5741. Dean Lane skate park (674)

Ryder, Inkie and Mr Riks, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Ryder, Inkie and Mr Riks, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

When Inkie is in town, he will often get together with friends and paint a collaborative wall, and often it is this one in Dean Lane. On this occasion he got together with Ryder and Mr Riks, which is not a trio of artists that would ordinarily spring to mind, but the street art scene is always full of surprises.

Ryder, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Ryder, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

Ryder doesn’t paint at Dean Lane all that often, but he has smashed it with this rather condensed burner painted in orange and grey. The RYDER letters are nicely worked, with the orange bleeding out into the background at the top of some of them. The colour palette which includes a dark blue and black isn’t one that I would instinctively chose, but works incredibly well in this striking piece of graffiti writing.

Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

Most of the time, you pretty much know what you are going to get from Inkie, and this chrome piece delivers in bucket-loads. Great design and precision are trademarks from the gentle giant, who is probably one of Bristol’s most famous street artists after Banksy, alongside Nick Walker and Cheo. Inkie has such a distinctive style, that I reckon he could write any combination of letters and it would be easy to identify.

Mr Riks, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Riks, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

To the right, another artist with a distinctive style, Mr Riks, has gone for this colourful piece, which is full of energy and joy. Although, not the focal point of the piece, the cartoon eyes are irresistible and draw attention. Great fills and a wonderful drop shadow, this is a fine piece of graffiti writing from Mr Riks.

This collaborative wall brings together three graffiti writers, each with very strong and distinctive styles, opting to paint in colours of their choice, making it a loose collaboration – more like three friends painting a wall together, without a theme or agenda. Great stuff.

5552. Tobacco Factory

Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023

The huge wall on the side of the Tobacco Factory, opposite Aldi, is arguably the premium wall in Bristol, curated by Upfest for some of the best artists to decorate. The last piece painted here was from Upfest 2022, and was probably reaching the end of its sell-by date. It is one of so many Upfest pieces I haven’t got round to sharing on Natural Adventures… yet.

Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023

Two of Bristol’s finest and most established artists have combined to paint this incredible tribute to the city and more specifically Bedminster, Silent Hobo and Inkie. The mural is in two distinct sections, the top half writing and frame by Inkie, and the busy scene by Silent Hobo.

Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023

Inkie painted a few pieces while he was in Bristol, which tends to happen, because he is a very busy artist, taking commissions all over the globe, and seemingly forever on the move. The words ‘Planet Local’ are beautifully painted in his characteristic style, and nicely decorated with stars, creating a perfect backdrop for Silent Hobo’s storytelling below.

Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023

There is always so much going on in Silent Hobo’s work and the way he presents the ordinary Bristol scenes is quite unique. There is an authenticity and warmth in this piece that captures relatable goings on; a boy playing with his toys, a sleeping cat, a young couple, a chef making a delivery and a young singer all occupy the left hand side of the piece.

Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023

To the right, there is more bustle and deliveries and a rather strange walking house. A hen and bee get in on the action too, and everything is overlaid on a background of classic Bristolian architecture. There is an honesty and lightness in this piece which is a perfect antidote to our everyday preoccupations and concerns, reminding us that life is beautiful and good.

5529. St Werburghs tunnel (385)

Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023

Today is the first day of a short break in Cornwall, and my focus is on dusting off my fishing gear and preparing myself for a day outdoors in the fresh air. Of course, my routine is likely to be a little disrupted, and my posts might get a little erratic as the week wears on, but that is fine. Today’s post features a fabulous piece by Inkie in the tunnel, from a paint jam at the end of August.

Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023

I am spoilt. There was a time when I used to get super-excited when I found work by Inkie, whose reputation precedes him, but these days I am fairly nonchalant about it, and even the presence of Goldie in this work in progress shot seem quite normal. Perhaps I have been doing this too long and am losing my edge.

Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023

The piece by Inkie is out of the top drawer, and I guess that in a paint jam of this calibre, everyone is under a little pressure to turn out their best work. Beautiful letters, outstanding fills and a sumptuous 3D drop shadow combine perfectly to render an archetypal Inkie piece. We are blessed.

5499. Dean Land skate park (637)

Jay Kaes, Inkie and Gabs, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
Jay Kaes, Inkie and Gabs, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023

I am a little pressed for time this morning, so short posts only today. This is a fabulous graffiti writing masterclass collaboration from Inkie, and two visiting artists either side of his piece from Jay Kaes and Gabs, neither of whom I have come across before.

Jay Kaes, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
Jay Kaes, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023

To the left Jay Kaes has written KAES beautifully, with a deep 3D effect. There is s nice little shout out to Bristol too which is a bit of a crowd-pleaser.

Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023

The middle piece will be much more familiar to readers of Natural Adventures, because it is by Bristol stalwart Inkie. There are some great colours in this classic wildstyle writing that is so typical of his work.

Gabs, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
Gabs, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023

Finally to the right, and mimicking the colour palette of Jae Kaes piece, is another fine piece of writing by Gabs, spelling out, yep you guessed it, GABS. The piece came a little bit out of the blue, but when Inkie paints in Bristol it is usually to do something a bit special in collaboration with others.

5478. Cheltenham 2023 (10)

Inkie, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Inkie, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

You can be pretty certain that Inkie will have a presence at the Cheltenham Paint Festival, which is great. What is even better is that although this piece was from the 2022 Festival, I managed to find it this time round… only a year late, but better than nothing I suppose.

Inkie, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Inkie, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

The character/writing combination is along the lines that you would expect to see. A beautiful girl with long flowing hair alongside some large block writing. I am not too sure what the ‘St Pauls’ refers to. There is a St Paul’s church very near where this was painted, but it could I suppose be a reference to Bristol’s St Paul’s district. Unmistakably Inkie, the piece is still looking fresh as a daisy. Nice Tribute to Julian too.

5216. Bishopston

Inkie, Bishopston, Bristol, May 2023
Inkie, Bishopston, Bristol, May 2023

Pieces like this are the best ones to find. I went for a dog walk with my wife last week and on the way back to our house, we came across this Inkie piece on a garage door. I don’t recall ever seeing it on social media, so for me, it was a completely new discovery.

Inkie, Bishopston, Bristol, May 2023
Inkie, Bishopston, Bristol, May 2023

The portrait piece is so typical of Inkie’s style, incorporating all the design elements that one associates with the artist, with the interesting addition of a pair of yellow-tinted glasses. This piece is pure Inkie class, and possibly the closest piece of street art to where I live, and yet I have only just discovered it.

4621. Upfest 2022 (36)

Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Two Inkie posts in a row… It happens you know from time to time, sometimes by design and other times quite by accident. This was an accident, but nothing to stress about, there are no rules on Natural Adventures, and if there were I wouldn’t stick to them anyway.

Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

I watched Inkie as he was painting this stunner, and was reminded of the incredible pace he works at. I watched him paint the lower left hand quadrant for a couple of minutes, walked the dog up the road for five minutes, came back and he had virtually finished the segment, awesome to witness.

Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Inkie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Somehow Upfest wouldn’t feel like Upfest without a landmark Inkie piece, and the area plays host to several of his pieces still, from years gone by. Inkie – Bristol – ASK (After Schook Klub) – Vikki. Says it all. A true beauty.

4620. M32 roundabout J3 (422)

The day I went to photograph this piece by Inkie, painted as part of a paint jam in honour of Mr Jago’s Birthday, Corupt just happened to be finishing his piece above Inkie’s. What I like about Corupt is that he tends to respect other artist’s work and on this wall in particular, paints along the higher level using a ladder.

Inkie and Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
Inkie and Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

The Inkie piece itself couldn’t be by anyone else. a lazy squint at it might make one believe it says INKIE, because that is what most of his work says, but a closer inspection shows that it spells out Mr JAGO. Beautifully painted with a very nice vertical transition, this is just another example of Inkie’s exquisite work.

4408. Dean Lane skate park (486)

Unusual and unexpected, this writing in Dean Lane is an untypical piece from Inkie that appeared about a week ago, at the same time as a Rusk piece on a nearby wall (coming soon). At first glance, the writing is not obviously Inkie’s and certainly doesn’t have many of his trademark elements.

Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022

Take a closer look though and certain motifs are there. The quality of the piece is outstanding and although it might look a bit busy and eclectic, everything that is there is carefully placed, like the green hoops, the purple bubble writing around the edges and the shout-outs. This is a skilfully painted piece designed to look a bit raw, and Inkie has carried it off perfectly.

4158. Hotwell Road (4)

I don’t know what has happened to time recently, but there seems to be an awful lot less of it, or my life is just filling up with too much stuff. It doesn’t help that I have gone back to work today and there is a lot of catching up to do. I am getting my excuses in early as to why this post is late.

Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021
Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021

I haven’t had time to research this piece by Inkie, so I am not too sure I can tell you much about it. I do know that it was painted for the Vanguard street art and Toward 2030 project, both of which organise walls for environmental/social themes. ‘Always seeking knowledge’ seems to be an admirable message and one that works well in Inkie’s characteristic writing on such an enormous wall.

Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021
Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021

The wall is not only large, but is also very uneven, with loads of ridges and raised areas that Inkie has had to navigate. There are two studious characters at the bottom of the piece clearly seeking their own knowledge. This is classic Inkie at his very best, and well worth seeking out.