Dog Bless the Band, Feeder Road, Bristol, May 2023
I said in a recent post that I had come across several Dog Bless the Band pieces that were completely new to me, and this is one of them. Hoardings are a bit of a bitter-sweet feature; they provide a great canvass for our street artists, but by definition, they are temporary and have a short lifespan. I guess they reflect the ephemeral nature of street art and graffiti culture.
Dog Bless the Band, Feeder Road, Bristol, May 2023
His letters ‘MOTEL’ tickle me every time I see them. As is usually the case, Dog Bless the Band has used modest pastel shades for his fills, which contrast nicely with the background pink and red spotty backdrop. Another nice piece from this productive artist.
There is no stopping Kid Krishna these days, and it seems that I rarely go out taking pictures without bumping in to him. We usually chat for a while, which I enjoy, and each time we meet I get to know him a little better. Because he doesn’t really use social media, it can be quite difficult to know where all his pieces are, so often you get to discover them rather than hunt them down, and that is always most gratifying.
Kid Krishna, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Nothing seems to phase Kid Krishna, for example a return on a wall… simply paint round it. This black white and yellow piece is fairly typical of his unusual writing, and he has included a character in the middle, which reminds me of a king in a pack of playing cards. There is no doubting Kid Krishna’s talent and his genuine enthusiasm for art, and I think we’ll continue to see much more from him this year.
Lee Roy is a writer who has been knocking it out of the park this year with his distinctive style of writing. You can be pretty much guaranteed that whatever he paints will be bright and eye-catching. This is a lovely piece on the swimming bath wall in Dean Lane.
Lee Roy, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
There is a bit of a cosmic theme going on here, and he even includes the words ‘cosmic gypsy’. Galaxies, planets and stars decorate the background, and there is a rather curious assemblage of toadstools at each end of the piece – perhaps hinting at the reason for the psychedelic scene? Nice one from Lee Roy.
Soap, Face 1st and Zake, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023
I haven’t posted much from this hoarding for quite a long time, mainly because the stuff that gets painted there is rarely up to scratch, but also because I don’t pass by this way as frequently as I used to. How nice it was to fins a PWA collaboration here a short while ago.
Soap, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023
The pool of artists in the PWA crew numbers about five or six, but pretty much ever-presents are Soap and Face 1st. The left hand side of the triptych is by Soap and contains both of the icons he likes to use at the moment, the Ice King and a Face 1st girl. The whole thing hangs together well and there are rather nice floral bursts throughout.
Face 1st, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023
Face 1st has written Face with some nice deep block letters and a dismembered leg running through it, with gloopy blood dripping from the holes. Face 1st certainly enjoys painting splats and dripping, oozing gunge in his pieces, but this one is a little bloodthirsty.
Zake, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023
To the right, the collaboration is rounded off with a portrait and upper torso piece by Zake. The face is full of character and depth, created with light and dark – a Zake speciality. All three pieces are set on a sky blue background decorated with spots, squiggles, clouds and bubbles. It is great to see some decent work on these panels.
I don’t know where Wispa (@willow_the_wispa) lives, but she seems to pop up all over the country and indeed in other countries, which gives me the impression that she is constantly on the move. On the upside, it means that she comes to visit her Bristol RBF friends reasonably regularly and leaves something for us all to enjoy.
Wispa, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
This is a wonderful mash-up of stylised throw-ups and tagging finished in a neat, tidy and deliberate way. Sanitising this kind of artwork isn’t easy, and Wispa has done it brilliantly. At first glance it might look like a mess, but it is in fact a really classy piece from a great writer. I already look forward to her next visit.
A lush scene, photographed at the beginning of this rather glorious spell of weather we are having. This is not, however, the first time I have photographed this piece, but I never got round to posting it, so I thought I’d have another go. It is, of course, by the tireless Werm.
Werm, River Avon, Brtistol, May 2023
I rather like the way that the encroachment of greenery complements the greens in the piece, and that the purples and oranges almost resemble flower petals. Spelling out WERM, the letters are beautifully crafted and filled, and demonstrate just how quickly this artist has developed and keeps improving.
Dog bless the band, Louisa Street, Bristol, May 2023
You can expect to see more pieces from Dog Bless the Band on Natural Adventures over the coming weeks, for two reasons; He appears to be painting more frequently, and I have found an area where he likes to paint that has been off my radar, and where there are several older pieces.
Dog bless the band, Louisa Street, Bristol, May 2023
I love two things about Dog Bless the Band, his name, and the fact that he writes MOTEL – both apparently random elements, but probably with significance for the artist. This piece, all in green, is nicely put together with its super-chunky letters. The thin, and rather subtle, pink spotty 3D drop shadow lifts the piece from being ordinary, to another level altogether. It is funny how these small details can alter a piece completely.
It is not all that long ago that Mudra moved to Bristol and since he arrived, his work has been getting bigger, bolder and more sophisticates. Another more recent arrival is Raid, whose work has made a significant impact, and who is developing his style as he goes along.
Raid, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
This piece is an upper case RAID, which is the first I have seen, all his other works being written in lower case. The two-tone green fills are different for each letter, and all work rather nicely, and the colour contrasts nicely with the splash of pink background. I expect Raid to be a reasonably regular contributor to the pages of Natural Adventures.
The quickest of quick ones this morning. It is my wife’s sixtieth birthday today, and there is much celebrations to do, and guests to prepare for.
Lee Roy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Sunny days and a dazzlingly bright piece from Lee Roy, who has been painting a lot lately. He has jazzes this piece up a little with the inclusion of a rather scary cat. Great work, marred only by the sight of a shadow-selfie… it happens sometimes.
Natural adventures 