Stivs – Natural adventures

5057. M32 roundabout J3 (455)

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

Stivs has been absolutely smashing it with his character pieces lately. Better known for his calligraffiti writing, who knew that his artistic skills are so much broader than that. He really is an exceptionally talented and diligent artist.

This beautiful girl character piece forms the letter ‘S’ in the middle of DSC, his crew letters and he has named this piece Dodgy Sheila Crew – playing with the letters. Stivs is using these orange tones in his character pieces at the moment, and they are extremely effective, in a way that greens, blues and greys etc might not be.

I am including an almost complete piece that Stivs painted a day or two before this one, which had been painted overt by the time I went back to get a clean shot of the finished work. It is another stunning portrait piece. In recent weeks Stivs has taken his work onto another level.

5042. Sparke Evans Park (63)

Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2023

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.

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.

4979. M32 Cycle path (194)

Stivs, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, Jnuary 2023 — Stivs, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2023

I had meant to post this piece some time ago, but it just didn’t happen. The first time I photographed this rather special piece by Stivs, the lighting conditions were shocking and my pictures rendered useless. I got there in the end.

The vibrant piece seems to have a lot of robot action going on, almost in the style of Transformers. This is far removed from the calligraffiti we are used to seeing from Stivs, and shows us a completely different string to his artistic bow. All in different shades of orange and red, this is a stunner on the cycle path.

4828. Brunel Way (180)

Stivs, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022

Writing about street art and graffiti here on Natural Adventures isn’t a very slick operation. Because of the volume of artwork appearing on the streets of Bristol every day, it is pretty much impossible for me to keep up and report on pieces photographed yesterday or the day before. The time-lag is about three weeks, and that is why you are seeing this magnificent Halloween piece from Stivs on 21 November!

As ever, the calligraffiti offered by Stivs is of the highest order, and spells out ‘Halloween’, in the colours of the festival – green, purple and orange. It is funny how these colours have become adopted as the colours of Halloween… I guess the orange and green come from the pumpkin, and the purple is just a colour that complements them well. Anyhow, this is an absolute belter from Stivs.

4752. M32 roundabout J3 (433)

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2022

This piece is another fabulous tribute to Sear by Stivs. Hidden behind a small tree on the M32c roundabout, this calligrafitti piece brings out all that is best in Stivs, including his compassion for a fellow artist.

The rich colours painted on a black background have a rather sombre tone and are perfectly fitting for a tribute piece. The letters are beautifully proportioned and regular in size, with near-perfect accuracy and tightness. The drips simply add a great finishing touch.

4725. St Werburghs tunnel (311)

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2022

It is always tough to lose those we love and care about, and no matter how often it happens, it doesn’t seem to get any easier. Grief is a powerful and important emotion, and through it we remember what we have lost. Stivs has painted several tribute pieces for his friend Sear, and each one is a touching reminder.

This piece, at the farm-side entrance to the tunnel combines Stivs’ calligraffiti with a little bit of landscape in the orange circles. The colours are eye-catching and the whole thing on-point, although the lettering and the circles look a little bit out of balance, but maybe that is just me. A fine tribute from a loyal friend.

4660. M32 roundabout J3 (425)

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2022

Stivs has been knocking it out of the park lately, even more so than usual. Following on from his hugely impressive Sear tribute pieces he has created this wonderful birthday shout-out for a friend, Jane Barrow.

The beautifully colourful letters in calligraffiti style spell out POGE or PAGE, I think, but I don’t know the relevance of the letters. It matters not what they say, because the colours, design and overall composition are outstanding. Can Stivs attain a higher level yet? I expect so.

4650. Dean Lane skate park (520)

Stivs, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, August 2022

Stivs has painted another tribute piece to Sear, and it is an absolute belter. In this piece, Stivs has used his skills at calligraffiti to great effect, creating an astounding backdrop of the word Sear written in patterns. I can’t think how long this would have taken to paint, but it is clearly a labour of love.

The decorative calligraffiti patterns serve as ‘host’ for the magnificent multicoloured ‘SEAR’ in the centre of the piece. The letters stand out proud from the rest of the wall and are a welcome feast for the eyes. It is touching to see how artists have marked the loss of one of their friends. What a great gift a tribute can be.

4609. Cumberland Basin

From time to time, the street art community is rocked by the death of one of their fold. It might be felt by everyone or by just a few close friends. When it happens, it is common to produce tribute pieces for the departed friend, and some artists keep the tribute alive for days, weeks, months or even years, for example Haka keeping the memory of his friend CKone in our minds in most of his pieces even now.

Stivs, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022

This is one of several tribute pieces for Sear by Stivs, and there are several other tributes about the place. I haven’t ever really encountered Sear before, but he was a graffiti writer and close friend of Stivs’. This piece is a fine tribute, beautifully structured and proportioned and the colour combinations perfect. A work of love.

4531. M32 roundabout J3 (413)

One thing you can be pretty sure of is that when Stivs creates a piece, it is never sloppy or rushed, the calligraffiti style lends itself to accuracy and precision, and anything that deviates from that simply wouldn’t work. This is a lovely recent piece on the M32 roundabout.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2022

The colours are reminiscent of those used in fun fair art, and the style too. The letters are beautiful, spelling out STIVS, and the colours wonderfully matched, but it is the fills and decorations that steal the show on this one. A truly magnificent piece from Stivs

	scooj on 5103. M32 Cycle path (203…
	scooj on 5101. Dean Lane skate park…
	paulh121 on 5104. Dean Lane skate park…
	paulh121 on 5103. M32 Cycle path (203…
	Sheree on 5100. M32 Cycle path (202…

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