3981. M32 roundabout J3 (349)

I guess it’s high time for another cute Kawaii piece from Maesyhook, so here it is for all to enjoy. Maesyhook has certainly brought something very different to the walls of Bristol and paints frequently enough to become a bit of a favourite of mine.

Maesyhook, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021
Maesyhook, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021

This piece sandwiched between two writers is painted in Maesyhook’s customary pink tones, and even the skull, lovingly held by the little bunny character, looks cute. Her work is a real antidote to the constant negative headlines and continuing Government narrative that seems to be more and more removed from ordinary people by the day, and provides a little glimmer of fun and enjoyment. Keep it up Maesyhook.

3947. M32 roundabout J3 (348)

What an absolutely fabulous classic from Face 1st. It is pieces like this that first led me to appreciate the work of this rather underrated graffiti artist. Face 1st has been relentless in his pursuit of bringing smiles to people’s faces, and with this blue face girl he succeeds perfectly.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021

The colours used are really attractive and easy on the eye, and the typical smiling girl with the letters FACE for hair is pure Face 1st at his very best. I love this piece to bits.

3945. M32 roundabout J3 (347)

What a pleasant surprise this little combination was a couple of weeks back on my routine scout around the M32 roundabout. Unannounced and unusual, this pairing of Ra and Vee is both welcome and refreshing. Neither artist has been on my radar before, but since seeing this, I note they have painted more pieces on Bristol and the West.

Ra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Ra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021

On the left hand utility box is a piece by Ra, whose name and artwork is obviously influenced by ancient Egyptian culture. The god Ra is normally depicted with the head of a falcon, and is male, so this piece is likely to be someone else. Stunning nonetheless.

Veee, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Veee, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021

The smaller utility box has been painted by Veee, and is a bright and cheerful face. The styles of the artists couldn’t be more different, and next to one another you’d never guess that this was a collaborative paint. It seems that these two routinely paint together. I wonder whether their styles ever meet.

3925. M32 roundabout J3 (346)

This is a curious collaboration from painting pals CD.TC and Daz Cat. I don’t know why, but the whole thing doesn’t quite work for me. I love the work of both of these artists, so it is surprising to me when I see something that looks a little bit clunky.

CDTC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021
CDTC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021

The piece on the left is by CD.TC in which he combines his letters, in full caps, with one of his trademark monster faces breaking the letters up in thee middle. The monster is nicely done and the letter details and decorations well thought out.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021

To the right is the Daz Cat contribution, and I think that this is where I have a bit of an issue. I don’t like the letters in the mouth, and I’m not too sure the paw clutching an arrow adds much to the piece. Also, the way that the two pieces join I feel is a bit average really. I can only put this down to Daz Cat having a bit of a bad hair day when he painted this, because it bucks the trend of some truly outstanding pieces he has painted recently.

3907. M32 roundabout (345)

On environmental grounds I am not totally on-board with the trend of spray painting onto cling film suspended between two posts. The effect is a good one and it does create ‘walls’ where none exist, but the plastic waste and disposability doesn’t work for me. I have to be careful though, because spray paint isn’t particularly environmentally friendly and I could end up tying myself in knots.

Ryder and T-Rex, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021
Ryder and T-Rex, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021

All of that said, I do like the creativity of these mega-tag pieces by Ryder and T-Rex. These tags can be found all over Bristol, but these ones are temporary and ephemeral, and not in any danger of being over-painted. The ‘R’ character is by Ryder and the dinosaur head by T-Rex and the two fuse in the form of a true collaboration.

Ryder, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021
Ryder, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021

The second piece is by Ryder and typical of his ‘R’ tags. I don’t know if it is more difficult to paint onto cling film, but I expect it is not as forgiving of mistakes, but then again these artists don’t make many of those. An interesting addition to the array of street art possibilities.

3904. M32 roundabout J3 (344)

Daz Cat has been a rather busy boy lately as you will probably notice over the coming week or two with several posts of his work in the pipeline. This particular piece on the roundabout features two cats and some writing, which is not something Daz Cat does a lot of.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2021
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2021

As always, the cats are beautifully painted, but I think this is the first time I have seen a boy and girl cat in the same piece. I know that Daz Cat has been keen to do more female cats and there has been some recent evidence of this. The writing is quite elaborate and clean and tidy, but on balance I think I prefer his characters. Some superb pieces to follow soon…

3902. M32 roundabout J3 (343)

Here we have another classy piece of writing from Benjimagnetic on the roundabout. Although he is going through a simplification of his rather busy and frenetic style, the work is so unmistakably his.

Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Benjimagnetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

The colour selectionsare rather nice, with the pale blue border and 3D shadow working well with the red letters. The shapes of the letters are rather pleasing, and the shadings, both blue and red are very nicely crafted. Another fine piece of graffiti writing from Benjimagnetic.

3901. M32 Roundabout J3 (342)

This is an absolutely wonderful piece from Oma, and her first appearance on Natural Adventures. Oma’s style is something so refreshing and different in Bristol and definitely feels like the work of a studio artist transitioning onto the street – I don’t know if that is the case or not, but that is how it comes across to me.

Oma, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Oma, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

This portrait depicts an elderly man (an unusual subject in street art) using a magnifying glass to look at something. You can see the shading influences of Zake in this piece, which is no surprise as Oma usually paints alongside him and I believe he is coaching her along the way. The colours and bold and stand out, but it is the overall subject and style that I find fascinating. I am so looking forward to seeing a whole ton more work from Oma.

3899. M32 roundabout J3 (341)

An artist who seems to be going from strength to strength with his superb caligraffiti is Stivs, who I always think is slightly underrepresented on Natural Adventures, a situation that I must remedy.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021

I went back to this spot yesterday to re-photograph this gorgeous piece, because my original pictures are slightly out of focus. I haven’t processed the new pictures yet, but when I do I will replace the originals. The brush-stroke calligraphy spelling out STIVS is sensational, and the colour selections of black and red will always draw attention. A very fine piece indeed.

3875. M32 roundabout J3 (340)

It is always so good to see a new piece from Taboo, and it feels like a little while since his last one. This magnificent piece of graffiti writing is on the M32 roundabout, a wall that is seeing an ever-increasing turnover as artists compete for limited space I. The city.

Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2021

The letters, naturally, spell out Taboo, although it takes a little time to work it out if you aren’t used to reading his letters. Unusually for one of his pieces there is no accompanying character, although there is an animated paintbrush in the middle of the piece. His organic and unconventional style is what marks out his work as being rather special and I love it.