Tag: Street art

3619. Nine Tree Hill (5)

DNT has been one of those artists who has pretty much gone to ground over the last year and I have seen very little of his work. It was a lovely surprise then to find this delightful and somewhat out-of-character piece from him on the side of an eatery that has had a bit of a makeover.

DNT, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, April 2021
DNT, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, April 2021

The El Jeffe José Cubans sandwich shop is so perfect for its Stokes Croft location and it is wonderful that they have turned to a local artist to decorate its side wall, which is at permanent risk of being tagged. A great piece like this from a local artist might see it given some respect.

DNT has painted some lovely flowers on a yellow cloud background, which is far removed from his robotic-monster pieces that we are more accustomed to. This is perfect for this spot and outlet and adds some colour and brightness to this little corner of Stokes Croft.

3618. Greenbank (6)

I knew all about this wonderful new collaboration from Rosalita’s Instagram feed, and because I recently (and at last) found the Greenbank wall, I rushed down to take some photographs. It was well worth the trip.

Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021

The collaboration is from Rosalita and Antikki and they certainly decided to go big with this one. There is so much to love here. Rosalita’s clown face behind layers of theatrical make up that disguise the emotional disposition of the subject, as is so often the case with Rosalita’s work there is something sad or uncertain about the portrait. The hair, oh my goodness the hair. Antikki has done an extraordinary job of weaving her dancing figures into the hair, which if you don’t look properly you might miss. The whole portrait is set on a starry and atmospheric background. This is a masterclass in collaborative working where the two styles and cleverly fused into the one piece.

Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021

Like many other people, I am so enjoying Rosalita’s strong presence on our streets, which has blossomed over the last six months or so and it is great to see Antikki joining her. I would love to see more collaborations from these two.

3617. Dean Lane skate park (407)

Slim Pickings (Tes), has been painting a lot of his distinctive three-letter pieces so far this year, and I have only posted a fraction of them. I have the feeling that I might have to break from tradition and post a job-lot from the past couple of months just to keep on top of them.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

This one in Dean Lane is a particularly nice big one that was painted alongside Dibz a short while ago. There was an overall alien theme to the wall and there are a couple of spaceships above the ‘Tes’ letters. The letters are painted on a cloudy blue background and are on point as usual. There is comfort in Slim Pickings’ consistency.

3616. Cumberland Basin

Here we have a classic Face 1st piece. A wall tucked away from general view and a chuckling girl’s face splashed on it. It is pieces like this, dotted all over the city that add to the overall fabric of Bristol. Sub-consciously, many thousands of people in Bristol will have seen one of these faces, they might not have registered them, but they will have seen them, and they will process them simply as being part of the furniture of the city.

Face 1st, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Face 1st, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021

Somehow, Face 1st injects a sense of fun and mischief into his work that comes across so well. These cheeky girls probably play slightly into the hands of subversive minds (it is graffiti after all), but are entirely accessible for all to enjoy and feel free. This one is a particularly lovely ecxample.

3615. Dean Lane skate park (406)

More fabulous Pekoe work… this artist has been going paint crazy over the last few weeks and keeps turning out beautiful portraits. Painting this one would have involved climbing over an iron railing (rather her than me) to access this swimming pool wall.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

This face-on portrait in blue with bright yellow hair certainly grabs attention. The subjects cheeks are emphasised with circles in which sit Pekoe’s trademark tears. I feel sad when I see the tears as it makes me think that the artist herself is sad and expresses her sadness in this way. Of course, it might simply be a thing that has no deeper meaning at all. This is another fine Pekoe portrait, yet another one in a superb series.

3614. M32 roundabout J3 (307)

One of the things I am looking forward to when we return to a new normal is that some of the artists who have had a quiet lockdown may return to the streets more frequently, in particular artists like Laic217 who has been, relatively speaking, on a bit of a go-slow.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2021

This is a nice little skull piece, picking up on some themes used by Laic217 in the past, most notably the brickwork structure of the skull. The folds and textures of the clothing is once again masterfully handled. Always so good to see.

3613. M32 Cycle path (119)

I don’t know if I am imagining things, but since this whole pandemic malarkey began it seems like there have been more collaborative walls than one would normally expect, and I wonder if it is a way for artists to legitimately socialise, whilst keeping a distance, with people they care about. Maybe it is just a perception, but I feel there has been a collaborative explosion.

Benjimagnetic, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Benjimagnetic, M32 cycle path, Bristol, April 2021

This wonderful piece from the magnificent Benjimagnetic was painted alongside Hemper, Turoe and Veks and demonstrates a slight change of direction he has been on lately in which he has moved away from his busy and frenetic style, but managed to retain the abstract nature of his letters. This piece most likely spells out BEN, but it is nicely disguised. A very nice piece indeed with some fabulous colour transitions.

3612. M32 roundabout J3 (306)

Bnie has been painting quite a lot with her RBF crew recently and it is always great to see her nicely balanced letters and fills, and beautifully decorated 3D shadows that are a trademark feature of her work.

Bnie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Bnie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021

I don’t know if this wall was painted for a special occasion or whether it was part of a general paint jam, but there was a great turnout of artists and some fine work laid down. For me, this one from Bnie might just have been the pick of the bunch, it feels like her work is improving each time I see something new from her. The time for a gallery must be fast-approaching. I am really enjoying the incorporation of a mouth in the ‘B’.

3611. M32 Cycle path (118)

Hemper is painting like a fiend at the moment. Hardly a day goes by without another new piece from him, and each one is a special gem. His range is exceptional and that he does it all off-the-cuff makes it all the more impressive.

Hemper, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021
Hemper, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021

This recent piece of graffiti writing is in a beautifully curvy script with plenty of highlights and accents to create a nicely rounded 3D feel to the letters. The green fills are in several shades with a whole bunch of different patterns to enjoy. This is an artist who appears to be thoroughly enjoying his craft at the moment. Plenty more to come.

3609. Greenbank (5)

I knew that this piece by Rosalita existed, I just wasn’t quite sure where and when I finally discovered it on the Greenbank wall it was looking a little bit worse for wear. There is definitely a dark and tragic side to a lot of Rosalita’s work and this is something of a deathly portrait set on a backdrop of flowers.

Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2021
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2021

I don’t often cut-and-paste quotes into Natural Adventures, but Rosalita’s explanation of this piece on her Instagram feed gives us an insight into this portrait:

“🌺From my rotting body flowers will grow🌺
Emptying cans with a mishmash of colours.
Dreamt I visited my mother last night, in our old home, as if she had never departed. There was comfort in feeling her presence again. Buddhist believe in meditating on death and impermanence as the only certainty in life 🌱 The intention is that when we embrace the reality of death we are freed of its fear and are able to live our lives fully with an open heart 💓
It is shamanic work throughout all cultures. Themes of death are a form of meditation in my practice, the impermanence of murals is guaranteed and comes with the territory of graffiti/street art culture. In its own way is a reminder of how fragile life is, and through acceptance we can kiss the joy as it passes our way ☠️ nuff love !”

The piece is very similar to another one she painted at around the same time and which I posted here back in January 2021. Fabulous work, and I love the flowers.

Rosalita, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021
Rosalita, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021