Tag: Rabbit

2572. Cumberland Basin

I think I said this last time I posted a piece by Nevergiveup but I will say it again because it is still pertinent… gone but not forgotten. I discovered a new (to me) graffiti spot in the Cumberland Basin recently, and one which I think Nevergiveup also discovered a little while before he left Bristol.

Nevergiveup, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2019
Nevergiveup, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2019

This rabbit looks like it has had a little dose of nuclear radiation, but apart from the extra eyes ears and tooth it seems to be in the rudest of health. I love the location of this rabbit and for me it really adds to the quality of the piece. Still plenty to come from #followmyrabbits.

2556. Moon Street (77)

This is one of a great many rabbits by Nevergiveup that I have in my archive of Bristol street art, and I will be releasing them slowly as and when slots appear or the inclination takes me. This particular one in Moon Street goes back to May 2018.

Nevergiveup, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2018
Nevergiveup, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2018

As I recall this furry fellow stayed put for quite a while, but like so many of his colleagues eventually disappeared. I noticed that Bristol City Council have been on an anti-rabbit patrol lately and buffed out a whole bunch of them from utility boxes in the Cumberland Basin area (boo). Now that Nevergiveup has left town I expect the cull to gather pace.

2489. Little Paradise (4)

Well I’ve heard that Nevergiveup is leaving town, I’m not sure where he is going or whether he’ll be back, but you can walk anywhere in Bristol and it won’t take long to find a little reminder that he was here. His rabbits have become a bit of a thing over the last eighteen months or so and I still have a great many to find.

Nevergiveup, Little Paradise, Bristol, September
Nevergiveup, Little Paradise, Bristol, September

This purple fellow is in little paradise (possibly one of the least apt names for a place), propping up a long wall that has some interesting stuff at the other end of it. I have many more rabbits in my archive, but I like to intersperse them with other pieces – I have to be fair to all artists in the city. So although the artist may be leaving, his legacy will be appearing on the pages of Natural Adventures for some time to come. Farewell Nevergiveup Familia.

2475. St Mark’s Avenue (2)

This is the second piece I am posting from St Mark’s Avenue and it is a rather fun piece by Sepr. Judging from the weathering of the paint on the door, it looks like it has been here for some years. In line with pretty much everything in this alley, there seems to be remarkably little tagging.

Sepr, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, September
Sepr, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September

The piece itself presents a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat although rather than just one rabbit, he is actually pulling two rabbits, in a compromised state from the hat and they don’t look too pleased about it. I have long been a fan of Sepr’s work and I love the retro influences in his style that make his pieces so distinctive. Great piece with a great story beautifully executed, you can’t ask fo much more than that.

2405. Castle Park

Castle Park is not particularly known for its graffiti, there are not many walls and there is little or no culture of it, it was surprising therefore to find this little bit of ‘decorated’ wall and who should be there?… Nevergiveup and one of his rabbits.

Nevergiveup, Castle Park, Bristol, August 2019
Nevergiveup, Castle Park, Bristol, August 2019

The nature of his #followmyrabbits concept means that he is definitely the most ubiquitous artist in Bristol, more even than the most prolific taggers, who tend to stay within their districts. This is a particularly nice bunny photographed on a particularly nice day and painted on an interestingly textured wall that gives it a soft spongy look.

2357. Hotwell Road (3)

This is how I get to see most of Nevergiveup’s work for the first time. Because he doesn’t just paint regular spots but tends to paint everywhere he can in the city, he is one artist whose work you can spot from a car. This cheeky rabbit is on Hotwell Road and in a place that one is unlikely to stop – I got lucky, the traffic stopped right in front of me, my camera was on the passenger seat and so I snapped away. Lazy hunting, but sometimes you have to be opportunistic in this game.

Nevergiveup, Hotwell Road, Bristol, July 2019
Nevergiveup, Hotwell Road, Bristol, July 2019

I have lost count of his bunnies, and I miss an awful lot of them, but there is a bit of an addiction to trying to track them down, a bit like Pokemon Go or the Wallace and Gromit trails that Bristol has hosted in recent years. Another one for the gallery.

2338. North Street Green (13)

I said in a post not too long ago that I would have to start doubling up on Nevergiveup’s rabbits, because there are so many of them, and so tru to my word, here are two for the price of one.

Home alone 0006 14 July 2019

Both of these are at North Street Green, and one has been there rather longer than the other one and is looking a little worse for wear. This purple bunny is a little bit dumpy, constrained by the size and shape of the utility box it is painted on, but nonetheless cute.

Nevergiveup, North Street Green, Bristol, July 2019
Nevergiveup, North Street Green, Bristol, July 2019

The older rabbit on the door has been tagged quite heavily and could probably do with a makeover. It is quite unusual to see Nevergiveup’s rabbits defaced in this way, but I guess on an urban green like this one you are inviting trouble. Not much point in saying more to come from this artist…

2330. Wilder Street (35)

Yup, he’s everywhere, even Wilder Street isn’t exempt from the attentions of Nevergiveup and his urban bunny rabbits. I think that because he is producing these at such a magnificent rate I am going to have to double up some of his bunnys, to conserve posts on Natural Adventures.

Nevergiveup, Wilder Street, Bristol, July 2019
Nevergiveup, Wilder Street, Bristol, July 2019

I also think that the time has probably come to create a gallery of his work, so watch this space. I rather like this green bunny, and especially like his distorted reflection in the metal sheet to the left. Another one for the growing collection.

2299. Dean Lane skate park (226)

Well these two seem to have come out of hibernation, and this is one of two recent collaborations between Soge and Hire. These two are both Polish artists who have adopted Bristol as their home and have been collaborating for a few years now.

Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019

On the left is a fine and rather complex piece of writing by Soge, which does actually spell out SOGE although it is highly disguised. His style is like a kind of organic Gothic and seems to be from the same school as Hire and quite unusual for Bristol. Long thin sections of lettering with sharp points, this is technically very difficult and brilliantly executed.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019

On the right is one of Hire’s trademark rabbits which are altogether more ‘street’ and sinister than the rather cuddly rabbits painted by fellow countryman Nevergiveup. There is a lot of menace in this rabbit – not one I’d like to meet on a dark night – and you can see how the fur, all pointy, reflects the style in Soge’s writing. These two would seen to enjoy each other’s company and it is a pleasure to see them back out and painting again.

2289. Jessop Underpass (3)

 

These rabbits have bred like well… err… rabbits. There are dozens of them all over the city, and I have lost count of how many I have posted or photographed, and still I have a whole load in my archive. This particular one is relatively recent I think, as I pass this way quite frequently and hadn’t noticed it before last week.

Nevergiveup, Jessop Underpass, Bristol, June 2019
Nevergiveup, Jessop Underpass, Bristol, June 2019

Nevergiveup, or Nevergiveup Familia (NGU) to give him his full tag lives up to his name and has a determination to brighten up the city with his bunnies, while still keeping his hand in with some graffiti writing. I’m not sure how he finds the energy. It would take a hard soul to consider this bunny as vandalism. What would you prefer? A standard green/grey utility box with nothing attractive about it or a cheerful bunny bringing a smile to commuters’ faces? It is a no brainer, but I am waiting for the local headlines that announce Bristol City Council’s stiffening resolve to eradicate such vandalism. I hope it doesn’t come to that, I and many others in Bristol are fond of NGU’s rabbits.