The wall at Peel Street Green is, in my opinion, rather underutilised by artists, and the turnover quite slow, which is strange, because the broad pattern in Bristol is one of massively increasing turnover, due in part to the growth in the number of artists painting over the last few years. It was refreshing to see an RBF takeover recently at this spot that included this rather lovely piece of graffiti writing from Bbygwya.
Bbygwya, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2023
The letters, in a rolling script, spell out FLUKZ, I think. Set on a pink background, the dark blue letters are brought to life with some interesting cosmic patterns and a thick 3D white drop shadow. Thee is a confident sense with her writing, and although this is only her second appearance on Natural Adventures, you can be certain it won’t be her last.
The Bristol Mural Collective, formerly the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective, is a loose aggregation of artists in Bristol, organised by women and with a focus on creating a safe space for women and others to paint on the streets of Bristol. Through their paint jams, they provide an access point for artists to transfer their studio skills to a street scenario, and also for wannabe street artists to gain confidence with expressing themselves and getting a toe hold in the slightly intimidating scene.
The most recent paint jam was held on the 25/26 June 2023 and took up half the long wall at Cumberland Basin, involving some 9 or 10 artists, one of whom was the lovely Esme Lower.
Esme Lower, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Esme Lower’s highly stylised figures are in a yoga pose and have exaggerated hands and feet, and tiny little heads, a theme/concept that Esme told me she enjoys painting. When I watched her roughly half way through painting this superb mural, I wasn’t quite sure how it would all come together, but she absolutely smashed it in my view. The design is one that I could easily see gracing the front of a greetings card or as a wall poster. There is definitely a Matisse influence in there somewhere.
The paint jam was enjoyable if not a little windy, but with superb views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the River Avon, it must be one of the best spots for artists in the city.
Formerly painting under the name Mind Control, Mind 49 (his current moniker) appears to have matured and mellowed a little. His raw talent used to focus on passionate causes, such as animal rights, however recently, he has brought some other themes and elements into his portfolio which is seeing him grow as an artist.
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
This portrait piece on the long wall at Cumberland Basin features a singer, with baseball cap and brilliantly painted glasses. As if to prove that he is not a one-trick pony, Mind 49 has sprayed a little bubble throw up to the left of the piece with the number ’49’. Since painting this great piece, Mind 49 has returned to Bristol with another superb work – to come.
Taboo is an artist who makes me laugh out load, not just because his anti-style letters are a great antidote to perfect wildstyle writing, and his often psychedelic characters full of weirdness and charm, but also because from time to time he paints some epic blockbusters, and this one on the M32 cycle path is quite breath-taking.
Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2023
Clearly visible from the M32 motorway above, this piece offers drivers into Bristol a true Taboo welcome. Even on this massive scale, Taboo sticks to his style, with an irregular letter font, mid-line markings through the letters, and a druggy smiley character representing the first ‘O’. Huge and obvious, this is a great piece of work from Taboo.
I caught up with Mr Draws when he was painting this piece, and he told me it was going to be something a little bit different and he was right. Mr Draws has always had a strong environmental conviction running through his work, and he says that he wants to do more of this kind of messaging work in the future.
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Drawing attention to contemporary issues is something that street art does very well, and Mr Draws doesn’t pull any punches in this piece which states “No art on a dead planet”. The whole thing is simply done with big bold letters on a striking background. The colour fades in the big letters have been worked very nicely, and although not painted in his usual style, there is something so very Mr Draws about the piece.
One of the things that I really like about Peggy’s floral works is that she likes to occupy little niches or modest walls, rather than commanding a large ‘in your face’ space. I think that these smaller spots lend themselves really well to her finely crafted designs, which she can adapt to the selected space, which is more difficult to do with writing or character pieces.
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
I am not a big fan of brown and dark colours in street art, don’t ask me why, it is a personal taste thing, but in this case, Peggy has worked her magic on me and I like what she has done. Her floral pattern, naturally, has an eye at the centre, keeping watch over the skate park. Lovely work from Peggy, who perhaps ought to have a gallery on Natural Adventures – watch this space.
By the time this post is published I will be midway through leading a workshop for a partnership in Lincolnshire. I arrived in Lincoln yesterday evening, and have never been here before. I was pleasantly surprised by the old town, and the cathedral is one of the most impressive I have seen in England. It is a pity I will be here only for a day, and returning home immediately after the workshop. I digress… Maybe wasn’t very impressed with this piece, when he posted it on Instagram, and was minded to go over it, but he hasn’t so far, so maybe he has some affection for it after all.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
The subtle colours and gentle interlocking shapes make this more of an abstract piece than anything else, and as such does a good job, I think. The green shape has something of the pachyderm about it, and once seen can’t be unseen. I rather like this modest and gentle piece. My kind of thing.
Mudra, Kosc and Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
This is an absolute epic piece that didn’t last nearly as long as it deserved, and the artists who over painted it should have, in my view, been a little bit more respectful, however everyone knows it is a jungle out there. The Wild West triptych is by Mudra, Kosc and Saor, all of NTS crew.
Mudra, Kosc and Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
I managed to catch up with the artists while they were painting the piece, and watched as they went about it. There was a lot of planning involved, and they managed to get the proportions right to take out the whole wall in magnificent style.
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
To the left, and adopting the collaboration colour scheme, Mudra has written his name in reverse, I mean why not? The letters, in a block style, with each having a different design, a la SkyHigh look like a jumble of rocks in front of a saloon, on which Kosc and Mudra have left tags.
Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
In the centre Kosc has painted a wonderful generic western portrait piece, pointing a smoking six-shooter at the viewer. I asked him if it was anyone in particular, and he said that it wasn’t, which saved me having to guess when writing it up.
Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Completing the triptych, Saor has painted yet another tight, highly graphic set of letters, which closely resemble Epok’s style of writing, but with his own unique stamp. On the buildings on this side, the crew name NTS and a Saor tag adorn the facade. The piece is so clean, and the colours perfectly matched – his work is stepping up to a higher level, without doubt. this is such an impressive epic piece which it is unusual to see outside of a festival, so the boys did really well. Bravo!
Mudra, Kosc and Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Background noise. I have only recently become consciously aware of Noise and his rather distinctive style of writing. I have a few of his pieces in my archive, but until now didn’t know much about him, and actually still don’t apart from his name. Noise has been a presence in Bristol, but somehow I just haven’t picked him up on my radar.
Noise, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Noise’s writing style is not only accomplished, but rather easier on the eye than some writers. His letters are large, rounded and distinctive, and share a quality with Dopes’ letters. The fills here are beautifully done and create a kind of shiny surface effect. This may be the first, but certainly won’t be the last piece by Noise to appear on Natural Adventures.
Kid Krishna has had a quiet couple of weeks, which means that I can catch up on some of his pieces, although there is so much happening at the moment, it is never easy to catch up on anything. This is a bright, happy piece from Kid Krishna, featuring elements of the Wizard from Vaughn Bode.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023
I can’t really express how good I believe this piece to be. It is clean, tight, cryptic and joyful, and since Kid Krishna appeared on the Bristol scene about 18 months ago, he has been turning out pieces like this one with extraordinary regularity, and in doing so, really pushed the boundaries with his unconventional style.
Natural adventures 