Leonard Lane has had a small renaissance lately thanks in no small part to 3F Fino who seems to have been enjoying himself and experimenting with ideas in the murky, narrow, stinky Lane.
This is an unusual and impactful piece from 3F Fino, and I’m not sure I would have been able to attribute it to him if it were not signed. There is something faintly Van Goughian about the artwork which looks like a series of brush strokes rather than the work of a spray can. Original and interesting work.
It is interesting to see how some artists find a spot and then work it really hard. Perhaps they enjoy the textures and surfaces or maybe it is being out of the public gaze, whatever the reason it happens quite a lot and 3F Fino seems to have been enjoying himself quite a bit in Leonard Lane recently. This is good news, because the turnover in this dark alley tends to be quite slow. Lots of new stuff to admire there at the moment.
3F Fino has been having a bit of fun with painting characters coming out of windows. I love this kind of contextual work that uses the surroundings and incorporates them into the painting. The piece itself is bright and creative and has the rounded edges that Are a common feature of his character work. Great fun piece.
Varo has really hit on something that totally chimes with me – painting the same basic mega-tag of a bull in a variety of forms in different places. A simple idea that lends itself to the conditions of the spot chosen to paint and the amount of time available. To take this approach one step higher would be to paint them in the style of different artists, for example David Hockney, Matisse or Dali. That could be a lot of fun.
This particular bull, tucked away in a doorway in Leonard Lane is the full beast, including a tail rather than just the head, which we are more used to seeing. This is quite a raw piece, but is of interest because one knows that the artist is capable of doing much tighter work when the environment permits. A decent throw up.
Just in case anyone is suffering from withdrawal symptoms from a regular dose of Nevergiveup’s (#followmyrabbits) rabbits, I thought I’d throw in one of dozens still unpublished on Natural Adventures.
This beauty was sprayed on one of the doors at the eastern end of Leonard Lane, and I think I must have photographed it fairly soon after it had been painted because it is very crisp and clean without any tags. This one is notable for the use of lots of colours, maybe he was using up dregs. Lovely rabbit this one, and a great location.
Do you know what? I think this piece is in Leonard Lane, or at least I think I thought it was, but now I am not so sure. No matter, it is somewhere in Bristol. It is of course by the very original #DFTE whose philosophical musings are scattered around the city.
In this wheatpaste, #DFTE seems to have abandones his framed picture approach in favour of a slightly less labour intensive regular paste up. So here he says:
Never underestimate the healing power of listening to your favourite music on full blast while jumping around the house like an idiot.
This is a sentiment I can absolutely identify with as my rather ashamed kids might testify. Nice paste up and nice words frrom #DFTE.
Well, well, well, this piece by Paul Monsters only goes to show that it is always worth making the effort to go off the beaten track from time to time, rather than only visit the ‘sure things’.
Last week I only had a short lunch break so rather than strolling off to Bedminster I took a quick butcher’s at Leonard Lane. This was my reward, a large colourful geometric design piece by Paul Monsters.
It is rare to see such large ‘commissiony’ type pieces in Leonard Lane, rather it is well known for tagging and practice pieces. I am guessing that it was permitted by Centrespace, the owners of the wall. What is most interesting about this excellent piece is that it is the first I have seen by Paul Monsters that is in such a narrow street. It works extremely well and seems to bring extra light to this dark and dingy place. A great find.
So you’ll all know all about this one… . It is hardly worth me writing very much about Nevergiveup and his bunny rabbits, because they have featured so many times on Natural Adventures before, and there are still plenty more in my archive warren to keep me going for a while.
This particular beauty is lurking in a doorway of the wonderfully ‘colourful’ Leonard Lane – a fascinating alleyway that marks thwe ancient boundary where the city wall used to be. You won’t have to wait too long before I uncover some more rabbits.
Leonard Lane remains one of my favourite secrets in Bristol. Completely off the radar of most of my fellow citizens, this little lane plays host to a diverse and interesting range of graffiti and street art. One of the more recent additions is this fabulous little sculpture by relative newcomer Mutatee.
I don’t know too much just yet about Mutatee, but it is great to have an artist in Bristol working in a different medium from spray paint or paste ups, carefully placing these little gems for the curious to discover. I have seen a few of her pieces dotted around, but this is the first I have posted on Natural Adventures. It is pieces like these that are so rewarding for the observant, those whose eyes are peeled and who look at the world around them living in the moment. Thank you Mutatee for maki;g my day when I found this.
This is the second of several recent wheatpastes from Copyright scattered around Bristol that I have found. Obviously it has been here long enough for the elements to damage it a little, but it still holds that extraordinary charm he seems to create with ease and grace.
Copyright often presents his work in this symmetrical way, and symmetry seems to play a large part in many of his pieces. The beautiful model is created using a stencil, and the symmetry comes from reversing the stencil or the print. Whatever the technique, the outcome is stunning. Now to find the other wheatpastes… if they still exist.
I have a feeling that I may have walked past this piece once or twice before I actually found it. I first saw it on Instagram and noticed that it was in Bristol, but it was impossible to work out where, so I asked the photographer, and he said it was in Leonard Lane. Even then it was difficult to find as it is rather well camouflaged with its surroundings.
The stencil of Yoda is by Cartoonneros and I am guessing that he must have done it during the same visit he made when he sprayed the excellent Kurt Cobain stencil in Dean Lane skate park. This is a fine addition to the vibrant and ecclectic array of graffii and street art in Leonard Lane. Who doesn’t love a Star Wars stencil?
