Sled One is hitting a bit of a purple patch just at the moment, and his Instagram feed is overflowing with recent pieces from all over the country. This is a reasonably recent collaboration with Ments and is located on a wall that both artists are familiar with.
Sled One, Upper York Street, Bristol, October 2019
Whether it is graffiti writing or character pieces, Sled One simply knocks it out of the park every time, and his writing in particular seems to embrace so many different styles and techniques. Although you can pretty much always identify the work as his, he has a very broad range of letter shapes and styles and no two pieces are remotely the same, unlike some artists who use the same essential building blocks for every piece. A master at the top of his game.
An artist who just never seems to stop, and the number of posts on Natural Adventures featuring his work would evidence that, is Face 1st. In recent weeks he seems to have reverted to his charming portraits and hair spelling out FACE after experimenting with full body characters, always female, during the summer. I like it that he is stretching his ‘portfolio’ and that he remembers where he has come from too.
Face 1st, Upper York Street, Bristol, September 2019
This one on Upper York Street, adjacent to Hazard’s wonderful frog, is full of soft subtle tones that contrast with the brighht pink background. I’ve rarely come across a piece by this artist that I haven’t liked.
I have been waiting a long time to be able to post this piece. I have walked past it dozens of times, but cars have been parked in front, blocking anything like a decent picture. Obviously the writing is by Epok but I have a feeling, having seen some tattoo designs on Instagram, that the toadstool is by 3Dom. This is highly possible as the two do like to paint together.
Epok and 3Dom?, Upper York Street, Bristol, April 2019
Surrounded by street furniture and what is left of a bicycle it is virtually impossible to get as clean shot of this wall, so this is about as good as it gets. The rather touching thing about this piece is the three tributes to Mibzy, Buzz and CKOne each one a much loved and admired character from the Bristol street art scene.
I love it when it happens, when an unannounced collaboration appears as if by magic. This sensational work from Smak and Hazard is one of those special pieces, and I think they have absolutely smashed it.
Smak, Upper York Street, Bristol, April 2019
Smak has again gone for one of his double burners, where he has cleverly crafted two versions of his name into one piece. If you look carefully, there is one in blue and one in mostly orange. Such an accomplished thing to do from an artist who seems to be at the top of his game at the moment.
Hazard, Upper York Street, Bristol, April 2019
Then to Hazard’s fabulous frog, which I have to say has come as a huge surprise because I am more used to seeing her portrait pieces. I am a naturalist by training, and I have always had a bit of a soft spot for amphibians, especially frogs, so this piece really chimes with me.
Hazard, Upper York Street, Bristol, April 2019
Everything about this frog is good, the colours and the shading and the light reflecting off the body and the eye. Such an unusual piece to find on the streets of Bristol, but a wholly welcome one. More of this kind of thing please! A great collaboration on Upper York Street, so utterly well worth a look.
Whenever qWeRT comes to town there is always an exciting trail of wheatpastes hidden in the back streets of Bristol. I am constantly on a quest to find them, but know there are some I will never find.
qWeRT, Upper York Street, Bristol, August 2018
This one is on the pillar of a car park, which adjoins a former church and so is entirely appropriate to its environs. Jesus is rarely depicted in street art, which is peculiar in a way, because in years gone by he has been the subject of countless murals, inside and outside. This is a wonderful piece…a googly eyed Jesus – not something you see every day.
I really like the work of Ments and this is a really great example of his organic writing style. It takes a little while to get your eye in, but look carefully enough and you can clearly make out the letters ‘M E N T S’ and once you see it, it is difficult not to see it.
Ments, Upper York Street, Bristol, October 2016
His work is quite unique in Bristol and therefore really easy to spot when you see it. Once again, I’m not sure why this piece has been languishing in my archive for so long, but at least I have posted it now. It was originally painted adjacent to a wonderful Sled One piece and both pieces were of the highest quality from this ASK pair.
I write my posts in batches, getting a few done in advance, when I have a moment to do them. This can be tricky while juggling a full-time job, two teenage children, a cat, a dog, a chameleon, an extremely hard-working wife, housework, an allotment, decorating and so on. Life is full, and it would be impossible to find the time to write two posts a day every day. Doing them in batches also carries economies of scale, where I can process a batch of photographs in one go and writing tends to come more freely once you are on a roll.
Why am I mentioning this? Well, by the time I publish this post on a fabulous piece by Kleiner Shames, I will be on a special short break trip in Barcelona with my daughter, and I wanted to say ‘hello from Barcelona’, but to say this I have had to think ahead and I am saying ‘hello from Barcelona’ from the comfort of my study which all feels a bit artificial really, but is helping me to get very excited about our trip.
Kleiner Shames, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2016
This is a fine piece of writing from one of my favourite Bristol artists who now lives in London. I have posted many of his works on this blog, and each of them is a winner. Concealed in this splash of colour is the word ‘FOIS’…time in French. Most of his pieces have this word, and at first I thought his street art name was Fois.
Kleiner Shames, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2016
This is another one that I have dug out of my archive, because it is simply just too good not to share.
Oh and ‘Hi from Barcelona’ I think I’m having a wonderful time.
Well, well, well. This is a sensational piece of writing by Epok which was sprayed at the same time as the Sepr pianist. Two great artists painting together but not a collaboration. The modern phrase that comes to mind when I look at this is ‘he’s smashed it’.
Epok, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
With some references to the modernist movement, this piece is technically brilliant, bringing together elements of writing, shading, colour selection and mood that have created a master work.
Epok, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
Anyone with aspirations of becoming a writer should take a long hard look at this piece. It would be worthy of hanging in any gallery. Perhaps you have noticed that I like it…a lot.
This has been a winter where some of the giants of Bristol street art have awoken and decorated our walls with some of the finest works for a while. Sepr is one such giant who seems to be painting most weekends and turning out some really high-quality work.
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
What a stunner this is – ‘knock it on the head – before it knocks you on your arse’. I’ve not heard the expression before, but am willing to adopt it on the back of this wonderful Sepr work.
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
The common thread running through much of Sepr’s work is music, and musicians and here he has painted a pianist stretched out and toppling off his stool. For me, his works have a very strong retro feel and remind me of 1950’s cartoons – the hairstyle and the trilby are not of this decade.
Sepr, Upper York Street, Bristol, February 2018
These cartoons, beautifully drawn are pulled out from the wall by some expert shardos that govo it a bit of a 3D feel. Definitely worth a look.
I’ve noticed that Ryder’s work just seems to be getting better and better lately. His use of colours and textures in his writing has gone on to a new level in recent months and this is a prime example of a classy piece.
Ryder, Upper York Street, Bristol, June 2017
This is a more complex design than some of his previous work and it is only just possible to make out the letters in this wildstyle piece. both the top blue and bottom yellow portions go through a colour/shade gradient vertically which creates an impressive effect. I am liking =his work more and more. Expect further posts.
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