Writer – Page 65 – Natural adventures

6576. Greenbank (142)

Subtle, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2024

With this magnificent piece, we welcome back Subtle, who has been away from our streets for far too long, indeed the last piece I posted by the artist was way back in March 2022. He has marked his comeback with a really strong statement piece… no need for fancy embellishment or fiddly bits. This burner is far from subtle.

The chrome letters SUBTLE sit boldly on a dark background, and although there is a drop shadow, it is almost as dark as the background and difficult to see (more so in the photographs). I sincerely hope that this isn’t a one-off and that we get to see more of his work, and just to remind you what his work looks like, here is an updated gallery for you to enjoy.

6575. Cumberland Basin

Noise and Zake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024

One of the reasons that I am able to dwell a little on going back through my archives is that the winter weather is finally getting the better of ‘fair-weather’ artists, and turnover has slowed considerably since the back end of November. Although it is never good to see a slow-down, the upside is that it does give me a bit of a breather and the chance to share some ‘forgotten’ pieces, including this fine collaboration from Noise and Zake.

I have said it before, that Zake loves to team up with anyone who is willing to paint with him, and in this piece he has combined really well with Noise, incorporating his cartoon character as the ‘O’ of NOISE. The deep stripy drop shadow lifts the collaboration and unintentionally mirrors the teeth of Zake’s character. This is a really satisfying collaboration to see, from two of Bristol’s best artists.

6574. Sparke Evans Park (109)

Solar and Nice One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2024

This is another one from my archive. I was actually digging it out because of the piece by Nice One, which is sitting above a Solar piece. It is impossible to post one without the other, and so you are getting two for the price of one in this post. Solar is a reasonable active member of the PLB crew, and it is not so long ago that I posted a gallery of his work. This is a nice letter blocky piece from him, and I think he painted the PLB letters too.

Nestled on top of the Solar piece, Nice one has painted his Times New Roman font letters spelling out his name. Midway through the letters is an interesting character, looking like somebody from an age gone by. The black and white character is really well painted and something of a nice surprise. I don’t think, although I can’t be certain, that the pieces were painted as a collaboration nor even necessarily at the same time. I can’t be sure either, who painted the brick wall with water flowing from a pipe. Curious stuff.

6573. St Werburghs tunnel (461)

Grimes, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024

I have tried to make a habit of posting all the Grimes pieces that I photograph, but on a recent trawl through my archives, I found this one from June this year. Remember June? It seems so very long ago. The central characteristic of all of Grimes’ work is the extraordinary sense of energy and movement he seems to inject into his graffiti writing.

This piece, although painted in darkish colours and affected by low light levels in the tunnel, manages to burst out from the wall, demanding attention. As ever, the piece is immaculately finished with strong, sharp borders, tidy fills and a superb orange drop shadow. 2024 has been the year of Grimes, and it has been a pleasure finding and posting his work.

6571. Sparke Evans Park (108)

Todoaciem, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2024

I think that May was a really busy month for street/graffiti art, the weather was pretty nice, and we had Upfest (Europe’s largest street art festival) in Bristol and I also had a trip to Leicester, so my May archive is still bursting at the seams with unpublished photographs of stunning art. One such piece that didn’t make it into Natural Adventures is this very special piece by Todoaciem.

The calligraffiti which Todoaciem specialises in makes a refreshing change from the more stereotypical pieces that I normally encounter, where the form and precision of the letters and the drop shadow are paramount. It looks like this stunner was painted on Todoaciem’s birthday during a birthday paint jam. What a great way to celebrate.

6570. Cumberland Basin

Conrico, Acer One and Andy Council, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

You might be able to detect that I have been rooting around in my archives again, which I like to do every once in a while, because there are so many pieces that I’d like to share, but that get left behind. How this amazing collaboration from Conrico, Acer One and Andy Council ever got omitted I’ll never know, but I am making up for it now.

Conrico and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

The three part piece is a wonderful co-creation in which all the distinctive elements come together seamlessly. The landscape background with hints of an oriental coastal scene is by Conrico and creates a wonderful setting for the letters of Acer One, that spell out WABI SABI in two sections either side of the centrepiece by Andy Council,

Andy Council, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

The central portrait of a roaring tiger has everything you’d expect from a piece by Andy council where each of the elements of the tiger are ‘stitched’ together to form a coherent and, frankly, stunning whole. I think that the rose pink clouds emphasising the tiger head were painted by Conrico. The overall collaboration is a triumph of three very different styles coming together to create something truly excellent.

6568. M32 roundabout J3 (642)

Astrea, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2024

One of the most rewarding things about writing a blog on street art and graffiti is that if you do it for long enough, you get to see new artists burst on to the scene and develop their ideas and improve their technique. An artist who has recently caught my eye is Astrea (formerly HNH), whose distinctive black and white designs are becoming more frequent and elaborate.

This is the first time I have seen Astrea add a portrait to her abstract patterns. The central character is a little bit unsettling, with star eye makeup and a tongue sticking out. The tongue looks like it has stitching running through it. The surrounding swirling design is very much in keeping with what we have seen before from Astrea. Great to see her gaining in confidence.

6567. St Werburghs tunnel (460)

Turoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2024

He doesn’t paint all that often these days, but when he does, Turoe certainly packs a punch. The gorgeous chrome letters spell out KATOE, which are set on a perfectly contrasting red background. But that isn’t enough for Turoe… he has created a wall through which the writing bursts. Imagine how the piece might look without the ‘stone wall’ artwork, it would feel altogether more ordinary.

I am not too sure who Katoe is or what the shout-out is all about, but I love the way that the street art scene works, with artists recognising one another and paying tribute to friends and loved ones. As ever, a really classy piece from Turoe.

6566. Dean Lane skate park (785)

This is an absolutely gorgeous piece by Hire and although it is rather different from his usual style, it is unmistakably his work. There is something really attractive about the tone of the piece, perhaps generated by the colour selection and the fir trees. The serenity of the piece is rudely interrupted by an alien craft sending out a light beam into the forest.

The letters spell out HIRE, with the ‘I’ being cleverly represented by the spaceship. The bottom half od the writing is chunky and smooth, but the upper half is much more like Hire’s traditional pointy lettering style. I really, really love this piece and the story it tells.

6565. Nine Tree Hill (8)

Kid Krishna and Daz Cat, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, November 2024

Two artists, two very different styles, and not a collaboration from Kid Krishna and Daz Cat. Actually, you could argue that there are three artists represented here, because the background of sunflowers and a swirly sky in a Van Gogh style has been on this wall for a while now, and is by an artist unknown to me.

To the left, Kid Krishna has painted one of his mega tags, which are simpler than his larger and more complex graffiti writing pieces. These quick throw ups are usually painted using rollers and can by completed in minutes. The letters, in pink, spell out CRIE as with all of his work, although it can sometimes be difficult to decipher. He has selected two very strong contrasting colours, pink and black, for maximum impact.

Daz Cat, Nine Tree Hill, Bristol, November 2024

To the right, Daz Cat has painted one of his cat portraits on the front door of a flat. The gold cat has also been painted in haste, I would suggest, as it is a simple outline and single colour piece. I always like it when he tags his pieces with Caroline, who I guess is his special person. Cats are always most welcome on Natural Adventures.

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