This is a pairing that has been very productive in recent weeks and one that involves two artists with very different temperaments, Hemper and Turoe. What is clear is that both of these artists are uber-talented and capable of turning out writing in a plethora of different styles.
Hemper, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
This collaboration is actually only one half of a slightly larger effort that included Veks and Benjimagnetic but somehow these two needed to be posted as one. The Hemper ‘HEMS’ is utterly outstanding and those shades from brown at the bottom to blue at the top are sensational. The letter style is nice and organic and has a kind of woodland/outdoorsy feel to it. So very good.
Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
The Turoe piece in a richly scripted style, spelling out, unsurprisingly, SHYTE, is beautifully done in a yellow gold colour. There is something funny about the juxtaposition between the fancy script and crude word. A fine piece from Turoe. Together, these artists with contrasting efforts have absolutely smashed this wall.
Hemper and Turoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2021
Greenbank is the most wonderful temporary graffiti/street art spot. It is a very long hoarding, perhaps 100m, which separates the Bristol to Bath cycle track from a large new development. I guess the hoarding will be here for a few more months and then this great art asset will disappear and we’ll all have to look for somewhere else. This is the way.
Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Pekoe has been on fire over the last year and she is turning out some truly magnificent pieces. This ‘kill the bill’ portrait is in magnificent purple and yellows (which I recollect from school are opposite colours) and with her white beanie, it really hits the mark. This is beautifully finished and it looks like she took her time to add in some details in the face and hair. Another triumph from the very busy Pekoe.
Another interesting piece from Big Hev who seems to be having a great time experimenting with spraying walls about the city. Her work is still quite naive, but there is a definite style emerging and with practice I’m sure she will emerge as yet another fine Bristol wall artist.
Big Hev, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2021
In a move away from her portraits, this piece ‘you can’t hide our smiles’ features a seahorse in an orange circle, surrounded with love hearts. Her work is bold and colourful and there is a lot of energy there. Her skills and technique with the spray paint will develop over time, but so far watching her progress is hugely enjoyable.
There are dozens of these mega-tags all over Bristol and it took me quite a long time before I realised that they were by Sage. This one at the Purdown battery has an outstanding view of North Bristol behind it… such a great location.
Sage, Purdown, Bristol, March 2021
Most of these mega-tags are monochrome quick ones, but it seems that Sage has taken a wee bit more time with this one, giving his capped character little bit of extra decoration. Often, the location can be as important as the art, and I think this is a good example of that.
Both of these artists have had a very busy year in terms of throwing paint at walls. Benjimagnetic and Hemper are not artists I would normally pair up, but they have painted together in the past and continue to do so from time to time. Benjimagnetic’s style is much more consistent, whereas with Hemper, each piece is incredibly individual.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021
On the left is a fascinating piece from Benjimagnetic spelling BEN, which is much less frenetic and busy than his usual offerings. The yellow outline, where you can make out his letters, is sitting over a blockwork pattern, and the whole efect is compelling. Two little speech bubbles state: ‘Stand in the balance’ and ‘Hold your head up’
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021
To the right Hemper has created a sensational piece of writing spelling out HEMS in beautifully curvy letters which are filled to perfection with various colourful shades and bubbles. The whole thing is set on a very atmospheric green background with a few subtle shout-outs. ‘Free assembly is a right… …not a privilege’ is a sentiment very close to many Bristolian hearts at the moment. Kill the bill.
Soker is an incredibly versatile writer, managing to conjure up no end of extraordinary styles for his usual SOKER letters, but this piece is, in my view, an extra special one produced during a recent birthday celebration paint for Sled One.
Soker, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
The colourful letters are framed within a beautiful flowery border that oozes pure class. It doesn’t take much more than the slightest glance to see that this is a masterful piece with an outstanding overall design, beautifully crafted fills and superb finishing. A supreme piece of graffiti writing.
Another new artists for Natural Adventures in 2021 is Zed in the Clouds. Zed has been busy in recent months painting his small character pieces in most of the popular Bristol graff spots, and this one is on the long hoarding alongside the development at Greenbank.
Zed in the Clouds, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2021
Zed in the Clouds (a great name by the way) creates these expertly finished little cap-wearing characters that tend to blend well with all that is around them. Take a close look though, and you will see that this isn’t simple character tagging, there is a lot of skill and care that has gone into the fills and his lines are crisp and even. Lots more to come from this relative newcomer in Bristol.
I haven’t posted many pieces by Evey, mainly because I haven’t actually seen all that many. She tends to paint with other Resting Bitch Face (RBF) crew members, including Pekoe and Bnie, which was the case on this wall.
Evey, M32 roudabout, Bristol, March 2021
What I particularly like about Evey’s work is its simplicity and femininity (without being girly, if that makes sense). Her letters are nice and organic, but it is her fills, which are so often full of happiness, that show off her creativity. Although her work is still developing, there is something about it that I find incredibly attractive.
Slakarts has been ever so busy in recent months and I have enjoyed meeting him a couple of times lately. I think it says so much about my age that street artists, like doctors and teachers, seem to be so very young. In my mind’s eye I expect them to be so much older and am always surprised when I meet them. DFC1848 is a rare exception to this perception.
Slakarts, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021
In this piece in the tunnel, Slakarts has reverted to his front face projection rather than three-quarter profile that he has been painting a lot lately. This character has crazy hair, maybe he is waiting for the barber’s to reopen, and rather dodgy teeth. Not the most attractive, but nicely done.
