Somehow, I always feel comfortable when I see pieces by Hire. Hire was one of the first artists I spoke to, and I have bumped into him several times over the years. He is a mild-mannered, quiet and modest man whose particular style of graffiti writing is always on-point.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
In this small piece, beautifully presented on a dark green buffed wall, Hire has written the letters BF, which I think relate to a crew – possibly a Polish crew. The jagged letters are superbly picked out by the cream border, and the whole thing is given a lift with the black shading surrounding the writing. A class act.
Given that Zake is knocking out his stylised face pieces at an alarming rate at the moment, there is a strong likelihood that you’ll be seeing lots of his work on Natural Adventures. For example, this is the third piece I have featured here since the start of the month.
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
This glorious face, especially impactful due to the black background, was painted over one of his previous pieces, and this is a spot particularly favoured by PWA artists. Zake is using his specialist skills, when it comes to light and shadow, to create great depth and exaggerated features in this smiling character’s face. Beautifully done and definitely memorable.
Finding my way home through the depths of Montpelier, I came across this stunning front door painted by Alex Lucas. Of course, such a feature shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise in this area, as Alex Lucas is the ‘Queen of Montpelier’, which is the epicentre of her work.
Alex Lucas, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2023
In this piece, two cats are interacting with one another, one above the other, cleverly following the portrait aspect of the door. The space around the cats is occupied with decorative ribbons and flowers. Who wouldn’t want a stunning personalised front door like this? The door and the artwork is so very ‘Montpelier’ if you get my drift. Brilliant.
One of the pure joys over the last year has been the emergence of Mr Underbite and his charismatic character, Mr Underbite. This rather glum fellow is endearing to say the least, and despite his miserable disposition, cheers me up every time I see him.
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2023
Mr Underbite tends to use a basic template which he goes on to ‘pimp’ with different features and themes. This recent piece under Brunel Way is the basic form, although this is the first time I have seen the character with a neck. Looking forward to seeing a whole load more this year.
I love the irrepressible nature of Bristol street artists. There has been a bit of a war on this wall recently, with Bristol City Council buffing the wall with grey paint, only to be painted over moments later by artists and writers. For goodness’ sake, BCC, make this a legal wall and save your (our) money. Two of Bristol’s best character artists, Zake and Chill, have combined to decorate this wall, and have absolutely smashed it.
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
I go away for a couple of days, and what happens? This audacious piece appears, to engage and entertain passers-by. Zake has been on fire recently, and is arguably the busiest artist in town. His portraits are becoming more expressive and adventurous with each outing. Watching his work develop is one of the great pleasures of what I do.
Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Chill has also now become firmly established in the Bristol scene, which doesn’t equate to him being establishment (just in case you were wondering). In this piece, Chill is continuing his experimentation with colour, instead of presenting us with the black and white we are more accustomed to seeing. I think the colours are working, although it takes a little bit of getting used to. What a wonderwall from these PWA artists.
Marckinetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
I’ve not posted much from Marckinetic for a while, and that might be because he tends not to paint all that regularly. I might have missed a recent piece in the tunnel, but will have to correct that omission.
Marckinetic, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
This is a typical piece from Marckinetic writing in his unique style, set on a cosmic backdrop. I would like to think that his letters spelled out Mark, but I really don’t know, and I haven’t yet met him to ask. The pink arrow features on either side frame the piece really well, and you can imagine that the piece would be poorer without them. These ‘extras’ are what sets people above the ordinary.
Mr Klue has always enjoyed painting in the tunnel, but recently he has started to ‘own’ the place, with this beautiful offering being the third piece in a gallery of three. If he continues at this rate, he will have the whole wall to himself, which would be pretty impressive. Of course that will never happen, because of the turnover in the tunnel, but to have three, and another one at the other end is going some.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
In this piece, with its stunning colours, it is possible to read the letters KLUE, especially if you are looking out for them. As is often the case with Mr Klue’s work, he has included his Mad Hatter character (invisible head) to the right, rounding the piece off nicely. Can he extend this streak to a fourth panel, before it all gets overpainted? Watch this space.
How absolutely brilliant is this? I used to read the Snail and Whale to my kids when they were little, along with several other Julia Donaldson classics. Having a close association with the sea for much of my childhood and my working life, I particularly enjoyed reading this picture book to them.
Haka, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2023
Haka has absolutely nailed the style of the illustrator, Axel Scheffler, in several pieces around the city, but this somehow feels even more authentic than some of the others. I am absolutely loving this ‘period’ in Haka’s street art journey, and expect it to continue for a few years yet. Bravo!
Two outstanding writers, Dibz and Turoe, have recently combined to create this wonderful tribute piece for Shimmer. I suspect that the piece may remain for quite some time due to both its quality and also that it is a tribute. This is a collaboration in which both artists have adopted a similar writing style and both are using the exact same colour scheme seamlessly.
Dibz and Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
To the left is the Dibz half of the collaboration, spelling out SHIMZ and to the right is Turoe’s contribution spelling TUROE. The green and yellow writing is as clean as a whistle and the whole thing set on a bubbly purple background – most eye-catching. In the middle of the piece is a Vaughn Bode lizard character, so much favoured by street artists in honour of the great man’s creations. This is a very, very fine tribute.
I met Kid Krishna when he was painting this piece, and we chewed the fat for a little while. He was hungry and kept going on about getting a takeaway, and asked me whether I thought he could get food delivered to the tunnel entrance. Can you imagine having that conversation 25 years ago? How the world has changed.
Kid Krishna (WIP), St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
While I had Kid Krishna’s attention, I asked him about his letters and how he builds up his pieces. He told me that he starts with the letters CRIE, and that he writes the letters starting on the right and paints to the left – it’s just how he does things. H builds up the letters in layers until the whole thing ends up pretty much disguised. It is no wonder I have always struggled to read his stuff.
Kid Krishna, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023
This particular piece is a belter, and has a kind of industrial or mechanical feel about it, almost looking like an engine or something. Kid Krishna continues to turn out extraordinary work.
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