Kosc is surely one of Bristol’s most talented and versatile artists painting at the moment. Whether he is painting portrait pieces of graffiti writing in a collaboration or alone, his work is always immaculate and extraordinarily creative.
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
This piece on the M32 roundabout is in his metallic/greyscale style and presents the letters KOSC with a little bit of disintegration between the S and K. Some trademark rivets in the letters add to the metallic look of the letter panels. A nicely thought out and executed piece from Kosc.
Chill, Zake, Face 1st and Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
I am writing this last night in the full expectation that I will be heading off to the Cheltenham Paint Festival this morning, which means that in a short while, Natural Adventures will be awash with fabulous pieces from Cheltenham by artists from nearby and far, far away. On to this fine collaboration from the PWA crew, Chill, Zake, Face 1st and Soap.
Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
There is a bit of a pirate theme going on (perhaps linked to PWA – Pirate Wall Art), and Chill kicks things off perfectly with this wonderful cartoon character wearing a bandana and brandishing a cutlass and crying out ‘AAARRRGH!!!’ The scar on the cheek and terrible teeth finish the character off brilliantly. A superb piece.
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
Next up, Zake goes a little bit off-topic both in terms of a pirate theme and indeed the colour scheme too. His piece is fantastic and a bit of a return to the kind of faces he was painting a year or two ago. Tons of depth is achieved with clever use of shading, which is a speciality of the artist.
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
Face 1st duly returns us to the pirate theme with his character, complete with skull and crossbones eye patch, makes off with a treasure chest full of gold and jewellery. It is a brilliant piece full of mischief and movement and so utterly Fac 1st.
Soap, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
Finally, Soap sticks with his graffiti writing, and continues the pirate theme and colour scheme. The letters spell out SOAP, and the Ice King ‘O’ is wearing an eye patch. The letter fills and dynamism of the piece are perfectly presented and add a distinctive element to the quartet of styles. A truly magnificent collaboration, so full of fun and mischief.
A rather nice bit of bubble writing, but what’s so special about that you might ask. The first thing that you might notice is that it is beautifully finished and much less crude than most throw ups painted in this kind of style. In short the piece has class.
SkyHigh, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
Perhaps the reason it stands out is that it is by the superb SkyHigh, and if you look carefully the letters, with the tiger print pattern, read SKY! with the word ‘high’ written in black script in the middle. I guess that the artist was passing through, as he often visits Bristol with Roo to visit friends/relatives. Often we are treated to a large SkyHigh wall with his unique style of high-end block lettering, but not this time. Great to see all the same.
There has been a noticeable uptick in the quality of Klashwhensober’s work recently, and it feels like he has reached a new level. He is certainly broadening his horizons with letter styles and the introduction of ever-more sophisticated characters accompanying his letters.
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
In this recent piece from Dean Lane, Klashwhensober has gone for a simpler, smoother letter style which is very tidily finished. The fills of turquoise and orange blend well and are an eye-catching combination. The three little toadstools with faces on the right are a curious addition to the piece. Great work from Klashwhensober.
Daz Cat and CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
It is always a great pleasure to see these two collaborate, it is a pity that it just doesn’t seem to happen all that often. I imagine that the limitation probably stems from CD.TC’s availability, as Daz Cat is a constant presence on our streets.
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
There would appear to be a bit of an Italian theme going on with Daz Cat’s cat holding a little white pendant with the words ‘Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella…’. There is also a shout out to ‘Caroline’ on the cat’s pink shirt – maybe she is the bella. This cat feels very much like ‘old school’ Daz Cat, reminding us where he came from.
CD.TC, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023
CD.TC continues the theme, with his rather cheerful monster character calling out ‘Ciao, ciao, ciao’. There are some nice touches going on with this piece, for example the sun visor glasses and the cross of sticky plasters at the base of the piece. As one might expect, the character has a disproportionately large mouth and gleaming teeth. Always great to see these two painting together.
When a new artist makes it on to your radar, it becomes very difficult not to see their work everywhere, especially if they are as productive as Raid seem to be. Raid made his debut on Natural Adventures back in March this year, and since then he has appeared seven times, and I still have some of his work in my files. Look out for a gallery before Christmas.
Raid, River Avon, Bristol, June 2023
The letters RAID, I imagine, are quite fun to play with, and the way that Raid writes with large bold lettering, gives him plenty of scope for interesting fills. The letters are joined at the base, and the fill bleeds from one letter to the next. Some nice swirly psychedelic forms and shapes fill the space nicely Some nice touches include a thin orange border on the right-hand side of the letters and a decent 3D drop shadow capped off with a tight black border. This is another fine piece from Raid.
From Bacerlona, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023
A short time ago, I published the first post featuring From Bacerlona, a Spanish artist who paints alongside his fellow Sunday Lovers. That first piece was vibrant and exciting, and this one, which I believe might have been painted before the other, has that same excitement about it.
From Bacerlona, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2023
Possibly spelling BACER (or maybe BARCA), the blocky letters are at the centre of numerous graffiti-style arrows, which From Bacerlona seems to favour some. The fills keep the eyes busy and contain a lot of spots and a little brick wall – gotta love a brick wall. There is loads of movement in the writing and I have to say I really rather like From Bacerlona’s style. Lots more to come, I hope.
Still, Pekoe and Maes, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
For some unknown and rather annoying reason, my attempts to photograph this fabulous collaboration from Still, Pekoe and Maes, were poor at best, despite visiting it and photographing it several times. I think that something to do with the greyscale colours of the piece and the artificial light in the tunnel messed with the autofocus on my camera and on my phone. This is the best you’re going to get.
Still, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
To the left a rather haunting piece from Still, including an excellent Betty Boop character to the right, and ghosts that look like they might have come from one of her early cartoon sequences. With the black and white colours it certainly has a 1930s kind of look to it.
Pekoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Next up we have another letters piece from Pekoe, who is definitely having a try at improving her graffiti writing, and in this game as we all know, the only way to improve is to practice. Getting into the ghostly spirit of the collaboration, Pekoe has included drips on the border and in the fills and included a number of eyes.
Maes, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Maes is an artist who is quite early on in his development, and has surrounded himself with more experienced artists. He is getting to grips with his letters and hasn’t fully settled on a ‘Maes style’ just yet, although his letters are always large and bold, so there is never any mistaking the artist. This is an interesting collaboration which might have been better suited to October rather than May, but was definitely a talking point in the tunnel for a little while.
Since the appearance of the Bristol Mural Collective, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of artistic murals by fine artists, illustrators and designers who have transferred their skills from the studio to the streets and the overall impact has been to broaden further the incredible diversity of street art we have in Bristol. This unusual piece by Sarah Trotter is a great example of the kind of work that has been unleashed.
Sarah Trotter, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
The piece, Love like a Lobster, is very well described by the artist on her Instagram feed, and I recommend that you read what she has to say about the piece. The hand on the left is tenderly dancing with the lobster on the right, in a beautiful feast of colour and movement. I like the way that Sarah Trotter has really thought about the piece and the surroundings, including paying attention to the textures on the wall. There is a great more depth to the piece than first meets the eye. I’ll be looking out for more street art from Sarah Trotter.
Natural adventures 