Street art – Page 105 – Natural adventures

6608. Sparke Evans Park (112)

Bazamataz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2024

It would be a bit of an understatement to say that I really like this piece. I don’t know what it is about it, perhaps it is the unique fills for each of the constituent parts of the letters NESK, or perhaps the freshness of an artist I am not familiar with. Probably a combination of the two.

The artist is Bazamataz (thank you, Paul H), and the colourful piece stands out brilliantly on the grey backwash and above the autumn-brown leaves. It all comes together so well and stands out a mile. The 3D drop shadow might be a little lost, and could have been a bit more prominent, but it is a small matter really. Wonderful work.

6607. North Street

Kid Krishna, North Street, Bristol, November 2024

When I say that this piece is in North Street, I wouldn’t want to send people off to Bedminster unintentionally. This is the North Street that is part of the A38 that branches off the Bear Pit roundabout. The piece by Kid Krishna is on the hoarding outside what used to be the Blue Mountain.

The combination piece contains the usual cryptic writing from Kid Krishna, spelling CRIE, and the character aspect is in the form of a partial skull. I think that there is some special part of Kid Krishna’s brain that is able to visualise and create these pieces, which are really quite different from much of the other stuff on the streets of Bristol. Often his characters are partial or hinted at, rather than being overt full-on, which makes it all the more intriguing.

6606. St Werburghs tunnel (467)

Hypo and ZBomb, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

Hypo has been quite busy in St Werburghs tunnel of late and here he has teamed up with ZBomb, to create this rather nice collaborative wall. The only common factor between the two pieces is the blue background, but it qualifies as a collaboration because of that and the fact that they painted together.

Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

The Hypo letters are less elaborate than some of his recent pieces and the horizontal fills – I can see at least six colours – create a nice traditional feel to the piece. The whole thing sits nicely on the background, and is beautifully bordered with a yellow line and a few icicle drips.

ZBomb, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

I don’t know much at all about ZBomb, but I am sure I have seen other work by the artist about the place. This is a real case of say what you see… the letter Z painted over an archetypal cartoon bomb. The piece is eye catching and instantly fun, sometimes the simplest of ideas can be the most enjoyable. A nice collaboration.

6605. St Werburghs tunnel (446)

Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

These pictures are proof that it is always worth taking pictures (however bad the conditions might be) of street/graffiti art if you can, because the next time you swing by the piece might have gone. There was a van parked in front of this writing by Nips when I passed by, but I thought I’d try to photograph the piece, even from rather weird angles, just in case it didn’t last. It didn’t, so the strategy worked, and I get to share the graffiti writing, even if the pictures aren’t the best.

Nips is one of my favourite artists in Bristol at the moment. Her simple and no-nonsense approach to her letters and her creative fills, in this case nicely worked blue and grey blended colours and spots, tick my boxes and make me happy. She is one of a handful of artists that always bring a smile to my face when I find their work.

6604. Frome Side (46)

Oust, Stivs and Noise, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024

This magnificent triptych forms one part of a larger paint jam under the M32 prompted by World Wall Stylers wi the theme of the animation Ninja Scroll – not a film I am familiar with. The three artists who have collaborated are Oust, Stivs and Noise.

Oust, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024

To the left is some highly accomplished writing from Oust. Quite how it relates to Ninja Scroll, I don’t know, but having not seen the film, connections might be difficult for me to spot. There is a misty quality to the piece, and the 3D drop shadow is masterful.

Stivs, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024

The obvious focal point of the collaboration is the wonderful character piece in the middle by Stivs, whose talent appears to have no bounds. I am assuming that the character is taken from the animation, and is wielding a fine double ended sword. Stivs is so good at painting these kinds of characters.

Noise, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024

To the right, the ubiquitous Noise has added his own inimitable style to the proceedings with some chunky bronze letters spelling out NOISE. His letters hive some nice fills and a contrasting pink drop shadow. The common factor with each of the three pieces is the greens-blue plasma cloud surrounding. Very nice work from the trio.

6603. Dove Street South

Fowsachi, Dove Street South, Bristol, November 2024

UPDATE: Thanks to Mike Matthews for informing me that the artist is in fact Fowsachi.

As regular readers will know by now, I don’t really like posting pieces by unknown artists, but it does happen from time to time, in particular in relation to large one-off murals, like this one. I expect that this piece is signed, but it is difficult to get close, because it is painted in the middle of a housing block, and it would feel a little awkward to go snooping around.

I don’t recognise the style of this artist, which makes me think that it is either painted by a visitor, or by an artist who rarely paints in Bristol… of course I could be quite wrong on both counts. The bright and colourful piece is certainly uplifting in quite a bleak block, and features bold elements including a figure, and what looks like a parrot. All part of the Bristol street art scene, and a welcome addition to the area.

6602. M32 roundabout J 3 (643)

Scrapyardspec, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2024

One of the important functions of Natural Adventures is to represent the broad spectrum of graffiti and street art that I encounter on my walks in Bristol, and sometimes other cities too. I could concentrate on high-end murals or throw ups and tags, but that all becomes a bit niche and exclusive, and my intention is to share the full spectrum of free art on the walls of my adopted city.

The distinctive pieces by Scrapyardspec are part of this amazing offering, and this quirky three-eyed monster character is demanding to be looked at and enjoyed. It is more than simply a bit of fun, it is part of a series of pieces that, combined, form a presence and familiarity around the place. I like what Scrapyardspec does and how he does it.

6601. Upfest 2024 (60)

Jack Lack, Upfest 24, Greville Street, Bristol, May 2024

Jack Lack is an artist from Stuttgart, Germany, who is a muralist who uses cans and rollers in his work, influenced by the graffiti scene. When I first saw this impressive and moving piece, I assumed the animal was a fox, but it was nagging me that the proportions of the snout, and markings were all wrong. It turns out that it is a red panda, and this is what the artist wrote about the piece:

Sometimes things are easier to comprehend if they are fluffy, so here is an endangered red panda dealing with a pointy nest. Hopefully soon we can steer the world to an increase in safe homes for everyone.

So it would seem that the red panda nestled in amongst some arrows is a metaphor for safe homes for everyone, and I guess that means domestically and those suffering in war zones or other disaster areas around the world. It is a powerful piece, but more than that it is superbly painted, and a stand out piece from the 2024 Upfest festival.

6600. Upfest 2024 (59)

Dave Bain, Upfest 2024, Bristol, May 2024

Dave Bain is a reasonably well known muralist in Bristol, and I have featured a few of his pieces before in Natural Adventures. This was his Upfest 2024 piece, which as you can see took up the whole front of a terraced house, giving it that something special compared to its neighbours.

Dave Bain’s imagination and creativity have run wild in this floral piece which combined familiar shapes and figures with abstract ones. There may be a little symbolism in the piece too, with a spaceman-like figure holding up a polyhedral shape on a starry background. I feel that sometimes Dave Bain could be a little bit more adventurous with his colours, because this colour palette is quite subtle, and perhaps doesn’t do the artwork justice (my view only). An interesting festival piece.

6599. Upfest 2024 (58)

Katie Scott, Upfest 24, Lime Road, Bristol, May 2024

Peeping over a wall in Lime Road, is this extraordinary toy Troll piece by Katie Scott, who has been smashing it with her amazing toy work, including Barbies, over the last couple of years. Definitely this is one of the most memorable pieces of 2024 and unfortunately one of the most difficult to photograph. I think it is now time to yield to drone envy and ask for one for my birthday.

The whole piece, includes a woman’s hand holding the Troll, but that part of her work is hidden in an inaccessible and rather narrow lane. Although difficult to capture, the piece itself is perfectly painted, and one of the trademarks of Katie Scott’s work is the animation photorealism she manages to achieve, as if the image were from a Disney Pixar still or something like that.

Katie Scott painted an unbelievable Barbie doll at the Cheltenham Paint Festival in 2023, but I never got to see and photograph the completed piece. She is definitely a rising star, and her talent is out there for everyone to see. As for the Troll, I rather hope that it isn’t overpainted, because it looks so right where it is.

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