Tag: Mr Draws

3291. Cheltenham 2020 (13)

Mr Draws really came up with something of a surprise at this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival with this environmental piece of an elephant and the slogan ‘ system change not climate change’.

Mr Draws, Paint festival, Cheltenham, September 2020
Mr Draws, Paint festival, Cheltenham, September 2020

I caught up with Mr Draws in the centre of town and he told me that he had used a technique for the first time which is used by many artists called a doodle grid. He reported that he enjoyed it and that it had worked really well. There seems to be a bit of a mixture of techniques and styles within the piece, for example the rather abstract foliage, the well proportioned elephant and the twigs with leaves. A strange combination but one with a clear strong message.

3286. Dean Lane skate park (361)

Mr Draws has been turning out some really nice pieces recently and this one is a particularly colourful one. His work has a tendency not to last too long, probably an artefact of the walls he paints rather than any commentary on the quality of his work.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

In this piece, as usual, he spells out DRAW! and his fills are a colourful array of lines, spots, stars and squiggles. This is classic ‘make it up as you go along’ artwork and looks like it was fun to do. The streets of Bristol would be duller without Mr Draws.

3232. Brunel Way bridge (59)

It is always good to return to my old favourites from time to time, keeping Natural Adventures grounded and not obsessed with high-end pieces, which could be very tempting but nowhere nearly as representative of the Bristol scene. The beating heart of graffiti and street art lie in the hands of people like Mr Draws and Face 1st – the unsung heroes of our city.

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020

This is a piece from a short while back  by Mr draws that has a rather lovely feel to it. The colour fills are rather interesting and unruly, but somehow work really well and the whole thing, spelling out DRAWS, lifts nicely off the wall and the vibrant colours make it nice and lively. A decent piece that many might ignore and walk past.

3171. St Werburghs tunnel (187)

As if to prove me wrong, here is yet another Mr Draws piece, and a rather nice little one at that. Since stating a little while ago that he wasn’t getting out much, I am now finding pieces all over the place. I was also fortunate enough to catch up with him at the Cheltenham Paint Festival last weekend, and noted that he too has grown a rather nice corona beard.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2020
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2020

The piece in St Werburghs tunnel Is deceiving because of the lights in the tunnel. It is actually chrome but the reflected light makes it look very gold on the right hand side. Some nice simple drops and blobs just lift the piece a little. Modest and fun.

3166. St Werburghs tunnel (186)

A few days ago I commented that Mr Draws has been fairly slow out of the blocks since lock down restrictions eased, but I can safely say that he has now got back up to speed and he has returned to a steady pattern of spraying walls. I actually stopped for a chat with him yesterday at the Cheltenham Paint Festival and he was in good shape and is also sporting a very nice corona beard.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2020
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2020

This piece plays into his current favour for horizontal Colour regimes in his pieces. I like the way he has gone for solid lines, no fusion of colours, and that some of the stripes are a bit wobbly. The white accents add a nice touch and create that 3D effect we’re always looking for. More pieces to come from Mr Draws.

3131. Dean Lane skate park (343)

Although he is nowhere near as prolific as he has been in the past, Mr Draws is still managing to paint from time to time. This is a recent piece from Dean Lane that emphasises his willinngness to try new ideas and constantly push his boundaries.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020

The piece is in two distinct halves split horizontally, with a wobbly four colour stripe filled top half and a three colour freeform fill on the bottom half. It is an eyecatching piece and I would like to see more from the artist, but appreciate that these are not easy times for anyone.

3049. Brunel Way bridge (44)

I haven’t seen nearly enough of Mr Draws this year. I know that his painting sprees go in fits and starts in a good year, but the disruption imposed by coronavirus this year seems to have impacted on Mr Draws more than on other artists. I was really pleased therefore to find this one by him under Brunel Way.

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020

This is a simple enough piece, but the element that stands out for me is how effective the black shading is with the orange outline. This is a combination that tidies up the whole thing really well.

I am away fishing at the moment, in fact just about to head off for the Lizard in Cornwall, but am aware that Mr Draws has just painted another piece and hope it is still there by the time I get home on Sunday/Monday.

 

 

2741. M32 roundabout J3 (194)

There is rarely a time when I don’t enjoy seeing work by Mr Draws. His DRAW moniker will be a familiar site to any observant Bristolian in recent years, even if they haven’t considered the name any further.

Mr Draws. M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2020
Mr Draws. M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2020

In this fun piece, Mr Draws has added interest to his writing with a little spaceship sending light beams down onto his work. Although not an original concept, it is a fun idea that brought a smile to my face. Mr drwas continues to show great stamina, painting walls come rain or shine and keeping Bristol’s USP ticking over nicely.

 

 

 

2719. North Street

During last summer, when Mr Draws painted this beast, it was impossible to get any photographs of it at all because it was behind a whole bunch of large leafy shrubs. Summer has yielded to winter and the leaves on the tree have fallen and the Council gardeners have cleared the shrubs. The outcome is that this magnificent whale is now visible to the world.

Mr Draws, North Street, Bristol, January 2020
Mr Draws, North Street, Bristol, January 2020

This whale is not the first Mr Draws has painted, indeed he sprayed one around the same time at the Cheltenham Paint Festival. It is however a bit of a departure from his graffiti writing or his mountains. I like the piece very much, it has a certain solemnity and mystery about it. Glad to have captured it at last.

2677. Cheltenham 2019 (26)

One of the rather comforting things about the Cheltenham Paint Festival was the number of familiar Bristol-based artists who had been invited to paint, including the wonderful Mr Draws who is no stranger to Natural Adventures.

Mr Draws, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Mr Draws, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

This imaginative piece combines a toothpaste tube with mountains… who’d have thought? When I first started photographing pieces by Mr Draws, a great many of them featured mountains, so it was nice to see this retrospective piece in Cheltenham. I have previously published a gallery of his work which you can see here.