A fabulous gallery of fivers from Bristol-based artist Fiva (Fiver). Some truly wonderful pieces here.
All photographs by Scooj
Fiva (Fiver)
Tag: Urban
3010. L Dub (18)
L Dub (Lawrence Weston) is a funny old spot. Only a few of the Bristol artists venture out to paint there and some of the artists that paint there such as Dun Sum rarely paint in central Bristol. It is secluded and out of the way and so is favoured by artists practising in the gloom of the tunnels.
This is a wonderful piece of writing from RAW’s Ryder and really demonstrates why he is such a hightly regarded writer on the Bristol scene. The letters are beautifully proportioned and consistent and the pink and red fill almost magical, but it is the yellow 3D shading that really makes the piece stand out. Very nice work indeed.
3009. M32 roundabout J3 (221)
Whilst trying to report back on the big Poland v Spain paint jam on the M32 at the end of May, I am desperately trying to play catch up, because this entire wall has since been re-painted. I am now itching to post the new pieces, but must be patient and diligent. This piece is by Cort (Pad) and was painted next to friend and compatriot Laic217.
Cort is one of the more unusual writers in Bristol, with a very distinctive style. I would say that the closest in style is probably Corupt in that their letter shapes are unconventional. I rather like the spray cap on the right squirting out the letters, this is a common theme used in graffiti writing, often with a little character doing the spraying.
Poland 3 Spain 3
3008. Jamaica Street (21)
It is weird how easy it can be to completely miss things, I think the expression is something like ‘you can’t see for the looking’. I must have walked past this qWeRT piece dozens of times, but only noticed it recently.
The placement of the googly-eyed pasteup is absolutely perfect, blending in with a larger mural on the wall from Cheba. It all works so well together. I have always said that half the skill of wheatpasters is their ability to find just the right spot. Get that wrong and the impact can be diluted, get it right and it is amplified. Love this one.
3007. L Dub (17)
I haven’t been to L Dub (Lawrence Weston) very often, and the turnover there doesn’t require frequent visits, but I was very pleased to find this magnificent Laic217 piece there on my last visit a week or so ago. It is the first piece I have seen in this spot from Laic217.
I know he paints a lot of skulls/skeletons these days, but somehow this one feels extra special somehow. Full of all the trademarks we would expect to see from the artist, it is the perspective of the piece that I particularly like. I also like the grey tones used. This was a particularly pleasurable find.
3006. St Werburghs tunnel (171)
This is one of those few occasions where a photograph actually does do justice to the artwork. I was in St Werburghs tunnel yesterday and revisited this piece (it is still there), but was struck by how the colours were dulled by the lack of good lighting. Somehow the photographs I took have auto-compensated for the poor light conditions and the piece looks amazing. It is of course by Elvs.
The letter shapes and style are familiar, as are the exquisitely masterful graded fills, but what I really like about this piece is something rarely seen. Elvs has added a 3D shadow that fades from purple on the lower edges to pink on the upper ones. Another highly accomplished piece.
3005. Star and Garter (6)
Since lock down measures were eased At the end of May, 3Dom and Sepr have collaborated on several occasions and are absolutely smashing it with each new wall they paint. This wall opposite the Star and Garter marks the Black Lives Matter campaign in two very different ways.
3Dom has opted for a big bold statement “Unity is Power” set on a red and orange background which gives the whole thing a kind of explosive impact. The large letters have shading that has a central vanishing point so the whole thing looks like it is heading straight for us. Nicely done, and unusual writing from 3Dom.
Contrast that with Sepr’s birds. His piece tells us a complete story in the simplest way possible. The three birds are identical in every way except their colouring and they are proudly marching hand in hand. This is an exceptional piece which deserves as much exposure as it can get. Poignant and relevant and not preachy.
3004. M32 roundabout J3 (220)
There have been an awful lot of artists making their debuts on Natural Adventures over the past few weeks, which speaks volumes about just how many street/graffiti artists there are out there at the moment. This is a lovely piece of graffiti writing from Dit Oner, and was painted as part of the Poland v Spain paint jam at the end of May.
The piece was painted next to Spanish compatriot Wiflywin and adopted a similar colour scheme. I think, but cannot be certain that the writing says Dit On, but this is a real problem with reading graffiti writing, if you have something i your head, you can nearly always find it in the writing even it it isn’t there. Does that make sense? I think it is called suggestion. The piece is accomplished and very nicely done and I look forward to more from the artist.
Poland 2 Spain 3
3003. L Dub (16)
I love this recent collaboration from DFC1848 and DJ Perks for many reasons, but mainly because these guys are more often on the other side of the camera lens, and have made the step into spraying a lot for themselves and both have made huge improvements in the last year.
The left hand side is a wonderful bright red character from DFC1848, which retains many of the characteristics of some of his earlier characters but contains additional detail. It just goes to show what improvements can be made with loads of practice – DFC1848 had a board in his garden and practiced during lock down.
On the right is a very tidy bit of graffiti writing from DJ Perks, whose work has also seen a great improvement over the last 18 months. the letter shapes are great and the depth of shading works really well. I’m not too sure about the drips though. A lovely collaboration which fills me with hope for my own efforts.
3002. M32 roundabout J3 (219)
Nothing seems to last for long on any wall at the moment, but if you are going to get painted over, then it might as well be by an epic Nightwayss piece like this one. This large coronavirus piece is a tribute to NHS staff and another fine piece cataloging the crazy times we are living in.
Nightwayss has used the double wall space well to accommodate the figure lying on its back. Starting with the background which rather nicely ‘hosts’ the whole body, Nightwayss has used a lilac wash with a whole bunch of purple viruses dotted about.
In the body itself, little scenes are played out , for example a patient and two medical staff on the far left and some microbiologists at work in the torso. This is quite an unusual piece by the artist, especially as I can’t find a monkey which normally make an appearance in his work. A special piece marking a particular moment in our history. (Note to self, run a gallery of coronavirus pieces in about a year).
Natural adventures 