Writer – Page 148 – Natural adventures

5013. M32 roundabout J3 (450)

Hypo and Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

It has been a joy to watch some recent collaborations from Hypo and Hemper, and this is the most recent on the M32 roundabout. What is immediately apparent is that their styles are quite different, and that this is less a collaboration and more a painting together, and that is part of the gig, knowing that friends paint together having fun.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

The Hypo piece is a rhapsody in green, accompanied by four graffiti arrows, adding a bit of dynamism to the letters. Due to the recent burst of activity by Hypo, I feel I now have enough of his pieces to post a gallery of his work, so watch this space.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023

Hemper has absolutely smashed it again with this outstanding HEMS piece, which is technically (and visually) brilliant. The burst of colours cross-faded through the lettering is masterful, and filling in the gaps between the letters with little green spheres in genius. Hemper has a knack of creating perfectly unique graffiti writing pieces every time he splashes paint on a wall. Love it.

5011. St Werburghs Tunnel (351)

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023

How nice it was to see Mr Klue again, when he was painting a new piece adjacent to this one last week in the tunnel. At first, I didn’t recognise him, as it has been a few years since we last met. During the course of our conversation, I managed to establish that he always writes KLUE in his pieces, and never deviates, which is great to know, because there have been times when I thought he has written something else altogether.

This, I think, is one of my favourite Mr Klue pieces, Mainly on account of the colour selection. I love the reds, yellows and oranges, which combined with the wispy, smokey style of Mr Klue’s work give the impression of fire. Now that I know it definitely says KLUE, I can see it so much more clearly – funny how the mind can fill the gaps when you have a little bit of information/confirmation. A wonderful piece from a lovely man.

5010. Chatterton Square (7)

Acer One and Andy Council, Chatterton Square, Bristol, December 2023

Although I photographed this piece reasonably recently (back in December), it actually dates from October 2022. It is yet another fine combination from painting pals Acer One and Andy Council, and what a productive year they both had in 2022.

To the left is a rather nice birthday shout out by Acer to fellow graffiti writer Ziml, painted in the stylised font that is by now so familiar on the streets of Bristol. To the right is a Cheech Wizard, by Andy Council, constructed out of buildings and other component parts. It has just occurred to me while writing this column that the way Andy Council composes his work resembles the work of the incredible 16th Century Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who painted portraits composed of fruit and vegetables. I never thought I’d be writing that in Natural Adventures, but there you go.

5008. St Werburghs tunnel (350)

Kid Krishna, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

I met Kid Krishna for the very first time when he just completed buffing this wall and had begun this large and complex piece. As luck would have it, I met him again in exactly the same spot a couple of days later, it is funny how things like that happen.

This is a magnificent beast, monumentally intricate and bewildering. His letters are so well disguised, that they simply become part of the overall experience – a little bit like Mr Klue’s work. This piece is a real workout for the eyes, in that search to make sense of it. The technique Kid Krishna uses to paint these writing pieces is to lay down the main structure of the letters with a roller, and then to add the borders and details, and it works very effectively. Kid Krishna told me that he is thinking of shifting to a new idea, so I’ll be scouring the streets to see what he does.

5007. Cumberland Basin

Desi, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023

I met Desi earlier this week when she was painting a new piece in Dean Lane with her friend Lupa. I took the opportunity to ask Desi why she had started painting the letters VEIL, and her answer was swift and honest – “no reason, I just wanted to play with some letters”. So there you have it, sometimes there simply isn’t a backstory or meaning.

This is a very nice piece, simple in structure and well executed. Desi continues to improve, with strong fills and sharper lines, getting better with each new piece. It is interesting that most times (but not always, as I have learned to my deep embarrassment) you can spot the gender of the artist. For example, it would be a rare thing for a male artist to put a heart instead of a dot on top of the “i” as Desi has done here. It is almost as if handwriting is transposed onto the wall in some way.

5006. St Werburghs tunnel (349)

Lee Roy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

Lee Roy is a writer whose work I really rather enjoy. His writing is a little unconventional and always interesting to look at. This recent piece in the tunnel is an immediate attention-grabber on account of its use of orange on a turquoise background.

The letters are uniform in size, and the letter design is exceptional. The fills and fill patterns are quite subtle, but beautifully worked. This is one of the best Lee Roy pieces that I have seen – a true beauty.

5005. M32 roundabout J3 (449)

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2023

More writing on the roundabout, this time from Corupt. Over the last month or so, I have come across far more graffiti writing pieces than street art or character pieces, and that will necessarily be reflected in my posts. I usually try to get a fairly even balance of different artwork, but it can be a struggle sometimes.

Corupt, writing his STICK letters, has chosen a rather low-key colour palette for this piece, and it doesn’t quite hump off the wall as much as some of his other pieces, but the handiwork is just as expert. The letters pull out from the wall, thanks to the grey vertical 3D drop shadow. The letters themselves are notable for the colour transitions and decorations in which there is an organised pattern, but unless you look for it, the whole thing looks a bit random. Another fine piece from the Hungarian artist.

5004. M32 roundabout J3 (448)

Haka, M32 roundbout, Bristol, January 2023

The first time I photographed this lovely Pooh Bear piece by Haka was a complete fail. There were shadows cast halfway across the piece, and half was overexposed and the other half underexposed. I returned on a duller day, and these pictures are altogether a bit on the dull side and don’t really do the piece justice.

Haka has been taking us on a nostalgic journey in recent months, to our own or our children’s favourite picture book characters, and Winnie the Pooh must surely be one of the most iconic. Haka has lovingly portrayed Pooh nestled inside the letters CK and NE, a tribute to CKone, or Dan Fenlon who died in a motorcycle accident in 2011. Amazingly, Haka remembers him in every piece he paints. A good friend indeed.

5003. Cumberland Basin

Kosc, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

This is another outstanding piece of writing from Kosc in his current series of greyscale pieces. In this piece, we have a familiar element of styling in the shape of ‘rivets’ holding the ‘metal’ pieces of the letters in place. This is a technique that the artist has used quite a lot in the past.

These letters are strong, solid and uniform, and generally have a presence – some pieces just ooze style and confidence, and this is one of them. I have to say that I am very much enjoying this greyscale series… more to come I hope.

4999. Dean Lane skate park (564)

This wall is a little tiresome to photograph, especially as my camera doesn’t have a wide angle setting. The wall is in a narrow space opposite the wall of a ramp on the skate park, meaning that getting decent shots of anything painted here is a challenge. Biers, AKA WD40 has set me the challenge on this occasion.

With his WD40 letters, Biers has incorporated a cartoon character, and I have to say I have drawn a blank on this one, so if you have any idea who he is, please feel free to drop his name in the comments. This is a particularly tidy piece from Biers, who can sometimes be a little rough around the edges, but not here, this is clean and on-point. A really lovely piece by Biers.

	Sheree on 7466. Cumberland Basin
	scooj on 7465. River Avon (111)
	scooj on A dog’s life
	scooj on Dirtygypo
	Suzette Benjamin on 7465. River Avon (111)

	Sheree on 7466. Cumberland Basin
	scooj on 7465. River Avon (111)
	scooj on A dog’s life
	scooj on Dirtygypo
	Suzette Benjamin on 7465. River Avon (111)

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