Tag: Writer

3279. Cumberland Basin

Discovering new artists about the place is definitely part of the fun of seeking out street art, and meeting Mudra and subsequently finding several of his pieces in quick succession has been very rewarding. Although he has not been in Bristol long, he is certainly making his mark.

Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2020
Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2020

This piece is on the long Cumberland Basin wall and incorporates his soft pastel colours into the letters MUDRA. The writing is really clever with the letters being concealed through the piece – can you find them? In the centre is one of Mudra’s pink faced characters wearing a cap. This is a fine piece of work which stitches in all sorts of ideas and techniques. Lots more to come…

3278. Brunel Way bridge (67)

I didn’t find as many Halloween pieces this year as I usually find, but that might be as a result of the terrible wet weather we have had over the last week or so. I did however manage to capture this piece under Brunel Way by Pl8o and although not overtly Halloween, I think this collaborative wall was to celebrate the festival.

Pl8o, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020
Pl8o, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020

This piece is painted out entirely in greyscale which is rather nicely done. The owl in a darker grey stands out and adds interest to the piece overall. The bags in front of the piece actually belong to Varo who was painting the word ‘Conspiracy’ just to the right of this piece. Pl8o continues to go from strength to strength.

3273. M32 roundabout J3 (259)

This is the second recent piece from Taboo, the other one was in Dean Lane skate park. A feature of both of these superb pieces is the use of lots of colour, which is noteworthy simply because many of his pieces can be based around two or three colours. Perhaps he has been on a recent spending spree.

Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020

Taboo has stuck to his usual tradition of writing his name followed with a character piece, which will be familiar to most of you as Tom cat from Tom and Jerry. In addition there is an appearance from his Kilroy (was here) character in yellow peering out from one of the ‘O’s.

Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2020

The Tom is superbly painted and the story being told here would indicate that Taboo considers his work to have been 19 years in the making and combines a mixed up style underpinned by no talent and painting big. I fear this is a modest story, and I consider this piece to demonstrate his obvious talents for all to see. Unusual yes, but nonetheless skilled and creative.

3271. Princes Place (2)

This wall is an epic wall. There had been an incredible 3Dom piece here for a long time which was replaced by an exceptional Sepr and 3Dom collaboration and now in its most recent makeover we are blessed with this outstanding Sepr and Inkie collaboration.

Sepr, Princes Place, Bristol, October 2020
Sepr, Princes Place, Bristol, October 2020

On the left we have a classic masked thief in a stripy black and white top breaking a safe, stethoscope in hand. Everything about this cartoon character is brilliant – I just don’t know how Sepr can do this with spray paint, it is quite remarkable and I am awe.

Inkie, Princes Place, Bristol, October 2020
Inkie, Princes Place, Bristol, October 2020

On the right is a stunning piece of writing from Inkie with the words ‘Take the money and run’ with the words ‘the’ and ‘and run’ highlighted in different fontd and colours from the main body of writing. The ‘the’ is just so Inkie!

Sepr and Inkie, Princes Place, Bristol, October 2020
Sepr and Inkie, Princes Place, Bristol, October 2020

While I am not too sure what the whole piece refers to, I don’t think matters too much because the class of the artistry simply screams out – one of the best collaborations I have seen for quite a while. What is it about this wall?

Sepr and 3Dom, Princes' Place, Bristol, February 2018
Sepr and 3Dom, Princes’ Place, Bristol, February 2018

3Dom, Princes Place, Bristol, February 2016
3Dom, Princes Place, Bristol, February 2016

3268. Dean Lane skate park (359)

It seems that everywhere I look in Bristol I am coming across new pieces by Bristol newcomer Mudra, and a most pleasurable experience it is too. Incoming artists and new artists keep the whole scene nice and fresh and add to the extraordinary diversity of art in the city.

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

When I first spotted this one in Dean Lane, I wasn’t too sure who it was by, and guessed it must be from a visiting artist, but then I saw the @ with a hat signature and the penny dropped that this was so obviously a Mudra piece. I guess the letters spelling Mudra and the signature ‘Mudra’ ought to have indicated who the artist was, but it is all about familiarity and context. The piece has some lovely colour combinations and unusual letter shapes. I reckon this would have made a superb 1970s album cover, it has that kind of feel about it. Great work and so much more to share with you.

3267. M32 Cycle path (80)

I am increasingly being drawn to the conclusion that Whos is the same artist as Alos, and if that is not the case, then they hang out together a lot and share a style. So here is a dilemma for me. Do I aggregate all their pieces under one name or do I wait for some kind of certainty and continue to treat them as separate artists until I know better.

Well, I had a little bit of luck half way through writing this… I had an unplanned meeting with Paul in the St Werburghs tunnel and he confirmed for me that they are indeed two separate artists, and that’s that.

Whos, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2020
Whos, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2020

I rather like this one from Whos, and consistent with most of his work it painted with only a few colours which gives it a simplicity and honesty. I particularly like the way he sprays the ridged running through the centre of each letter. Unusual but great to see.

3266. Dean Lane skate park (358)

Taboo has been busy again, this time with an uncharacteristically colourful piece in Dean Lane skate park. As with most Taboo pieces, this one is a graffiti writing and character combination and is certainly eye catching.

Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

The letters are unruly as always, not following any strict code of script, rather they appear to be crafted on-the-hoof in an organic creative outpouring. The colours and fills are to be admired and the whole thing is really rather attractive.

Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

Of course, the eye is drawn to the Popeye Character flipping open a tin of spinach, that rather surprisingly has spewed out a train, arcing over his head. What the f…? Whenever I look at pieces by Taboo, I am drawn into a deeply surreal place where anything is possible. This one is a classic.

3264. Dean Lane skate park (357)

It is truly great to see that Dibz and Shade One seem to be collaborating rather a lot at the moment, and they have absolutely knocked it out of the (skate) park with this recent piece in Dean Lane.

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

The face is by Shade One and to me represents a great example of a crossover of old school/new school, and what I mean by that is that there are some lines, for example the eyebrows that are quite angular and remind me of old New York style graffiti characters, but the blue frame, bubbles and decoration are much more contemporary in style.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

As ever the graffiti writing from Dibz is outstanding, and the sharp clean lines with a complex colour scheme so expertly done demonstrate clearly why Dibz is simply one of the best graffiti writers around. The red object to the right of the piece I believe is a butt plug (although I might be mistaken) and was not part of the original collaboration, unfortunately it doesn’t add much to the piece in my opinion, and is ever so slightly annoying.

3259. M32 Spot (84)

All too often there are some really nice pieces that are easily overlooked. In skate parks this happens frequently because any ramp street art tends to get scuffed, damaged and tagged really quickly. Fortunately I managed to find this lovely writing from Nightwayss before it got too bashed about.

Nightways, M32 Spot, Bristol, Setember 2020
Nightways, M32 Spot, Bristol, Setember 2020

Sadly there are no monkeys, but the writing is very nice and the style and colour selections very typical of the artist. I have seen Nightwayss use this grey colour an awful lot in his work which in itself is not unusual for graffiti writers, but he uses it more artistically than is the case for most throw ups that you see about the place. My guess is that this is one of those pieces that goes largely overlooked… not by me though.

3257. St Werburghs tunnel (200)

I simply haven’t posted enough of Stiv’s work, but I guess the same could be said for a majority of Bristol artists. With publishing only two posts each day on Natural Adventures I am never going to be able to cover everything. At the end of each month I would guess that I only post about a third to a half of the pieces I record. Something for me to do in retirement perhaps?

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2020
Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2020

I think that thhis tribute piece must be in some way connected to the tribute collaboration with Frank Riot at the other end of the tunnel, because both are dedicated to a friend who died two years ago and was connected to the music industry. The letters are utterly awesome and the movement and vibe dancing off the piece give off a sense of sound and dance. A fine piece with meaning.