Daz Cat has been relatively quiet over the last couple of months, so it was good to find this cat piece which has been sprayed over a chrome cat he painted in the same spot a few months back.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2019
Many of his pieces tend to be pretty quick and dirty, that is to say they are really good, but are not as crisp as some of the more designed pieces about the place. I am guessing that his cat began life as an elaborate tag that has become something of a trademark for the artist. Maybe it is because I like cats, but I really enjoy finding work from Daz Cat when I’m out and about.
Of all the wonderful street art pieces that I write about on Natural Adventures, by far the most tricky are the ones linked to dates in the calendar, such as Christmas and Halloween. This is because I am pretty much always running with a backlog of posts and because I tend to write them in advance. This means that if I take pictures of a wonderful collaboration like this one by Decay and Rezwonk on Christmas Eve (which I did) it takes several days and sometimes weeks to process and write about them. What I am saying is that my system is not very flexible and I am not very agile in my approach. No matter, I get there in the end, and the artwork is no lessim pressive for the delay.
Rezwonk and Decay, Turbo Island, Bristol, December 2019
I couldn’t get a clean front-on shot of this piece at Turbo Island, because there were several homeless people sleeping just in front of it and I didn’t want to be insensitive to their privacy (not that you have any sleeping in the open air).
The collaboration itself is yet another from these two regulars who have painted together many times this year and seem to enjoy it – I think they paint together under the crew name HTM, but I don’t know what it stands for yet. The snowy scene is beautifully crafted by both artists, but it is the twinkling lights that top the piece off perfectly, and I love the socket and plug too, a great touch. A near perfect Christmas piece (I think it has already gone).
Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2022Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2022Rusk, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020Rusk, Upfest 2016, Bristol, July 2016Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019Turoe One and Rusk, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019Rusk and Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2020Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020Rusk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2020Rusk, Armada Place, Bristol, February 2020Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2019Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2019Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2019Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2019Rusk, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2018Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2018Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2018Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2018Rusk, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2018Rusk, Horfield skate park, Bristol, March 2018Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2018Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018Rusk, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017Rusk, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2017Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2016
On a wall that is predominantly used for graffiti writing it was great to see this rather unusual collaborative mural appear recently by Kool Hand and Conrico. If I am honest I have absolutely no idea at all what is going on in the piece but when Conrico is involved, there is usually a story of some sort behind the piece.
Kool Hand, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2019
On the left is a character by Kool Hand who I would more commonly associate with painting animals such as crocodiles or orangutans, but the solid fill and clearly defined outlines give this piece away as being by Kool Hand.
Conrico, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2019
The rest of the piece seems to be made up of floating islands, two of which appear to be at war with one another. Unfathomable, but original and interesting. I am a big fan of Conrico’s work and am enjoying finding pieces by him dotted all over the place. More to come in a day or two.
I’m not too sure where Panskaribas disappeared to for the second half of 2019, but I have a feeling it might have been Shanghai. As one of the most productive street artists in Bristol his weekly interventions were sorely missed, but he is back now and returning to the walls with great gusto.
Panskaribas, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2019
In this piece Panskaribas has bookended some writing with his characteristic ‘Picassoesque’ doodled faces. The writing I think spells out RESEAU which is a word he uses to sign his works with and also uses for a loose crew of collaborators I think. Great to have him back on the scene.
Very pretty in pink and a lovely way to start the new year. Just before Christmas, Bnie and Smak got together to paint this wonderful collaboration down at Dean Lane skate park.
Bnie, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019
On the left, Bnie has absolutely smashed it out of the park with this really tight piece of graffiti writing. The cartoon style letters are beautifully done but it is the shading of the letters that singles this out as an outstanding work. What a great Christmas present.
Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019
On the right, and not to be upstaged is a magnificent piece by Smak. I think that Smak has saved his best until last for 2019. I don’t have the vocabulary to describe how much I like this. It feels like he has taken the best of everything he has done during the year and pulled it all together in this piece. The colour selection for both is to die for. Outstanding work from both artists who would appear to feed off each other.
I have been aware of this piece for a little while, but it is only when I changed my walking pattern in the Dean Lane area that I found it. It was such a wonderful surprise to find an enormous mural like this when I wasn’t actually looking for it.
Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019
The artist Xenz is an absolute master at painting this kind of fantastical scene. In this piece he has painted a conventional countryside view at dawn (I think) with his trademark bee eaters (although these might be parakeets) strung out along a telegraph wire. I imagine that this was a commission, or a very nice gift from Xenz to a friend. It is sure to go down as a classic Bristol mural and one for me to upload onto the Street Art Cities app when I have a moment.
Xenz, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019
This piece is bound to turn a few heads as it is on a corner in the road where people will be driving slowly – it will be particularly prominent for those driving North. Xenz has a strong relationship with Bristol, I think he used to live here, so it is always a real pleasure to see his work, especially one as large and prominent as this. I am sure this will become a local landmark and is one for the street art tour circuit.
My last street art post of 2019 and here to round things off is a very nice collaboration at the south entrance of St Werburghs tunnel from painting partners and buddies Logoe and Silent Hobo. These two have collaborated several times this year and it is good to see them both painting more regularly than in recent years.
Logoe and Silent Hobo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2019
The writing is from Logoe and in his distinctive long thin script lettering. On the right is a character by Silent Hobo – a young man who is settig fire to some cubes in his hand, they might be high-rise blocks, but it is hard to see. There is some symbolism here but I am not sure there is enough information in the piece to work it out. A nice way to round the year off.
Happy New Year folks. It all starts again tomorrow for a jam-packed blog full of street/graffiti art. TTFN.
Tireless is the way I would describe the efforts of Face 1st. He seems to paint year-round, regular as clockwork, mainly in the north Bristol spots. Her we have a recent piece of graffiti writing in the St Werburghs tunnel, which has been something of a refuge for artists in the diabolical weather we have experienced since October.
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2019
This piece reverts to the old-school style from Face 1st which shows a girl’s face with a FACE hairdo. It has been truly wonderful watching Face 1st switch it up this year, with a really broad range of pieces and some great experimentation. Looking forward to what 2020 will bring from him… no pressure there then.
There has been a recent rush of Slakarts pieces and this one on the M32 cycle path is nicely sandwiched between Rezwok and Nightways from a session earlier on in December.
Slakarts, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2019
Unmistakably by Slakarts, the artist has included a third eye, possibly as an afterthought, which is not painted in the same way as the ‘normal’ eyes with the blue and yellow colours and drips. This is a nicely executed piece and a welcome addition to a wall which is dominated by graffiti writing. Let’s hope 2020 brings us a visual feast as strong as 2019.
Natural adventures 