This amazing portrait piece by Pekoe is simply perfect. It appeared shortly after the far right riots that flared up recently in the wake of the stabbing of three girls in Southport. I won’t share my thoughts on the riots here, but I suspect that my feelings are consistent with the vast majority.
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2024
Pekoe has her own way of answering back at the far right thugs, by hitting them where it hurts, their ego, with a speech bubble that puts down fascism in a single blow, “hot girls hate fascists”. The words alone are enough, but she accompanies it with one of her fabulous portraits. The right piece in the right place at the right time. Bravo Pekoe.
Oh what a beauty from Dirtygypo in the tunnel. He has been writing all over the place with his characteristic letter style, but I am still no closer to having any idea what his letters spell out. The only way out of this particular conundrum is to bump in to the artist at some point and ask him.
Dirtygypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024
This is a really colourful piece with each letter element containing a different colour fill, and there is a special treat in the letter that looks like a reverse ‘t’ with a mosaic of colour shapes creating interest and variation. This, like his other pieces, is lively and vibrant and a very welcome contribution to the Bristol street/graffiti art scene.
I haven’t seen an awful lot from Pl8o for quite a while, so it was really great to come across this recent piece in Sparke Evans Park. There is something rather different about Pl8o’s work that helps it to stand out from the crowd, and I think that can be attributed in part to the aesthetically pleasing letters P L 8 O… it just kind of works.
Pl8o, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2024
This is a bit of a cheeky one featuring a character who makes up the letter ‘P’ and who happens to be doing a fart. This is quite a common theme with street art characters and usually provokes a chuckle or two. The point about this piece is that Pl8o draws attention to to the gaseous emission with the text “is it art, or is it fart”. Great fun and skilfully done.
L Dub (Lawrence Weston) is a funny old spot, really. It involves a 15-minute walk alongside the M5 motorway on a pathway which runs through a kind of brownfield site of scrub and thickets. The place is absolutely bursting with wildlife, which thrives in and around the drainage ditches, which I presume take excess water away from the motorway. It is interesting that these dilapidated ‘forgotten’ spots are often some of the most biodiverse in the country. The place is festooned with all sorts of interesting plants, dragonflies, beetles and butterflies,,, an unlikely nature hot spot.
It also plays host to a water pumping station which offers several walls for painting, and a pedestrian underpass which takes you under the motorway and some other roads and provides plenty of graffiti opportunities, for those that can be bothered to find the place. Acer One has recently painted a couple of pieces here, away from the crowds.
Acer One, L Dub, Bristol, August 2024
This is a complex piece, which demonstrates how his mind works (in his own words) and is also a little bit experimental. The letters spell out ACERONE, but are alternately coloured, so it starts with a dark blue A, followed by a gold C, then a blue E and so on. Fascinating stuff that can take a little while to work out and keeps those brain cells ticking over.
It is always great to see work by Inkie, but especially so when outside Bristol, it feels like a home from home. This is an outstanding piece of writing with some flat pink, stylised portraits and silhouetted urban landscape in the background.
Inkie, High Street, Leicester, July 2024
The letters BTP, which form a kind of print backdrop, stand for Bring the Paint, a street art festival hosted in Leicester every now and again. This piece was painted by Inkie for this year’s festival, and accompanies others that he has painted in previous festivals here. This a really nice, tight graffiti writing, and a superb example of Inkie’s work.
I am quite fortunate that my job takes me around the country from time to time, and I get to visit different cities. Of course, while I am passing by, I never pass up the opportunity to stroll about the place and take a few photographs. I have visited Leicester twice recently. Once before the Bring the Paint 2024 festival, and once afterwards. These pictures were taken afterwards, so the pieces are recent – unlike many pictures that I take as a visitor, which are often of old pieces. This is a fabulous collaboration from Philth and N4T4, who have teamed up at Upfest on several occasions.
Philth, High Street, Leicester, July 2024
Philth is known for his large floral repeating pattern pieces, which remind me so much of my childhood in the 1970s and the rebirth of elaborate wallpaper, mimicking our Victorian predecessors. This piece, in sumptuous colours is absolutely stunning and would look amazing if scaled up onto a larger wall, revealing more of the repetition.
N4T4, Leicester, High Street, July 2024
This gorgeous portrait is by N4T4, who, like Philth, is no stranger to Natural Adventures. There are actually two musicians featured in the piece, Gladys Knight (spelling?) and Jon1st, both painted with N4T4’s unusual patterning style that underpins and adds vibrancy to his work. A special and beautiful collaboration on the High Street for shoppers and visitors to enjoy.
I have encountered many pieces on the concrete walls at the WWII gun emplacement in Purdown by artists I have never heard of before, and some never since. I believe that this is the first time I have seen anything by Noods, and given that he operates out of Berlin/Glasgow, I’m not sure if I will see anything of his again.
Noods, Purdown, Bristol, July 2024
This silhouette piece relies almost entirely on shadows cast to create depth and interest. I don’t know why, but it reminds me a little of the work of Giorgio de Chirico, I think it must be the shadows. There is a lot of atmosphere and drama in the piece, but an absence of movement, perhaps another de Chiricoesque feature. Nice one.
This wall on the side of the Veeez shop is becoming something of an advertising hoarding for the shop’s wares and events, and offers an opportunity for artists to paint a legal wall. It comes at the cost of painting an advert, and regular readers will know that that doesn’t sit all that comfortably with me.
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, July 2024
I am a hypocrite if nothing else, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share this advertisement by Cheo, mainly because it is by Cheo. Everything about Cheo’s work is pretty close to perfection. His compositions are always on point, and his artwork execution exceptional. He is at the very top of his game, and seems to be painting a little more often lately.
What better way to start the day than with a nice, crisp chrome piece from Nips. What a pity I didn’t get there before the tagger, but that is all part of the way of life in this jungle. Everyone knows what the rules are, and whatever existing rules can be broken at any time by anyone.
Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2024
There is an uncomplicatedness about this piece that speaks of an artist who is comfortable with their work. No need to embellish or over-decorate. Sometimes less is more, and I would suggest that is the case here. I haven’t yet met Nips, and look forward to the day when I might just be in the right place at the right time to do so.
Natural adventures 