Another instalment from the Burberry check paint jam in Sparke Evans Park, and this one is by Smak. The artist has really gone to town on this one and spread himself out a bit, with a truly awesome piece of graffiti writing.
Smak, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023
You can make out the letters SMAK, although with all the patterning, if you didn’t know what you were looking for it could be a bit tricky. As you might expect, the technique and skill in this piece are second to none, and you are seeing graffiti writing at its absolute best. It is great to see a spike in activity from Smak.
Tack Jucker, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023
Tack Jucker has been a little bit quiet over the winter, so this early spring piece was a nice surprise. The piece resembles a study more than a complete piece, and perhaps gives us a little glimpse of the design ideas of Tack Jucker, and maybe something he is working on.
Tack Jucker, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023
He has slapped this giant eye over the top of a Face 1st piece when perhaps the polite thing might have been to buff the wall out completely before starting. The eye itself is nicely done, and the reflections work really well – an aspiring My Dog Sighs perhaps?
The Burberry check paint jam in Sparke Evans Park consisted mostly of graffiti writing, but Sled One did what only Sled One can do and created this extraordinary surreal character piece with his own unique take on the theme.
Sled One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023
It is difficult to say too much about the artwork, because I would too quickly run out of superlatives. I can however have a go at describing what is going on in the scene. A bumblebee is riding a bicycle – so far so good – He has two feet peddling and four arms, two of which are on the handlebars of the bicycle, a further hand is holding a phone, and the last hand is delicately letting out some gas from a NOX balloon (Nitrous Oxide, laughing gas – a high of choice for teenagers). The bumblebee is, of course, wearing a Burberry hat and scarf. Simply outstanding work from Sled One.
There were so many exceptional pieces painted for the ‘Burberry check’ themed paint jam down at Sparke Evans Park, and in the main they were of the highest quality. I might be pushing the boat out here a bit, but this might be one of the best pieces I have seen by Bnie altogether.
Bnie, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023
Her distinctive letters have been given the Burberry treatment, but it is not only the familiar check patterns that are stunningly presented, but the 3D drop shadow and border are so neat and tidy too. The whole thing is set on a dark blue wall with some cloudy wisps around the edges which help the writing to pop out a bit from the wall. Absolutely stunning work from Bnie.
This stunner by Mena, writing MENAS, is her contribution to the recent Burberry’s themed paint jam, recently held in Sparke Evans Park. It is a clever theme, with each artist incorporating the Burberry check in their own way. It is interesting how a household brand is so instantly recognisable, even if it isn’t necessarily presented in the form that we are used to seeing.
Mena, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023
This is a real quality piece of writing from Mena, whose work is probably underrepresented on Natural Adventures. It might even be the best that I have seen from her. Perfect colours, complex checks and a sound 3D drop-shadow and border combine to make this a most enjoyable piece. A couple more and I will have enough for a gallery.
Evey, Peggy and Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
The turnover at Sparke Evans Park is very slow these days, and the chance of meeting artists actively painting there is minimal, however that is exactly what happened when Evey, Peggy and Desi were painting this wall a short while ago. Of course, I had to go back again to get clean pictures of the completed wall, and what a wall it is.
Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
To the left of the three is a gorgeous EVEN from Evey, painted in the pink and blue colours replicated through the collaborative effort. There are some nice letter shapes and a band of horizontal fades running through the letters, which are given a little bit of extra interest with squiggles, hearts and a peace sign.
Peggy, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
In the middle is a wonderful floral design from Peggy, picking up hints of the pink and blue theme, and adding in some yellow touches to lift the design further. Each of the flower heads contains a signature eye peering out. The style of strong black lines and colourful fills betrays her tattoo art background.
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
To the right, Desi picks up the bold lettering and colours and in part reflects Evey’s work, although there is a subtle difference in the patterning, with both colours appearing in each of Desi’s letters and alternating top and bottom halves from one letter to the next. The whole wall by these three ladies recognised International Women’s Day, and what a fine way to celebrate it.
Face 1st and Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
Not many artists are painting the long wall at Sparke Evans Park these days, since the arrest of an artist about six or seven months ago. Slowly but surely people are drifting back to the wall, but unusually for Bristol, having to keep their eyes peeled and wits about them at all times. This is a great pity, because this would be a perfect candidate for a legal wall. There is no tagging here, and the colourful wall is an added attraction for people who use the park for recreation. It has become a bit of a ‘wall of fame’, well respected and curated in a self-policing manner.
Face 1st, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
This far end of the wall was recently painted by Face 1st and Soap in one of their PWA pairings. To the left, Face 1st continues to explore different ways in which he can slice a face up. Very rarely for the artist, he has not tried to work in the letters FACE into the piece, rather he is focussed on the task in hand, the slicing.
Soap, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
Soap too continues to explore a theme he has been enjoying recently, spelling out his name with the ICE King for an ‘A’ and a Face 1st face for the ‘A’. Although the colours the artists have chosen are a little muted on a dull day, they are nonetheless attractive and have been beautifully worked into both pieces. Great to see something new on this wall.
An artist who had completely fallen off my radar over the last couple of years is Whos. His anti-style of graffiti writing could be seen from time to time about the place, but this curious piece is the first I have seen for a long while.
Whos, Spark Evand Park, Bristol, February 2023
This fiery piece doesn’t follow any particular convention and is free from constraints. Spelling WHOS, one of my favourite elements of this piece is the flame plasma line running through the grey letters, looking like it is behind them. This is a nicely crafted piece, and a welcome return to the pages of Natural Adventures.
Stivs is definitely best known for his calligraffiti writing, which is straight out of the top drawer, but recently he has been treating us to his talents as a character artist, and I am seriously impressed with what he is painting, including this new belter in Spark Evans Park.
Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023
I have met Stivs with his dog, Mozarella, a couple of times in recent days, and he definitely seems to be enjoying his character pieces as much as his calligraffiti. The piece is entitled ‘Chop’ and in his Instagram post Stivs references the film Ninja Scroll, and it would seem this is an homage to the Japanese animation. The artwork is outstanding, with brilliant use of shading on the flesh, to give depth. What a privilege to have such a talented artist in Bristol.
Photographed under challenging light conditions, this outstanding piece by Dibz carries all the signature elements that identify it as one of his. For example, the overall diamond shape within which the whole piece sits, the perfect borders and solid 3D drop shadows… and of course the signature and shout out to Turoe (the birthday boy).
Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022
The colour selection too is close to perfection, not only in the way the colours battle for attention, but also where exactly those battles take place, bringing a focus to certain parts of the work. This is writing of the highest calibre and a sight for sore eyes. One of the best from one of the best.
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