Urban – Page 145 – Natural adventures

6067. Dean Lane skate park (720)

There is something rather unique and weirdly charming about Awkward’s character pieces. There really is nothing like it out there in Bristol or anywhere else I have been. Not only are the characters unique in style, but his use of strong primary colours grabs the attention and draws the eye.

In this piece two characters are exchanging thoughts, one with a speech bubble saying ‘Awkward’. underneath the conversing heads is the simple message ‘stop war’, which places the piece very much in the context of the present, with the terrible wars in Gaza and Ukraine ongoing. Although his interventions are infrequent, Awkward’s characters are always welcome.

6066. Purdown (71)

The anti-aircraft gun emplacement at Purdown, is a bit of a hit and miss spot (no pun intended). Sometimes when I go up there, there have been no new additions, other times I seem to find a raft of new work. It is always a bit of a practical struggle for me, because I take the dog along (of course), and he gets very excited in this enclosed area because of the goats – I have to be swift taking pictures and move on, before he gets too frenzied.

I’m not sure how old this piece by 3GV is, but I don’t recall seeing it before this visit I made last month. 3GV has bookended his letters with a tribute to Vaughn Bode, with Lizard to the left and Cheech Wizard on the right. The irregular letters, with a cool colour palette, are set on a blue diamond shaped background. I feel that 3GV’s work is quite raw, but it is great to see the artist out there practising and improving.

6065. Cumberland Basin

Lee Roy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

Lee Roy is another artist who has gone a little quiet lately, and when I do find pieces by him, I am not sure whether they are old ones or new ones, because they tend to be in spots I don’t visit all that frequently, like this on the warehouse building on the north side of the river opposite the garden centre.

VLAD appears to be the letters/word that Lee Roy is enjoying at the moment, and he is continuing with his flowing anti-style approach. I would say that his work, which might look untidy to casual viewers, is actually highly regarded by his peers and photographers alike. It is a very ‘street’ style of graffiti writing. I would love to see him out more this summer, although I do occasionally see him out walking his dog.

6064. Montpelier Park

Now this is a rare thing indeed, a piece by DNT, an artist who hasn’t painted too much in Bristol over the last few years, but who at one time was one of the central artists painting in the Stokes Croft area of the city. His unusual and creative pieces have always been on the margins of the mainstream art we see so much of here.

This piece was painted alongside Klashwhensober recently, and is most welcome. The character is a bull, smoking a rather large joint, reminding me a little of the ‘Camberwell carrot’ from the outstanding film ‘Withnail and I’. There is detail and accuracy in the piece that gives away his skills and experience as an established artist. I sincerely hope that this might be a renaissance from one of my favourite artists. You can see more of his work in this gallery.

6063. Cattle Market Road (18)

Mr Crawls and Mote, Cattle Market Road, Bristol April 2024

The productive partnership between Mr Crawls and Mote continues without interruption. What is comforting bout their work is that both artists are continually evolving, and their influences on one another converge and then diverge, so in this collaboration, we see that slight divergence of styles.

Mr Crawls has recently been experimenting with monochrome pieces and developed more of an angular approach to his stylised bird characters, quite a shift from his early pieces. Mote, meanwhile, is creating ever more sophisticated monsters, and working hard on particular features such as the eyelids. I continue to derive so much pleasure from these two character artists.

Wall pennywort – 30 Days Wild (1/30)

Wall Pennywort, River Frome, Bristol, May 2024

Common, overlooked

attached to walls filling gaps

elegant flower

by Scooj

30 Days Wild (1)

30 Days Wild is an initiative organised by the Wildlife Trusts. It is an annual challenge event, for those who choose to participate, to do one wild thing a day throughout the month of June. I will try to write a nature haiku every day if I can as my contribution to this celebration of nature. I did this back in 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

6062. River Avon (62)

Returning to what I would call ‘everyday’ Bristol street/graffiti art after an Upfest interlude (more of those to come), I present another wonderfully busy piece by Grimes. This is a graffiti artist who burst onto the scene a few months ago, and has settled in immediately, producing some realy good pieces along thee way.

This one on the cycle path alongside the River Avon has something of a carnal feel about it. There is no doubt that his pieces are full of movement and vibrancy. If you look carefully, you can make out the letters GRIMES, but it is the outstanding fills and clean borders that lifts this piece above the ordinary into the next level. I am very much enjoying the emergence of this graffiti writer in Bristol.

6061. Upfest 2024 (10)

Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

It has been a while since I last saw Ments painting, so it was great to see him working on this piece for Upfest. The nature of this year’s Upfest has meant that there is far less graffiti writing than in previous years, with more of a focus on high-end murals. Knowing that, it was extra-cool to see this abstract writing from Ments.

There is a beautiful flow through this piece, which has a wonderful natural vibe running through it. The gentle colours are held together in geometric ‘crystalline’ forms and transition markedly from left to right. I am guessing that this Bristol-based artist has been busy over the last couple of years, because I don’t recall seeing any street work for a very long time.

If you like this you can see more of his incredible ‘organic’ writing in this gallery.

6060. Upfest 2024 (9)

Fesa, Redpoint Climbing Centre, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

In the interests of keeping as up to date as I can with Upfest posts on Natural Adventures, I am posting a rare fourth piece in one day. This outstanding mural by Fesa is painted on a board outside the Redpoint Climbing Wall, which has been a well known Upfest spot over the last few years, and although a little off the beaten track, is well worth hunting down.

Fesa is a self-taught fine artist from Munich, and this rendition of a Dalmatian dog set in a rural landscape is breathtakingly good. Although the whole piece is fairly simple and sparse, it is filled with the atmosphere of a warm day, and the toppled mug is a wonderful observation. The buildings in the background remind me of Paul Cézanne’s style of work, leaving quite a lot to the imagination. I love seeing fine art pieces upscaled in this way for street art, and Fesa has done an amazing job with this one. Lots of animals represented at Upfest this year.

6059. Upfest 2024 (8)

Cheba, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

I realise that it is a first world problem, but one of the things I am agonising over at the moment is how on earth I post as many pieces from Upfest as I possibly can, alongside posting the regular everyday graffiti and street art that appears on Bristols walls every day. I guess it is a good problem to have, but it vexes me nonetheless.

This lovely piece from Bristol artist Cheba has been painted over one of my all-time favourite pieces in Bedminster by Willl Cross, which makes me a little sad, but that is the nature of street art.

Cheba is known for his atmospheric cosmic pieces, many of which can still be found around the city if you know where to look. In this one he has created a nebulous composition dotted with bright stars, looking like some of those photographs taken in space of vast ‘cloudy’ areas by exploration probes. There is a sense of both scale and calm in this attractive small piece.

	Sheree on 7433. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Bill Bisgood on By a frozen lake
	scooj on 7432. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	scooj on Mont Blanc
	scooj on Mont Blanc

	Sheree on 7433. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Bill Bisgood on By a frozen lake
	scooj on 7432. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	scooj on Mont Blanc
	scooj on Mont Blanc

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