5467. East Street

Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

A rare foray into a part of Bedminster last week, looking for something that wasn’t there, led me to East Street, long after the shops had shut, which meant only one thing, a glimpse at closed shutter artwork that I hadn’t even been aware of before and which might have been there for some time. Among the discoveries was this gem from Andy Council.

Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

From the signature, it looks like Andy Council painted this composite dinosaur piece in 2022, so it is possible that it was painted as an extra piece for Upfest, but more likely it might have been a permitted or commissioned piece from the shop store owners. As with much of Andy Council’s work, the whole monster character is made up of different components, including buildings and mechanical joints. He has thrown in a few toadstools for good measure too. I was most happy to come across this, especially as the things I was looking for didn’t even seem to exist.

5466. Cumberland Basin

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023

I don’t quite know if Mind 49 has moved to Bristol, the West of England or something like that, but he is painting in the city much more frequently than he used to and, I have to say, he is knocking it out of the park on a regular basis. This pink portrait piece was his contribution to Werm’s birthday paint jam a little while back.

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023

Mind 49 has a great touch, and his artwork almost looks like it has been painted with brushes. His portrait work is excellent, and he hasn’t gone down the route of super photorealistic, giving his pieces a bit of street authenticity, I like to think. The material on the jacket has been well painted, with plenty of texture, shading and folds that give it depth. Mind 49 is really establishing himself with this kind of portrait work in Bristol.

5465. Queen’s Road (4)

Aspire, Queen's Road, Bristol, August 2023
Aspire, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023

Aspire is no stranger to the pages of Natural Adventures, indeed, when he was still living in Bristol his outstanding bird paintings were a regular feature on the blog. Sadly, for us, he left for London, and now is just an occasional visitor to the city and to street art festivals in and around the Bristol area.

Aspire, Queen's Road, Bristol, August 2023
Aspire, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023

It is so good that Apire was invited to take part in the Bristol 650 years celebration paint jam in partnership with Upfest and Bristol BID, and he has done a great job with this magnificent bird piece. The four-panelled mural shows that Aspire is equally good with brushes as he is with spray cans and he has captured the renaissance theme well with the addition of a piece of red material draped from a plant. The Kingfisher and Peregrine are, as you might expect, perfect and both incorporate the pixelation Aspire adopts in his work.

Aspire, Queen's Road, Bristol, August 2023
Aspire, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023

The kingfisher is absolutely stunning and is a bird that many artists paint, probably on account of its beautiful blue and gold plumage. Unless Aspire pays Bristol a visit to see friends etc, I can’t imagine we’ll see him again until next year’s Upfest.

5464. M32 roundabout J3 (505)

Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023

I saw this gorgeous piece a little while ago, but kept it on file until I found out who it was by. It turns out that it is by Hiccup (Bloem) who is a rising star in the Bristol street/graffiti art scene and whose works are popping up all over the place. There is something very special about the red/grey/white/black combination of colours that works exceptionally well, and which Decay built his early works on, to great effect.

Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023

The piece in Hiccup’s Instagram is called Speaker Flowerz, and in doing so says what it is. The piece is creative, striking and nice and clean. For an artist who has only recently been painting walls, Hiccup has hit the ground running and fast becoming one of my favourite new artists. This piece is right up my street, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what new creations she comes up with.

5463. St Werburghs tunnel (380)

Slakarts, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
Slakarts, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023

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
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.

5462. Greenbank (93)

Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

Occasionally, the Resting Bitch Face crew (RBF), an all-female group of painters is joined by a male, which is what happened here when Jody joined in with the Barbie paint jam at Greenbank a few weeks ago. His inclusion definitely fitted in well with all the other pieces, and he embraced the theme with gusto.

Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

This is a beautifully crafted and mischievous take on Barbie, providing a little bit of body art and a nose ring to give this graffiti Barbie a bit of an edge over her more conventional selves. Jody has painted a photorealistic portrait of the doll, and managed to convey the plastic toy qualities of her skin and makeup, large eyes and fake hair.

Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

I absolutely love this portrait piece, but in loving it, it is important not to overlook the technical skill and versatility of an artist at the top of his game.

5461. Weston-super-Mare

TEAone, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
TEAone, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

Sometimes things are just meant to be, and this outstanding piece by TEAone for Westonwallz simply couldn’t be more at home than within this framed spot on the side of a building in West Street, Weston-super-Mare. I am guessing that the frame once played host so some kind of advertising hoarding, or something along those lines.

TEAone, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
TEAone, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

TEAone is an exceptional artist and painted one of my favourite pieces at Upfest 2022 (below). Everything about this piece is perfect, and it captures a typical traditional beach-front scene perfectly, with colourful awning, donkeys and a boy on a bicycle. Packed full of atmosphere alongside serenity. This is a magical piece by TEAone… it would make a perfect jigsaw puzzle too.

TEAone, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
TEAone, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

5460. Weston-super-Mare

Willl Cross, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
Willl Cross, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

You wait for a Willl Cross piece to come along and then two come in quick succession, although actually, this one was painted some time ago, August 2022 to be precise, for Westonwallz, in Old Post Office Lane, Weston-super-Mare. Will Cross has an incredible knack for making contemporary scenes look like they have come from the romantic period in the 1800s.

Willl Cross, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
Willl Cross, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

The reality of this scene is that it is a pallet bonfire on Turbo Island, a small triangle of land in Stokes Croft in Bristol, claimed by the people for the people, which often plays host to a variety of revellers, alcoholics, drug users and casual passers-by. Bonfires are a common occurrence, even since it was concreted over this year.

Willl Cross, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
Willl Cross, Westonwallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

This piece is painted in a narrow street, but I photographed it when the sun was playing tricks and causing a fair amount of reflection, which is a pity. I love Willl Cross’ style and would very much like to own one of his stunning paintings, but I imagine they are way beyond my budget. There is something very beautiful about the quality of light in the piece, and mystery about the figures sitting round the fire, chewing the fat. A couple of people in the background have stopped to look at the goings-on, which is beautifully observed and an accurate representation of what would happen.

Willl Cross has created a scene, which on first inspection could be a rural scene, but in actual fact is about as urban as it gets. Brilliant work and an outstanding touch from the artist.

5459. Feeder Road (3)

Mote, Feeder Road, Bristol, August 2023
Mote, Feeder Road, Bristol, August 2023

When he’s not busy painting them, I am busy finding them. Mote tends to paint in pulses of activity, although to be fair his ‘quiet’ periods never last very long, which means that it is almost impossible to keep on top of his work during his bust times. The end result is that it would seem that there are always pieces out there to find, and this beauty on Feeder Road is an example of that.

Mote, Feeder Road, Bristol, August 2023
Mote, Feeder Road, Bristol, August 2023

I love the site selection for this piece, almost as though the monster is lurking with intent to surprise passers-by. A friendly looking monster, in spite of his fierce teeth, beautifully painted with creative doodle fills, this is a really fine example of Mote’s work and a demonstration of how far he has come in a short time and how sophisticated his work is becoming.

5458. M32 Cycle path (225)

Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2023
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2023

Ooh! I love this recent piece from Desi, whose work just gets better and better. This time she is writing VEIL, one of her two variants, but with joined up script writing, which is a new and exciting development that works rather well.

Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2023
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2023

I have often been quite critical of artists who don’t buff walls before they paint, because the underlying graffiti can often be distracting, but Desi, whether by design or luck, has managed to pull it off with this piece. The background somehow complements her writing and helps it to stand out. Beautiful curvy letter shapes are accompanied by great blue and pink fills (that B/P combo again), perfectly blended. I think that this might just be my favourite piece from Desi yet.