Writer – Page 69 – Natural adventures

6519. L Dub (52)

At the L Dub spot, there are two main areas for painting. There is the long tunnel that runs underneath the M5 motorway, and at the southern end is a disused water pumping station. Each of these offer different opportunities, with the tunnel lending itself more to graffiti writing, with the low long wall, and the pumping station offering more opportunities for character or other artistic pieces.

Kool Hand has taken advantage of one of the taller walls on the pumping station to create this combination piece. The orangutan character has grown a couple of Shrek ears and is resting on top of the words ‘Last radical souls’ which is the name of the LRS crew. Great use of the space, and a nice tribute to the crew.

6517. M32 roundabout J3 (637)

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024

Sled One is another artist whose street work comes in peaks and troughs… nothing for ages and then several come along in quick succession. He is on a roll at the moment, and this beautiful combination piece was painted alongside the Smak piece that I posted a day or two ago.

This surreal piece is quite magnificent, featuring a skull character smoking a cigarette whose lighter appears to have quite a high flame setting, The humorous piece is beautifully composed and clean as a whistle. The letters SLED are interesting in that they are large for a signature or small to be on terms with the character, but that is Sled One for you, he does what he does, and always does it brilliantly.

6513. Dean Lane skate park (776)

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2024

Whales have been quite a common theme in Mr Draws’ artwork, both in the studio and on walls big and small. I guess that these large mammals are representative of the threats and opportunities for our planet, and something I know Mr Draws cares a lot about. This piece combines his writing with nature, a concept I wholly endorse.

The letters DRAWS provide a backdrop for the blue whale character and some greenery. It was painted as part of a Halloween paint jam and there is plenty of symbolism in the piece, where the underlying message is that if you meddle with nature we are walking down the path of doom. Cheery huh? Great stuff from the thoughtful Mr Draws.

6510. M32 roundabout J3 (636)

Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024

It is easy to become complacent, living in Bristol, when it comes to street and graffiti, and to take it for granted that we have something rather special, that most cities in the country or the world, simply don’t have. The graffiti sub-culture is thriving and grows both local talent and attracts artists form far and wide to get out there and paint walls. Artists like Smak, who are at the top of their game, are not a rarity, but common, such is the strength and depth of the field of artists.

This is a beautiful combination piece of outstanding writing accompanied by a comedy cartoon skull wearing a graffiti crown. The letters, which are easy to pick out, are beautifully proportioned and designed, and painted in prime colours, which you don’t see all that often. A wonderful piece from a gifted artist.

6509. Cumberland Basin

Kid Krishna, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2024

Like many artists, Kid Krishna goes through phases of low and high activity, and recently we have been enjoying one of his productive periods, with a plethora of his pieces in various styles in all parts of the city. This colourful piece is painted on the long wall at Cumberland Basin.

The letters, as always, spell CRIE, not that you’d necessarily work that out without help. The turquoise letters stand out well against the black, pink and yellow colours of thee background. There is something quite strongly anti-style about this one and a little bit of attitude too. The slightly untidy finishing would indicate that it was probably a quick one, painted in the moment, because when you are as good as Kid Krishna, you simply can.

6508. Greenbank (138)

Nice One, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2024

I recently met Nice One for the first time, although he said that we had met before (I think that must have been before he was painting as Nice One), which I felt a bit bad about, because I like to try and remember these things. We had a great chat about all sorts of things, and I was able to tell him how much I was enjoying his work, and the superb way he combines his writing with characters and scenes – this piece being a perfect example of what I mean.

This piece wouldn’t look out of place in a gallery, but here it is for the citizens of Bristol to enjoy. The concept is beautifully executed, a landscape with moody clouds above a tree-lined lake, and the letters, in Times New Roman font emerging like monoliths from the horizon. This is a fascinating piece that demonstrates Nice One’s modest talent. One of the most memorable pieces of the year in my view.

6505. Peel Street Green (35)

Sub, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2024

The wall at Peel Street Green is naturally broken into sections and each one is quite large, offering lots of space for artists to show off their work. I think that this presents SUB with a bit of a problem, because his letters, only three of them, end up being so large, and it becomes difficult to keep the fills interesting.

Sub writes with large letters that he typically fills with single or multiple horizontal fills. He is still developing his style, and is improving from piece to piece, but I think that to lift his work to the next level he might think about how he treats his fills, or perhaps varies his letter shapes. Having said that, I admire anyone with talent and determination getting out there and decorating walls, Sub included.

6503. Lower Approach Road (14)

Sled One, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2024

This piece of graffiti writing by Sled One greets visitors and passengers travelling through Bristol Temple Meads station. I am not too sure how long the piece has been there, but I imagine for quite a while as turnover in this spot is pretty slow.

Such is the talent of Sled One, that I imagine he ran this one off with ease straight off the top of his head, which is generally how he rolls. He has painted some nice SLED1 letters with a fill theme bleeding across all the letters and then added a deep 3D drop shadow (which itself has a further shadow) in contrasting red orange and yellow vertical stripes. A fine piece from a brilliant writer.

6500. Dean Lane skate park (744)

Astrea (HNH), Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024

Astrea, formerly known as HNH, first came on to my radar at the Muriel Alleyway mini street art festival earlier this year where she decorated a garage shutter with her striking and unusual style. Astrea’s designs are intricate and hint at letters, although it is the overall effect that is king. In this piece, you can make out the letters HNH.

I am very much enjoying seeing her work popping up around the place, but sadly have missed the boat on two pieces, one under the M32 and the other in Peel Street Green, where I arrived a day too late, which was gutting. This modest black and white piece is painted on one of the skate ramps and makes a statement albeit quietly.

6499. M32 Cycle path (276)

Disfrutalafrutaaa, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2024

This wonderful piece by Disfrutalafrutaaa, which is a first from the artist on Natural Adventures, was painted alongside Claro_que_sssnoh, and I am making the assumption that the artist is likely to be Spanish. Certainly the rather long and complicated moniker would point in that direction.

The piece itself is a beautifully presented blue script squiggle of letters which I can’t make out set on a red and orange spotty background that has a slightly psychedelic feel to it. The piece is really pleasing on the eye, but because I am unfamiliar with the artist, I can’t really say whether it is typical or not. It is always great to welcome new talent to Bristol.

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