6268. Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024 (3)

Epod 3000, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Dunalley Street, Cheltenham, July 2024
Epod 3000, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Dunalley Street, Cheltenham, July 2024

Good morning and welcome to another brand-new week. What better way to kick off than with the third trio of pieces photographed at this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival? One of the notable things about the festival, which I am sure I will return to at some point, is that Andy ‘Dice’ Davies and his organising team are constantly finding new walls to decorate, meaning that existing murals get to stay where they are, constantly growing the outdoor gallery, which becomes an increasing draw for visitors and inward investment. If only the festival was able to gain more confidence from funders, which I know was a real struggle this year.

Epod 3000, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Dunalley Street, Cheltenham, July 2024
Epod 3000, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Dunalley Street, Cheltenham, July 2024

Fresh from his appearance at Upfest in Bristol, Epod, who is firmly on the festival circuit, produced this beauty on the side of the Holiday Inn Express, enhancing the visual value of the building tenfold at least. A stunning portrait of a beautiful woman with a sound system in her hair… and why not?

Fark, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, North Place car park, Cheltenham, July 2024
Fark, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, North Place car park, Cheltenham, July 2024

Next up is this very neat and tidy piece from Fark, who has become a CPF favourite and who managed to wheatpaste up his name pretty much everywhere I went in the town. A view, a rainbow and a bird – you cannot go wrong.

Wolfskulljack, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Two Pigs, Cheltenham, July 2024
Wolfskulljack, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Two Pigs, Cheltenham, July 2024

Finally, another favourite at the CPF is Wolfskulljack whose Gothic-style Posca pen sketches are utterly captivating and technically brilliant. Her study of animals and their form is a joy to behold, and there is always a sense of menace or threat about her work.

I’ll be posting more from Cheltenham in due course.

6235. Brunel Way (282)

Dibz, Jody and Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Dibz, Jody and Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

If ever you want an example of the perfect triptych graffiti writing/character portrait piece then look no further than this magnificent piece by Dibz, Jody and Fade underneath Brunel Way bridge. As always, these three have smashed it, and I just don’t know how many more ceilings they can break with their work.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

To the left, Dibz’ writing in black and pink is reflected on the right-hand side by Fade, where their writing is almost becoming indistinguishable except to the most experienced eyes. The key difference is that Fade’s letters tend to be ever so slightly softer than Dibz’. Both have created something special and finished it off with a splash of ‘liquid’ gold running behind the collaboration.

Jody, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Jody, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024

Sitting pretty between the graffiti writing is this outstanding skull painted by Jody. One of the great benefits of Jody joining these writers over the last couple of years is that we get to see so much more of his work on the streets, which I dare say we wouldn’t see so much if he was painting alone. When I see Jody’s work, I am still baffled how he manages to get such extraordinary detail and texture using a spray can. A trio at the top of their game.

6208. M32 Spot (186)

Nuke, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2024
Nuke, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2024

I get a little bat squeak of excitement when I see a piece that is obviously by an artist new to me, tempered by mild anxiety that I don’t know who they are and may not get to post their work until I find out more. Everything happened quite quickly with this wonderful piece by Nuke, thanks to Instagram, and I am thrilled to be able to post this debut piece for Natural Adventures.

Nuke, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2024
Nuke, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2024

This is a very interesting and compelling graffiti writing/character combination piece that has an interesting quality to it. It has a ‘soft-focus’ appearance and yet is clearly defied and masterfully painted. The 20 years refers to the length of time that Nuke has been painting, and his experience certainly plays out in this piece. I don’t know if he was passing through or whether he is staying in Bristol, but this is one of two recent pieces painted in the city by the artist.

5820. M32 roundabout J3 (550)

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024

Throughout the winter, Laic217 has been in a good rhythm of painting, and I think that it has a lot to do with teaming up with the PWA. Although this wonderful piece isn’t part of a collaborative wall, it was painted at the same time as an adjacent PWA collaboration.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024

This skull piece draws on so many of Laic217s trademarks, such as the brick wall, which hasn’t made an appearance for a little while, and the wonderful folds in the fabric of the clothes the skeleton is wearing. I don’t think I will ever tire of his work, or lose that spark of excitement I get every time I find one of his pieces.

5740. Cumberland Basin

Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023
Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023

All in all, 2023 was a very good year for Laic217, with 18 pieces featured in Natural Adventures, some of which I would rate as his best pieces to date. This piece features a skull character wearing a devil mask, I mean why not? I also got lucky that I photographed it on an overcast day, as this wall can be very tricky to capture when the sun is out.

Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023
Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023

Everything you’d expect to find from a classy Laic217 piece is here… the skull, something of the grotesque and threatening, the devil mask which is suspended by a gold chain, a bucket hat and of course outstanding folds in the fabric of the characters’ clothes. You can see a large gallery of Laic217’s magnificent work here.

5671. Leonard Lane (42)

Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023
Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023

Tell me that this isn’t scary or alarming, and I’ll buy you a beer should we ever meet. I think that Alex Arnell may have paid Bristol a swift visit in October or November this year, because I have come across a few of his highly distinctive scribble pieces recently, and I know that he is not a local artist.

Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023
Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023

Although the piece is a child-like scribble, it is in fact far more sophisticated than that and the subject is highly unsettling. Lots of colour and layers combine to give us this angry/scary portrait – the stuff of nightmares. I am not sure what materials Alex Arnell uses for his work, but it would be interesting to see if he could scale it up and use spray paint to create the same effect. Interesting and distinctive.

5553. M32 roundabout J3 (515)

Mudra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2023
Mudra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2023

As a rule, Mudra usually paints alongside other artists and it has been a long time since I found a piece that he painted alone… until I came across this one last month. The piece is carefully placed around the southern tunnel entrance on the M32 roundabout, where the River Frome emerges from its culvert.

Mudra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2023
Mudra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2023

In painting around this corner, Mudra has had to remove the posters that blight this area, doing us all a favour in the process (although a quick trip to the bin might have been in order). Mudra has painted his letters in a subtle blend of colours from bronze to rose to grey/white, an unusual combination that looks quite spectacular. The centrepiece is the skull, taking the place of the letter ‘D’, which has been really well observed and recreated. Sometimes skulls just don’t look like skulls, but this one looks pretty anatomically correct from what I can see. A smoking cigar has been added for additional effect. This is an unusual and unexpected piece from the brilliantly creative Mudra.

5480. M32 roundabout J3 (507)

Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023
Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023

Lee Roy is no stranger to Natural Adventures, nor is he a stranger to this spot on the M32 roundabout, and I have a feeling that he might have overwritten one of his own pieces to paint this one, or at least a short while after.

Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023
Lee Roy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023

In this piece we see Lee Roy’s free approach that touches on anti-style, full of energy and activity. The colours are rich and complementary, but the eye is immediately drawn to the skull, with red ‘lightening’ coming from its bloodshot eyes. This feels like a good old-fashioned piece of graffiti writing.

5394. Greenbank (85)

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2023
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2023

Although he doesn’t paint as often as he used to or as often as I’d like, Laic217 has managed to get into a steady rhythm this year, painting about once a month or so. This archetypal piece appeared on the long wall of hoardings at Greenbank earlier on in July.

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2023
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2023

Set on a large orange ‘L’, which I assume stands for Laic217, the skull character comes complete with a bucket hat and large chain around the neck. These are stock items for a Laic217 piece, but it is his trademark skill at painting fabric that really stands out. The folds created with shadows and highlights give the material an almost velvet appearance. A nice tidy piece from a firm favourite on Natural Adventures.

5307. Greenbank (83)

Claro_que_sssnoh, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023
Claro_que_sssnoh, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023

There is a very strong international component to the Bristol street/graffiti art scene in Bristol. We have artists from all over Europe, but in particular a host of Polish and Spanish artists, without whom the vast spectrum of artistic styles would be greatly impoverished. Claro_que_sssnoh belongs to the Spanish group of artists, although I’d like to think that he also belongs to Bristol.

Claro_que_sssnoh, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023
Claro_que_sssnoh, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023

This piece on the ever-shrinking Greenbank hoarding is painted in unusually dark colours, which I have to say I struggle with a little bit. I don’t think the colour selection here brings out the best in Claro_qhe_sssnoh’s work, and although as technically intricate as his other pieces, it doesn’t quite do it for me on this occasion. I do, however, like the addition of the skull wearing a fancy headdress on the right, with his laser stare.