Writer – Page 92 – Natural adventures

6151. St Werburghs tunnel (431)

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024

Mr Klue has been smashing it, not only recently, but for years with his original abstract ephemeral graffiti writing. He definitely favours painting in St Werburghs tunnel, where virtually all of his pieces have been in recent years. He used to paint in the Bear Pit in the good old days, and a few other spots in north Bristol, but his range appears to have narrowed.

The letters, as usual, spell out KLUE, and have a slightly more solid look to them than some of his pieces. His favoured blues and purples are carefully positioned to create light and shade and add perspective to the piece, which the yellow lower edges and white upper edges amplify. A lovely example of this enigmatic artist’s work.

6150. M32 roundabout J3 (589)

Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

This is an unusual, but also rather pleasing piece painted by Kid Crayon, alongside his friend I am Ian, who featured on Natural Adventures yesterday. The whole piece is relatively simple in its construction and made up of only five colours; a yellow background, white letters, green border, grey accents and some random orange squiggles.

The bubbly/cloudy letters spell out CRAYON, with the letters KID written backwards, a regular device used by Kid Crayon. There is a lightness of touch and ease about the piece and although simple in design it is beautifully executed. I know that Kid Crayon is extremely busy at work, getting paid for what he loves doing, and that makes his street pieces all the more welcome. Nice one.

6149. Dean Lane skate park (727)

Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2024

There has been no let up from Dibz and Fade, and although their pieces don’t appear as regularly on Natural Adventures as they used to, it doesn’t mean they aren’t painting as frequently, it simply means they are having to compete for space with so much other art including Upfest 2024.

This is a classic presentation by the two artists with Fade on the left, Dibz on the right and a co-created character in the middle. They have cleverly reversed the fill colour layers between the two pieces of graffiti writing, with Fade starting with green at the top transitioning through dark blues to a light blue, while Dibz starts with the light blue at the top.

The writing is, of course, of the absolute highest standard, painted by two artists who are at the top of their game. I don’t know who the green dog character is, and my Google searches haven’t turned up any clues, which is a pity, but he is nonetheless magnificent. Naturally, there is more to come from these two… watch this space.

6148. Cumberland Basin

Raid, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2024

Another of Bristol’s writers who creates the foundations upon which the graffiti and street art culture is built is Raid, who, although a relative newcomer to the city, has established himself as a regular contributor of beautifully designed writing, that appears to be on an ever-upwards trajectory.

Raid’s work is straightforward and unpretentious, and often marked out for his wonderfully creative fill patterns. In this piece though he has gone for a straightforward solid chrome fill, with a yellow accent running through the midline of the letters. The blue drop shadow and black border are nice and tight and the whole thing is as tidy as I would expect from Raid. Great work.

6147. M32 roundabout J3 (588)

I am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

The dry, and occasionally hot, weather we have been experiencing during this so-called English summer has seen artists out and about in large numbers, with several recent very well attended paint jams. This beauty, by I am Ian, was painted on the roundabout wall during one of these paint jams.

I get the feeling that I am Ian, who doesn’t paint walls all that often, was coaxed out of his studio to paint next to his friend Kid Crayon. Furthermore, I have never seen an I am Ian piece that isn’t adjacent to or a collaboration with Kid Crayon. The character looks a bit like one of the evil alter-egos spawned from Gizmo in the 1980s ‘horror’ film ‘Gremlins’. The mischievous character, who is spraying the wall with red paint, is nicely presented and definitely brings something fresh and interesting to the paint jam. I am looking forward to seeing more of these events through the summer period.

6146. Peel Street Green (33)

Trafficity, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2024

Sure and steady, Trafficity is probably the most dependable and consistent graffiti writer in Bristol, and although he doesn’t paint all that often, he has a rhythm, and you can be pretty sure to find two or three of his pieces every year. His consistency is evident in the gallery of his work that I have compiled.

The letters ZIOM are fairly heavily disguised, and as I have observed many times before, there appears to be another word sitting along the top, in lime green in this piece, that looks like it spells MUMM, but I might be imagining things. The colour palette is easy on the eye and the piece nicely presented. I rather like the little shout-out to Haka, whose long-standing piece here was overpainted.

6144. M32 roundabout J4 (587)

Grimes, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

Grimes is a graffiti writer who burst onto the Bristol scene a few months back, and has already had a significant impact. His energetic pieces tend to be full of vibrant colour and movement, this one being a great example. The wall he has chosen at one of the underpass entrances on the M32 roundabout is not the easiest to paint because of the slope, but Grimes has done a good job.

The orange, red and green combination of colours has worked really well and the fills patterns, which are a bit of a trademark, are really on point. The letters, spelling GRIMES are perfectly set on an aquatic blue bubbly backdrop and wispy grey ‘flames’. A really accomplished and enjoyable piece.

6142. M32 roundabout J3 (586)

Evey, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

Hurrah, for this cheeky piece of graffiti writing by Evey created during a paint jam organised by RBF (Resting Bitch face Crew) for Wispa’s birthday. Regular observers of Natural Adventures will note that this is not the first time Evey has used this idea, and given its popularity, she has created it again.

The saucy letters – EVEN – contain a bottom and fishnet stockings to make up the ‘V’. The whole thing is full of fun, which some characterisation of both of the ‘Es’ thrown into the mix. A spiky orange surround and ‘confetti’ round off this party piece. Great wok from Evey.

Evey, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2024

6141. Montpelier Park

j9449j and Solar, Montpelier Park, Bristol, June 2024

More and more these days, writers are stacking their graffiti writing, one piece on top of the other. I am not sure why they do this, perhaps it is all about proportions and wall space. Ultimately what it means is that you get two pieces for the price of one, and this double header is by j9449j (who keeps changing his handle on Instagram, so this will have to do) and Solar.

This spot is one I don’t get to all that often, but it is always worth it, because every time I have been recently, there has been something different on display. j9449j has painted some letters, which I struggle to decipher, but his organic and unique fills give away his identity. Solar, was recently the subject of a gallery I pulled together, and this anti-style writing flows beautifully, so typical of his work. A nice duo to stumble across.

6139. St Werburghs tunnel (430)

Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024

We get three main types of artists in Bristol, broadly speaking. The resident artists who paint regularly, or at least are present in the city. Artists who visit on a reasonably regular basis, but live outside the city, and whose work can appear in fits and starts, and artists who visit usually as a one-off either for a festival, or to paint in Bristol because of its reputation as a street/graffiti art hub. Zaenone fits into the second category, and it is always great to come across his work.

This recent piece in the tunnel is colourful and beautifully presented. It comes without the character bookends that I have become accustomed to, but it is clean and crisp, and the buffed background gives it plenty of space to shine. The letters spell out ZAEN1, and apart from the ‘E’ are beautifully filled with blended colours. A colourful drop shadow with bars completed the piece nicely.

	Sheree on 7622. North Street
	paulh121 on Oblivious
	paulh121 on 7620. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	hitandrun1964 on What is she?
	hitandrun1964 on 7620. M32 roundabout J3 (…

	Sheree on 7622. North Street
	paulh121 on Oblivious
	paulh121 on 7620. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	hitandrun1964 on What is she?
	hitandrun1964 on 7620. M32 roundabout J3 (…

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