6385. M32 Spot (193)

Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024

Wow, wow, wow! This is something rather different and special from Silent Hobo. Not only has he changed his style, but these pieces come as a set of three on three sequential columns under the M32 at the M32 Spot.

Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024

The three pieces appear to be snippets from a conversation, and I rather hope for Silent Hobo’s sake that they are not autobiographical. The first column has a portrait of a man declaring “Baby I’m doing my best”.

Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024

The second column is a reply from a woman saying those words that nobody wants to hear “Yes but…” Sounds like he might be in trouble. The portrait is remarkable, and really so different from the rest of his work. It is less cartoony and more realistic and has the appearance of oil on canvass.

Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024

The third column is the killer blow… “You told me you were good”. Whatever the context of the conversation, I hope all works out well,. I am full of admiration at how skilful Silent Hobo has been to get viewers to invest so much in the characters in such a limited space. I suppose we can all construct our own stories about the three columns, but the artwork, which is remarkable, speaks for itself.

6333. Montpelier Park

Nice One, Montpelier Park, Bristol, June 2024
Nice One, Montpelier Park, Bristol, June 2024

I am taking a bit of a risk with posting this piece, because I am not 100% certain that it is by who I think it is. My guess would be that the artist is Nice One, as it certainly has the same style as other signed portraits about the place. The piece has been lurking in my archive since June, because I wasn’t too sure who to attribute it to.

Nice One, Montpelier Park, Bristol, June 2024
Nice One, Montpelier Park, Bristol, June 2024

I like the portrait very much, and would guess that the artist (if it is Nice One) might have had some art schooling of some kind… since, although it is rather stylised, the proportions are nicely worked. The piece was modestly ticked away in the far corner of the wall in one of the quieter graffiti spots in Bristol. Nice one is building a more than respectable portfolio and I would expect and hope to see a whole lot more coming from the artist over the next few weeks and months.

6322. Dean Lane skate park (743)

Fade and Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024
Fade and Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024

I am currently enjoying a few days in Copenhagen with my mother, to celebrate, belatedly, my 60th birthday. This means that the next few posts are a little hurried, and not very in depth, distractions being what they are.

Fade and Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024
Fade and Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024

This is a gorgeous and beautifully integrated collaboration from Fade and Pekoe. There is a synergy in this that works incredibly well with both artists adding to the others’ work, where the total is greater than the sum of the parts. The letters are magnificently painted by Fade, and the ‘A’ replaced with a trademark portrait from Pekoe. There is so much to love about this striking piece, especially the rich colour palette.

6320. Cumberland Basin

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

This is an absolutely wonderful new paste up from Abbie Laura Smith, the first of a new batch she recently pasted up all over the Cumberland Basin area. It is such a treat having a wheatpaster in the city, and every time she releases and new collection, I am filled with excitement, and the hunt is on. Of course I always seem to miss one or two, but each one found is like a trophy.

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

Abbie Laura Smith’s trademark work usually centres around an ink portrait of a woman, frequently with words or lyrics concealed within the work. The words ‘I wish I could buy back the woman you stole, out of control, out of control, you walk, walk, walk, walk, walk my winners’ are lyrics from a song ‘Y Control’ by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I particularly like the incorporation of a dark blue colour around the eyes, which breaks up the two-tone look of the piece. The placement of the wheatpaste is on a utility box that Abbie Laura Smith has used before, with a remnant from her previous piece still visible. Wonderful stuff.

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023

6316. Brunel Way (284)

Nice One, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Nice One, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

Once you get your eye in with a particular artist, you start to see their work scattered all over the place, as well as digging their stuff out of the archives. Nice One has been painting some great stuff around Bristol in recent months, and I am trying to catch up a little with their work.

Nice One, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Nice One, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

This column piece under Brunel Way is a fabulous portrait, modestly placed out of the way by the DIY skate park. The pastel shades are difficult to photograph especially in the dappled light, but I think these pictures give some idea of  just how good and different this sketch-like piece is. I am very much looking forward to Nice One becoming a regular contributor to Natural Adventures.

6312. Muriel Alleyway (10)

Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024

Bristol’s smallest street art festival in Muriel Alleyway was a joyous occasion where some twenty or so artists gathered together to decorate a row of garage doors and garden back doors, bathed in glorious sunshine. This was Billy’s contribution to the event, and completely in keeping with the positive energy generated during the day.

Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024

I think that Billy had to paint some of this over an extended period, because she and Merny were swapping parenting duties while attempting to complete their respective works. This is pure Billy, with here naïve style front and centre in the form of a portrait of a girl. Painted in bright and happy colours, this is a great example of her uplifting work.

6305. Dean Lane skate park (741)

Nice One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024
Nice One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024

Over the past few months some rather nice script writing has appeared all over Bristol, with the words ‘Nice One’. I had nothing more to go on about the artist, until now, when a signed portrait by the artist appeared in Dean Lane recently. Unfortunately the identity of the artist remains a mystery, and until I know more I will refer to them as Nice One.

Nice One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024
Nice One, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024

This is a fantastic portrait piece painted in a ‘brush-stroke’ style, as if it were a charcoal sketch in a black book. The proportions and perspectives are superb, the work of a trained artist I would guess. I love the expression on the character’s face. The bold ‘e’ in the signature is something I’ll be looking out for.  More to come from this Natural Adventures debutant soon.

6304. Muriel Alleyway (8)

Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August, 2024
Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August, 2024

This was a bit of a red-letter day… not only was it gorgeous weather, but I got to meet Mind 49 for the first time, having been following his work for a number of years. He was painting alongside the Bristol Mural Collective at Bristol’s smallest street art festival at the end of July.

Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July, 2024
Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July, 2024

This is the first shutter piece that I have seen Mind 49 paint, and although the portrait is magnificent, I’m not convinced that the uneven surface lends itself well to his style, or at least in a narrow lane, where you can’t stand back to get the overall impression of the piece.

Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August, 2024
Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August, 2024

This is one of the first times that I have seen a full face portrait piece by Mind 49, as he usually likes to paint heads from all sorts of different angles, or with obstacles hiding parts of the face, creating a sense of mystery. A very nice piece indeed from a lovely artist.

6287. M32 roundabout J3 (615)

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024

Stivs is something of an enigma, you never really know quite what you are going to see from him next. He is both an accomplished portrait and scene artist, as well as an exceptional calligraffiti writer. In this piece, he has created a wonderful cartoon book style portrait.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024

I took this photograph on my second trip to the wall, because the sun wasn’t quite right on my first visit. Unfortunately, by the time I returned, YSAE and Solar (one of them) had tagged it. At least they were respectful enough not to go over the portrait itself. The piece is called (I presume) ‘moody boys start wars’.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024

The artwork itself is exceptional, and it is one of the best renditions of comic-book style artistry I have seen, and at scale too. I have included a photograph I took on my first visit, which has no tags, but bright vertical strips of light where the sun has caught the wall and corresponding shadows. Phenomenal stuff from Stivs.

6285. M32 Cycle path (274)

Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2024
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2024

This amazing portrait piece by Pekoe is simply perfect. It appeared shortly after the far right riots that flared up recently in the wake of the stabbing of three girls in Southport. I won’t share my thoughts on the riots here, but I suspect that my feelings are consistent with the vast majority.

Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2024
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2024

Pekoe has her own way of answering back at the far right thugs, by hitting them where it hurts, their ego, with a speech bubble that puts down fascism in a single blow, “hot girls hate fascists”. The words alone are enough, but she accompanies it with one of her fabulous portraits. The right piece in the right place at the right time. Bravo Pekoe.