Face 1st is doing a great job of switching it up a bit at the moment, and this fabulous column piece in the M32 Spot is a case in point. I really like the full figure pieces that Face 1st has been doing lately that complement his faces so well.
Face 1st, M32 spot, Bristol, June 2019
Here we have a young woman in a stripy outfit sporting a fine head of purple hair sucking on a lollipop. It is a piece that fits the column so well and kind of has a bit of youth culture and attitude about it. It is a fine counterbalance to other columns in this spot that have been painted by Silent Hobo.
This piece fills me with inspiration and belief, and there is a very good reason for that, it was painted by a street art hunter just like me, and better still, I caught him at it. Some readers will know that I am trying to learn the great art of spray painting and have aspirations to paint a wall or two when I am ready. It is great for me to know that it can be done and this piece by DFC1848 proves it.
DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
I have met DFC1848 several times either at Upfest or just wandering arount the street art hotspots in Bristol. We always stop for a chat, but the chat we had when he was painting this lasted a little longer than usual. I am full of admiration for the fact that he has just got on with it and it fills me with courage and purpose for getting my act together.
DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
I don’t know what his character is called, but it is a rather splendid cartoon-style bear thing. I rather like the ‘f’ too and wonder if it has anything to do with the f in DFC. I might try and copy this on my boards in the garden and see if I can replicate it. Great work from a man with a fantastic beard.
It’s like busses… you can wait ever such a long time and then three come along in quick succession. This is the third recent piece I have photographed by Bristol artist Bex Glover who seems to be on a bit of a roll with her street work. Ordinarily she might be better known for her studio work and operates her business under the name Severn Studios but of course my interest is predominantly in her street murals.
Bex Glover, Overton Road, Bristol, June 2019
This lovely commission is on the side wall of the Hobgoblin pub on the Gloucester Road and is made up of two panels. On the left is a beautiful raptor, wings unfolded, perching on a bent branch.
Bex Glover, Overton Road, Bristol, June 2019
On the right hand panel we see another bird, possibly the same one, in full flight stretching out its double set of wings. There is something very lyrical about this mural which seems to be telling a story about nature in its full glory. Bex Glover is a fabulous artist and her illustrative style takes me back to my childhood and picture books.
Over the last three or four months a new (to me) graffiti writer, Phist, has hit the streets hard, often partnering up with Renso (who is actually Oner). He seems most unfussy about where he sprays and his name has sprung up all over the city. I often wonder with these ‘new’ artists whether they are in fact simply new to Bristol or whether somehow they have just been off my radar… difficult to know until I get a chance to ask them.
Phist, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
I am not the biggest fan of burners like this, but some of these writers rise to the top and Phist in my view is one of those. His letters are nice and clean, his fills nicely done and the little accent white circles help to give the whole thing a little bit of sparkle. I think this is a rather classy and smooth piece and a strong debut to the pages of Natural Adventures.
It can be a little tiresome for people like me when artists change their ‘street’ names, because it mucks up how I catalogue them and how I write about them. A case in point is Biers (old name) who now goes by the moniker Kool Aid, and instead of writing Biers like he used to, writes Oh Yeah instead. I am a creature of habit so will continue to call him Biers, so there! In this piece he has teamed up with No Frills stablemate Bags about whom I know zilch, so some work for me to do there.
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
The standard approach from Biers is to accompany his uniquely stylish writing with a little character, usually associated with a TV cartoon character. I rather enjoy trying to find out who his little characters are, but in this piece my Google research has failed me. Nice tidy collaboration.
In recent days, The Bearpit has been shut off and there is no access. Bristol City Council stealthily went in to evict a group of rough sleepers who had made themselves at home in a bus (formerly a cafe) and some container units. In forcing the eviction they have completely closed down the space. This was an not an inevitable conclusion to the problems caused by homelessness, addiction, antisocial behaviour in The Bearpit but a terrible failure in ‘upstream’ thinking about how to tackle the issue.
As a result of this intervention, all the good things about this public space have been closed down, possibly permanently. In my view this has been really poorly managed by Bristol City Council, but I would concede that they are grossly underfunded and what we are witnessing is the result of years of austerity and public sector funding cuts, and this in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Disgraceful.
I say all of this because this lovely piece by Panskaribas is likely to be one of the last I will be posting from The Bearpit for some time.
Panskaribas, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2019
Panskaribas is probably the easiest artist to identify in Bristol on account of his kind of cubist-doodle style and this is a wonderful example of his work. The other outstanding thing about this artist is his incredible energy, he seems to be the most prolific artist in Bristol currently. RIP The Bearpit.
Sometimes you’ve just got to go big and bold, and they don’t come much bigger and bolder than this fine piece of writing from Soker. This is a wall that doesn’t seem to change all that often, and is usually occupied by an ASK artist.
Soker, Norfolk Place, Bristol, April 2019
There is a lot to like about this piece which looks so graceful, clean and simple, but it takes a lot of skill and experience to pull off writing like this. The letter font is easy on the eye, and the green and white highlights help to give a 3D appearance, and the whole thing is set off on a nice background of cool colours and shapes. It is the pink touches that add just a little bit of class. A fine work.
It is always great getting an early glimpse of a new artist in town, and this angry mouse is one of a few recent pieces by Saik One, whose work I have not seen or written about before.
Saik One, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2019
At first I thought it might have been a return to Bristol for Angry Face (whose work I haven’t seen for a while now) on account of the sharp teeth, but this has a personality all of its own. I found another of Saik One’s pieces early this morning, so plenty more to come from Saik One soon, and perhaps I can do a little digging to find out more about the artist.
Exploring new parts of Bristol always has its rewards, and I found this piece by Andy Council completely by accident when I went on a pilgrimage to see the My Dog Sighs and Curtis Hylton collaboration up on Windmill Hill.
Andy Council, Porlock Road, Bristol, April 2019
It seems that Andy Council’s pieces are dotted all over Bristol, and after five years of writing posts like this one, I still have several more to find. The reason that his work is so dispersed is that he does a lot of private commissions and so he is not confined to the few ‘legal’ spots in Bristol to show off his fabulous work.
Andy Council, Porlock Road, Bristol, April 2019
This splendid peacock is a great example of Andy Council at his very best in which the whole creation is made up of buildings typical of the area in Bristol. The blue colour scheme suits this piece and the wall superbly. A great find, and good to know that there are still these hidden gems all over the place.
I love this recent piece by Haka adjacent to the M32 roundabout where the River Frome flows from a culvert that carries it under the motorway. It is a very witty pun piece which I guess might be called ‘Where’s Whaley’ after the children’s puzzle books.
Haka, River Frome, Bristol, June 2019
I guess that it was painted when the river was low before the sustained period of rain we have had recently. Another feature of Haka’s work is that he usually accompanies it with a tribute to a graffiti writer friend of his, CKOne, who passed away in a motorcycle accident in December 2011. It is touching that he continues to honour his friend in this way.
Natural adventures 