I have only seen a few pieces by Cobo, since I met him last year, and was probably expecting to see a little more from him, so it was good to find this piece in the tunnel recently. It is possible that I might have missed some pieces, and of course he might have painted in some unusual spots, as I know he likes to paint away from the crowded places.
Cobo, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
I think that the cats are also by Cobo, and looking through his Instagram feed, I have seen them associated with other pieces. The letters spell out COBER, painted in a chunky style, not dissimilar to the work of Noise. Great to see.
by the time I publish this post I’ll be in Exeter, on my way home from a fabulous fishing trip in Cornwall. Everything goes back to normal tomorrow.
Today is the first day of a short break in Cornwall, and my focus is on dusting off my fishing gear and preparing myself for a day outdoors in the fresh air. Of course, my routine is likely to be a little disrupted, and my posts might get a little erratic as the week wears on, but that is fine. Today’s post features a fabulous piece by Inkie in the tunnel, from a paint jam at the end of August.
Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
I am spoilt. There was a time when I used to get super-excited when I found work by Inkie, whose reputation precedes him, but these days I am fairly nonchalant about it, and even the presence of Goldie in this work in progress shot seem quite normal. Perhaps I have been doing this too long and am losing my edge.
Inkie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
The piece by Inkie is out of the top drawer, and I guess that in a paint jam of this calibre, everyone is under a little pressure to turn out their best work. Beautiful letters, outstanding fills and a sumptuous 3D drop shadow combine perfectly to render an archetypal Inkie piece. We are blessed.
In the past couple of months, Cheo has hit the accelerator and is painting with the frequency he was before Covid19 struck. Until this summer, he was painting very rarely, and went almost a year without hitting a wall, apart from perhaps the Ropewalk. Now it is quite a different tale and the giant appears to have woken from his slumber.
Cheo, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
This outstanding piece, a tribute to the great Vaughn Bode with Lizard and Screws characters, was created during the recent paint jam in the tunnel, alongside, amongst others, Inkie and Goldie. It was certainly a special day, and I imaging that the pieces will be there for quite some time before getting tagged and eventually overpainted.
Cheo, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
Cheo’s piece is so rich in colours and the depth he has created with shadings is quite remarkable. The characters are snappily dresses and have got to work with spray cans and marker pens to create some of their own street art. This is artwork of the highest calibre, and reminds us of what we have missed during the prolonged hiatus in his work. More to come from Cheo.
3Dom and Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
It is not often that I receive a tip-off in advance of a paint jam, but I was fortunate to receive one for this coming together in St Werburghs Tunnel on 31 August, which included Inkie and Goldie, alongside a star-studded line-up of Bristol artists.
3Dom and Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
By the time I got to the paint jam, 3Dom had taken a break from his wasp piece, but Goldie was still beavering away. It is always a bit of a treat when Goldie comes to town, not only to see his pieces, but because his presence tends to be a catalyst or focal point for the big names to come out and play together.
3Dom and Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
Not only was the tunnel full of activity from the artists, but it was great to catch up with the likes of Paul H and DJ Perks (who I had run in to on three consecutive days – which never happens), who, like me, were there to enjoy watching the artists at work.
3Dom, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
I have paired up 3Dom’s and Goldie’s pieces because there is some interaction between the two, and it seemed logical. The wasp character is so 3Dom, if that makes any sense at all, being full of creative fun and perfectly finished. The wasp’s abdomen appears to have a transparent quality, and the wing, complete with vessels, is well observed. Quite what the green ghosts/spirits are all about I am not sure, but they add o the overall story in the piece.
Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
Goldie is not only famous for his music, but also for being one of the early graffiti writers in the UK, in Wolverhampton in the 1980s. This piece in quite an unusual writing style spells out Goldie, in large and small letters, with a fabulous ‘panelled’ 3D drop shadow, providing a bit of depth. In the background are some references to a Japanese landscape, and there are some more of 3Dom’s wispy ghosts. What a privilege to watch these guys at work.
There are several artists that are underrepresented on Natural Adventures, and Teao One is definitely one of them. I feel that, downtime permitting, I will have to dig out more of his work from my bulging archives.
Teao One, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
This upbeat piece on the entrance to the tunnel reminds me of a picnic cloth, with bright colourful square patterns inside the letters. The writing is bordered with red and black, creating a tidy finish set on a white, cloudy backdrop. The letters spell tEROK, but I don’t know what this means, but it is similar to letters he has written in other pieces. Lots of shout-outs around the piece, which is fairly typical of Teao One. Fun and happy work.
The work of Slakarts tends to be occasional these days, rather than frequent, but in a way that makes it a little bit more special when it does come along. This double portrait piece was a lovely surprise a couple of weeks back at the entrance to the tunnel, which the council have once again, in their wisdom, buffed over.
Slakarts, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
There is a story to this piece I would think, and my guess would be that Slakarts has a dog and he is showing his love and appreciation in this piece. The quick characters piece is filled with a light white backwash and finished with strong clean black outlines, all the hallmarks of a job done in a bit of a hurry. It is nicely thought out though, and the contented couple are accompanied with the words “Man’s best m8”, which is rather sweet really. Great to see that Slakarts has managed to get out again, even if only occasionally.
What a treat! Two Fiva pieces in the space of three weeks, both in the tunnel, and both reminding us of what we have missed over the last couple of years. I am not too sure why he has been absent for so long, perhaps he moved away or there were other real life events that made painting difficult, but he is back and that is what matters. At the end of the last post I wrote “I hope this isn’t a flash in the pan”. The appearance of this piece puts that worry to bed.
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
Fiva has used this overlay technique to great effect before, and it is such a clever way to tell two stories in one go. There are large block capital letters in Grey spelling out ‘FIVA’ and overlaid is a lower case, script written ‘fiver’ in pink and blue (that winning combo again). The clever part is how these interact, for example, the bevelled edge of the capital letters runs through the lower case letters, but in different shades. No self-respecting Fiva piece is fully complete without a cheeky cartoon character, and this grey chappie with a purple cap rounds off the piece magnificently. Looking forward to more from an artist who has been much missed.
I was really struck by this piece in the tunnel recently and at first I thought it might have been by Rozalita, but on closer inspection it clearly wasn’t, and the name BLEOM was also a bit of a clue. The piece is by Bloem, who is also Hiccup, and because I have posted her pieces under the latter name, I shall be consistent and continue to do so.
Hiccup, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
The portrait piece, featuring a jester, is really neat and tidy and carries an element of treat in the form of a barbed wire circle around the head. All elements of thee piece come together well, in particular the ruff, and the jester’s expression. The letters are also very sharp and well painted. This is a classy piece from an artist relatively new to the Bristol scene, and I look forward to seeing and writing about more of her work (coming sooner than you might think).
Finding this piece in the tunnel was one of the happiest street art moments of my year so far. Fiva (Fiver) has been absent from the Bristol street art scene for a long time (last seen in 2020), and I feared that he might have moved away or given up on painting altogether, so seeing this filled me with pure joy, as I am particularly fond of his work.
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
In classic Fiva style, he has painted a huge piece with large block letters that have plenty of depth and stand out from the brilliant pink buffed wall. As is customary, Fiva has painted a character looking on from the left in wonderful cartoon style. The whole thing is so refreshing after the long absence. Welcome back Fiva, I hope that this isn’t a flash in the pan.
Observing Raid’s progress is a genuine pleasure. Each time I see his work I see some improvement, and a boldness or confidence that is growing. I also like it that he is adapting his style from piece to piece, settling for a while and then moving on.
Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
This is a nice one in the tunnel from a few weeks back, and uses that tried and tested colour combination of pink and light blue. The letters are beautifully presented, and the fills very nicely done indeed, with a swathe of stars running horizontally through the letters and pink ‘ribbons’ at the top and bottom. A decent drop shadow and blue backdrop round the piece off perfectly.
Natural adventures 