6564. Cumberland Basin

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

Abbie Laura Smith has pushed the creative boat out a little with this symmetrical wheatpaste stuck on a utility box in Cumberland Basin. Rather than being bilaterally symmetrical, the twin portraits are rotationally symmetrical, which I think might be a first on Natural Adventures.

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

I love the way that Abbie Laura Smith has introduced some colour into this paste-up, which features a portrait of a woman looking a little fed up, and perhaps sad. ALS has a wonderful way of representing hair, which almost looks like it is from a lino-cut that has been scored and printed. There are some subtle differences in the application of colour between the two portraits, such as the lips and distribution of pinks and reds in the hair. This is a wonderfully creative piece from our resident wheatpaster.

5839. Dean Lane skate park (689)

Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2024
Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2024

With the exception of commissions or permitted walls, street art and graffiti art in Bristol is largely an illegal activity that can at times be edgy in either content or placement or indeed both. The former Salvation Army building, on which this writing by Raid has been sprayed, has recently been converted into flats/accommodation and abuts the skate park. Historically, this has been an area with a high level of graffiti and tagging, but the redevelopers cleaned up their walls, presumably to tidy up the building to make it more attractive to buyers/tenants. There is nothing more tempting for graffiti writers, in particular, than a nice freshly cleaned wall in an area of high graffiti activity, and it looks like Raid gave in to the temptation.

Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2024
Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2024

From my perspective, not only is this a really nice piece from Raid, but it looks great against the clean brick wall… and there we have it, the edge, the mischief, the anti-establishment stance and so on that graffiti and street art have come to represent. We will all have our views on this, and that is what keeps the culture vibrant and the discussions fresh. For my part, I love street art and graffiti art (naturally) and prefer it to be in the right places. Sometimes you just have to admire the outliers too, and I admire this piece from Raid.

 

5745. St Werburghs tunnel (397)

Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024
Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024

Raid has had a flurry of activity this winter, and I keep finding pieces new to me, wondering if they are recent or if I have simply missed them. I can be pretty sure this is a recent piece (it wishes us a Happy New Year) as turnover in the tunnel is much easier to monitor than in some of the other spots in Bristol.

Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024
Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024

One of the challenges Raid appears to have set himself, on occasion, is to create a piece that is rotationally symmetrical, and this piece I think falls into that category. The fills in this piece are beautifully done, and the green line with stars creates interest and continuity through the letters. It is interesting that he hasn’t painted a border between his fill and drop shadow, preferring to leave a clean line instead. Surely time for a gallery?

5310. Dean Lane skate park (610)

Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

I am under a bit of pressure today, lots to do before heading off for York this afternoon for a conference tomorrow, so I’m afraid this is going to be a short one. I met Raid a week or two back while he was painting his new writing style on the M32 roundabout, a piece that was overpainted before I got to see it completed. He told me that he was really enjoying his new letter style and was drawn to the symmetrical elements in it.

Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

This one behind the railings at Dean Lane. The symmetry is a rotational one, where the R and the D are similar and the A and I are too. If you spin the piece around a central point, it would look the same upside down. I love to see artists experimenting and growing. Expect to see more from Raid this summer.