Katie Fishlock produces small, bold and really impactful pieces, and although she doesn’t create street art work all that often, you certainly know when she has produced a new piece – you generally can’t miss them.
Katie Fishlock, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024
This bright piece is on one of the ramps at Dean Lane skate park, a spot she has favoured before. The piece is more of a statement stamp than anything else. It says ‘Thirsty’ and there is a drop of water landing between bright red lips of a horizontal face profile. Impactful and mildly sensual. Great work from Katie Fishlock.
Lokey (Lokea) and Ember, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
It is so good to see Lokey painting a little more often these days, and I wonder if the frequency of his painting is related in any way to his daughter joining him and ‘collaborating’ with him – pester power can be a very compelling force. This is one of several recent collaborations that Lokey has painted alongside Ember.
Lokey (Lokea) and Ember, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
Lokey has taken to writing LOKEA, which I suppose is simply switching things up a little, which writers like to do from time to time. His distinctive anamorphic writing style lifts wonderfully well from the wall. His daughter, Ember, has painted a cat, her character of choice, and I have to say it is rather good. I don’t know how old she is, but I can see that there is great potential. It looks like naïve, childish art because that is exactly what it is. Fantastic!
Slim Pickings (Tes) and Biers, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2024
It feels good to give these two a bit of attention, especially Slim Pickings (Tes), because although they are out there painting fairly regularly, I don’t tend to feature them on Natural Adventures as much as I should. I am pleased to see this collaboration between Tes and Biers because it is on one of my favourite spots in Bristol.
Slim Pickings (Tes) and Biers, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2024
This is a particularly fine example of Slim Picking’s work, with the letters TES beautifully filled in two shades of orange with bubbles. Cleverly the drop shadow and the white spot highlights really make this one pop, fantastic stuff. Biers has incorporated little flashes of orange (upside down crosses) which work really well with his green shades WD40. A fine collaboration from two great graffiti writers.
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2024
The game of hide and seek, hunting down wheatpastes from Abbie Laura Smith, continues with this moody piece on one of the skate ramps under Brunel Way. I really love this one, that offers more than her customary face portrait pieces. In this piece, the attitude and pose of the subject add so much more to the story, proving that body language makes up a large proportion of our signal communications. The drips add so much more to the ink work, creating interest. Still one or two more from this recent batch to come.
This is the first of a series of outstanding pieces from a collaborative paint jam prompted by World Wall Stylers with the theme of the film ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’. Although this piece by Ceus isn’t immediately theme related, it is when seen in the context of the whole wall (watch this space).
Ceus, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August
I haven’t seen very much from Ceus lately, so coming across this was a very pleasant surprise. Ceus has a gift for creating visually very attractive writing and has excelled himself with this piece. The green colour scheme (themed) looks really great on the black buffed wall, and Ceus has worked it well into his letters with some great colour transitions. Lovely work.
Kool Hand and Werm, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024
I have so much catching up to do, particularly in respect of Kool Hand, who has been trotting out pieces throughout the year, but doesn’t make it into Natural Adventures nearly as much as he should. This is a lovely collaboration between Kool Hand and Werm painted in the tunnel not so long ago.
Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024
The dog character painted by Kool Hand, I would guess is a female character on the account of the lipstick, long nails and hoop earring, although I guess it could be a cross-dressing or drag dog. He/she/they is spraying the adjacent piece by Werm, a common device in street art.
Werm, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024
Werm is continuing with his newest design incarnation, which presents the letters WERM in long interlocked lettering that uses bilateral symmetry as a clever presentation of his letters, similar to the symmetry common in Hypo’s work. I think it works very well and disguises the letters perfectly. There is a deep stripy 3D drop shadow that helps the piece to pop a little. Nice work from the Bristol duo.
Bloem, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024Bloem, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024Esme Lower and BloemBloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2024Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, June 2024Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024Sub and Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024Bloem, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024Bloem, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023Hiccup (Bloem), Purdown, Bristol, September 2023Hiccup (Bloem), Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023Hiccup (Bloem), M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023Hiccup, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Jevoissoul told me when I first met him that he would be hitting the streets of Bristol hard, and he has lived up to his work. Barely a week goes by without another of his distinctive character pieces appearing at one of the hot spots around the city. His character is sometimes accompanied by the word SLOW in combination pieces like this one.
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024
Sometimes Jevoissoul’s work can be a little ragged, but this combination piece is pretty tight and nicely filled and finished, indeed it might be one of his best to date. I have a whole raft of his work that I haven’t yet posted and think I might have to do a small collection post at some point, just to catch up, something I have said about many of our most prolific artists numerous times. Nice work from Jevoissoul
A rising star in the Bristol street art scene, although she probably doesn’t realise it, is Bloem, who is gaining confidence in her work and growing from day to day and piece to piece. This one was painted during Bristol’s smallest street art festival organised by Rtiiika at the end of July this year, on a gorgeously warm and sunny day.
Bloem, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
This shutter piece, painted in the colours of Spode Italian plate tableware, is a magnificent tribute to how far this artist has come in such a short space of time. (Note to self – Bloem to be my next gallery collection). Bloem had some fun painting this piece, and left the little white circle in the middle, which had a tag saying ‘TOY’ in it, as the last bit she painted.
Bloem, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
There are all the elements that Bloem can be associated with incorporated within the piece; a hand with long fingernails clutching a spiky chain (a motif she uses a lot in her jewellery work) and a beautiful flower in full bloem (did you see what I did there?). Wonderful stuff.
This magnificent beast by Dibz is the perfect example of tight wildstyle graffiti writing. The piece will have been thought out carefully and probably sketched out in a black book before being painted. This is graffiti art at its absolute best, by one of the best writers in Bristol and probably the country.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2024
The piece spells out YUKI and is a tribute for Goldie and his partner Mika and their baby Yuki. I had to do a little bit of detective work to find all that out, but got there in the end. I cannot think of a finer thing than to have a piece of art dedicated to you. Lovely piece.