This is not the first piece I have seen by Solar on this particular wall, and it seems to be a place where he can express himself a little bit better with a bit more space than some of the more congested walls he has painted about the place.
Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023
Solar’s work is improving each time I see it, with a confidence and boldness to try new things all the time, such as the character face in the O of this piece. This has a nicely worked horizontal transition from red to orange to yellow and added interest with cross hatching to break up the piece. Nice work from Solar.
The waits seem to get longer between finding new Laic217 pieces, which is a real pity. I can only hope that the reason behind his slow down in street activity is that he has other great things going on in his life. It is not uncommon for street artists to go through peaks and troughs in activity, and that is all part of the game.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
This is Laic217 at his classic best, a skeleton holding a spray can, wearing a puffer jacket over a hoodie. There is tons of shape and texture in his work, especially on the clothes. Seeing this piece reminds me just how good he is and how much I miss his work.
Kosc is having something of a purple patch with his greyscale pieces that are to be found around the city. He seems to have found a new theme that he is enjoying exploring, and as an onlooker I am thoroughly enjoying seeing.
Kosc, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
The effect that Kosc achieves, using only greyscale tones on a green-grey background, is awesome, creating a kind of metallic look, especially where the dark and light tones meet in the diagonal line across the KOSC letters. This is the work of an artist at the top of his game who appears to be enjoying his painting.
Mommynature and Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
It would appear that Mommynature and Nugmoose are a cosy collaborating pair, who, together, are turning out some fabulous work at the moment. This is one of several recent collaborations that have appeared in some of the popular graffiti spots in Bristol.
Mommynature, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
I have noticed that, in common with other collaborative partnerships, when these two paint together, Mommynature (formerly known on Natural Adventures as Frog), tends to paint on the left and Nugmoose on the right. Mommynature returns to he frog character, who is sitting on a log, looking a little ‘tired and emotional’ after a party, as a snail, complete with cigarette, slowly passes by. A lovely story piece from Mommynature.
Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
To the right, is some alien writing from Nugmoose, that we have come to know and love, and parts of the writing are accompanied by alien objects, living or otherwise. The great thing about painting alien life is that it gives you great latitude to imagine, without being constrained by convention. I am loving the collaborations from these two, and look forward to seeing what they can do together this year.
I never thought I’d ever be writing about Liz Truss again in Natural Adventures. She was a busted flush, or so we all thought, but such is the arrogance of the right wing tory politicians in this country and their lack of self-awareness, that they will do anything for power. Jaw-dropping – this is the woman who single-handedly crashed our economy only a few months ago. Who does she think she is?
I predict that this might well be the straw that breaks the Tory camel’s back, and sincerely hope so. They have systematically destroyed our country, kept a kotowing working class in their place, dismantled our public services in preparation for privatisation and benefitted only the rich. The re-emergence of Truss will cause chaos in the party.
At some point, in the not too distant past, some kindly people or group installed a little raised bed in this dark, dank corner below the M32 motorway. Unfortunately, for many reasons, the bed has not been maintained, and has become a dumping ground (see the razor wire, that seems to reside here) and public toilet. Even in these rather revolting conditions, street artists and writers continue to paint the walls, at risk to their own health, to brighten the place up a bit.
Ryder, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2023
This is a lovely chrome burner from Ryder, a true gentleman of Bristol, that through its apparent simplicity and sharpness provides a little eye candy in this desperate spot. It was painted alongside a T-Rex piece (to follow). I like the way the chrome picks up and reflects the light in this dingy space.
Claro_que_sssnoh, New Stadium Road, Bristol. January 2023
This spot has become rather challenging to photograph in recent months. It is adjacent to the Shah Jalal Jame Mosque, and cars park in every conceivable space at prayer times, including in this tight underpass. If you get the timing wrong (which I seem to with alarming regularity) then it is almost impossible to photograph the street/graffiti art without cars, but such are the risks with pieces being overpainted, that it is better to get whatever pictures you can, whenever you can.
Claro_que_sssnoh, New Stadium Road, Bristol. January 2023
This is yet another wonderful piece from Claro_que_sssnoh, who for a little while I thought might have departed these shores due to a long gap in any new work from him. Set on yellow, his HONS letters in his unique style are beautifully filled and finished. Although this style isn’t necessarily to everyone’s liking, there is no denying that it is technically well worked. Looking forward to more from Claro_que_sssnoh in 2023
This week, I return to doors of Croatia, after a week of absence skiing in the French Alps (I thought I’d just slip that in). These doors are from the magnificent city of Zadar, at one time an immensely important trading port in the Adriatic, and its former affluence is very impressive indeed. I would thoroughly recommend it as a place to see if you choose to visit Croatia. So, no more flim flam, here are the doors:
Land Gate to the city, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022
The Land Gate, as it is known, is an impressive entrance to the old city, which has very thick fortified walls. You will note the strong Venetian influence with the lion of Saint Mark over the archway.
Gateway, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022Slim door, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022Door with stone surround and arch, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022Ancient doorway with less ancient door, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022
I am enjoying reliving our family holiday to Croatia in August 2022 through these pictures. Next up, I will take you to the city of Pula on the southern tip of the Istrian Peninsula.
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 Thursday Doors post.
Natural adventures 