I mentioned a little while back in a Minto post that we were likely to see a lot more of his work, and indeed that is exactly the case. There is something quite unique in the way that Minto combines his letters with characters or scenes to build up a story, and this one is a very green story.
Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
The letters spell out, unsurprisingly, the word MINTO, and contains three or four faces sort of organically melded into the letters. To the right, the end face reminds me of the faces on the trains and other vehicles in the Thomas the Tank Engine books, but maybe that is just me. This is a nicely thought out and painted piece from Minto.
On return from a week out of Bristol, the first piece I came across was this double-header by Stivs, which was a bit of a treat. A few days later, I was lucky enough to run into Stivs, on the other side of the roundabout and he told me that before he wrote STIVS, he used to write CRAP or variants of it, and that these two pieces are in recognition of that.
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol February 2024
It looks like Stivs is enjoying some dayglo colours, giving his formal calligraffiti style letters a bit of a 1980s vibe. The first piece, I think, reads KRAP, which is slightly amusing because the word is at odds with the fine writing. Another artist who has done something similar in the past is Turoe, with his shite/shyte pieces.
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol February 2024
The second piece is perhaps a little easier to read. I am glad to see that my dog’s rear end has managed to make it into the shot, just as a reminder that he is with me 99% of the time when I am photographing street/graffiti art. I expect lots more to come from Stivs this year, especially as he now lives a little closer to this spot.
Mr Klue, Peel Street Green, Bristol, February 2024
Mr Klue has definitely woken from his winter slumbers and is doing what he does so well, and decorating the walls of Bristol with his unique abstract ethereal letters. I am not too sure though that I have ever seen a piece of his on this wall before, and it is nice to see him break away from the security of his favourite spot in the tunnel.
Mr Klue, Peel Street Green, Bristol, February 2024
I suspect that Mr Klue has a large stock of blue, green and white tints, as his last three pieces have all had very similar colour schemes. The letters spell, as usual, KLUE, but are so very well disguised. I am guessing, and hoping, that this early year flurry of pieces extends well into 2024.
There was no stopping Hemper during the Covid period, but now things have returned to relative normality, his productivity has fallen back considerably, which makes it extra special when he does get out and paint one of his stunning burners.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
This is a wonderful piece of graffiti writing bursting with colour and energy, spelling out the letters DRAPE, which I am guessing is a shout-out, rather than a tribute. Each letter in this piece has been given a different colour treatment and fill patterns. There is lots to look at and enjoy in this skilfully pulled together writing.
Phour and Mates, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, January 2024
For a little while, now, I have been aware that Phour has been painting with a new companion, Mates. Their combinations can be seen in walls and fences all around Bristol, but I think that this is the first post with both of them on Natural Adventures.
Phour, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, January 2024
This collaborative wall is themed with chrome lettering on a red background. Phour, painting his distinctive and clean letters in a way that is very pleasing on the eye, kicks things off in this straightforward piece. Judging from the little bit of greenery in the letter ‘O’, I would guess that the piece has been here for a little while.
Mates, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, January 2024
To the right, Mates makes his debut on Natural Adventures with some very nice letter shapes in chrome, with a black drop shadow on the red background. The letter design feels very familiar, and reminds me of the kinds of fonts you would see in children’s comics like Beano, The Dandy, Beezer and so on. Watch this space for more from this pairing.
Having only recently graced the pages of Natural Adventures, Sub, I have a feeling, is going to feature more and more going forward. This large piece in Peel Street Green combines his big letters with a pussycat character. The piece was overpainted last week with some writing that incorporated (and by implication, took credit for) the cat… Sub has since returned and restored his own letters.
Sub, Peel Street Green, Bristol, February 2024
Sub’s letters tend to be super-large and simply filled, but it is the inclusion of his cartoon, manga-style cat, that adds lots of interest to the piece. This is a nice clean and tidy piece, and it will be interesting to see if the incorporation of characters will become more of a thing for the artist. Nice work.
Marckinetic and Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
I am mildly hungover following a wonderful wedding party for our niece, in the extraordinary setting of Farnham Castle on the border of Surrey and Hampshire, and am writing this post sitting in the car, waiting to get home back to Bristol. Fast forward a few hours, and I am now completing this post at home, a little later than usual.
Marckinetic, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
This is a fabulous collaborative wall from Marckinetic and Kid Krishna, a duo who have started off 2024 in vigorous fashion. Marckinetic’s disguised FFS letters are written in such a unique style and filled with his wonderful ‘cosmic’ patterning, that they simply couldn’t be by any other artist. Creative and wonderfully presented, his work is always a pleasure to see.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
Kid Krishna has been on fire this year too, after a relatively quiet period, so much so that I am going to have to gather up several of his early year pieces into a single post soon. The colours of this piece broadly match those used by Marckinetic, and create a feast for the eyes, enhanced by being painted on the black background. The letters CRIE are probably there somewhere. This is a fabulous collaborative wall from these unconventional graffiti writers.
Omie_wan_kenobi, New Stadium Road, Bristol, January 2024
I love it when I start to notice an artist that I hadn’t been aware of, but has been out there for a little while, and Omie_wan_kenobe is one of those. Now that I am aware of the artist’s presence I am seeing their work everywhere, and the best thing about Omie_wan_kenobi’s work is its variety and lack of a ‘house’ style.
Omie_wan_kenobi, New Stadium Road, Bristol, January 2024
This piece, in the burnt out tunnel, is big, bold and rather unusual. The fill paint is rather thin, and the Klashwhensober piece beneath it is clearly visible, and almost passes for a fill pattern. I don’t know whether OMIE is said ‘oh my’ or ‘omee’, but I guess the ‘wan kenobi’ would suggest the latter. Watch this space for more from this emerging talent.
Raid, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024Raid, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2024Raid, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2024Raid, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024Raid, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2024Raid, New Stadium Road, Bristol, January 2024Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024Raid, River Avon, Bristol, October 2023Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023Raid, River Avon, Bristol, June 2023Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023Raid, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023Raid, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023Raid, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2023Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Werm and 3F Fino, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024
What a nice surprise it was to find this collaboration from Werm and 3F Fino, who I thought may have left Bristol (which he might have done), given the almost total drop-off in his work in the city. It felt coincidental, too, that I found this piece only a day or two after publishing a gallery of 3F Fino’s work.
Werm, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024
To the left, Werm has worked a wonderful piece of writing painted using a fabulous colour palette of purple shades and gold. This sumptuous colour scheme creates an interesting effect, where the letters, counterintuitively, are a little more disguised than you might expect. The gold colour, although contrasting with the purple colours, doesn’t ‘pop’ the piece as much as you might expect, instead it has a rather more subtle impact.
3F Fino, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024
To the right, a character that 3F Fino has painted many times, is holding up letters that are painted in the same colour scheme used by his neighbour. The letter fills are very nicely painted and go a long way to obscuring the letters themselves. I would like to think the letters spell FINO, but can’t be certain, and have a feeling that the fills might also spell something out. Altogether, this is a very nice collaboration from the LRS pair.
Natural adventures 