Tag: Street art

4128. Sparke Evans Park (24)

Dibz has been having a bit of a purple patch lately, although his work is always of the highest quality, his productivity can be a little quiet from time to time, but not right now. This is one of several recent pieces that showcase his mastery of wildstyle graffiti writing.

Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, December 2021
Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, December 2021

This is the first ‘Squid Game’ piece that I have seen in Bristol, and to be honest I am surprised not to have seen more. The character has an ‘I’ on his mask and a small FUA golden block suspended between his hands and is beautifully crafted. The writing isn’t too bad either. Unfortunately, the curse of tricky lighting at this spot has left me with rather poor photographs, for which I apologise.

4127. The Carriageworks (42)

You might have noticed my recent joy that the arches on the facade of The Carriageworks  have been exposed and almost immediately painted by the PWA crew. Although the joy might be short-lived, it is genuine and complete and these photographs capture some of that feeling for me.

Soap and Face 1st, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2021
Soap and Face 1st, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2021

To the left is a fabulous mash-up from Soap and Face 1st. All the elements that you would expect from a collaboration between these two are there, and it is great to see their work back where it belongs. These two young women were loving it too, and spent ages taking pictures of each other on the magnificent backdrop. They were not the only ones to stop and photograph the arches in the few minutes I spent there.

Nightwayss and Chill, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2021
Nightwayss and Chill, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2021

To the right (the second of the fur arches), Nightwayss and Chill, who seems to have been recruited into the PWA fold, have collaborated to create a fabulous and slightly eclectic scene. The self-portrait and small mammal, some kind of primate I am guessing, are by Nightwayss along with the writing at the top spelling ‘NIGHT’. The two-tone cartoon character is by Chill, a tattooist, who really seems to be enjoying painting walls at the moment. Great art, great location, great artists… what more could you ask for?

4126. Greenbank (21)

Laic217 has three or four main themes that he likes to return to. Most of his characters are skeletons, often spraying, but he has also painted a lot of melting faces and face distortions, of which this is a fine example.

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, December 2021
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, December 2021

This one is a newish piece on the long Greenbank wall, which surely only has a few more months left, as the development behind it seems to be moving with some pace now. The distortion is deliberately unsettling and challenging, especially as it is confined to the face and the hand with a spray can in it. The rest of the character is normal, so there is a lot of confusion and deception going on. I love Laic217’s creativity and mischief, and this piece ticks all my boxes. Beautifully executed too.

4125. Upfest 2021 75×75 (73)

I had kind of given up on the final three Upfest 75 walls in 75 days pieces, especially as the 75 days was up some time ago, but hope and excitement were restored when Sled One painted this beautiful piece for the event a couple of weeks ago.

Sled One, North Street, Bristol, December 2021, Upfest 21,
Sled One, North Street, Bristol, December 2021, Upfest 21,

Above the General Store in North Street, the intricate mural features a snakes and ladders theme, with a medieval twist hinted at by the hand-held daggers and ornate sleeves. I did not notice the Advance Pest Control van in the photograph until posting this piece, but I think it adds a little something to the scene.

As we would expect from Sled One, the mural is executed with class and precision and is a fine contribution to Upfest’s summer event. So now there are only two pieces left for me to find. One, I know where it is, the other is a mystery.

4124. North Street

Paste ups tend to be few and far between in Bristol, and there is nothing like the culture of wheatpastes here as there is in Shoreditch, for example. I suppose that their rarity makes them extra special, and when qWeRT visits the city, it is always refreshing to see his goggle-eyed characters.

qWeRT, North Street, Bristol, December 2021
qWeRT, North Street, Bristol, December 2021

This one in North Street is immediately above a Stewy stencil of a sheep, and is perfectly positioned under the coping stone of the wall. Although looking a little worse for wear, this piece isn’t actually all that old and is one of several that appeared in the North Street area a couple of months back. Creative and fun, qWeRT will always be welcome in  Bristol (as far as I am concerned).

4123. M32 roundabout J3 (369)

It is always great to stumble across a new artist, and especially one with a really unique style. This is one of two new pieces from debutant Klub2020, who I believe is another tattoo artist turning his skills to wall art, along with others like Sepr, 3Dom and Chill.

Klub2020, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Klub2020, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

This piece hidden away on the M32 roundabout reminds me a little of the Pink Floyd ‘Relics’ album cover. There are sort of human figures running towards a scroll emblazoned with the name Klub all over it. Full of detail and interest, I am a little puzzled by the method he has used to get this quite unique finish to the piece.

Very welcome and very interesting.

4122. Mina Road (7)

Most street artists have a background in art, illustration or design, and many have jobs related to their craft and skills. Some supplement their income with commissions and some (the really lucky ones) derive a comfortable income from their street art and spin-offs from it, for example, Banksy, Inkie and Nick Walker. Hazard, I think, falls into the category of supplementing her income, and you will find a lot of her work around the city, on commercial or private walls that have earned her a little money.

Hazard, Mina Road, Bristol, December 2021
Hazard, Mina Road, Bristol, December 2021

This is one of Hazard’s mos recent commissions in Mina Road, and although not bold or brash, the plant piece oozes class. The mural is painted above the Haus of Hair hairdressers and looks to be a sumptuous collection of houseplant leaves (of the rainforest ilk), providing texture and depth to an otherwise ordinary wall. This is a beautiful commission and a great advert for Hazard’s work.

4121. M32 Cycle path (151)

It feels to me like Slakarts is taking his art to a new level and his recent pieces have shown real dynamism and creativity. This recent piece from the M32 cycle path, works on his stylised character portrait, but presents it in an entirely new way.

Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021
Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021

The piece is made up of two portraits facing one another in subdues grey colours, with some lighter highlights that express freedom and confidence in his work. Contrast this with one of his recent colourful pieces and you see an artist whose range is wide and skills are of the highest order. A lovely ephemeral piece.

Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2021
Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2021

4120. Cumberland Basin

I haven’t really left myself enough time to write very much about today’s wonderful piece by Smak. For some this might be a blessing… consider it an early Christmas present.

Smak, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021
Smak, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021

I have neglected Smak for far too long, and haven’t posted anything by him for months. The reason is simple, there is so much great and new stuff being created out there that the competition for space o Natural Adventures is as high as it has ever been. This is classic Smak wildstyle graffiti writing. Subtle colours, great design and lovely tight artwork. Standards are still high in the Smak camp.

4119. M32 roundabout J3 (368)

I am definitely struggling to keep up with the volume of work that Stivs is producing these days, and I still have some real corkers in my archive that are under serious threat of not making it onto Natural Adventures at all. I need a quiet period when I can dig out some of these nuggets and publish them.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

This recent piece is one of two, side-by-side in one of Stivs’ favourite spots, and as he is inclined to do these days, he has gone ‘big’ with both. His calligraffiti style has gone quite Gothic on us with this piece, but the letters are clean and clear, spelling out STIVS, where the ‘S’s have reclined slightly. Yet another tight piece of graffiti writing from this tireless creative talent.