Corupt is another of the Bristol stalwarts, whose work is consistently on-point and pleasing to the eye. This vibrant yellow piece spelling out STICK (one of two monikers the artist uses) is painted on one of the smaller ramps in the Dean Lane skate park.
Corupt, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
What I particularly like about this piece is that when I photographed it, it was still quite fresh. Skate park ramp artwork usually deteriorates reasonably quickly for obvious reasons, and it is unusual to find pieces in good condition. There is nothing flashy or pretentious about this piece, and yet it still packs a punch and makes an impression.
There is no doubt about it, Mote is in a very rich vein of form, not only with productivity, but also with his series of bird monsters, which appear to have inspired him greatly, and which I must say are rather appealing. I also like the way that Mote has grown the range of formats, from thin columns to squares to landscape orientation.
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Mote has drawn on nature itself, recognising the delineation between a bird’s face and the rest of its plumage, more apparent in some species than in others, for example parrots and vultures. There is some interesting fill work in the two halves of green, reversing the drip colours, and some of the drips falling out of the monster’s face and on to the floor. I have loads more to post from Mote, just from June, let alone pieces that are loitering in my archive.
I have said many times before on Natural Adventures that it is always a great pleasure to welcome new artists, and over the last year or so there have been an incredible number of new entrants onto the scene. One of the latest to showcase her work is Hiccup, a Bristol artist, nail artist and creator of hand-crafted jewellery.
Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
This is a nicely worked piece of a hand holding an old brick cell phone – I had one like it for many years. The letters ACAB (All Cops are Bast**ds) appear in the display – a common motif for street artists. Nails feature prominently, which perhaps comes as no surprise. A nice piece, with plenty more to come, I hope.
Cheo has definitely woken up from a reasonably long quiet period, and it would appear that his friend and painting collaborator Dibz has ha something to do with it, at a guess. The two have combined to create this wonderful picture-frame piece featuring a Vaughn Bode lizard by Cheo and tight writing from Dibz.
Cheo and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
The influence of Vaughn Bode on the graffiti art scene has been quite extraordinary, and continues to be as vibrant now as when the artist himself was alive. Che’s lizard is perfectly drafted with a lot more perspective and depth than some renditions I have seen. The bee, of course, is lovely too. Dibz has gone for some rather more basic writing than we are used to seeing, but it is just so perfectly executed, flawless I would say. This is a very good collaborative wall from two of Bristol’s finest artists.
A week ago, I travelled up to the North of England for a conference in Harrogate on Thursday, but stayed the night before in York. On the walk from the station to the hotel, I passed this magnificent beetle piece by ATM. I have to say it was the last thing I expected to see in York, and I think it might be one of the few pieces of street art in the city, but somehow I got lucky and found it.
ATM, Queen Street, York, June 2023
ATM is a bit of a specialist in wildlife and conservation murals, and this tansy beetle piece is no exception. It is painted on Tansy House, and highlights the plight of this once widespread beetle in the UK that is now restricted to a few pockets of wetlands, including the area around York. The tansy beetle is named after the plant, which is associated with wetland habitats.
When we hear stories about the decline in wildlife in the UK, this is exactly what we are talking about. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and much of the loss is due to habitat loss, and the emergence of intensive agriculture after the second world war. A better balance between farming and nature needs to be achieved, if we want to see nature thrive once again. We are nothing without the natural systems around us that support our life and wellbeing.
Mr Sleven, Purdown, Bristol, May 2023Mr Sleven, Purdown, Bristol, January 2023Mr Sleven, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021Mr Klue and Mr Sleven. Brigg’s Lane, Bristol. February 2021Mr Sleven. Brigg’s Lane, Bristol. February 2021Mr Sleven and Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2020Mr Sleven and Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2020Mr Sleven, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020Mr Sleven, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2019Pekoe and Mr Sleven, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2019Pekoe and Mr Sleven, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2019Mr Sleven, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019Mr Sleven, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019Mr Sleven, Brighton Street, Bristol, November 2018Mr Sleven, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2018Mr Sleven, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
It wasn’t there for very long, but it was fun while it lasted. Biers (otherwise known as @Jimothy_Slip) created this magnificent Popeye and Olive Oyl WD40 piece on the M32 roundabout a week or two back, and it simply made me smile.
Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
It has been a while since I last saw one of Biers’ writing/character combination pieces, and so this one was a real treat. There might be many people who see this who won’t get the reference, because I don’t think that Popeye is a thing these days, which is a bit of a shame. I love the crushed spinach tin with a spinach NFS popping out of it, and Olive Oyl peering out of the 0 – I guess Biers missed a trick here, because he could have had Olive at a porthole. Great fun stuff.
I have been making a little bit more space in Natural Adventures to accommodate the prolific writings of Werm, I am also rather enjoying his recent stylistic direction of travel in which he writes rather small WERM letters at the centre of the piece with embellishment extending out in all directions.
Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023
This is a nice piece painted in darker tones and in keeping with the background decoration supplied courtesy of Conrico. The starry sky is picked up with the accent stars on the letters, and the whole thing feels calm and portrays night time so well. Another great piece in something of a purple patch from Werm.
I have missed several recent Stivs pieces (wrong place, wrong time), so it was good to find and photograph this one . The artist has returned to his calligraffiti, having spent some weeks painting portrait pieces, although this one is a little more stylised and mainstream than his typical calligraffiti style.
Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2023
The strange orange and green colour combination works surprisingly well, but why wouldn’t it? I guess they are colours often seen together in nature. Instead of writing STIVS, he is playing with us and has written STYVZ. This is a nice quick one from Stivs.
This is the last in a batch of ten pieces that I have posted from Upfest 22, in my rather tardy efforts to cover the festival as thoroughly as I am able. That it is taking me so long is a symptom of the uptick in activity on the Bristol streets over the last two years or so. Keeping up is challenging.
David Puck, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This brilliantly painted piece by David Puck of two men kissing, would have been seen as controversial and challenging a decade or so ago, but thankfully it is part of a more normal and mainstream narrative these days. There is still more to do, but when I think back to attitudes when I was growing up we have come a long way.
David Puck, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
There is a real skill in the artwork here, where there is actually a lot of white space, with just a subtle hint of shading, but enough to provide texture and depth to the men’s faces. I believe that David Puck has now left Bristol for the time being, but his artwork has had a positive impact on the city over the last year or two.
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