden Road, Bristol, May 2016
This wheatpaste was one of several from 23 Magpies, and on the back of this I bought an original piece of artwork from her.
Alex Lucas, St Andrew’s Road, Bristol, March 2016Angus, Dean Lane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Just start singing along!
Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016ArquiCostura, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
That’s your lot for this week…
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors and you ought to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
Natural adventures 