I have always enjoyed Bnie’s writing. I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something about her work I love. It might be the letters BNIE, which are so unusual (Beany?), it might be the letter shapes, fills or shadows, or possibly the combination of all of these, but there is something there that lifts her work into a different level.
Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
This piece was painted alongside some RBF crew friends all using the same background, suggesting a collaborative approach. As always, the cow spot 3D shadow, a speciality of Bnie, steals the show. A fabulous piece from a fabulous artist.
This piece is not bad for a tattoo artist, not bad at all, in fact it is blooming marvellous, and Etza has absolutely smashed it with this enormous floral piece, painted alongside his collaboration pal Chill. The piece is something really quite different and most arresting.
Etza, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Etza has created a clean and sharp flower in rich red, yellow and black colours that has all the hallmarks of a sumptuous wallpaper design. There is a strong field of floral artist in the UK, including our own Alex Lucas, and Philth, who I think works out of London. This piece would sit proudly alongside those others, and proudly so. Finding this was a surprise and a pleasure.
Evey has been rather busy this spring with her friends from the RBF crew, and it is always such a pleasure to see her work. Evey has a rather simple style, that is always full of colour and seems always to have a happy disposition, bringing smiles to faces.
Evey, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
I don’t quite know why Evey spells out ‘Even’ with here letters, and it is quite unusual to have repeated letters in a tag (unless they are together, like an ‘OO’ for example). In this piece, Evey has draped her colourful letters with icing and some hundreds and thousands, giving them a celebratory feel.
Billy continues to utterly delight with her uncomplicated storytelling pieces. Her work is so accessible and has a deep connection with the viewer, and I imagine especially so with younger audiences. There is nothing pretentious or conceited about her work, it is full of fun and commentary that is pleasing to the eye and great for lifting the spirit.
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
I particularly like this piece, I mean what’s not to like about dogs, birds, hats, flowers, a pencil and a lava lamp. I think that the grey background works really well with the overall presentation and the colour scheme is superb. A feast for the eyes and a triumph for Billy – one of my favourite pieces of hers so far.
This epic collaboration between Conrico, Acer and Zake, an unlikely trio of collaborators, appeared on the Greenbank hoardings about two weeks ago and is truly eye catching in its boldness and presence.
Conrico and Acer, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
I know that pairings of these three artists have happened in the past, but I don’t think I can recall that the three have collaborated together before. Starting at the left hand side, Conrico has provided a landscape backdrop, that actually runs to either side of the whole collaboration. Conrico definitely seems to enjoy painting these landscapes, and they have that paintbrush appearance that he achieves, I think by using banana caps. The mountain range and greenery is in stark contrast to the outstanding ACER writing in the prism colouring and superb letter design that Acer is painting with at the moment.
Acer, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
It has been fun observing Acer, whose central theme is geometric design, change his ‘look’ several times over the years. This latest rainbow lettering is such a strong statement, and demands to be looked at and enjoyed.
Zake and Conrico, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
To the right hand side of the collaboration is the painting of Zake and Conrico, with the latter rounding off his mountainous landscape which incorporates a rather cheesy full moon in a blue sky scape.
Zake, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
The Zake portrait is as good as any I have seen from him, and is a reminder of just how far the artist has come over the last two or three years, especially if you look back at his column pieces at the M32 Spot. The features and shadows are outstanding in this face, and there is a movement from Zake’s figurative style towards a more realistic style… watch this space to see what direction his work goes in. What an eclectic and amazing collaboration from these three artists.
‘Milk’ seems to be such an unusual word to choose for a writer, but I guess there is plenty of scope for playing with letters, and it is certainly memorable; I would be interested to know why Wxttsart chose it. Whatever the reason, he has made it his own and Bristol is becoming a bit of a Milk city.
Wxttsart, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Wxttsart creates these script letters that feel quite organic in both the wobbliness of the letters and the fills, in contrast to some writers where it is all about straight lines or solid fills or angles etc, this somehow feels much more free and expressive. Some lovely blue drips to finish the piece off. Nice work from this LRS crew member.
Here we have yet another fabulous piece by Rozalita on the Bristol to Bath cycle track, and one that not only looks great, but tells a very important story. Rozalita passionately opposes the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSC), as should we all, as elements of the Bill will give the police disproportionate powers with regard to peaceful protests and the rights of travelling people. Another ‘Conservative’ withdrawal of liberties, driven by those who live in comfort and care little for others.
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
The piece itself tells a story of a travelling lifestyle that is lovingly portrayed, and I suspect that Rozalita has drawn on personal experience, which comes across in this tender piece.
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Rozalita is truly spreading her wings with her artwork and her progress and development is a pleasure to witness. Kill the Bill!
This wonderful piece from Merny made me laugh a lot and offered another insight into the artist’s observational skills and ability to recreate otherwise ordinary conversations or objects and turn them into something visually special. I always enjoy his work, and the naive style lends itself to remarkable storytelling.
Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
The heroine of the piece declares ‘I utterly can’t help it if I’m beautiful hun!’ And tells us so much about this rather vain and laughable, but somehow endearing character. What I like about the piece is that we all probably know somebody like this, and it is this resonance that works so well, like a good situational comedian. The woman is talking to herself in a mirror, which makes the piece even more hilarious. Great work from Merny.
So far, this year has been a good one for Billy, with her joint exhibition at the Centrespace gallery, and a series of inspirational pieces, such as this recent storyboard piece at Greenbank.
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
The cartoon-style storyboard is split into four segments with the narrative saying ‘I don’t shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you, I throw up’. My reading of the piece is that is is a criticism of our Government and Boris Johnson in particular at the refugee fiasco and National embarrassment brought upon us by their hostile approach to people in need.
The piece is beautifully illustrated, I love the world maps on the girl’s t-shirt, and other details like that, cleverly presented in her naive style. A really great piece from an artist whose work I am really enjoying right now.
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
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.
Natural adventures 