The fabulous purple patch that Pekoe seems to be enjoying continues with this wonderful portrait piece in the corner of Montpelier Park. There is a lot of joy in the piece, and it reminds me a little of the kind of portraits that Kid Crayon does… bright and unusual colours and a hat.
Pekoe, Montpelier Park, Bristol, January 2021
I recently visited Montpelier to switch up my walks a little bit and give the dog a bit of variety. It was a fruitful trip and finding this was the jewel in the crown. I knew of its existence, but I didn’t know where in Bristol it was, so I kind of got lucky. Something really likeable about this one and Pekoe seems to be turning out some happy pieces.
I can’t recall seeing these two collaborating before, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, simply that my memory doesn’t serve me as well as it used to. Sepr and Acer One is a partnership that I wouldn’t have predicted, as their styles are very contrasting, but this new wall is Cumberland Basin is absolutely spiffing.
Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
The central section is by Acer One and is an amazingly technical piece of writing, based on a geometric design style for which he is known. Standing up close, it is near impossible to work out what these letters say, but by stepping back, the brain interprets it more easily and it says ‘More Love’ – I don’t think any of us can argue with that.
Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
The central panel is bookended by two exquisite characters from Sepr. On the left is a devilish Cupid whose love arrows are finding mischief, in particular with a seagull who appears to be smitten.
Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
To the right a female Cupid character is also firing love arrows across the piece. I don’t quite know what these two characters symbolise, but they are brilliantly painted and a lot of fun. Maybe they are a representation of the frustrations of lockdown and our distance from our loved ones.
All in all a superb collaboration and well worth a visit.
Sepr and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
I first photographed this Daz Cat cat some while ago, but never posted it because there was a dark shadow cast across it. On a recent trip into the depths of Montpelier I was able to have a second crack at it and this time the sun shone and I timed my visit (by luck not judgement) at the right time of day thus avoiding any shadows.
Daz Cat, St Andrews Road, Bristol, January 2021
I have a feeling that Daz Cat enjoys painting in North Bristol and it is rare to find anything by him south of the river. This is just a nice chrome cat wearing a scarf and adding a little bit of character to a wall that was begging for decoration. Nice work.
Of all the ‘masters’ of Bristol graffiti writing, I think that Hemper is probably the least represented on Natural Adventures. I am not entirely sure why that might be. Perhaps it is the modest approach he takes to his highly technical freestyle work, or to the fact that he normally paints with other artists, which might take the attention away. I don’t know. Anyhow, I really ought to address this imbalance – perhaps with a gallery.
Hemper, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2021
In this piece under Brunel Way, Hemper spells out HEMS with some glorious curvy letters filled with a couple of shade of purple and embellished in a way that gives it a shiny 3D effect – how does he achieve that shiny thing? Some very clever white additions that give it a reflective quality. This is a real technical banger.
I have expressed before how much I like this wall. Protected from the rain, it is a wall that can change at almost any time without warning. Sometimes you need to be patient to photograph it because this is a DIY skate park and it can get quite busy, but there are often some really nice pieces here, including this one from T-Rex, so it is worth waiting.
T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021
Spelling out T-REX, this is an extraordinarily colourful and happy piece, with each letter having at least two fill colours and patterns expertly and cleanly executed. I have a feeling it is dedicated to Ryder – perhaps a birthday or anniversary or something like that. This is great graffiti writing.
A few years ago, it was the wheatpastes of Kid Crayon that fired up my curiosity about street art, but they are not common in Bristol, so whenever I find one it is always cause for celebration.
Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
Mudra arrived in Bristol last year and immediately made an impact with several of his characteristic face pieces and writing. Now, if you hunt around in the Cumberland Basin you will find this beauty ‘data muncher’ which I very much hope is the first of many wheatpastes from him. Classy.
It has been sad to witness the downfall of graffiti spots in the Stokes Croft area under the relentless march of gentrification. I understand that redevelopment is part and parcel of the growing up of a city, it is just a shame that local communities and cultures are swept aside, without any allowance for them. For example the creation of ‘legal walls’ to keep that ‘feel’ of an area. Obviously that goes against the proliferation of clinical, sanitised, overpriced housing that we see emerging in towns and cities across the country.
It is the lack of imagination and creativity that is so upsetting, almost as if town planners and corporate architects have had their ‘fun chips’ removed. It is all about squeezing as much profit out of every square inch of land, no regard for local communities or indeed the natural environment. I don’t see much in the way of creation of proper green spaces accompanying the gentrification agenda. Let’s line our pockets with gold. Greedy fools.
There won’t be many more posts from Moon Street, is my guess, because of this relentless building programme, and many street/graffiti artists seem to have abandoned the area altogether. That is why it was especially gratifying to come across this quick collaboration from Rezwonk and Mena.
Rezwonk, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2021
Rezwonk has been fairly quite over the last six months, working on other projects not entirely unrelated to his art. This piece has an industrial/construction feel to it, with rivets locking pieces of his letters in place. Modest, but really nicely done. This could be walked past quite easily as a simple throw up, but it is rather more sophisticated than that.
Mena, Moon Street, Bristol, January 2021
Menaces adopted the same colour scheme, but her fills are rather more straightforward. Both artists have followed the ‘code’ of the colour scheme, and it is one of those collaborations that are joined but not fused. Nice to see.
Natural adventures 