I am writing this last night, as I have a long journey tomorrow, heading for Pula and the last few days of our holiday. So this will be necessarily short, which is a pity because I like writing about Mote’s work.
Mote, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2022
This is a large piece has some kind of monster cow character (a creation of Mote’s fertile mind), and a message, which might have been added by someone else, saying ‘Animal farming causes climate chaos’. The tagged message completely baffles me, but confirms my belief that most taggers are imbeciles. A lovely, crazy piece from Mote.
I have only recently become aware of Marckinetic and his unique pieces, but now I seem to be seeing them everywhere. I am having to conclude that he is an established artist who has only recently moved to Bristol. How else could I have not had his work on my radar?
Marckinetic, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2022
I haven’t seen enough of his work to know whether his pieces are some kind of cryptic writing or simply interesting abstract studies in landscape format. Give me a little time and I will find out. This piece is made up of two colour elements: some yellow/orange and pink/purple blocks, and a network of thinner blue arrows running through them. The whole object is given a solid black 3D shadow that very effectively lifts the piece from the wall. Black and blue dots fill the available background space. This is a really nicely constructed piece from Marckinetic that has been expertly finished. Watch this space for more from the artists… maybe tomorrow.
Klashwhensober is an artist I like very much, he is a kind and thoughtful man who uses his art, in part, as a way of being mindful, of taking care of his mental health. It is for exactly the same reason that I write this blog, and collect all the content for it.
Klashwhensober, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2022
I think that Klashwhensober has absolutely smashed it with this piece along the cycle path. In my view it is his best piece to date where all the elements have come together perfectly. The colour palette is superb, the fills absolutely amazing and the finishing is near perfect. Klashwhensober has certainly set a high bar with this one.
From time to time you find a wall that an artist ‘owns’ and I guess the maxim ‘possession is nine tenths of the law’ kicks in. This wall seems to belong to Claro_que_sssnoh, and in the main other artists leave him to it. When it does get painted by someone else, he eventually reclaims the spot.
Claro_que_sssnoh, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2022
Claro_que_sssnoh has such a distinctive and attractive style, and with this piece, he has absolutely smashed it in terms of colour palette. His slim joined-up letters, spelling HONS, are filled with some outstanding patterns and designs and the whole piece stands out from the red background. This is a very nice piece from the Spanish artist.
Felix Braun or FLX as he is known is one of the godfather’s of street art in Bristol and author of the wonderful ‘Children of the Can’ books. His street work these days tends to be commission-based or the occasional appearance at a festival. He has been rather busy in Bristol lately, which is obviously good news.
Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
This piece on the M32 cycle path is highly unusual because it appears to be a sanctioned commission (who else gets to paint behind temporary railings?) on a wall that normally plays host to high turnover graffiti and tagging. I don’t know how Felix Braun has swung this, not do I know how long it will remain untagged, but for the meanwhile it is a case of sitting back and admiring this huge piece.
Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
The overall message is ‘Love Bristol’ or ‘Bristol loves you’ which is preaching to a converted audience. The piece itself is a showcase for FLX’s themes of silhouetted people, and of overlapping letters in different colours, creating third colours where the overlap occurs.
Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
In the heart section, the word love appears in several different languages and scripts, most of which I cannot read, but I am pretty sure they all say love. This is a positive message and one that we are in desperate need of in the UK right now.
Felix Braun, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
Let’s hope that the positive messaging translates into positive outcomes, starting with a total change in government… that would be nice.
The most consistently prolific artist over the last seven years is without doubt Face 1st. His tireless drive to keep producing wonderful pieces is enviable and really rather awesome. I don’t know where he gets the energy, or the cash for paint from. I guess I don’t need to know, but simply enjoy the benefits of his heroic efforts.
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
This is a rather nice FACE piece with a girl’s face in place of the ‘A’. The letters are large and bold, as if carved out of stone, and the grey of the letters contrasts wonderfully well with the Orange hair of the smiling girl. When the world grinds to a halt, Face 1st will still be out there painting letters and smiling girls on walls. It is just what he does.
Very short of time today, so this write-up will be relatively brief. Klashwhensober is a lovely guy who is smashing out pieces all over the place, and I find it quite hard to keep up with them, so I have started to gather them up, writing about more than one per post. If I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t be able to share them all.
Klashwhensober, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
This selection are all recent pieces along the M32 Cycle path, each very different, but in the Klashwhensober style. This first one spells out KLASH in lovely 3D letters with a colourful and imaginative array of fills and given a bit of pink splat treatment for good measure.
Klashwhensober, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
The second piece, pretty much opposite the first, is once again full of colour and dynamism, spelling out SOBA, some patterns in the lower half of the letters are similar to those in the first piece. I rather like the explosion in the middle of the letters, which has contrasting effects above and below the transition line.
Klashwhensober, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
The final piece is a few yards further along the path, spelling SOBER, and is once again a tidy piece with a nice 3D effect and central vanishing point. The theme with all three of these seems to be around explosions of some kind or another, bright lights and colour emanating from a central point and radiating outwards. I suspect there is some deep conscious or unconscious meaning here – I shall have to ask him next time I see him.
It seems that barely a week goes by without seeing another artist new to the Bristol scene. These artists might be visiting the city, newly moved here, or starting to paint walls for the first time. All are welcome, even if it makes my job of keeping on top of it all even more difficult. This rather refreshing piece was recently painted by Sprat, and I have to say I really rather like it (and not just because of my marine biology background!).
Sprat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, May 2022
Sprat, making his debut on Natural Adventures, has painted a rather interesting crocodile/fish thing chasing after a sprat with legs. What is happening here, you might wonder, and I am not sure that I can be of much help with that. The pink backdrop works well with the greeny blue colours of the crocofish. The whole thing is really well painted, with great proportions and anatomical details. A very welcome start for Sprat.
Another artist who consistently turns out High-quality pieces time and time again is Claro_que_sssnoh, and this one is on one of his favoured walls on the M32 Cycle path.
Claro_que_sssnoh, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2022
All the ingredients are there, his intricate joined up writing, looking a little bit like pipework, set on a gorgeous red background with drips. The subtle blue fill patterns in the letters are really nicely worked and the whole thing looks strong and confident. Great writing from the Spanish artist.
Since moving to Weston-super-Mare, we simply haven’t seen enough of Decay in Bristol, and his appearances are very much missed. It was therefore not only a great surprise, but also thrilling to find this piece recently on the M32 Cycle path. It was also a little disappointing to learn that I had only just missed him, according to Klashwhensober who was still there painting.
Decay, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2022
Decay tends to create a new look each year and this time round we can see he is using his DK letters together with his little character ‘Chuck’ who has been ever present in all of his reincarnations over the years. Pink and blue seems to be a favoured colour combination for artists this year, and Decay has used these colours to great effect. A nicely worked and finished piece, making my day.
Natural adventures 