Quick one today – visiting relatives in Cornwall today, and a very late night last night, returning home from a Boxing Day football match in London – I am quite tired. Mudra has been firing on all cylinders this year, and you can see the progress of his work over the last few years in this updated gallery of his work.
Mudra, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2022
This is another fine example of his work, with a nicely thought out colour scheme and character face between the M and U of MUDRA. I am very much looking forward to what he can share with us in the new year ahead.
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
This is an absolutely stunning collaborative wall by Rusk and Shade One, and is a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
The Rusk writing on the left spells out STONE, in magnificent blue letters with a regal shiny gold 3D drop shadow to die for. Perfectly written and presented, why would I expect anything less from Rusk?
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
The awesome portrait of Chadwick Boseman by Shade One captures a fabulous sideways glance which really catches the eye. Shade One’s work has gone stratospheric of late, moving from the cartoon or figurative style into a more photorealistic style. A very fine collaboration indeed.
The paint on this piece was only a day old when I sauntered past it the day before yesterday, and I can’t tell you how pleased I was to find it, as I haven’t seen very many Christmas pieces this year, certainly not compared to normal, although there was a late burst from the Resting Bitch Face crew in St Werburghs Tunnel this week.
Werm, River Avon, Bristol, December 2022
Werm seems to love the walls alongside the River Avon, and there are several of his pieces down there to enjoy. His letters are really beautifully constructed and painted in festive colours, and it is amazing to think how much progress he has made over the last couple of years. The addition of Father Christmas is an extra bonus, and perfect for a Christmas post. Season’s greetings all, Ho! Ho! Ho!
An artist who has come on in leaps and bounds in 2022 is the irrepressible Desi, and here she is at Greenbank with one of her DEZI variants. It seems such a shame that these boards won’t be here for much longer and that all we will have to reflect on it the images captured, but that is the ephemeral nature of street art of course.
Desi, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2022
Painted over a 3F fino piece (you can see the top of his spray can), Desi has confidently sprayed these large letters which have lovely 3D drop shadows and a very nice transition in the fill from yellow to purple, and great use of reversed dots to add some interest in the fills. A really nice piece beautifully finished, and a major improvement on her early works a couple of years ago.
I haven’t posted a piece by Alos for an absolute age, and I happen to know that he has been writing different letters, which makes it a bit difficult to ID his work, but thankfully he has made it easier with this one in Cumberland Basin.
Alos, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
I believe this was painted as part of a celebration paint jam for Solar’s birthday – I don’t know this for sure, but circumstantial evidence suggests it. This piece of writing is unusually structured and tidy with some nice green letters set on a blocky red background. The green letters are also fringed with a blocky edge. There is a little shout out to Solar. Something interesting and different from an artist who is regrettably under-represented on the pages of Natural Adventures.
Hemper and Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
This collaboration by Hemper and Hypo was painted at least a month ago, and I photographed it is November, I also photographed it this month as a way of reminding me to post it. It would appear that these two have been encouraging each other to get out more often lately, as they have painted together a few times in the latter part of the year.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
Hemper’s writing is never, ever duplicated. Every piece is a spanking brand new and creative design, way too complex to ever be repeated. This piece is a joy to behold, crazily explosive, with so much happening on each of his HEMS letters, and the graduated fills are simply perfect. Incredible writing from one of Bristol’s masters.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
To the right, we have a rather calmer piece by Hypo, whose neat letters contain an interesting fill colour selection, not exactly what I would call natural bedfellows. It almost feels like two independent colour selections have been squished together and I’m not too sure it works as well as it might have done with other selections. But then again, what do I know? The letters are nicely crafted and this modest piece by Hypo is the perfect counterbalance to Hemper’s energetic piece.
Although he doesn’t paint anywhere near as often as he used to, Mr Draws is an important regular on the Bristol scene and his ‘DRAW’ letters are an essential staple for anyone who enjoys graffiti writing in the city.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
This photograph is proof that we do occasionally get a bit of snow in Bristol, and although this snow event didn’t amount to much, it was bloody cold for about a week or so. We have returned to a climate changed warm period now though. Coincidentally Mr Draws’ piece has a wintery flavour to it, and it works rather nicely with the snowy foreground. This is a nicely executed and finished piece from Mr Draws.
The Bristol to Bath cycle path gallery is one of those quirky things that Bristol is so good at. Creativity and generosity of spirit with a smattering of rebellion and a local community have attached original artwork to a short stretch of wall for all to enjoy. There are also one or two bare patches of wall which have been painted by local street artists, including this recent piece from Conrico.
Conrico, BB Gallery, Bristol, December 2022
The only problem with this spot is the speed at which the bicycles and scooters whiz past – I have to be extra careful photographing and keeping the dog safe. Conrico has painted a fabulous scene with a tiger dancing with/chasing a cat in a woodland scene. He includes his name in nicely crafted orange letters. His style remains utterly unique in Bristol, with a paintbrush feel to it. Nice one from Conrico.
Constantly out there in the background, rarely taking centre stage, is the magnificent Trafficity with his incredibly consistent form of letters spelling out ZIOM. This time, the PAD crew member ha painted on the swimming pool wall behind the railings.
Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Every time I see Trafficity’s work, I wonder if there is an extra line of letters running across the top, in this case the purple section, or whether it is just an artefact of his letter styling. I guess that I’ll just have to ask him next time I see him, although because He doesn’t paint all that frequently, it might be some time before that happens. It is always great to see his work.
Bnie, Vozie, Pekoe and Evey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This collaboration is an absolute belter from the RBF crew and brings together the talents of Bnie, Vozie, Pekoe and Evey in one magnificent board.
Bnie, Vozie, Pekoe and Evey, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
It was great to watch the crew paint this piece on a gorgeous day in late May, which felt like a genuinely joyous celebration of art and music in a totally Bristol context.
Bnie and Vozie, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The colour scheme adopted was sustained across the whole collaborative piece and combines the colours pink and blue that seem to have been a bit of a thing this year. On the left, Bnie and Vozie spoilt us with two superb examples of great graffiti writing.
Pekoe, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The centrepiece of the collaboration was this magnificent portrait piece by Pekoe and arguably her finest piece of the year, although the bar she set herself was pretty high.
Evey, and Bnie?, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
On the right, Evey rounded the piece off with a huge shout-out to themselves with an RBF which I think might have been painted by Bnie at a guess. Some beautiful work from a beautiful group of people.
Natural adventures 