Greenbank – Page 6 – Natural adventures

6198. Greenbank (125)

There is no doubt about it, I am really enjoying the fresh look of Zeks’ pieces combined with the fact that he is painting in Bristol a little more often these days, and long may that last. This is a straightforward piece of graffiti writing, with clearly defined letters and simple design – incorporating a little symmetry with the ‘Z’ and ‘S’.

I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something quite unique about Zeks’ writing. There is a modesty and uncomplicatedness, an authenticity, which really attracts me. Simple solid fills are accompanied by a striped pattern filling the letter gaps. A couple of arrows and some rings accessorise the letters a little, but none of it would work very well without the cream background. This is a great composition.

6159. Greenbank (124)

Esme Lower, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2024

I think that we are approaching the last few months of this wonderful spot with its long hoarding, because the housing development is nearing completion, and when finished the boards will come down and the graffiti spot will become a thing of the past. That is part of my motivation to capture these spots and the art, because it is all so ephemeral. I was lucky enough to meet Esme Lower while she was painting this piece, and she said at the time that she was looking forward to doing more artwork on the streets, because she really enjoys it.

I love this representation of a fight or scrap, because it is representative of so many conflict situations, and painted in a humorous style. It reminds me of the fights that Asterix and Obelix would have with the Romans in the comic book series. There is plenty of action and movement in this fun piece, and I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for more from Esme Lower.

6122. Greenbank (123)

I find myself sounding like a stuck record all too often when it comes to posting about Mr Draws’ work, in part because he has been an ever-present on Natural Adventures and continues to paint his unique style of writing and his diverse street art pieces, and I have found myself repeating myself a little, which in no way detracts from his wonderful work.

There is a freedom and joy in Mr Draws’ graffiti writing in which he concentrates on his fills, usually with hard edges between colours rather than blended transitions. He has used his customary deep drop shadow, and the whole thing is bordered with a clean white line. A fine archetypal Mr Draws piece that is a key part of the continuing culture of the whole Bristol street art and graffiti writing scene.

6104. Greenbank (122)

I haven’t yet seen Mind 49’s piece for Upfest yet, but his preparation has been on an ever-upwards trajectory. With each new piece that he paints, he seems to grow, not only in confidence but in comfort with and command of his style. This piece on the hoardings at Greenbank is a great example of his soft photorealism work.

In nearly all of Mind 49’s pieces the eyes of his subject are obscured often with sunglasses, and I wonder if that is a signature kind of thing or whether he struggles with painting eyes. I guess I’ll have to meet him to find out. Mind 49 has a fantastic tone with his artwork, which often looks like it might be painted with brushes rather than spray cans – the mark of a great artist. Now, I must hunt down his Upfest piece, from what I have seen on social media, it looks quite remarkable.

6082. Greenbank (121)

It is a genuine privilege to have a stand out The Hass piece here on the Greenbank hoardings, which feels like it was a warm-up piece for his outstanding Upfest combination wall. This is street art of the highest calibre painted in a graffiti spot, and as such stands out a mile. Anyone passing by, and the cycle path gets a lot of footfall, would surely have to stop and admire such a thing of beauty.

The piece falls into two distinct halves which merge in the middle. The left-hand side features a delightful floral design, so delicate and pretty and to the right The Hass has painted a representation of a stone sculpture head, which is reminiscent of the great pieces by PichiAvo.

As a whole, this combination is a true masterpiece, and we are lucky in Bristol to have artists who turn out extraordinary work like this on a reasonably regular basis. This was one of the best surprises I have had on my ’rounds’ for quite a while.

6081. Greenbank (120)

Although I have found quite a few of his pieces, Zeks, as with so many Bristol artists, is a little underrepresented on Natural Adventures. One day I will try to right these wrongs, but not until I can recover a bit more time in my rather busy life. A word that I would use to describe Zeks work is a word I very rarely use, but it somehow fits his style, ‘cute’ – but I don’t mean in the cuddly puppy sense, more in the clean and joyful and sweet way.

Here Zeks has painted his letters in shades of pink and white, with nice interlocking patterns, and accompanied the letters with a rather cool teddy bear. What really helps this piece, and it can be said for so much graffiti writing, is the buffed background, which helps the piece stand alone from the surrounding visual noise. A very nice piece by Zeks.

6054. Greenbank (119)

Misery, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

You might be able to tell that I have been doing a little digging through my archive, which I do from time to time, to pull out some pieces that deserve to be posted, but were squeezed out because of the sheer volume of new work appearing on the streets of Bristol every day. This beauty from Misery is a good example of what I mean.

I am more used to seeing tags from Misery, and because of that, this is the first piece I have featured on Natural Adventures, not because I don’t like tags, but because they have to compete with all the other street and graffiti art. This piece looks like an aggregation of tags on a simple white background, along with the word misery repeated, and it appears that there is a bit of a story board going on, but I am not too sure what it is telling us. I hope that this will free me up to start posting aggregations of his tags at some point, We’ll have to wait and see. A nice debut on this blog.

6019. Greenbank (118)

It is always good to find DFC1848 pieces in Bristol, and he left behind two or three pieces on his last visit, of which this is one. This character is the one that DFC1848 first used to really establish himself as a street artist, and although he has improved immeasurably in both technique and creativity, it is nice to see this old friend again.

The letters DFC from his name can be found in this tag-character The ‘D’ is in the ear, the ‘F’ is on the character’s cheek and the ‘C’ I think is represented by the mouth or possibly the eye. I must try and seek out and photograph the other pieces he painted on this visit.

6014. Greenbank (117)

‘Wanted – dead or alive – Leggy O’Lootin’ so says the ‘poster’ by Roo. This sepia tinted piece is a clever and really rather touching portrait of a giraffe that has obviously been up to no good. The way Roo has painted him makes me feel rather sorry and sympathetic for him.

Roo has been active in Bristol so far this year, and long may it last. Her strong cartoon pieces are pretty much always respected and can remain intact for a very long time, which is testimony to the respect other artists have for her work. This piece is so original as well as being great fun.

6010. Greenbank (116)

Some artists are content to stick with what they know and play safe, others are constantly pushing the boundaries, and Laic217 has undergone something of an epiphany recently, taking his distinctive style into new and unexpected places, and as an observer, I am enjoying the trip.

This outstanding portrait piece on the long hoarding at Greenbank features a man holding a miniature trumpet, all in greyscale except for the instrument. The piece is not signed, but there are some telltale signs that this is by Laic217, namely the unusual proportions of the character’s head, and more obviously the folds of material in his clothes, a speciality perfected by Laic217. This is a wonderful piece.

	skat on Sentencing
	Sheree on 7360. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Bill Bisgood on 7360. St Werburghs tunnel…
	hitandrun1964 on Sentencing
	Sheree on 7358. M32 Spot (211)

	skat on Sentencing
	Sheree on 7360. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Bill Bisgood on 7360. St Werburghs tunnel…
	hitandrun1964 on Sentencing
	Sheree on 7358. M32 Spot (211)

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