Tag: Urban

4161. North Street

My love for wheatpastes is a theme that runs through my posts on Natural Adventures, but sadly, there is not much of a paste-up culture in Bristol, and I think, perhaps counterintuitively, that it is less tolerated by the authorities than spray-painting. It is good therefore, that from time to time visiting wheatpasters visit the city and pop up a few decorations for us to enjoy, like this one from qWeRT.

qWeRT, North Street, Bristol, December 2021
qWeRT, North Street, Bristol, December 2021

If you like what you see here, it might be worth a quick look at the qWeRT gallery I put together some time ago, but have updated just now. qWeRT has used the rather tatty door as a perfect spot for the bug-eyed character to express its love, a great sentiment that we could all do with plenty of.

4160. M32 Spot (128)

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to see so many Logoe pieces go up over the past three months or so. I guess that we will have to enjoy them while they are here, because the nature of his work might keep him away from the streets for much of the spring and summer.

Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2021
Logoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2021

This is an utterly awesome piece of writing on the long wall under the M32, incidentally, one of my favourite walls in Bristol, even if it can be a bit tricky to photograph. Painted on a backdrop of earthy and subdued colours, the piece follows his tried and tested format of joined up script writing spelling out ‘Logoe’ liberally decorated with spots running horizontally through the lettering. All very nicely done and filling the space expertly. More to come from this purple patch from Logoe.

4159. Feeder Road (1)

Over the Christmas break, I was able to take some slightly longer lunchtime walks than usual, and walked the length of the River Avon from Sparke Evans Park to Temple Meads Station. , and I am surely glad that I did, because I picked up a whole load of new, and some old, pieces, including this fun piece from Haka.

Haka, Feeder Road, Bristol, December 2021
Haka, Feeder Road, Bristol, December 2021

This writing/character combination incorporates a rather lovely rendition of Thomas the Tank Engine, which Haka has pimped slightly with the addition of CK in front of the number 1 to pay tribute to his friend CK One (RIP), as he does on every piece he paints. This is a fun piece and so typically Haka, if you know what I mean.

4158. Hotwell Road (4)

I don’t know what has happened to time recently, but there seems to be an awful lot less of it, or my life is just filling up with too much stuff. It doesn’t help that I have gone back to work today and there is a lot of catching up to do. I am getting my excuses in early as to why this post is late.

Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021
Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021

I haven’t had time to research this piece by Inkie, so I am not too sure I can tell you much about it. I do know that it was painted for the Vanguard street art and Toward 2030 project, both of which organise walls for environmental/social themes. ‘Always seeking knowledge’ seems to be an admirable message and one that works well in Inkie’s characteristic writing on such an enormous wall.

Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021
Inkie, Hotwell Road, Bristol, November 2021

The wall is not only large, but is also very uneven, with loads of ridges and raised areas that Inkie has had to navigate. There are two studious characters at the bottom of the piece clearly seeking their own knowledge. This is classic Inkie at his very best, and well worth seeking out.

4157. Sparke Evans Park (25)

More from Mest, which is usually something to enjoy, and this is a great example of his versatile use of colours and fill shadings to switch up his letters a little bit. I have said it before, but I am not fond of the brown/orange combination, but I have to admit it works well in this piece, and although painted in the winter has an autumnal feel about it.

Mest, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Mest, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021

Sparke Evans Park is becoming more and more popular and I am definitely going to have to increase the frequency of my visits. The dog always likes walking down alongside the river, but it does take quite a long time to get down there, especially if there is heavy traffic. I have a whole ton more pieces to post from this particular visit back in November.

4156. Dean Lane skate park (450)

Hire, an artist who I like very much, has been a little bit more active over the last month or so, which is great to see. This is a tribute piece in Dean Lane, which sat alongside one of his other recent works. I’m not too sure about the background to the tribute.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

Nice letters and colours combine to spell out DALLA in a rather subdued style, compared to Hire’s usual busy work. A very nice piece indeed.

4155. M32 cycle path (153)

One of my favourite writers in Bristol at the moment is the Spanish artist Claro_que_sssnoh. His distinctive pieces are sometimes associated with his HMR crew and sometimes, like this one, as stand alone pieces.

Claro_que_sssnoh, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021
Claro_que_sssnoh, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2021

Claro seems to particularly favour this spot for his solo work and at any one time there may be several of his pieces here of varying ages. What makes his work distinctive is that the letters are made up of a continuous line of script, like joined up writing, which is quite unusual in graffiti writing in my experience. Beautifully colourful and nicely finished, this is a fine piece from Claro.

4154. M32 roundabout J3 (374)

In the last few months, Slakarts has had a bit of a renaissance and what fun it has been. His familiar portrait pieces have been given more body and depth and are all the better for it.

Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

This is a perfect example of his newer work, where the character is lifted off the wall rather than being flat. Depth is an important development in street art work, and Slakarts is achieving it in bucket loads at the moment. An all round lovely piece.

4153. M32 roundabout J3 (373)

The PWA boys were so very busy in 2021, and their numbers swelled with the additions of Nightwayss, Zake and Chill. Few spots in Bristol were untouched by their joyful collaborations, among them this fine wall at the M32 roundabout.

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

To the left is a well crafted piece of writing from Soap with some curious and interesting ideas creeping in, including the slogan, much used by street artists, ‘eat the rich’. The whole thing is liberally sprinkled with cut gemstones, something I must ask Soap about next time I see him.

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

The middle section of this triptych is by Zake with a characteristic face, full of expression and beautiful contours exaggerated by skilful shading and highlighting. The face also has a hand which is operating a little string puppet. There is a story here, but I am not too sure what it is.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

The final part of the collaboration is by Face 1st and it is a really fabulous bit of writing, sans smiling girl. Lots of gunge oozing from the 3D lettering, which seems to have been a bit of a thing for Face 1st in 2021. There was a fourth part to this collaboration, which was the Nightwayss piece I posted a few days ago, but it didn’t sit as part of the symmetry of these three pieces.

Happy New Year.

4152. Elton Street (2)

Happy New year to you all. I hope that 2022 brings considerably more good fortune than 2021 for people and the planet.

The best part of discovering Elton Street was, if I am honest, having a chance to see this absolute beauty from Hazard. She really has gone from strength to strength over the last year, incorporating some abstract themes into her portrait work, and I stand by the comment I made about her Wilder Street mural that she has elevated herself into the world class tier.

Hazard, Elton Road, Bristol, December 2021
Hazard, Elton Road, Bristol, December 2021

The themed colours for all the pieces in Elton Street were pinks and blues (Clare Grogan would be thrilled) and Hazard has incorporated these perfectly into this portrait piece. I think that this would have to rate highly in my favourite of all pieces of 2021, alongside her Wilder Street mural. Outstanding.