3752. Cumberland Basin

It is a funny thing, that I don’t fully understand, but consistently, whenever I post Ments pieces on Instagram they just never get as many likes as other artists’. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that these complex organic pieces don’t translate very well onto the small screen of a mobile device. In the flesh, these are always magnificent.

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021

I love Ments’ work, it is always carefully considered and technically challenging and while it might not be to everyone’s taste it is consistently of the highest quality. In this one Ments presents us with his disguised writing in fairly angular lines, softened by the ‘marble’ decorations. A very nice piece indeed.

3749. Brunel Way (111)

I got rather lucky with this piece, managing to time my walk perfectly to be able to catch up with the artist mid way through painting it. The very large piece is by an artist I had never met before and didn’t even know about, Vents137. For an artist who specialises in painting trains, this was something of a departure (no pun intended), but very impressive nonetheless. Vents137 wasn’t at all happy with the colours though and just wanted to get it finished quickly, and he was very quick.

Vent137, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Vent137, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021

The piece is a classic writing and character arrangement with the letters spelling out VENT and the character taking the form of a hooded robot kind of thing, reminding me a little bit of a Snub23. It is all quite unlike anything I am used to seeing in Bristol and I hope that Vent137 takes to the walls more often.

Vent137, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Vent137, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021

Yet another debut on Natural Adventures from an experienced artist. How on earth am I expected to keep on top of all of this, I ask you? Great piece that unfortunately didn’t last too long.

3747. M32 roundabout J3 (328)

I am thoroughly enjoying this relatively recent design format from Face 1st, and I think that this is roughly the fifth or sixth piece that I have seen in this style. One of the pleasures of taking an interest in street art is watching how each of the artists evolve their styles and subjects… what they practice and what they choose to discard. Few things on the street/graffiti art scene remain static.

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

This piece appeared a couple of weeks back, quietly and quickly and unusually not as part of a collaboration with PWA friends. The block letters spelling FACE are filled with the dynamic (crazy) blue hair belonging to the smiling girl, whose omnipresence is at the heart of all of Face 1st’s work. I like the darker tones of the piece, which seem to work really well. Another beauty.

3745. M32 Spot 115

I am struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of new pieces appearing in Bristol, which means that there are increasing delays in sharing some of the superb artwork with you. I have a time-lag on average of about two weeks between photographing and posting, by which time some of the pieces will have already been painted over. Fortunately, this collaboration from Pekoe and Bnie is still there for all to see.

Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021
Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021

This is a stunner from Pekoe, entitled ‘pink to make the boys wink’. The pink face, in three quarter profile, is following the trend of recent pieces with dotted hearts and circles on the cheeks and chin, and of course, no Pekoe piece is complete without voluminous hair decorated with little symbols and layered colours. A lovely portrait piece.

Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021
Bnie, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2021

To the right of the portrait is some lovely writing from Bnie, who has been very active in recent months. The ‘bubblegum’ colours of the letters are blended beautifully, but once again it is her 3D shadow that steals the day. I must find her and watch her paint to see how she creates this wonderful effect.

A very nice collaboration on one of my favourite walls from this RBF duo.

3744. M32 roundabout J3 (327)

This is just wonderful, a large organic piece from Petro and the second to appear on Natural Adventures. Petro is an artist that I have taken an instant liking to. His unusual, subdued colour selections and desire to fill as much space as possible with his writing really appeals to me.

Petro, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Petro, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

In this piece, it is the 3D purple shading that catches the eye as it sucks everything from the right to the left. As well as spelling out PETRO, he also includes the letters TFWH, although I don’t know what these relate to – a crew possibly. Big, bold, psychedelic and modestly outrageous – I love it.

3738. Brunel Way (109)

I think that the paint was probably still drying when I saw this lovely collaboration from Ryder and T-Rex under Brunel Way. And what a fun piece it is, with a taste of the Wild West about it. Ryder posted a little cartoon of it on his Instagram feed, which is great.

T-Rex, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
T-Rex, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

To the right of the piece we have a Tyrannosaurus rex 🦖 pulling a cart, so full of movement, and mischief. I expect that T-Rex could paint these characters in her sleep. I love the western touch of a red neckerchief round the dinosaur’s neck.

Ryder, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Ryder, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

Being pulled by the T-Rex is a RAW ‘band wagon’ with a Ryder googly-eyed letter R playing an instrument. What madness is this? The whole thing is a bit of a riot and the collaboration a memorable one. Great to see that both of them are able to get out and paint together.

3736. M32 roundabout J3 (326)

It is great to see these two painting together again, in particular Cort, who has rather gone to ground during the Covid-19 pandemic. Laic217, on the other hand, has been painting in fits and starts, but appears to have settled into a more regular rhythm recently.

Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Cort, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

Cort’s writing takes on his familiar form of irregular letters combining straight forms with curvy ones and spelling CORTOS. The letters are decorated with red blobs and Cort has used some thin yellow lines to add emphasis.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021 

Laic217 gives us a rather chilling scene of two characters looking like something from a dystopian future with a pile of small rocks in front of them. There is a story here, but I don’t quite know what it is. The characters are fabulously created from shades of purple and pink with lots of shadow in the creases of their clothes. Laic217 is raising his game week after week and it is so good to see.

3735. St Werburghs tunnel (243)

When you get to see the work of particular artists again and again it becomes incredibly easy to be complacent or even blazé and you need to stop, think and take stock of what is in front of you. I am guilty of this day in day out because we are so spoilt with talent in Bristol. This lovely Elvs piece in St Werburghs tunnel is a case in point.

Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2021
Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2021

Elvs is one of those artists whose work I like to post every time, and to date I don’t think I have failed to post any of his pieces that I have photographed. This is a lovely piece, beautifully painted with his customary unique style and a lovely blend of horizontal fills from blue to white. The cartoon character is a mystery to me, but probably featured on TV during the 1990s I would guess. Altogether another outstanding work from Elvs.

3734. Dean Lane skate park (419)

There are two or three artists vying for top spot as the most productive artist in Bristol at the moment, and possibly leading the field is Turoe with his combined TUROE and SHYTE pieces cropping up just about everywhere around the city.

Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021

This piece at Dean Lane is from back in April, but I managed to retrieve it from my archives on the last trawl through that I did. Spelling TUROK the piece is very clean and tight, in fact everything you’d expect from this very experienced writer. The letters are great and the two colour shading is nicely done with a few rather nice drips about the place. The yellow splatter in my view could have been a little bit brighter to give more impact, but I am nit-picking. Quality stuff.

3733. St Werburghs tunnel (242)

I think that this is the third MOTEL piece that I have posted from the fabulously named Dog Bless the Band. I believe he is a relatively new entrant on to the Bristol scene, but obviously an accomplished writer, so he must have been writing elsewhere before starting up in Bristol.

Dog Bless the Band, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2021
Dog Bless the Band, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2021

I love his muted, modest colours that blend into the background. There is nothing garish or showy about his work, but that is not to say it is boring. Far from it. The large organic letters are filled with a wonderful range of blended colours and subtle patterns looking more like a watercolour than a spray painted wall. Fabulous stuff.