Hoardings are irresistible to street artists, graffiti writers and taggers alike. They provide a safe and clean canvas, temporary in nature, for spray paint creativity, and Mind 49 has grabbed the opportunity to decorate this hoarding in Church Road with both hands. Mind 49 is making a big impact on the street art scene in Bristol, and his portrait pieces in particular are turning heads all over the city. I am guessing from the frequency of his new work that he must have moved to the city, or in the neighbouring area.
Mind Control, Church Road, Bristol, February 2024
The portrait is really striking, and his style is fascinating. It is not photorealistic, but is representative. His can control though has a paint brush quality that is softer than the harsh crispness of photorealism. This is a really great piece, and he appears to improve each time he hits a wall. I am looking forward to seeing where he takes us in 2024.
Zake is something of a phenomenon. His output rate and the quality of his work are quite exceptional, and he is always coming up with original ideas based around his central character style. Even though I big him up frequently on Natural Adventures, I think his modesty lends itself to him being a bit of an unsung hero. Well, I am singing!
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2024
This face is perhaps a little smoother than some of his recent intricate works, but still presents his mastery of light and shade to create depth. It is sometimes difficult with his work to remember that it is painted on a flat wall, such is the 3D effect he creates. They just keep on coming, with no sign of letting up. Great work from the PWA man.
Dale Grimshaw, Northern Quarter, Manchester, February 2024
While wandering around the Northern Quarter in Manchester, I came across a heavily boarded building site, inside which I could glimpse the top of a Dale Grimshaw mural. There was a small letter-box hole in the hoarding and I managed to take a snapshot of the piece together with some construction workers. I also took a picture over the top of the hoarding, without really being able to see what I was doing. I wasn’t unpleased with the results.
Dale Grimshaw, Northern Quarter, Manchester, February 2024
Dale Grimshaw is no stranger to the pages of Natural Adventures, and his huge portraits featuring people of different regions and cultures are instantly recognisable. Here is a nice little bit of insight from the artist about the piece, written on his Facebook thread last November:
Storytime – So, this piece has been in central Manchester for quite a good, few years now. It was painted as part of the Cities Of Hope festival. It’s seen so many things – the environment around it has changed dramatically, from a potholed carpark to a new, trendy block of flats. The wall has been tagged & blasted with rain & sun over the seasons. It stood alone, staring out at the empty streets, during the years of lockdown. The wall it’s painted on is even crumbling & damp beneath it – yet it shines on! True warrior. Technically it’s not my best piece – (it was a bit rushed) but it seems to have captured something with the good folk of Manchester.
Memories of painting – the alarm on the scissor lift was beeping for the entire time, day in, day out, (I swear I could fckin hear it in my sleep ) I got to know a few of the local addicts that occupied that spot. One day a pretty wirey guy ran at the scissor lift & climbed up it like Spiderman – I was about 5 meters up & he hung onto the platform edge with his finger tips, staring at an £800 camera within reach, like Gollum & the ring! After that incident, I decided to load all the spray paint in to a shopping trolley at night & take it up to my hotel room in the lift. I’ve always been sophisticated like that.
All great stuff, a brilliant portrait from a very good artist.
I think I have met Jevoissoul only once, and we had a great discussion about his emergence on the scene and his likely direction of travel. He told me at that point that he had ambitions to be very busy and to paint all over Bristol. Fast-track a few months, and he appears to be realising his plans, with new pieces popping up all over the place.
Jevoissoul, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024
This typical piece is on one of the square concrete slabs of the WWII gun emplacement at the top of the hill at Purdown, with commanding views across Bristol. The picassoesque character is clutching a rather large joint from which a slug of smoke wafts upwards. I like Jevoissoul’s work and I would like to see him develop his ideas to create new scenarios. I’m sure this will come in time.
Sako and Zake, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, January 2024
Photographing this piece in a narrow alley in Easton was never going to be easy. I had to remove (and replace) three heavy wheelie bins, just to get sight of the collaboration by Sako and Zake. There are other bits and bobs obscuring the piece, but I am an archivist, not a blooming street cleaner.
Sako and Zake, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, January 2024
I really enjoy Sako’s work, which has more than a hint of mystery and intrigue. Using his favoured blue and purple tints, he has created a gangway leading into a tunnel, with a giant hand emerging from the water and a tiny figure standing on a finger. Wistfully looking on is a profile portrait piece by Zake, which is quite unlike his more usual larger-than-life exaggerated cartoon portraits. A beautiful face and beautiful hair.
This is a fine collaboration from the pair of artists, and has left me wondering what it is all about. The sooner I get to meet Sako, the better.
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023
Vigorously waving the banner for paste-ups in Bristol, pretty much single-handedly, is Abbey Laura Smith with her intriguing black and white portraits. Regular readers of Natural Adventures will know that I am an admirer of paste-ups or wheatpastes, and will drone on about how we just don’t see many in the city these days. This niche art form must not be confused with bill posters, which in my view are a plague, driven by the selfish interests of advertising for a product or a cause – they (in my very humble view) are not art in themselves despite being illustrated in most cases by graphic designers or artists, but are tomorrow’s litter, and today’s eyesore. Well we all have opinions, and that is mine, so there!
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023
Wheatpasting is as much about the siting of the piece as the art itself, and Abbie Laura Smith has done a great job in thinking about the placement of this portrait on a utility box in Cumberland Basin. The artwork itself is a clean and crisp line drawing of a pretty lady, with some nice ‘graffiti drips’ at the base. I hope that Abbie’s efforts encourage a revival of this lost art in Bristol.
I always like finding pieces by Daz Cat, as there is something comforting and very ‘Bristol’ about them. I do miss his rather larger storytelling pieces, which seem to be few and far between these days, but I expect that is because he is otherwise occupied and only has time for his smaller cat characters.
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
This one up at Purdown is a classic piece of Daz Cat artwork. The cat character is looking straight out from the wall with long whiskers and flattened ears (to fit the limited space). The trademark shape on the Cat’s forehead marks this as a Daz Cat piece… no signature necessary. More please in 2024.
Happy New Year. I am thrilled to start the year with this magnificent portrait piece that Pekoe painted during an RBF paint jam organised to celebrate her birthday. I can only say that she smashed it with this outstanding portrait painted in her own unique style.
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
As with so many of Pekoe’s portraits there are three key elements that combine so well in her work, and they are the face, the hair and the decoration. In this piece, the face is beautiful, with eyes glancing left, a delicate nose, a mouth with gold markings and an ear with plenty of piercings. The hair is brilliant, tied up in bunches and the decoration in gold surrounds the portrait with leaves and peace symbols. A truly wonderful piece from Pekoe.
Dibz and Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
There is just enough time to squeeze one more utterly awesome piece from Dibz and Jody before the year is out. Although not overtly Christmassy, this piece does have a sense of celebration and festival about it.
Dibz and Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
The wildstyle writing is from Dibz, and has a camouflage influenced design, offset perfectly with dark purple drop shadows. The letters, which of course are perfectly sharp and well finished, create a wonderful frame for the central portrait by Jody.
Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Jody has actually painted a lot on the streets this year, which has been a huge bonus, and he has definitely saved one of his best for this end-of-year collaboration. There is a sadness and calm in the portrait, and it feels religious or spiritual in nature. Simply stunning.
Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
One of my favourite pieces from recent Upfest festivals was the magnificent piece in North Street by Liam Bononi, so it was just perfect to come across this outstanding piece by the artist in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
There is so much to admire in his work, from the composition through to the incredible execution. There is so much fine detail in the subject’s face and hands, with every wrinkle and fold of skin beautifully painted. His work tends to play with the viewer, with the photorealistic image being fragmented or distorted in some way, with hands clutching the face, perhaps indicating some kind of anguish that is not present in the face itself. Truly wonderful street art, and free for all to see.
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