It is getting very difficult to keep on top of the street art scene in Bristol at the moment. The sheer number of artists and the frequency with which they are painting, means that many pieces never see the light of day on the pages of Natural Adventures. An artist who doesn’t appear as much as he should is 3F Fino, and I have a great many of his pieces lurking in my archive.
3F Fino, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2022
I have managed to include this recent one from Greenbank, painted alongside LRS crew friends. The letters FINO are half decorated in a bubble style, that 3F Fino has used before at L Dub, if my memory serves me right. The design as very effective and unusual. Alongside the letters, the artist has painted a masked character jumping out of the side of a spray can with a brick wall motif, used a lot by street artists. All good work from 3F Fino.
The latest array of billboard pieces in Elton Street have been outstanding, and this special ‘outdoor gallery’ just seems to be getting better and better. The colour scheme has been replicated across all the pieces, and this one from Sled One is an absolute banger.
Sled One, Elton Street, Bristol, September 2022
Sled One has created an apocalyptic scene in which a skeleton is bearing a canister on his back with some soil and a small plant. The canister is actually a spray can, and presumably Sled One is making a link between the life giving qualities of the natural environment and of spray-painting. The character is set in a scorched earth surrounding. Sled One’s paint work is absolutely outstanding and this is a really classy piece.
With the very congested field of artists currently painting in Bristol, and the addition of Upfest and a trip to Porto, my cup overfloweth with captured images of street art (I am still covering June art!). It is important that in all this excitement I don’t ignore our good old regulars who paint day in and day out to keep our walls decorated.
Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022
This is a lovely piece in the tunnel from Kool Hand, featuring his orangutan character using a spray can with pink paint to decorate the tunnel walls. The piece is framed in a black bordered rectangle, which almost looks like a window into the orangutan’s world. A nice stand alone piece.
One of the most enjoyable thing about chronicling street art and graffiti is that every day has the potential to bring with it surprises. Those surprises are like gifts, presents from the artists to anyone who cares to enjoy their work. This lovely collaboration from Ros(z)alita and 3F fino was part of a larger collaboration that included Tao.create, but I am reserving her piece for a later date.
Rosalita and 3F fino, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
This is as special as it is unexpected, and although these two have collaborated before, I think that this is so nicely done and combines their styles and preferred subject matter really well.
Rosalita, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
On the left is another carnival face from Rosalita (who now spells it Rozalita, hence the discrepancy in the body of this text), where the makeup this time is much more in the style of a Venetian masquerade mask. The frilled collar adds to the clown element of the piece. Beautiful.
3F fino, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
To the right, a slightly more edgy character by 3F fino is apparently spraying the clown. I often wonder with pieces like this whether they are self-portraits, or at least based on self. There are some nice elements to this cartoon-style character and his cans, and the clothes and face mask all add to the ensemble.
All in all a nice, large and vibrant collaboration from these two.
The long wall at Sparke Evans Park has always been a showcase for some great art, and in recent months, the turnover has increased significantly as has the quality of some of the pieces. It is a top graffiti art spot, but a complete menace to photograph, the dappled sunshine percolating through the adjacent leafy trees has rendered many of my photographs unusable. This is definitely a spot for winter and overcast days.
Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021
This is a superb tribute piece by Laic217 for KFAS. I don’t know anything about the backstory and instead have simply focussed on the piece itself. A spray can artist at work with tons of movement (clever use of three hands to create a busy scene), and a massively exaggerated mouth. A characterful and lively piece, and a worthy tribute.
I am really struggling with the new WordPress editor. Everything takes twice as long as it should, and there is simply too much functionality for a user like me. I just want to write posts on my blog, not design up a personal website. Oh well, I’m sure I will get better at it with practice, which is something that definitely applies to street/graffiti art, and when you see apiece like this from Rusk, you know that it is on the back of a huge amount of hard graft over the years.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
The overall design of the letters and the selection of chrome and green are very nicely done. At the right hand end of the RUSKY letters is a muscle-flexing spray can squirting a neon green jet of life into the piece… a nice character. A fabulous piece from a highly accomplished writer and complete gentleman.
For me, the best thing about the relaxation of lock down restrictions has not been my own personal freedoms… I have changed virtually nothing, but the appearance of Laic217 back on our streets with a vigour that is unparalleled. I have found five new Laic217 pieces in a fortnight, so expect more soon.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
This vibrant red skull-face is clutching a spray can in its jaws set on a background of green cheeseplant-type leaves. I think that Laic217 needs to practice his leaf forms a little bit more (says the biologist in me) and look forward to more of this kind of background. Bold and interesting your face’ it is impossible not to see this striking piece. Bravo!
I have encountered Zabou’s work in London, Bristol (at Upfest) and in Cheltenham at last year’s paint festival, where I was lucky enough to meet her and have a quick chat, in which I basically gushed about her work and probably made a bit of a fool of myself. I seem to recall that I said I would send her some posts I had written about her work, but typical of my general uselesness I haven’t done it.
Zabou, Shoreditch, London, August 2016
This is a fabulous piece in Soreditch of two angelic figures looking like they are going to get up to no good with spray cans at the ready. The piece has a kind of ’50s retro feel about it, maybe it is the hairstyles. If one took a look at it today, it might be easy to assume that the masked ladies were protecting themselves from the Coronovirus with their facemasks. It is interesting how things can be seen in different ways depending on the context or socio-political landscape.
L Dub is a really great spot to refine your skills. It is out of the way and undisturbed, so there is no sense of being rushed. The walls there are for all artists, there doesn’t seem to be too much built-in hierarchy. DFC is a street art photographer/hunter who has been turning his skills to spraying walls, and he has been really busy over the last six months or so.
DFC, L Dub, Bristol, January 2020
I am more used to seeing his DFC ‘bear’ type character so I was pleased to see this spray can with wings, which is another of his favourites. It is clear to see from his work that the more you practice, the better you get. It is what every artist has told me and I guess should come as no surprise. Plenty more in my archive to share from this emerging artist.
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