Tag: Writer

3959. St Werburghs tunnel (258)

Stivs has presented me with another golden opportunity to feature his work on Natural Adventures by painting this cracker in St Werburghs. His calligraffiti writing is improving with every piece, and this is an outstanding example of what he is capable of.

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2021bday 034 12-16 Sept 2021_edited
Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2021bday 034 12-16 Sept 2021_edited

Painted in black and red with a blue border, the letters have the appearance of having been painted with brush strokes – an effect perfected by Voyder in some of his Bristol works. There is so much to like about this, particularly the crispness and the thin yellow lines running through the piece. Lovely stuff.

3958. Upfest 2021 75×75 (65)

There is something rather special about this Upfest 2021 75×75 piece and once one understands the context, the whole piece falls into place in one of those ‘of course’ moments. If I told you that the artist, Martin Glover, is deaf and that the piece is called SIGN, you can probably work out that the hands spell out SIGN in the signing alphabet. Clasping the little finger (S), touching the middle finger (a,e,I,o,u), fists G and two fingers on the palm N – three fingers is M.

Martin Glover, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Martin Glover, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

The piece is therefore not only rather clever and informative, but it is technically very nicely painted, and all around the edge there are hands signing in yellow. I expect the whole thing spells out a message, but I don’t know what it is.

Martin Glover, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Martin Glover, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

There really is no limit to the creativity that street art offers both the artist and the viewer, and this piece simply proves that. It is a shame that it is tucked away in a corner of the Tobacco Factory car park where not many people will have the chance to see it, but it is worth the effort to seek it out if you are up for it.

3957. Dean Lane skate park (429)

This is another wonderful piece by Flava136 in what has been the latest in a sequence of very welcome visits to Bristol recently. The photograph not only features the outstanding work of the artist, but also a couple of bags of rubbish. Now I am all for people tidying up this grubby corner of the skate park, but not finishing the job by taking the rubbish away and simply abandoning the rubbish bags (spoiling my pictures) is a bit useless really. There are bins not more than 30m away from this spot.

Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

The superb work of Flava136 is the most overt writing I have noticed in his work before, such is the cryptic nature of his style. Clearly you can see an F, an L and an A, after that I think that there is a V in the monster’s teeth and an A at the end, with a little H inside it (maybe). Great to look at and so damn neat and tidy (contrasting with the bin bags).

3956. Cumberland Basin

One of the great things about living in Bristol is that it has enormous credibility with street/graffiti artists from all over the country and indeed the world, and so visits from some of the greats are not uncommon. Even so, it was rather a surprise to come across this exceptional piece of floral writing from Curtis Hylton on the long wall at Cumberland Basin a couple of weeks back.

Curtis Hylton, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2021
Curtis Hylton, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2021

I haven’t seen writing like this before, and it is a real privilege to see it right here in Bristol. Spelling out SAME (Curtis writes under the name Samer), the floral patterns and colours blend seamlessly painted on a cosmic cloudy backdrop. Utterly breathtaking work from this super-talented artist.

3955. Dean Lane skate park (428)

I had a great chat with Nightwayss while he was painting this piece, and for a change, the dog wasn’t spooked and sat quietly while we chewed the fat. What I didn’t realise at the time, and I blame my dumbness entirely, was that this piece was being painted as part of PWA paint jam alongside Zake, Face 1st and Soap. Zake was also painting, but Face 1st and Soap were sitting on a slope watching the others paint. Stupid me didn’t recognise them, and although I spoke to them, It has been such a long time since I last saw them and I thought they were strangers. They must have thought I was being very rude not saying hi like I normally would with acquaintances.

Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

Nightwayss has found a rich vein of form at the moment, not only in the frequency with which he has been painting but also with stretching his creativity. In this piece, Nightwayss has written Night in a very stylish anamorphic graffiti style, with some lovely shading. To the left is one of his lovely monkeys, which these days is not a given in every piece he paints. Fine work from a lovely, decent bloke.

3950. Purdown HAA Battery (33)

In recent weeks, I have noticed a few of these Smut pieces appearing about the place, of which I think this might have been the first. Smut is obviously not a beginner, the letters are beautifully crafted and the lines crisp and clean, but perhaps is new to Bristol, I don’t know.

Smut, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021
Smut, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021

Although quite tricky to photograph, the writing is beautifully presented i9n red and gold, a fine combination. The white accents add a beautiful touch and provide a 3D effect. It looks like they might have been painted with a bit of a mask, because the curves are very neat and tidy.  Nice work from an artist whose Instagram handle is @everybody.loves.smut.

3947. M32 roundabout J3 (348)

What an absolutely fabulous classic from Face 1st. It is pieces like this that first led me to appreciate the work of this rather underrated graffiti artist. Face 1st has been relentless in his pursuit of bringing smiles to people’s faces, and with this blue face girl he succeeds perfectly.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021

The colours used are really attractive and easy on the eye, and the typical smiling girl with the letters FACE for hair is pure Face 1st at his very best. I love this piece to bits.

3946. Sparke Evans Park (9)

I really like Eman’s work, he has real depth to his range of characters and writing and appears to be striving to improve all the time. This complex piece of writing on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park documents well his continuous improvement.

Eman, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021
Eman, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021

Spelling out EMAN, this is a smorgasbord of colour lines and shading that is a feast for the eyes. He has been working on this style of writing for a little while, and when you see something like this, you can see that the practice is well worth it.

3944. Dean Lane skate park (427)

Another Dibz piece in one of his favourite spots. This is a magnificent piece of graffiti writing, made all the better with the appearance of a little Marvin the Martian character, adding interest. Marvin the Martian is a bit of a favourite with street artists and has made several appearances on Natural Adventures in the past.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

The colours of the letters are sublime, and the explosive oranges and reds around the border work so well. The Marvin the Martian character seems to have a wonderful 3D quality about him, not a straightforward flat cartoon that you might expect. This is a highly accomplished and stunning piece of writing from the master.

Deamze, Hill Street, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, Hill Street, Bristol, October 2018

Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020

Dtor, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Dtor, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

3943. Upfest 2021 75×75 (62)

In Dean Street, which has always been ripe as a street art spot, is this new piece by Zase for Upfest’s 75×75 event, sits opposite the fine Ments piece I posted a few days ago. Zase is an artist whose large murals, especially around the St Paul’s area, are local landmarks and part of Bristol’s DNA.

Zase, Dean Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Zase, Dean Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

This is a lovely piece of 3D writing has been given a bit of rainforest treatment with the Swiss cheese plant leaves and a toucan. Usually this artist writes ZASE, but in this particular instance it is really rather cryptic, but if you look behind the big red stripe, you can make it out.

Zase, Dean Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Zase, Dean Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

Zase has a bit of a fascination with Swiss cheese plant leaves, and they have featured in his pieces before. Perhaps he has one in his home, and they are always front of mind. He is not alone, lots of other artists paint them too. The drips on the leaves add a little extra graffiti credibility too. A wonderful, vibrant and beautifully painted piece.