6081. Greenbank (120)

Zeks, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2024
Zeks, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2024

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.

Zeks, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2024
Zeks, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2024

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
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.

Misery, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Misery, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

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)

DFC1848, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
DFC1848, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

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.

DFC1848, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
DFC1848, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

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)

Roo, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
Roo, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

‘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, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
Roo, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

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)

 

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

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.

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

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.

6006. Greenbank (115)

SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

We are lucky that SkyHigh and Roo appear to have a strong association with Bristol – I believe that they have family here. This is good, because every time they come to visit, they drop a couple of pieces, which mixes things up nicely.

SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024
SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2024

This is a beauty from SkyHigh in which he has spelled out his name with several optional variations in how you choose to read it. The block letters, each in a different font/style, have loads of depth to them and are displayed in different orientations creating a kind of 3D collage effect. The tried and trusted pink and blue combination is a winner, and is augmented with some splashes of yellow in the form of smiley ‘stickers’. Tidy.

5937. Greenbank (114)

j9449j, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023
j9449j, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023

This is a throwback piece to last June, which has remained dormant in my archives, because at the time of photographing the piece the artist was unknown to me. Since then, the artist’s identity has emerged and is known as j9449j, which is a bit of a mouthful. This is great news, because I have several more pieces in the archives to share and I really like their work.

j9449j, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023
j9449j, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023

The abstract piece hints at a rural landscape, certainly there are some organic forms in the piece. This artwork is so original, at least in the context of street art, that it is difficult to assess against any normal criteria or conventions. For example the small additional piece to the right works perfectly as a counterbalance to the larger piece on the left, There are some lovely shapes and patterns and a carefully thought out colour palette. Enjoyable and unusual stuff from j9449j.

5908. Greenbank (113)

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024

You might have sensed my excitement a few posts ago with the return of Rozalita (Rozilitaa), and here she is again with another outstanding portrait piece, in the same venue, and again featuring Frida Cahlo, who has come to represent so much about female art, strength and vulnerability.

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024

This time, the portrait is painted in shades of blue and turquoise, which contrasts brilliantly with the four surrounding orange flowers. There is a lot of passion and emotion in Rozalita’s work which works hard to combine people with the natural world. This is another belter, and there is still more to come soon.

5902. Greenbank (112)

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024

Rozalita returns! This is exceptional news. After a long lay-off, in part down to travelling, during which time I wondered whether she might abandon her street art altogether, she has returned in style, with several pieces in short succession. This is how to announce your return. In another name change (from Rosalita to Rozalita (Rhozi) to Rozilitaa) she has hit the ground running with a bolder presence, and a sense of confidence that hasn’t always been obvious from her work.

Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024

This portrait piece, I believe of Frida Kahlo, is bursting with passion, where the determination and status of the subject, looking skywards, is beautifully presented. The white border accentuates the pose and creates an aura that is augmented by the burst of energy of flowers and decoration in the background. Without the border, the piece could be at risk of being busy, but its presence is masterful. This is brilliant in my view, and what a way to make a comeback. I bloody love this piece!

5896. Greenbank (111)

Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

Over the last few months Werm has calmed his pieces a little, from the highly complex and technically brilliant pieces into something slightly easier on the eye, and this piece, for me, represents a mature approach from an artist who doesn’t need to impress any more, but rather, can concentrate on creating a thing of beauty.

Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

The colour palette for this piece seems to work really well, and Werm has blended the fill colours expertly. The orange border and accompaniments augment the writing perfectly, the test of which is to imagine the piece without that splash of colour, rendering it greatly diminished. I like and welcome this new direction from Werm, and greatly admire this piece.