I really enjoy the work of Solar, and his work feels all the more enigmatic because I have never met him and know practically nothing about him other than his artwork. His lettering verges on anti-style, without going the full hog, it touches on abstract, but not quite.
Solar, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
It is often the colour palette that first invites you to look closer at Solar’s pieces, and this scorching colour combination has an earthy, lava, fiery feel to it, tempered by the green fragments around the edges. The piece spells out Solar, and by chance the yellow patches reflect the sun splashed dapples of light to the bottom left of the wall. Great stuff from Solar.
A gallery of graffiti writing from Oner, an artist who decorated the streets of Bristol for a short while in 2018 and 2019.
All photographs by Scooj
Oner, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2019Oner, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2019Oner, New Stadium Road, Bristol, January 2019Tasha Bee, Oner, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018Oner, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2018Oner, Moon Street, Bristol, June 2018Oner, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018Oner, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018Oner, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2018Oner, Horfield skate park, Bristol, March 2018Oner, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2018Oner, M32, Bristol, May 2018
More from the RBF Barbie extravaganza, this time from Barbie Bbygwya or Barbie Flux, both of which would make brilliant Barbies in my opinion. I can’t help thinking that Bbygwya probably had to work really hard with this piece, because it really isn’t representative of her style. What it does show, however, is that Bbygwya is very talented and versatile.
Bbygwya (Flux), Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
The letters are big, bold, and have a 3D drop shadow, and the writing really pops out from the wall. I love the words “this Barbie hates cops”, because it makes me laugh. The little egg is an artefact from an RBF Easter paint jam, which has been pimped with a pink flower and pink handbag, all in the Barbie spirit. I really rate this unusual piece from a lovely artist.
As I said in the last post, today is a very busy day, so this is a short one. Face 1st for me is one of the most distinctive faces of Bristol street art. His style embodies the city, and is unlike anything I have seen in other parts of the country. I firmly believe that regions of the country have ‘house’ styles, as do different countries, and for me Face 1st is key to the Bristol style.
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023
This fun piece takes the form of a laughing (toothy) girl with big hair spelling FACE, a meme that Face 1st paints a lot. Fabulous work from the tireless artist, as always.
Jay Kaes, Inkie and Gabs, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
I am a little pressed for time this morning, so short posts only today. This is a fabulous graffiti writing masterclass collaboration from Inkie, and two visiting artists either side of his piece from Jay Kaes and Gabs, neither of whom I have come across before.
Jay Kaes, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
To the left Jay Kaes has written KAES beautifully, with a deep 3D effect. There is s nice little shout out to Bristol too which is a bit of a crowd-pleaser.
Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
The middle piece will be much more familiar to readers of Natural Adventures, because it is by Bristol stalwart Inkie. There are some great colours in this classic wildstyle writing that is so typical of his work.
Gabs, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
Finally to the right, and mimicking the colour palette of Jae Kaes piece, is another fine piece of writing by Gabs, spelling out, yep you guessed it, GABS. The piece came a little bit out of the blue, but when Inkie paints in Bristol it is usually to do something a bit special in collaboration with others.
Inca the Mole, paints from time to time in Bristol, usually with his LRS crew friends, which was the case with this pink and blue piece for Werm’s birthday paint jam. The pink and Blue colour scheme was enthusiastically embraced by all participants in the paint jam, which makes a collaborative wall more of a collaboration as there is a golden thread running through all the pieces.
The Mole, Cumberland Basin. Bristol, August 2023
Sometimes The Mole paints a mole, sometimes he writes Inca, and sometimes he does both. In this case it is the letters, complete with a sensational fill, which he varies with a different pink in the ‘C’, that are the subject of his efforts. The whole piece looks really rather nice and is nestled comfortably on a puffy white cloud. It is obvious that this was a hugely successful paint jam, and I am sure we’ll all be looking forward to something similar next year.
Since first appearing on my radar a few months back, Noise has been chugging away very nicely with reasonable regularity, sharing his large, chunky writing style in various spots around Bristol. This one has a camouflage fill, which is the third recent piece with a camouflage fill to appear on Natural Adventures in recent days, and the reason for that was a challenge organised by @worldwallstylers, encouraging artists from around the world to create a piece with a camouflage fill. It was great to see so many Bristol artists participating.
Noise, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2023
Noise has absolutely smashed it with this piece, with both the fill and the 3D effect with the strong blue shadow. The border and outlines are bold and strong, and the big, thick letters have a real presence. It is a pity about the bicycle in the shot, which almost looks a bit ‘arty’, but isn’t meant to be, but I suppose ‘street furniture’ is nothing new when photographing street art.
Below are the two other recent camouflage pieces meeting the World Wall Stylers challenge:
Werm, New Stadium Road, Bristol, September 2023Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2023
3Dom and Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
It is not often that I receive a tip-off in advance of a paint jam, but I was fortunate to receive one for this coming together in St Werburghs Tunnel on 31 August, which included Inkie and Goldie, alongside a star-studded line-up of Bristol artists.
3Dom and Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
By the time I got to the paint jam, 3Dom had taken a break from his wasp piece, but Goldie was still beavering away. It is always a bit of a treat when Goldie comes to town, not only to see his pieces, but because his presence tends to be a catalyst or focal point for the big names to come out and play together.
3Dom and Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
Not only was the tunnel full of activity from the artists, but it was great to catch up with the likes of Paul H and DJ Perks (who I had run in to on three consecutive days – which never happens), who, like me, were there to enjoy watching the artists at work.
3Dom, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
I have paired up 3Dom’s and Goldie’s pieces because there is some interaction between the two, and it seemed logical. The wasp character is so 3Dom, if that makes any sense at all, being full of creative fun and perfectly finished. The wasp’s abdomen appears to have a transparent quality, and the wing, complete with vessels, is well observed. Quite what the green ghosts/spirits are all about I am not sure, but they add o the overall story in the piece.
Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
Goldie is not only famous for his music, but also for being one of the early graffiti writers in the UK, in Wolverhampton in the 1980s. This piece in quite an unusual writing style spells out Goldie, in large and small letters, with a fabulous ‘panelled’ 3D drop shadow, providing a bit of depth. In the background are some references to a Japanese landscape, and there are some more of 3Dom’s wispy ghosts. What a privilege to watch these guys at work.
I happened to meet Lee Roy yesterday, while he was chilling with his dog beside the river, and we got chatting. I spoke to him about this wonderful new piece on the cycle path that runs alongside the M32, and commented on how different it felt to his other recent work. He said that he was trying something a little bit different, and although he couldn’t put the changes into words, he used hand gestures to describe how this new approach is a little more curvy and free of blocky letters.
Lee Roy, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, September 2023
The piece spells out Leeroy, although the letters are far more cryptic than we are used to. The modest colours, similar to the kind of muted colour palette that Dog Bless the Band tends to use, sit nicely on the grey buffed wall, and the green flashes keep the eyes busy. I am looking forward to seeing where this new direction takes us. A lovely piece from Lee Roy.
In the murky underpass for pedestrians, still with a blackened ceiling from a car arson attack in the spring, Werm has painted his magic letters alongside a character, which, although he has done combinations before, is quite rare. The character in this piece is a busty bikini-clad lady, presumably enjoying the last throes of summer.
Werm, New Stadium Road, Bristol, September 2023
Werm’s work is becoming ever more complex and disguised. The letters WERM are at the centre of the piece, with elaborate extensions emanating from the centre. The letters are actually quite thin, which you can see if you concentrate on the green, tan and black ‘camouflage’ fill. The blocky look of the piece is down to much of the rest of the available space being taken up with the deep 3D drop shadow. This is a great combination piece from an artist constantly looking to improve and push boundaries.
Update: Painted as part of the World Wall Stylers camouflage challenge.
Natural adventures 