Street art – Page 267 – Natural adventures

5012. M32 Cycle path (196)

Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023

I came in search of a Face 1st piece, but instead found this wonderful Slakarts colour fest, so you win some, and you lose some, I guess. I have noticed that in some areas of Bristol, the turnover has been on the high side, which means that if you snooze, you lose, and I have been doing a fair amount of snoozing recently.

Although Slakarts has had a fairly quiet twelve months, the pieces he has painted are real belters. I’m not sure that I can convey just how good this piece is technically. The design is great, but the definition between elements with the thick, crisp black lines is outstanding, and the colour fades and shading, to give depth are excellent too. This is Slakarts at his best.

5011. St Werburghs Tunnel (351)

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023

How nice it was to see Mr Klue again, when he was painting a new piece adjacent to this one last week in the tunnel. At first, I didn’t recognise him, as it has been a few years since we last met. During the course of our conversation, I managed to establish that he always writes KLUE in his pieces, and never deviates, which is great to know, because there have been times when I thought he has written something else altogether.

This, I think, is one of my favourite Mr Klue pieces, Mainly on account of the colour selection. I love the reds, yellows and oranges, which combined with the wispy, smokey style of Mr Klue’s work give the impression of fire. Now that I know it definitely says KLUE, I can see it so much more clearly – funny how the mind can fill the gaps when you have a little bit of information/confirmation. A wonderful piece from a lovely man.

5010. Chatterton Square (7)

Acer One and Andy Council, Chatterton Square, Bristol, December 2023

Although I photographed this piece reasonably recently (back in December), it actually dates from October 2022. It is yet another fine combination from painting pals Acer One and Andy Council, and what a productive year they both had in 2022.

To the left is a rather nice birthday shout out by Acer to fellow graffiti writer Ziml, painted in the stylised font that is by now so familiar on the streets of Bristol. To the right is a Cheech Wizard, by Andy Council, constructed out of buildings and other component parts. It has just occurred to me while writing this column that the way Andy Council composes his work resembles the work of the incredible 16th Century Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who painted portraits composed of fruit and vegetables. I never thought I’d be writing that in Natural Adventures, but there you go.

5009. Greenbank (70)

Gosia Wadada, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023

This bright piece from Gosia Wadada both delights and frustrates me. Firstly, it is great to see that this artist made the most of her time in Bristol, painting both here and in Cumberland Basin, however, her choice of panel to paint on, was not great, because she painted over a one third of a very fresh and magnificent portrait piece by Rozalita.

I was once told by an artist that it is a bit disrespectful to partially obscure somebody else’s work, you should either leave it or go over the whole thing, and sometimes you can tag the artist in your new replacement as an acknowledgement. But as I am frequently told, there are no rules and it is a jungle out there. In fairness, I’m not sure that Gosia Wadada would have known that the Rozlita piece was only a few days old.

Gosia Wadada has visited Bristol before (thank you, Paul H, for your Instagram post) and I will dig the piece out and post it some time soon. In this ‘swapsies’ piece, Gosia Wadada has painted two of her trademark mouths, but switched the colour combinations, to create opposites, although you might spot the small inconsistency in her approach. The mouths work well on the carefully constructed red backdrop, and overall this is a refreshing and fun piece. I would love to see more of her work in Bristol.

5008. St Werburghs tunnel (350)

Kid Krishna, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

I met Kid Krishna for the very first time when he just completed buffing this wall and had begun this large and complex piece. As luck would have it, I met him again in exactly the same spot a couple of days later, it is funny how things like that happen.

This is a magnificent beast, monumentally intricate and bewildering. His letters are so well disguised, that they simply become part of the overall experience – a little bit like Mr Klue’s work. This piece is a real workout for the eyes, in that search to make sense of it. The technique Kid Krishna uses to paint these writing pieces is to lay down the main structure of the letters with a roller, and then to add the borders and details, and it works very effectively. Kid Krishna told me that he is thinking of shifting to a new idea, so I’ll be scouring the streets to see what he does.

5007. Cumberland Basin

Desi, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023

I met Desi earlier this week when she was painting a new piece in Dean Lane with her friend Lupa. I took the opportunity to ask Desi why she had started painting the letters VEIL, and her answer was swift and honest – “no reason, I just wanted to play with some letters”. So there you have it, sometimes there simply isn’t a backstory or meaning.

This is a very nice piece, simple in structure and well executed. Desi continues to improve, with strong fills and sharper lines, getting better with each new piece. It is interesting that most times (but not always, as I have learned to my deep embarrassment) you can spot the gender of the artist. For example, it would be a rare thing for a male artist to put a heart instead of a dot on top of the “i” as Desi has done here. It is almost as if handwriting is transposed onto the wall in some way.

5006. St Werburghs tunnel (349)

Lee Roy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

Lee Roy is a writer whose work I really rather enjoy. His writing is a little unconventional and always interesting to look at. This recent piece in the tunnel is an immediate attention-grabber on account of its use of orange on a turquoise background.

The letters are uniform in size, and the letter design is exceptional. The fills and fill patterns are quite subtle, but beautifully worked. This is one of the best Lee Roy pieces that I have seen – a true beauty.

Mote

A gallery of imaginative monsters and creatures by Bristol artist Mote

Instagram: @mote_zx

All photographs by Scooj

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2024

Mr Crawls and Mote, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, February 2024

Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024

Mr Crawls and Mote, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024

Mr Crawls and Mote, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024

Mr Crawls and Mote, Jubilee Street, Bristol, December 2023

Mote, Jubilee Street, Bristol, December 2023

Mr Crawls and Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

Mr Crawls and Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023

Mr Crawls and Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023

Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

Mote, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, April 2023

Mote, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023

Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023

Mote, River Avon, Bristol, February 2023

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, Deccember 2022

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022

Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022

Mote, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2022

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022

Mote, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

Mote, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, June 2022

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2022

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022

5005. M32 roundabout J3 (449)

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2023

More writing on the roundabout, this time from Corupt. Over the last month or so, I have come across far more graffiti writing pieces than street art or character pieces, and that will necessarily be reflected in my posts. I usually try to get a fairly even balance of different artwork, but it can be a struggle sometimes.

Corupt, writing his STICK letters, has chosen a rather low-key colour palette for this piece, and it doesn’t quite hump off the wall as much as some of his other pieces, but the handiwork is just as expert. The letters pull out from the wall, thanks to the grey vertical 3D drop shadow. The letters themselves are notable for the colour transitions and decorations in which there is an organised pattern, but unless you look for it, the whole thing looks a bit random. Another fine piece from the Hungarian artist.

5004. M32 roundabout J3 (448)

Haka, M32 roundbout, Bristol, January 2023

The first time I photographed this lovely Pooh Bear piece by Haka was a complete fail. There were shadows cast halfway across the piece, and half was overexposed and the other half underexposed. I returned on a duller day, and these pictures are altogether a bit on the dull side and don’t really do the piece justice.

Haka has been taking us on a nostalgic journey in recent months, to our own or our children’s favourite picture book characters, and Winnie the Pooh must surely be one of the most iconic. Haka has lovingly portrayed Pooh nestled inside the letters CK and NE, a tribute to CKone, or Dan Fenlon who died in a motorcycle accident in 2011. Amazingly, Haka remembers him in every piece he paints. A good friend indeed.

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