Writer – Page 77 – Natural adventures

6650. Dean Lane skate park (798)

I think it would be fair to say that Kush is massively underrepresented in Natural Adventures, and although I have pictures of his work dating back years, I have only ever published two of them here, this being the second. I will try to make improvements in this area this year, because Kush’s pieces deserve to be seen more.

This piece was painted on the swimming pool wall which is only accessible by climbing up onto the lower roof of the pool, and can only be photographed from distance, unless climbing is your thing (it is no longer mine). I love this combination piece. The writing is beautifully filled with red and white in a tablecloth design running through the letters. The mischievous character is a girl with boggle eyes and a beret, spraying out the letters. It is a well-conceived and executed piece and deserving of praise. I will try harder to post pieces by Kush in 2025.

6649. Cumberland Basin

Biers, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024

For most of last year Biers kept his WD40 pieces going with some rhythm and regularity, but the combination character/writing pieces dropped off significantly. Is is almost as if he lost inspiration for his characters, which is a pity, because I believe they complement his letters nicely.

This tidy piece of writing is nicely presented and uses the red, white, black and grey combination of colours that work so well in graffiti writing, and which Decay used to good effect for many years. The No Frills crew have been well represented in 2024, and long may that continue into this new year.

6647. Peel Street Green (36)

Werm, Peel Street Green, Bristol, December 2024

Werm has had a very good year in 2024, and tried out several new variants of his letters, sticking with some and abandoning others. This was a particular theme that saw him through most of the year, crafting the letters WERM into a bilaterally symmetrical pattern.

This one looks like it might have suffered a little at the hands of the weather, or the background wasn’t fully applied, which is a pity, because it distracts a little from the writing itself, demonstrating why backgrounds can be so important. It’ll be interesting to see if Werm moves on from this style in 2025.

6646. Dean Lane skate park (787)

What an honour for Pekoe to have a lovely birthday tribute piece from Smak back in December last year. This is a classic piece of traditional Smak graffiti writing, and reminds me of some of the first pieces I noticed by the artist, many years ago.

The letters are mostly created by the outlines, and the fills resemble the background, giving them a bit of a transparent look. This piece also picks up on Smak’s current theme of including palm trees and hinting at the tropics. Great work from Smak.

6644. M32 roundabout J3 (648)

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024

Not much time to talk about this fun piece from Face 1st in one of the short tunnels under the M32 roundabout. So here it is.

6643. River Avon (74)

Solar, River Avon, Bristol, December 2024

While this is far from my favourite piece by Solar, and not the easiest to photograph, even on a wide-angle setting, I have included it in the name of completeness and documentation. I think it is only honest to post work by artists, warts and all, if and when possible. All too often such pieces get deselected, but during the Christmas and winter period there is lower turnover and I can post more of what I see.

In this piece the letters SOLAR are stretched out, and difficult to notice when walking along the narrow pathway. Painted in subtle shades of grey with tints of duck-egg blue, the unruly letters touching on anti-style, are actually quite nicely done. I sense that this writing has been here a long while, but that I haven’t noticed it before.

6639. Coach and Horses

Smak, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024

This is a stunning piece of graffiti writing by Smak, incorporating a landscape view, framed in a wide rectangle. It is similar to a piece that he painted on the M32 roundabout a little while ago. I have a feeling that this piece was from around the same time, but I have only recently got round to photographing and posting it.

The letters ‘SMAK’ are concealed, and I have to say I am assuming they are there rather than knowing that they are there. Within the overall design, there are fragments of a tropical paradise and plenty of palm tree references throughout. This is a truly classy piece from a very classy artist.

6638. Dean Lane skate park (795)

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024

I have written this post in advance, because I am taking a break with my family to Marrakesh (apart from my son who jetted off to Thailand yesterday for a couple of months), and I will be busy today with getting ready for the flight, packing etc.

Mr Draws has been smashing it this winter, and when a lot of ‘fair weather’ artists retreat to the comfort of their homes, Mr Draws has been stepping up to the plate and turning out some lovely, happy pieces.

This is a large piece, covering up the whole wall, which can easily accommodate two or three pieces, and often does. Mr Draws has filled the space really well, with his bright letter fills set on a skyscape background and some stylised blades of grass running along the base of the writing. Mr Draws has quite a unique style, and I don’t think that the way he paints his pieces is all that conventional either. I really like this one.

6637. Sussex Street

Haka, Sussex Street, Bristol, December 2024

I rather like my occasional trips to the recycling centre. My most recent, last week, consisting mostly of cardboard boxes, afforded me the opportunity to visit a few spots that I don’t get to see all that often, and I was chuffed to find a clutch of pieces in Sussex Street that I hadn’t been aware of, including this piece by Haka, which looks like it was painted in October 2024.

This is a classic Haka combination piece, with his letters split either side of a character. You’ll have to forgive me for not knowing who the character is, but now that my kids are grown up I have lost touch a little with youth culture. The whole piece hangs together really well, and the writing has a lovely 3d drop shadow drifting to the right. A lively piece that probably looks a lot livelier on a sunny day.

6636. Dean Lane skate park (794)

Risky, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024

It feels funny posting this piece by Risky, because it is only the third to have made it onto the pages of Natural Adventures, but I have been photographing his work for at least two years, so I am surprised I haven’t published more. I know little about the artist, and can’t find any socials at all, so until I catch Risky in the act I’ll have to remain ignorant – having said this, I have a nagging feeling that I may have met him a while back, painting under Brunel Way… the old grey matter isn’t what it used to be.

I love it that Risky, like so many other occasional writers in Bristol, turns up from time to time with a vibrant and colourful piece like this one, that really catch the eye. While this isn’t technically high-end, it has loads of things that I like; some great letter shapes and that strong red colour works really hard; some interesting white highlights that help the letters to pop, and some more subtle red highlights, adding a bit of depth to the letters; finally, a green drop shadow and yellow border. Although not the tidiest piece I have seen, I really like it.

	Sheree on 7901. St Werburghs tunnel…
	poetisatinta on Thursday Doors – 10 Sept…
	paulh121 on 7901. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Dan Antion on Thursday Doors – 10 Sept…
	Laura Newhampshire on Thursday Doors – 10 Sept…

	Sheree on 7901. St Werburghs tunnel…
	poetisatinta on Thursday Doors – 10 Sept…
	paulh121 on 7901. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Dan Antion on Thursday Doors – 10 Sept…
	Laura Newhampshire on Thursday Doors – 10 Sept…

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