2640. St Werburghs tunnel (122)

Right in the middle of St Werburghs tunnel, you can tell from the very orange lighting, is this rather nice piece from Mr Sleven. I’m not sure if it is disguised writing or simply a design. I’d like to think it says Sleven, but I don’t quite see it. Hot off the Press – Mr Sleven posted an Instagram design of this piece this morning… it is a skull.

Mr Sleven, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2019
Mr Sleven, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2019

I don’t see too much of his work around the place these days. In fact I think the last one I saw was ages ago in Moon Street. It was a great piece that remained for a considerable time. I doubt this one will be afforded the same courtesy. I think the long run of wet weather makes the tunnel a much more attractive venue for graffiti artists at the moment and turnover is high.

Mr Sleven, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Mr Sleven, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019

2637. M32 Cycle path (44)

Well, he’s out and about again, this time on the M32 cycle path which runs parallel with Stapleton Road. Rezwonk has mixed it up a bit in this piece with each of his letters being made up of a different colour palette although the letter style is consistent, which you can see by comparing the two Rs for example.

Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2019
Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2019

Rezwonk has, along with Decay and Nightways been one of the most consistent street artists in Bristol this year. Interestingly the three of them have painted together quite often – I wonder if there is a little competitive thing going on here, or maybe they all just feel the same way about hitting walls regularly. Whatever the reason, the results are pretty much always great.

2635. M32 roundabout J3 (183)

Face 1st is really switching it up these days. His faces are becoming much more expressive and his writing more dynamic and I have to say it is all good from where I look at it. This is a really nice piece of writing with great colour selection and beautiful fills. The white outline could be a little tighter, but otherwise an outstanding piece.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2019
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2019

I bought a T-shirt from Face 1st last week – it is a lovely design that he advertised on Instagram. He is such a kind bloke and delivered it personally. I felt terribly rude not to have invited him and his son in, but I was working from home and in the middle of some difficult stuff. I would like to sit with him for longer and chew the fat and get to know what is inspiring his expanding repertoire. So much more to come from Face 1st, he has been quite busy lately.

2634. Dean Lane skate park (267)

This is a recent piece from Hire in Dean Lane which appears to have been dogged with some green paint in the middle. The curious thing is that it is the same colour paint as that used in the background. I can only summise that the splodge was either self-inflicted or done by a passer-by who used the discarded can – either way it is a pity.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019

I like Hire’s work, it has such a distinctive Gothic style and is quite unlike ahy other graffiti writing in Bristol. Although I haven’t seen him for a long time, Hire is a quiet, unassuming and decent artist who has always stopped for a chat. Looking forward to more in 2020.

2630. Dean Lane skate park (266)

There is something about the work of Elvs that I find rather compelling. His letters are so very distinct and always easy to identify. I love what he has done in this piece, using a little spaceship to create a ray of light over his writing and offer the opportunity to show off two discrete colour variants, one within the arc of light and the other outside it.

Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019
Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2019

The piece is really clever and I’m not sure I have seen this kind of idea on a wall very often. As always, Elvs has turned out some really tight graffiti writing that speaks volumes to his great talent.

2625. M32 roundabout J3 (182)

My search through the archives continues with this lovely piece from February 2019 by Warp. I found this one on the back of research that I was doing for the piece I posted by him a couple of days ago, I hadn’t been able to read the letters or signature and so it was languishing forlornly in my March 2019 folder.

Warp, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2019
Warp, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2019

This is another classy piece of graffiti writing from Warp, clean, crisp and in the company of the fabulous Smak (left) and Jaksta (right). I wonder if I have any more of his pieces in my folders…

2624. St Werburghs tunnel (118)

As you can probably guess from the last post, I have been having a bit of a rummage around in my archive of 2019. Regrettably there are so many great pieces that haven’t made it into Natural Adventures, many of them because at the time of taking the photograph the artist was unknown to me and I try not to post too many ‘unknown’ pieces.

Conrico, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019
Conrico, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019

From back in February 2019 this might be one of the earliest works I have from Conrico but it is a really cracking piece of writing, beautifully designed in a cartoon style and nicely set in a coastal scene with the sea, a beach and palm trees – it is details like these that mark it out as a Conrico piece. Nice to see a reference to ‘the Monday Club’ a loose crew that is now well established in Bristol.

2621. M32 roundabout J3 (181)

Meeting artists is pretty much always a real pleasure, and a couple of weeks back I got lucky when I met Warp for the first time while he was painting this piece. During the course of our conversation he explained that he has two street personas, Warp (his more commercial tag) and another name that he writes under. He explained that he had been somewhat forgetful and sprayed this Warp piece, when he had actualy intended to paint a different piece under his other name.

Warp, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2019
Warp, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2019

The writing here is seriously good. All the elements have been executed with care and precision. The fills in the letters, the deep 3D red fill, superb slim black lines outlining the letters and a clean yellow surround, all of it neat and crisp. I haven’t seen too many pieces by Warp, but those that I have seen are all of the highest quality. I hope to bump into him again sometime.

2620. St Werburghs tunnel (117)

At the Farm end of St Werburghs tunnel a little while ago was this beautifully colourful piece by Corupt, in fact I think it is probably my favourite of his ever. The letter shapes are typical of his style, from the sloping ‘C’ to the ornate stem of the ‘T’, but it is the upbeat fills and childish colours that make this piece stand out from the crowd.

Corupt, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Corupt, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019

The whole piece looks like a child’s colouring-in book (in a good way) and has a lightness and joy about it. A magnificent work from this quiet and often overlooked artist. I have so much more of his work to share with you.

2619. Upper York Street (19)

A stunning piece by Ments on a great wall. This whole area is being redeveloped, and I fear that the wall may have already been demolished, which is a real pity because it has hosted some really spectacular art. The reduction in available walls to paint in this area is going to be a bit of a challenge for street/graffiti artists and is a pattern being replicated all over the city. It will be interesting to see if new areas become popular painting spots in the future.

Ments, Upper York Street, Bristol, October 2019
Ments, Upper York Street, Bristol, October 2019

The piece is so very typical of Ments’ organic style, and this one has a molten metallic feel about it. The letters spell out MENTS (although the T looks like it is missing). I also get a slight sense of the surrealist Yves Tanguy here, or at least the meltinng shapes and shadows reminnd me of his work. A classy and unusual piece.