Tag: Street art

3970. L Dub (30)

Birthday paint jams are a bit of a thing, and recently there seem to have been a spate of them. They are a great excuse for a bunch of friends to get out and paint together, and for people like me offer another raft of fabulous work all in one location. The perennial difficulty is having the capacity tom post about them all (an impossible task).

Turoe, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021
Turoe, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021

The birthday in question belonged to DJ Perks and these three pieces are by Turoe, Slim Pickings (TES) and Bags. The old-school character given some contemporary treatment is by Turoe and just in case we were any doubt, DJ Perks was 50.

Slim Pickings, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021
Slim Pickings, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021

Slim Pickings is metronome-like in his regularity, turning out these TES pieces time and again. Unfortunately these days, more of them end up in my archives than being posted, such is the massive turnover in Bristol at the moment. Bright bold colours and sharp lines, just what you’d expect.

Bags, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021
Bags, L Dub, Bristol, September 2021

A rather overlooked writer in Natural Adventures is Bags, probably because he doesn’t paint quite as often as his contemporaries, but that is no excuse really. This is a fine piece of writing, neatly done and kind of fun too with the hand bursting out of the ‘B’. All in all a lovely tribute to DJ Perks, who loves painting in this spot. More from this paint jam to come.

3969. Victoria Square, Weston-super-Mare

This is a stunning stencil by an artist to whom I owe my interest in street art, alongside Kid Crayon, Face 1st and Mr Draws; it is of course the unmistakable (apart from those that confuse him with Banksy) JPS, who grew up in Weston-super-Mare but now lives on the continent.

JPS, Victoria Square, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021
JPS, Victoria Square, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021

On the side wall of a café, looking out to sea, is this young girl complete with a camera, snapping up the views of the Pier and Severn Estuary. Her patterned dress is particularly nicely done in this sharp multi-layer stencil.

JPS, Victoria Square, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021
JPS, Victoria Square, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021

On my walk around the town I met an old lady who lives two doors down from where JPS grew up, and she said what a lovely boy he was and was obviously very proud of his art and talent, she seemed very knowledgeable about the new pieces in town and was utterly engaged with the street art scene, so good to see. JPS has played no small part in influencing these positive attitudes. Lots more from JPS to come.

3968. Cumberland Basin

Brace yourselves for some more wonderful pieces by Maybe, which although this post is titled Cumberland Basin, actually come from three different spots in Bristol. The feature image was the first piece that I found from Maybe that wasn’t under Brunel way, but was posted on a column on the north bank of Cumberland Basin.

Maybe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021
Maybe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021

This first piece has two face balloons whose strings are lovingly intertwined as they drift off into a galactic scene. It is also a dreadful photograph and slightly out of focus. My camera is getting a bit goofed up and I think I will be replacing it fairly soon.

Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021
Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021

The second piece was in Dean Lane skate park on one of the ramps and it is the only one I have seen there to date. Here a face looks on as a hand picks out a star, once again on a galactic background. There is a calmness and serenity about most of Maybe’s pieces that makes them really accessible for all to enjoy.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2021

The final piece from this group was from Brunel Way, where most of his pieces have been painted, and this one features another face and hand combination, where the hand is actually another face. All of this curiousness is set on a stunning Red Sea and red sunset. A true beauty. We have come to a point where expectations of his work are getting higher and higher, because his pieces are getting better and better.

3967. Upfest 2021 75×75 (67)

What a genuine pleasure it was to meet Roo for the first time while she was painting this magnificent shopfront piece for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event. It would seem that her allocated spot, a pet shop on East Street, was the perfect match for her animal inspired work.

Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Roo was able to show off her skills over the entire outside space of the pet shop, which is not inconsiderable, and so we, the viewers, are getting four animal pieces for the price of one, starting with this superb mouse/rat tucking into a fairy cake.

Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

On the largest panel of the shop, Roo has painted this sleeping dog which is dreaming about ‘Rrupfest’. In this piece you can see that the clean lines and solid fills are expertly finished and the light brown shading (in cartoon style) gives an additional 3D feel.

Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

On the next panel of the shop is a goldfish in a bowl taking a selfie as if it were a holidaymaker on a beach. The piece is full of wit and charm and rather unfortunately obscured by a wheely bin, the scourge of street photography.

Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Roo, East Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

The final bit of wall to be painted by Roo is a fat cat enjoying some popcorn and taking in a 3D movie with its cardboard lenses.  The whole wall is a triumph for Roo whose work is a perfect fit for this kind of spot. It is great to see that since she painted this, Roo has visited Bristol again and left us a gorgeous lion, to follow soon.

3966. M32 Cycle path (143)

I met Pl8o for the first time a couple of weeks ago while he was painting at Brunel Way, and what a nice fellow he is. He talked a little about his recent experimentation with styles, but said that he was lining up some more ‘blocky’ pieces, of which I guess this is one.

Pl8o, M32 cycle path, Bristol, September 2021
Pl8o, M32 cycle path, Bristol, September 2021

This piece is a delightful sleepy nighttime piece with a moon and stars for added interest. Pl8o has painted some large block letters, nicely filled and decorated, but the star of the show is the moon face blowing clouds into the night sky. A fun and light-hearted piece.

3965. Alfred Street (10)

It has been a long while since I last posted a piece by Todoaciem, so it is with some pleasure that I am able to share this wonderful piece of calligraffiti painted at the ‘Dare To’ paint jam a few weeks ago.

Todoaciem, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2021
Todoaciem, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2021

Normally we would expect to see the letters CIEM, but here he has written HMR, the letters of his crew. His letters are always so neat and uniform with a lovely deep 3D shadow that helps the whole thing to stand out. Unfortunately, the white paint is a little thin, but all in all this is a skilful piece of writing.

3964. Sparke Evans Park (11)

Zake is smashing it out of the park at the moment, or should I say smashing it out of the Sparke Evans Park (oof, sorry). Not only is he painting a lot, but he is also really working on those features and details of his faces and with this piece creating a whole new kind of character.

Zake, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021
Zake, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021

What is it about monkeys? Actually, I am guessing that this monkey is a homage to Nightwayss (who loves monkeys) whose birthday paint jam this was painted for. The colours, shading and expression is all superbly executed and this is the first time I have seen Zake paint fur, and what a job he has done. A smashing piece on a smashing wall painted to honour a smashing artist’s birthday – what’s not to like?

3963. Dean Lane skate park (430)

I came quite late to posting pieces by Bnie, not for any reason, I don’t know why. Perhaps I sometimes hold back until I know a little bit more about the artist, or perhaps their work grows on me. Anyhow, I am trying to make up for it now and will post her work as often as I can and if I find any in my archive searches will post them too. Last week, I posted a Bnie gallery and hope that she is now better represented in Natural Adventures.

Bnie, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Bnie, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

This piece, on an awkward little bit of wall in Dean Lane skate park, is nicely pulled together with great colour fills, smiley mouth and heart on top of the ‘i’. Always reliable and always upbeat, Bnie’s work is greatly valued and enjoyed.

3962. Upfest 2021 75×75 (66)

Well now we are getting in to the final 10 pieces from Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event and I am getting a little edgy, because my ‘collector’ gene will be working overtime to ensure I get every single one, and that might be difficult.

Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

I don’t normally associate Silent Hobo with Upfest events, so it was really nice to see that he has participated in this most unusual of years with this enormous mural in Ruby Street.

Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

Of course, with so many murals in residential streets for this year’s event, parked cars have been a real problem. I think I might suggest to artists that next year they start their pieces four feet above the ground, or that they paint cars in the lower portion so we don’t actually miss anything (now there’s a creative concept).

Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

As with all of Silent Hobo’s excellent observational work, he captures the mood of ordinary people, especially youngsters so well. One could do a celebration of Bristol, just by showcasing all of his pieces. It would seem that he is very proud of the city and its citizens and his murals are a wonderful record of the city in the 2000s.

Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

Another thing that Silent Hobo portrays beautifully is pets and wild animals. Here he rewards the viewer with a fabulous cameo of a little boy and his dog in a red armchair, a delightful scene. Yet another outstanding wall from Silent Hobo and for Upfest.

3961. M32 Cycle path (142)

Another debut on Natural Adventures in 2021, this time from Chill. It would be interesting to look back on 2021 and look at how many artists appeared on these pages for the first time, and which artists featured the most. Perhaps a little New Year exercise for me to do.

Chill, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, September 2021
Chill, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, September 2021

I know nothing about the artist, but I absolutely love this black and white cartoon trio of characters, painted in a very Beano/Dandy/Viz kind of style. Loads of mischief and fun and really tight artwork. There is a simplicity and symmetry to the piece that makes it so easy to enjoy. I really ought to do a little more research to find out more about the artist. Maybe if I find another Chill piece.