7989. Peel Street Green (74)

Mage, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2026
Mage, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2026

In using contrasting colours to the orange painted wall, Mage has managed to make his letters stand out on this wall formerly occupied by 210. It has to be said that Mage is painting like a man possessed, and not only in the quantity of pieces he is turning out, but also in their quality and creativity.

Mage, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2026
Mage, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2026

Mage is a graffiti writer completely at ease with his letter shapes, which remain reasonably consistent from piece to piece. It is the fills where his creativity comes in to play, and here he has painted a dazzling fill design with blended colours and soft lines, looking like a pile of boulders. The orange patterns add to the appearance, although it would have probably looked just as good without them. A seriously great piece of writing.

What’s the point of Reading?

.

Boy asks his mother

a reasonable question

there is no answer

.

by Scooj

  • A question overheard on a train to London. Reading the place, not the verb.

7988. Lucky Lane (21)

Effe, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Effe, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026

I am off to London today to watch the Premier League champions, Arsenal, play Everton, and so had to write today’s posts last night. This is a wonderful piece by Effe at the Bristol Mural Collective Lucky Lane paint jam in September.

Effe, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Effe, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026

Effe has painted some colourful cubes, like children’s letter blocks and the letters exposed spell out ‘lucky Effe’. The piece is painted on a recessed shutter and Effe has decorated the recessed walls as well as the shutter, which is a great creative addition to the piece. This paint jam seems to have been a huge success with some really nice and refreshingly unusual pieces.

Longing

Cape Amarandos, Agnontas, Skopelos, Greece, September 2026

.

Fading memory

blue skies on Aegean Sea

sing Our Last Summer

.

by Scooj

  • Those of you familiar with the film Mamma Mia might recognise the clump of trees on this promentary where Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard and Amanda Seyfried sang Our Last Summer.

7987. Dean Lane skate park (949)

Kool Hand, Werm, Zake and Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Kool Hand, Werm, Zake and Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2026

I’m glad I caught this bright and cheerful collaboration, because it didn’t last very long, indeed nothing much lasts too long on this particular wall in Dean Lane. It is great to see Kool Hand, Werm and Zake teaming up, with a guest appearance from Hire as a bonus.

Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2026

To the left of the collaborative wall, Kool Hand has painted a very crisp, neat and tidy leopard holding a spray can. This fellow has a great tail and even a well painted pair of wings. The cherub theme is central to this collaboration.

Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2026

Next up is a superb piece of symmetrical writing by werm, although the colours are not quite symmetrical, with two different shades of red used in the drop shadow. a green spotty background decorates the margins, and the white buffed wall helps all the components of the collaboration stand out.

Zake and Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Zake and Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2026

The cherubim theme comes into full force with a grotesque cherub on the left, and a rather more conventional one on the right. Both are floating in ther heavenly scene, and are joined by a signature rabbit, also with wings, by Hire. An uplifting and fun collaboration.

7986. Lucky Lane (20)

Annika Pixie, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Annika Pixie, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026

It has been quite a while since I last saw anything painted by Annika Pixie. I am so pleased that the Bristol Mural Collective managed to encourage her to join in with their Lucky Lane paint jam back in September.

Annika Pixie, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Annika Pixie, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026

Annika Pixie is known for her ephemeral, ghostly pieces, which are deliberately myterious. I have to say that I can only see teeth in this piece, although the little chracters might be some kind of iconic thing that I am unaware of. Although the colours and shades all look a bit random, I’m sure everything in this piece has a purpose in the telling of a story. Great to see Annika back.

7985. Peel Street Green (73)

Stivs, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2026
Stivs, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2026

This spot is often occupied by 3Dom until it gets bombed. However, Stivs, who is on fire right now, has painted this outstanding portrait piece, worthy of the spot. The combination piece has the calligraffiti letters ST and (I)VS either side of the portrait.

Stivs, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2026
Stivs, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2026

The balance of light and shade used to provide depth and profile to the subject’s face is less subtle than in some of his portraits, but the quite brutal application of colours is in fact incredibly effective. I absolutely love this piece – what an amazing piece of free art for the local community.

7984. M32 roundabout J3 (802)

Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2026
Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2026

A couple of quick ones today – very busy. I always enjoy finding pieces by Desi, there is something very comforting about her drubeat rhythm of producing her work. This is a new one from the north side of M32 roundabout.

Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2026
Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2026

Desi has spelled out her alternative letters ‘VEIL’ in this tidy piece. Her choice of colours contrasts significantly with the graffiti beneath it, allowing her work to stand out without the need for buffing the wall first. A neat and tidy, happy piece from Desi.

Thursday Doors – 22 October 2026

Doors 373 – Doors of Madeira (part IV) – September 2025

I feel I should start this week with an apology, given that I have missed Thursday Doors for the last two weeks. Admittedly the first of those coincided with my annual fishing trip, but last week I quite forgot. I have had a lot on my mind lately.

I resume with some more doors from a family holiday in Madeira, returning to our honeymoon island 25 years after we were married. The doors this week are mostly from Funchal Cathedral and the surrounding area. I hope you enjoy them:

Steps and door to Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Steps and door to Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Gate and mural near Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Gate and mural near Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Inside Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Inside Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Doors on the confessional booth, Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Doors on the confessional booth, Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Doors and front elevation, Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Doors and front elevation, Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Cathedral front doors, Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Cathedral front doors, Funchal Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Shop front doors, Rua do Seminario, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Shop front doors, Rua do Seminario, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
unpainted doors and old stone surround, Rua da Alfandega, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
unpainted doors and old stone surround, Rua da Alfandega, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Weathered green door with two small portholes, Rua 31 de Janeiro, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
Weathered green door with two small portholes, Rua 31 de Janeiro, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025

Looking at these now, I can’t believe that I managed to get my finger in that last shot… I guess it happens to all of us from time to time. I should have cropped it, but I figure that to err is human, to forgive is divine. More from Madeira for two or three more weeks yet, before returning to something a little more domestic. Have a great weekend.

If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.

7983. Lucky Lane (19)

Nina Raines, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Nina Raines, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026

This is the first in a series of posts that I’ll be writing over the next few weeks, celebrating the annual (?) Bristol Mural Collective Lucky Lane paint jam/mini paint festival. Nina Raines who organised this year’s extravaganza, dropped me a message inviting me along, but unfortunately it clashed with my recent holiday in Greece.

Nina Raines, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Nina Raines, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026

Nina Rains has done that wonderful thing, where she has created her piece in harmony with an existing piece of ‘street furniture’ in this case a block of concrete, and turned it into a huge Tunnock’s caramel wafer biscuit – a brilliant and faithful reproduction of this iconic snack. This is not the first time Nina Raines has used an everyday object and turned it into something deeply familiar. I am of course referring to her wonderful coleman’s mustard pot in Dean Lane. Props to Nina, for both organising the festival, and for creating such an entertaining contribution to it.

Nina Raines, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2025
Nina Raines, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2025