Tag: Street art

4394. St George skate Park (14)

If only I were as quick to post John D’oh’s political commentary pieces as he is to prepare and spray his stencils… Natural Adventures would feel a bit more contemporary, but a trade-off has to happen, because there is so much high-quality street/graffiti art in Bristol, I invariably have a backlog. Within a day or two of the Rishi Sunak Spring Statement (which did little for the poorer communities facing a cost of living crisis) John D’oh had come up with this piece, although I think it was just before the furore of his wife’s non-dom status, it certainly continued to resonate.

John D'oh, St George skate park, Bristol, April 2022
John D’oh, St George skate park, Bristol, April 2022

I like it that John D’oh visits various skate parks around Bristol and beyond, because these are places where more people will get exposure to his art and his observations. It is a joy to capture and catalogue John D’oh’s work because in years to come we will be able to reflect on Tory Britain with some grounded and visceral reflections.

4393. Sparke Evans Park (40)

Just because this is the first appearance from Tes (Slim Pickings) for quite a long while, it doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been painting much recently. On the contrary, there are many of his pieces in my archives that I haven’t managed to post, such is the stiff competition at the moment. It is a crying shame that so many outstanding pieces may never see the light of day on Natural Adventures, but it just indicates the quantity of artists out there at the moment.

Slim Pickings (Tes), Sparke Evand Park, April 2022
Slim Pickings (Tes), Sparke Evand Park, April 2022

These are quite recent works by Tes and they show a playful reversal or mirror image of his usual mega-tag. Well if you’ve only got three letters, you have to find some way of switching it up a little, and this is just the ticket.

Slim Pickings (Tes), Sparke Evand Park, April 2022
Slim Pickings (Tes), Sparke Evand Park, April 2022

These pieces were painted alongside some No Frills crew friends during a paint jam, that included Bags, Turoe and Biers in early April. Both pieces are nicely executed, as one would expect, and demonstrate that even with quite a formulaic approach, Slim Pickings manages to bring variety to his work through colour selections and details.

4392. M32 roundabout J3 (406)

In one of his favourite stretches on one of his favourite walls, Corupt brings another in a series of fabulous of graffiti writing pieces in his beautiful style that is so unique to this particular artist. I almost missed this piece, thinking that it was one of his previous ones in the same spot, which goes to show that it is so important to look carefully and not to make too many assumptions.

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022

Writing Korupt, with a K, which is one of his variants, he has chosen a superb colour palette of browns and oranges set on a blue background, the whole, being festooned with gorgeous fill decorations. A very classy piece indeed.

4391. L Dub (34)

DJ Perks has to be one of the most modest artists in Bristol, as well as one who takes a great interest in other people’s work about the city. I think I have only met him once while actually painting, all of my other encounters have been while both of us have been photographing in the popular spots.

D J Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022
D J Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022

DJ Perks has made this spot in Lawrence Weston (L Dub) his own, and he has smashed it with this Bugs Bunny piece on the wall of the pumping station. Combining the beautifully neat writing with a very sharp and clean Bugs Bunny (with outstanding shadow, cleverly done), DJ Perks has promoted himself into the top division of street artists in Bristol.

D J Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022
D J Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022

His work improves with every outing, and he is always exploring new ways to stretch himself. The more he practices, the better he will get, and I am very excited about just how far he will get. A notable piece.

4390. M32 roundabout J3 (405)

This subtle piece is by an artist who has slipped off the radar a little bit, Dog Bless the Band, so it was a pleasure to find it on the southern wall of the M32 roundabout recently. I feel like I have posted many more of his pieces than I actually have, such is the impression they have made on me.

Dog bless the band, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022
Dog bless the band, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2022

The giveaway element, apart from his modest colour selection, is the distinctive  letter ‘M’ at the start of the MOTEL. This time he has animated the ‘O’ with a rather gentle face. There is an organic nature to his work, which has a rather calming effect. Nothing urgent and sparky. As well as having the best name since Stupid, Stupid Meathole, his style is one that I really like.

4389. Sparke Evans Park (39)

Like all of us, street/graffiti artists have birthdays, but sometimes they mark them in a way that isn’t possible for mere mortals like me. They have a paint jam and invite artist friends to paint a wall together – the results are nearly always outstanding, bringing different styles into a single place for a day. A recent birthday paint jam was held for Mena in Sparke Evans park and this was Sled One’s contribution.

Sled One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022
Sled One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2022

I don’t know if it is just me, but Sled One’s pieces seem to be getting even more surreal and obscure, if that is at all possible. This outstandingly turned out piece features a skull smoking an outsize cigarette, with smiley tablets for eyes and purple hair. As always with Sled One’s work, it is the little details that augment the piece so well, such as the gorgeous flower in the hair, or the floating eyebrows. This is another masterpiece from Sled One.

4388. River Avon (30)

It is not all that long ago, through the winter, when Stivs was producing new pieces at will and barely a week went by without one or two new works from him. This spring has been a slightly different story, and it feels like a while since I saw anything new, until I found this one on the River Avon path. Since finding this, he has been out a little more, and there are further new pieces to share with you.

Stivs, River Avon, Bristtol, April 2022
Stivs, River Avon, Bristtol, April 2022

Stivs is one of two brilliant calligraffiti artists in Bristol, that is artists who specialise in calligraphic writing. This is a real beauty in chrome with a blue 3D shadow and mint green border. Lovely regular letters spelling out STIVS. A scattering of mint dots to add a little interest, and hey presto! You have a banging burner.

4385. Dean Lane skate park (482)

It is probably about time for another piece from Face 1st, and this one, like so many of his other pieces, is so full of joy and happiness. I think that Face 1st should be employed as a ‘happiness tzar’ for Bristol, and be allowed to spray his happy faces to improve morale in a time when good news is hard to come by.

Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022

This particular piece in Dean Lane is in one of his preferred forms in which he has written FACE as the hair of a girl’s smiling face. For added effect, he has included a second face as the ‘A’ of FACE. It is always great to see anything by this artist, and the Bristol graffiti/street art scene simply wouldn’t be the same without him.

4384. Brunel Way (152)

One of the most endearing characters to appear in Bristol in recent months, in my opinion, is Mr Underbite. This simply conceived character is overflowing with charm and intrigue, and the artist, MrUnderbite is making this area his home, with at least four recent pieces in the vicinity.

Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2022

This small piece on one of the footbridge pillars has been painted with sprays and the black lines drawn with a Posca pen or similar. The overall outcome is clean and tidy, with the two shades of brown working really well to frame Mr Underbite’s face. The crosses for eyes are similar to those used by Asre on one of his characters – a common cartoon style technique. I love this little piece.

One Wall – many faces (2)

Looking at a single wall and how it changes over time.

2. Door on the M32 Cycle path, Bristol

Daz Cat, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Daz Cat, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2020
Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2020

Soap, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
Soap, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020

Hanski, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021
Hanski, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021

Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2021
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2021

Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022