Tag: UK

5307. Greenbank (83)

Claro_que_sssnoh, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023
Claro_que_sssnoh, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023

There is a very strong international component to the Bristol street/graffiti art scene in Bristol. We have artists from all over Europe, but in particular a host of Polish and Spanish artists, without whom the vast spectrum of artistic styles would be greatly impoverished. Claro_que_sssnoh belongs to the Spanish group of artists, although I’d like to think that he also belongs to Bristol.

Claro_que_sssnoh, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023
Claro_que_sssnoh, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2023

This piece on the ever-shrinking Greenbank hoarding is painted in unusually dark colours, which I have to say I struggle with a little bit. I don’t think the colour selection here brings out the best in Claro_qhe_sssnoh’s work, and although as technically intricate as his other pieces, it doesn’t quite do it for me on this occasion. I do, however, like the addition of the skull wearing a fancy headdress on the right, with his laser stare.

5306. Peel Street Green (13)

Phour, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Phour, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

It can be easy, when chasing down pieces, to forget some of the bedrock work that goes on day in day out from some of the unsung heroes of Bristol street art and graffiti writing. One such hero, who hasn’t made an appearance on Natural Adventures for some while, is Phour.

Phour, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Phour, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

Phour has chosen some great letters to work with, and manages to present them with a consistent style and confidence. The whole piece looks great, with white letters on a blue background, giving the impression of being chrome – it is funny how your eyes can play tricks. The black 3D border provides depth and the letters are nicely bordered with a tidy light blue line. Phour has introduces some nice marbling cutting through some of the letters, to finish it all off with a bit of class. A great piece from Phour.

Beautiful beast

Himalayan Balsam, River Frome, Bristol, June 2023
Himalayan Balsam, River Frome, Bristol, June 2023

.

Riparian strip

Himalayan balsam chokes

sweeping all aside

.

by Scooj

5305. M32 roundabout J3 (482)

Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

Tucked away, hidden by a bush on the M32 roundabout, is this fun little character piece by Bean. Although each of Beans pieces that I have seen so far are different characters, there is something about his style that it quite distinctive. It might be the colour palette that he uses, which often includes lots of bright yellow, orange and red.

Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Bean, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

This cartoon character, with a green moustache is sporting a fine headdress of flowers and toadstools. The piece it really neat and tidy, and beautifully drafted, with great use of light and shade to create depth in the facial features. I am very much enjoying Beans’s work, which seems to crop up at reasonably regular intervals.

5304. Weston-super-Mare

#DFTE, Weston Wallz,Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
#DFTE, Weston Wallz,Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

Continuing with the Weston Wallz theme this morning, is this fabulous piece from the enigmatic #DFTE, who after something of a hiatus has come alive over the last year or so, upgrading his small pictures dotted around Bristol to full-size murals with his witty and sometimes wise one-liners.

#DFTE, Weston Wallz,Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
#DFTE, Weston Wallz,Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

#DFTE comes from the ‘signwriting’ school of street art, but with his own idiosyncratic twist. In this piece from Weston Walls 2022, the drippy letters, in his own ‘house font’ says “Don’t think too much, just do what makes you happy”. If only it were that easy, but I love the sentiment. #DFTE is another artist who I am lining up for a gallery – watch this space.

5303. Weston-super-Mare

Bex Glover, Weston Wallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
Bex Glover, Weston Wallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

The Weston Wallz initiative has without question introduced a breath of fresh air in this breezy seafront town. Many of the buildings in the town, instead of being drab and rather weathered can boast some of the finest murals in the country, but it is not only the large walls, but some of the smaller ones too that have a direct uplifting impact on the locals, and Old Post Office Lane hosts a handful of wonderful pieces.

Bex Glover, Weston Wallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023
Bex Glover, Weston Wallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

Bex Glover is no stranger to Bristolians, and to see one of her beautifully designed murals in Weston-super-Mare as part of Weston Wallz 2022 was a real treat. Her nature pieces create a sense of calm and beauty, and reminds of a natural world that we should cherish. The fox is a beauty, and I am rather fond of the two little fish that make an appearance too. A wonderful piece in a ‘ghost’ window.

Happy Father’s Day

.

My father is gone

and my surrogate fathers

today is for me

.

by Scooj

5302. Purdown (58)

Enn Kay (NAK), Purdown, Bristol, May 2023
Enn Kay (NAK), Purdown, Bristol, May 2023

Let’s hear it for the goats! The ruins of the Purdown Anti-Aircraft gun emplacement, commanding fine views over North Bristol, are contained within a fenced area into which goats are introduced each spring, presumably to keep the undergrowth in check. This humorous piece by Enn Kay (NAK), carries a strong message for dog owners, to make sure they are kept on a lead, as there have been several attacks by dogs on the goats. This is a sentiment I fully agree with as a responsible dog-owner, and I always have my cocker spaniel on the lead in this space.

Enn Kay (NAK), Purdown, Bristol, May 2023
Enn Kay (NAK), Purdown, Bristol, May 2023

The goat, in cartoon style, is looking pretty fed up with yet another dog passing by, mine was right in front of this piece while I photographed it. It is beautifully painted, and the look on its face is priceless. It goes to show that not all advisory notices have to be authoritative and stern, humour and kindness can have a similar impact. Nice work from Enn Kay.

5301. Peel Street Green (12)

Solar, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Solar, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

As mentioned in a previous post, I am trying to give Solar a bit more of a profile on Natural Adventures, because I believe his work provides another strong element on the vast spectrum of graffiti writing in the city.

Solar, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
Solar, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023

I’m not quite sure how I would describe Solar’s style, but I think ephemeral and free are words that spring to mind. Like Lee Roy’s work, it is tending towards anti-style, but perhaps in a more passive way. The letters in this piece, spelling SOLAR and with a PLB crew tag, are written in a mixture of upper and lower case, breaking any formal conventions. The blues are uplifting, and unusually the background is also the fill. The letters are disrupted by vertical streaks of cloudy something. The whole piece is rather atmospheric and compelling in a modest presentation.

5300. M32 roundabout J3 (481)

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

He doesn’t paint all that often, but when he does, Serm pretty much always does a grand job of it. I think it might have been the polite thing to do to buff the wall a little first, because you can still see the Hypo piece beneath, but it is no big deal, because overpainting is part of the way of life for graffiti writers.

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

Although the writing clearly spells SERM, I keep reading SESK, because there used to be a writer in Bristol called Sesk some time ago, a writer of some notoriety I might add, but that is another story. The chunky letters are really nicely filled with a complex layering of patterns, topped with some thin line bubbles. To go with the chunky letters is a very deep 3D drop shadow drifting to the right, in a range of blues. This is a nice tidy piece by Serm, and after a couple more from him, I’ll have enough for a gallery.