4360. St Werburghs tunnel (286)

Finding Mr Klue pieces these days is a real treat, as they have become a bit of a rarity in recent months. I only know of one other piece he has painted this year, which I missed, on Turbo Island. So coming across this one rather made my day.

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2022

Mr Klue certainly hasn’t lost his touch, nor his knack for selecting beautiful colour palettes. This wall had played host to a magnificent 3Dom piece, which had remained intact for a very long time, but had recently been bombed. Once this happens, a wall will tend to undergo a renaissance and rapid turnover, so taggers and bombers play a role in rejuvenating walls, even if it is irritating. Beneficiaries of this new start are Mr Klue, being able to paint in one of his favourite spots, and passers by who can enjoy a fresh piece of work from one of our very best abstract artists.

4338. St Werburghs tunnel (285)

Rarely has an entrant to the Bristol street art scene been as dramatic as that of Asre. Although this is the first piece of his to appear on Natural Adventures, it most certainly will not be the last. In the last week or two, I have photographed more than ten of these character faces, most of which, if not all, will have been painted this year.

Asre, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2022
Asre, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2022

Asre is one of several new character artists in Bristol, and their numbers seem to be swelling. I wouldn’t quite call it a school or a movement, but it is definitely a thing. Asre’s cartoon-style characters are very nicely finished with thick line borders, but the feature details are really nicely worked too. I suspect the artist could probably create one of these with his eyes shut, given the amount of practice he puts in. Watch this space for more. A nice shout out to Bogat and and Klashwhensober too.

4294. StWerburghs tunnel (284)

With this extraordinary piece in St Werburghs tunnel, we get to see the diversification of work from the very talented Rozalita. Over the last few weeks, we have been treated to a range of subjects from Rozalita, but I think that this might be the first animal portrait, and what a beauty it is.

Rozalita, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Rozalita, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

The tiger face, although not photorealistic, has a seriousness and sincerity about it that removes it from the cartoony style that sometimes accompanies animal pieces. There are many elements that come together well, and the mouth/tongue has been particularly well done. I believe that, as her work develops, some finer detail will improve. I think whiskers might have lifted this piece up a level. Superb work from Rozalita who is on a magnificent roll at the moment.

4288. St Werburghs tunnel (283)

The artist Merny has an extraordinary ability to convey very strong messages and emotions in the simplest of ways through his naive style that somehow seems to get straight to the point. Usually his pieces are quite witty or comical, but this one is tinged with sadness and desperation.

Merny, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Merny, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

The character is bent over double with his head in his hands and alongside him is the caption ‘I’ve got no money’. Unfortunately, with a cost of living crisis heading our way and the impacts of the war in Ukraine, for which Russia (Putin and his cronies) are wholly responsible, this is a desperate image we can expect to see more of this year. Real people in severe difficulties. Well done Merny for tackling such difficult subjects with his art.

4281. St Werburghs tunnel (282)

In the gloom of St Werburghs tunnel is this wonderful Bnie piece, painted as part of an RBF paint jam including Evey and Pekoe. Once again, as so often with pieces in the tunnel, I had to do a bit of photo editing to get the true colours of the piece that had been somewhat washed out by the orange lighting in the tunnel.

Bnie, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Bnie, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

Bnie has a lovely soft touch to her work. Her letters have a feminine touch, which is difficult to pin down, or perhaps it is because I know she is a female artist that I see the femininity in it. Suggestion perhaps, or is it a real thing? Anyhow, the letters have a stunning four colour horizontal palette with great transitions and the 3D shading is so utterly Bnie. A lovely piece.

4274. St Werburghs tunnel (281)

It is very easy to get complacent when artists regularly produce great work, which is something I try to guard against. We can take it for granted sometimes without recognising that each piece is a discrete and unique work, we just expect it. I felt this when starting this post, that this was another nice piece from Pekoe, but it is so much more than that, and requires a great deal of thought and effort on her part.

Pekoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Pekoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

The piece was painted as the central part of an RBF collaboration with Bnie to her left and Evey to her right. Pekoe has returned to a theme she has used many times before of the portrait having a third (all seeing) eye. I just had a flashback to my biology lessons as a youngster and recalled the pineal body… also known as the third eye. Read up on it if you care to, it is interesting stuff. Great hair and a great piece that has been enhanced with colour correction as the original photograph is very yellow/orange.

4260. St Werburghs tunnel (280)

It was while she was painting this outstanding piece that I met Rozalita for the first time, and it was a great moment, because I have long been an admirer of her work, and it is always nice to make a connection with the artist in person. We chatted for a while about the technique she was using to paint the piece, which is referred to as a doodle grid.

Rozalita, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2022
Rozalita, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2022

This piece also marked a departure from her customary carnival and clown themed pieces, for which she has made a name for herself in Bristol. This is a deliberate shift, designed to broaden her portfolio the the aim of picking up some commissions, and making a living from her art.

Rozalita, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2022
Rozalita, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2022

This mural is rather unusual, showing two faces in an apparently distressed pose. There is something odd, creepy almost, about the two characters, and I think it has to do with the eyes. It shows how unsettling it is to see representations of faces with eyes without pupils. This is a powerful piece, and could easily represent the horror of the unfolding invasion of the Ukrain by Russia today, even though it was painted a few weeks ago.

4259. St Werburghs tunnel (279)

Wowzer, a throwback word I rarely use, this is an absolute stunner from a pair of artists I wouldn’t have imagined working together, but as it happens the resulting collaboration is fabulous. The piece by Mudra and Kosc is a wonderful fusion of styles that is symmetrical and pleasing to the eye.

Mudra and Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Mudra and Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

Set on a black background, which immediately gets things going in the right direction, the colourful writing and monochrome character complement each other very well. The letters spelling out MUDRA are by Mudra include a little character bird, adding a special touch to the letters.

Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

The central character is another banger from Kosc, whose work is simply getting better and better. It is quite a disturbing portrait of a young woman with a section of her face, her left side, exposing her skull and teeth beneath. Exquisite work from Kosc, and a really nice and unusual collaboration from this pair. I sincerely hope it is the start of something rather than a one-off.

4257. St Werburghs tunnel (278)

In this piece we see something rather special and unusual from Nugmoose, although the unusual is usual from this artist. Nugmoose has given us a writing/ character combo, which is the first I have seen from him. What makes it special is that the writing is in alien language.

Nugmoose, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Nugmoose, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

Now I can neither read nor write alien, and I haven’t even bothered to try and decipher this writing, but I would like to think it says something like ‘hello’ or ‘we come in peace’ or ‘Nugmoose’. I suspect I will not know until I meet the artist again… he has certainly kept me curious. The whole thing is beautifully painted, and if I may say so, so utterly Nugmoose.

4232. St Werburghs tunnel (277)

I was lucky enough to bump into Mr Draws just as he was prepping for this wall; it was a busy day for artists in the tunnel. I understand that Mr Draws has a good supply of chrome in his paint store and that is why several of his pieces of late have heavily featured chrome.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2022
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2022

Mr Draws has been favouring these larger walls lately, and seems to be enjoying the freedom that they afford. The design of this piece is relatively straightforward and the fills and drips nicely done. In common with many of his recent pieces Mr Draws has included his horizontal bars, in red, to add interest to the piece. More great work from one of the nicest artists in Bristol.