This was a modest piece from Rezwonk, tucked away on a back fence at the M32 Spot from August last year. It includes a wonderful Charlie Brown character and yellow bird and the writing faithfully adopts the colours of Charlie Brown’s shirt.
Rezwonk, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2019
The interesting thing about this piece is that although the colours of the letters match Charlie Brown, the writing style doesn’t. I would love to see if Rezwonk could reproduce this idea with writing that adopted the cartoon curves and line drawings of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz. That said, I love this piece and Rezwonk is a favourite on Natural Adventures.
Another piece from January last year, released from the archive, this one is by Minto. My knowledge of Minto is a little bit patchy but I think he used to live in Bristol and then, like so many street artists/designers, moved to London, so pieces here are few and far between.
Minto, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019
This is an unusual piece of writing, unlike anything I have seen before really, and I am not certain it is necessarily in Minto’s usual style either. Not really my cup of tea, but it is always great to have a spectrum of art in the city.
Going through the archives is turning out some nice surprises, and I have been fiding quite a few old pieces by Conrico, like this one at the M32 Spot from August 2018, at a time when I wasn’t familiar with the artist.
Conrico, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2018
This wonderful melty column piece I suspect in some way might be drug related. There is certainly something fairly unusual and dreamlike going on and the separation of the character’s head and copious amounts of smoke suggest something weird is going on. Ever colourful and imaginative, Conrico is a lovely bloke whose work really brightens the place up.
Utterly inexplicable! how on earth did I fail to post this brilliant column piece by Kid Crayon back in June 2017? And how have I not retrieved it from my archives before now? I think this illustrates just how many pictures I have in my archives that get left behind and that what you see here on Natural adventures is just a fraction of what is out there on the streets every day.
Kid Crayon, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2017
What is quite unusual about this column piece is that it spans three sides of the column and so is impossible to enjoy from standing in one position.
Kid Crayon, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2017
On the first face (or is it the third?) is a purple-faced girl and monster, apparently unrelated. Purple or blue-faced characters is a bit of a trademark for Kid Crayon, as is the turquoise colour that he uses a lot in his work.
Kid Crayon, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2017
On the second face are some more rather weird animate and inanimate objects along with another face, this time I am pretty sure it is a self-portrait of the artist, and if it isn’t, it ought to be because it looks a lot like him.
Kid Crayon, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2017
On the third and final face of the column are a couple more characters one of whom is singing? a rainbow. Let’s embrace and own this as a Coronavirus rainbow of hope. This is unfathomable and simply brilliant work by one of my favourite Bristol artists and incredibly nice guy.
This little area of columns at the M32 Spot is very much favoured by Zake and there are a few of his pieces that have remained here for about a year untouched by taggers or other artists – quite unusual really and perhaps a gesture to his unusual face pieces.
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2020
The inclusion of a portion of neck lends itself well to spraying character portraits on these narrow columns and Zake has perfected the art. The absence of pupils gives Zake’s pieces a ghostly appearance that is a little unsettling, which combined with humorous expressions leaves the viewer on edge slightly. I like his work and am pleased that he has started painting again after a quiet winter period.
It is good news indeed that Nightwayss has started to paint outside again and is sharing his talent with the citizens of Bristol after a bit of a layoff over the winter. What I love about his work is that he switches things up a lot. Sometimes writing, sometimes characters or scenes and sometimes a combination. He is not only talented but is versatile too.
Nightwayss, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2020
This column piece is an imaginative and aesthetically pleasing piece using the space brilliantly. A monkey (of course) is, as we all know, trying to escape from a spray can and would account for at least one of these wonderful creatures appearing in nearly all of his work. Great greens and a great concept nicely painted. More from Nightwayss to come soon.
Sometimes it is better not to write too much about a piece, especially when it is this good. Smak posted this on Instagram and said what a banging board this is, and I quite agree. Hats off to whoever erected it under the M32.
Smak, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
This writing is close to perfect and there is something that is extra good about it, it might be the choice of vibrant and contrasting colours. Anyhow it is simply a really good example of how great technical graffiti writing can be.
Another lovely portrait piece from Lobe, taken through railings at the M32 Spot. You can see the chanelled River Frome behind the pillar. The river passes under the city centre in a culvert, beneath Cabots Circus and Broadmead shopping centres, beneath the old fire station, beneath the fountains in the centre, along towards the Arnolfini, then it is siphoned underneath the floating harbour before eventually discharging into the New Cut. If only Bristolians knew what lies only a couple of meters beneath their feet.
Lobe, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
Back to the art and this wonderful face in the typical style of Lobe, that is with thick bold black outlines and strong fills in only two or three shades. I’m not sure if those are eyes or half-moon spectacles. If they are the latter, then they are upside down. More from Lobe to come.
Finding a piece like this magnificent collaboration from PWA artists Soap and Face 1st gives me such tremendous pleasure and confirms for me that the time I spend finding, photographing and writing about street art is time very well spent. These two are capable of creating some magical images and there is a real sense of fun and mischief about these ones.
Soap, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
First up is a sword–swallowing act from Soap in which his mouth character lends itself to a different take on visualising this dangerous act. There are many things to admire here, such as the garland of flowers and the carefully thought out use of blue tones, I particularly like the swirl patterns in the shading.
Joining the two elements of the collaboration is a lovely splat pattern, but it is difficult to be sure which of these two painted it.
Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
On the right is one of my favourite Face 1st pieces ever, and that is a very high bar. There is something so joyful about these two giggling girls mischievously spraying each other with paint and there is a balance to it reminiscent of yin and yang. What Face 1st lacks in sharp, crisp lines he more than makes up for in heart and soul. His work speaks to me.
Soap and Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
On the one-way top end of Stapleton Road, it would be nice to think that drivers would glance to their right and admire this free art to cheer up their lives, but I bet most wouldn’t even notice it.
This is not an easy place to photograph. The spot is sandwiched between two busy slip roads underneath the M32, and just for added difficulty, access is over fences and the River Frome runs through the middle. I haven’t yet ventured into the spot and these photographs are taken through a bit of railing some distance away.
Smak, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
There is little I can say about Smak’s work that I haven’t said dozens of times before, but even in this tricky spot where only a few will ever get to see the piece his work is 100 per cent on point. There is a consistent font style to his letters and his shadinngs are utterly awesome. One huge advantage about this spot is that tagging tends to be pretty much absent.
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