1964. Dean Lane skate park (185)

The thing I love about Soker is that he is his own man. Quietly and without fanfare, he’ll just saunter down to Dean Lane and create something like this. No fuss, no bother, but just how good is it? If you ask me it is a brilliant , and he must be one of the best writers in the UK right now.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018

The salmon pink background is quite an unusual colour, and one I haven’t seen much of before. If nothing else, it helps the writing and black outline to it stand out. The three shades to the lettering fill are quite understated, but just to give the whole thing a bit of a spark, Soker has included five orange accents within the lettering. An outstanding piece and one I certainly wasn’t expecting to find.

1963. M32 roundabout J3 (117)

The pieces that I post on Natural Adventures probably represent only a small proportion of what is out there at any one moment. Of course I tend to write about the stuff that I like and I might have an unconscious or even conscious quality filter to make sure that what appears on these pages makes the grade. At any one time there are dozens of artists and graffiti writers that are just bubbling under and who I am aware of, but their throw ups and bombing are not really anything special. There comes a point when work by these artists starts to get too good to ignore and this is such an example by DUSK.

Dusk, M32, Bristol, January 2019
Dusk, M32, Bristol, January 2019

Recently there has been more and more great work appearing from this writer and to date this is finest piece I have seen. This is a work that is bright and vibrant and smacks you in the face saying ‘look at me’. I hope that this will be the first of many pieces by Dusk on this blog and that we can see how the artist develops. I also hope to find out a little bit about Dusk by way of background and context.

1961. Armada Place (14)

Every once in a while, this spot gets some TLC which it surely deserves especially as much of the stuff that appears here is not great or gets tagged within an instant. This is one half of a collaborative session from Sepr (to follow) and Epok.

Epok, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2019
Epok, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2019

The piece was sprayed as an end of year celebration to see out 2018 (good riddance) and welcome in 2019. A sensational colour selection and all the hallmarks of a classic Epok piece – I love it to pieces.

1958. M32 roundabout J3 (115)

Regular readers might recognise this as the work of the wonderful talent that is Kleiner Shames. His colour palette and the shapes of his letters are very distinctive, and if that is not enough to go on, the letters FOIS should give it away.

Kleiner Shames, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2019
Kleiner Shames, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2019

Such sights are a bit of a rarity in Bristol these days since the artist trundled off to london to find his fortune, but I guess he still hankers after the old city of Bristol and makes these occasional trips and marks them with fine pieces like this one. I find his letters very calming and gentle and aesthetically pleasing. Nothing jars. Always a genuine pleasure to find one of these.

1945. Dean Lane skate park (184)

Aaah, familiar stuff from Mr Draws and one that had been inadvertently omitted earlier in the year, which is surprising really, because it is so very good.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2018
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2018

There is always something very cheery about his work that works for me. In this piece, the filler is absolutely beautiful, the two colour palettes above and below the yellow line are brilliantly complementary and the bubble effect imperious. I really love the simple idea and lovely execution of this one. Can’t believe it has taken almost a year to post it!

1942. Raleigh Road, Vector (26)

Over the Christmas break I decided to spend a bit of time trawling through my archives of 2018, to see if I might have missed some pieces that deserve a post. This piece by Khoi had been overlooked, probably because I am not familiar with the artist, and rarely see his/her work.

Khoi, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018
Khoi, Raleigh Road, Bristol, January 2018

I am guessing that Khoi is an occasional visitor to Bristol, because the artist’s pieces are few and far between, or maybe they are just an occasional writer. This piece was created in January last year and was part of a paint jam with Sled One and Corupt. There is something unusual and rather compelling about the piece, and while perhaps not to everyone’s taste it does have a charm to it.

1939. St Werburghs tunnel (58)

I have held back for a long time from posting any work by Spoilt (I am guessing that is the artist’s name) because I know nothing about them nor the work he/she produces. All I have seen is a few pieces of writing about the place with the word SPOILT.

Spoilt, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2018
Spoilt, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2018

On going back through my archives, the odd piece keeps popping up and maybe the time is right to start posting a few. I have noticed that Spoilt has painted with members of RAW, but I don’t think that Spoilt is a member of the crew – maybe just a friend. Technically this is a good piece which is why I am posting it. One of a growing number of Bristol graffiti writers.

1933. Shoreditch, London (13)

Bonzai is yet another artist I am unfamiliar with, but what a pleasure it was to discover him for the first time. This was one of two recent pieces, as described by the brilliant London Calling blog.

Bonzai, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Bonzai, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

The effect of molten chrome is simply outstanding, and yet if you look at the piece carefully is reasonably simply constructed with colours that trick your eyes. I absolutely love this kind of work and will definitely be on the look out for more from this artist on future London trips.

1924. Wilder Street (25)

Smak is an artist who just keeps on giving. This is yet another perfect example of wildstyle writing at its best. Using the same colour palette chosen by Ments, he spells out SMAK in grey and embellished it with reds, pinks and blues.

Smak, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018
Smak, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018

Smak, unlike Ments, always keeps his pieces perfectly proportioned and they are easy on the eye. He has also included a little mouse making a rather rude gesture to the right. The gesture is aimed at the central piece of this triptych by Sled One, which will make since when you see it in a couple of days.

Smak, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018
Smak, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018

1919. Wilder Street (24)

This ‘wonder wall’ in Wilder Street is curated by Where the Wall, a Bristol street art tour business and as such it is rarely if ever tagged. It is almost like a showcase wall which guarantees high-quality artwork. The only downside is that the turnover here is glacially slow, maybe every six months or so.

Ments, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018
Ments, Wilder Street, Bristol, December 2018

This piece by Ments is one part of a three-piece collaborative wall which includes Sled One and Smak (to follow). Ments has appeared in Natural Adventures many times, but he seems recently to have had an epiphany and he is really branching out from his trademark ‘organic’ work. The writing spells out MENTS and is beautifully worked. The thing with Ments is that he often deviated from any kind of symmetry in his work and does not confine himself to exacting letter shapes or heights etc, which sometimes makes his work look a little out of proportion. I suspect this is deliberate. Lovely piece.