.
Planned departure time
three hours ago; I’m ready.
How does this happen?
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by Scooj
Month: December 2018
1919. Wilder Street (24)
This ‘wonder wall’ in Wilder Street is curated by Where the Wall, a Bristol street art tour business and as such it is rarely if ever tagged. It is almost like a showcase wall which guarantees high-quality artwork. The only downside is that the turnover here is glacially slow, maybe every six months or so.
This piece by Ments is one part of a three-piece collaborative wall which includes Sled One and Smak (to follow). Ments has appeared in Natural Adventures many times, but he seems recently to have had an epiphany and he is really branching out from his trademark ‘organic’ work. The writing spells out MENTS and is beautifully worked. The thing with Ments is that he often deviated from any kind of symmetry in his work and does not confine himself to exacting letter shapes or heights etc, which sometimes makes his work look a little out of proportion. I suspect this is deliberate. Lovely piece.
1918. Dean Lane skate park (181)
You can’t hold him back. Mr Draws was planning to go and live in Germany at the end of the summer, but for whatever reason his plans fell through. His loss is surely Bristol’s gain as he continues to brighten up the place with his burners.
This one has a rather wintry feel about it, the colours and icy drips definitely feel a bit frosty. I love the way that Mr Draws just keeps on going – no matter what life throws at him, he just seems to pick himself up and carry on. It has been a while since I last chatted with him, which is a pity, because he is a really lovely bloke.
The Mall
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Stormtroopers posing
with kids outside John Lewis
it must be Christmas.
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by Scooj
1917. Cumberland Basin
There has been something of a population explosion of bunnies in Bristol recently…it would seem that Nevergiveup Familia has balls of steel and will spray just about any inanimate object in the city.
These are two of his more recent additions from the Cumberland Basin, one on either side of the floating harbour. These two are slightly smaller than his usual door-sized bunnies and are sprayed on utility boxes.
I am definitely a fan and will post rabbits as I find them, but probably bunch them together as there are just so many.
1916. Ashley Road (19)
What a superb piece by Alex Lucas in the heart of Alex Lucas land. The artist and illustrator fills a niche in the Bristol commission market and is probably one of the most recognised artists in the city. Because nearly all of her work is commissioned, it tends to remain in situ for a very long while.
This piece, wonderful as it is..and it really is…leaves me a little conflicted, not because of the artwork, but because before the development work behind the hoarding started, this used to be a regular ‘illegal’ wall for artists to try out their work, much of it outstanding. This is the gentrification process in full swing, the succession being; Illegal (tolerated) wall – permitted/commission wall – no wall (policed).
It is a sad but inevitable journey for most of our inner cities, and these areas are often in need of some TLC. My objection is that what will emerge from behind the hoarding will be unaffordable flats, little in the way of community assets and a sterilisation of a colourful area. The only people to benefit will be the people with money and power.
Let’s enjoy the hoardings while we can.
Mr Klue
A collection of amazing abstract street art by Bristol artist Mr Klue (Klue Wone)
Instagram: @mr_klue
All photographs taken by Scooj
1915. Stokes Croft
It is always, always good to see a piece by Hazard, especially when she has only recently returned from a tour of the United States. This is a spot where Jeff Knight, a well-known ‘Big Issue’ seller greets passers-by with a smile and fist pump. Genuinely one of the nicest guys around. I like to stop and chat with him when I get a chance and on this occasion spoke to him about the beautiful piece by Hazard. He told me that she is a friend of his and that he watched her paint this piece. He said, with his Jamaican lilt “I tell Harriet it look just like she.” and he is right, although I have not met her, I have seen pictures of her.
There is so much to like about this piece, particularly the colour shades on each side of the face, but it is not just the artwork, but also the location. This spot has been in need of a decent piece for a while, and with the Carriageworks no longer an option there are fewer and fewer decent pieces going up in the area.
I hope Hazard hangs around long enough to leave us with a few more portraits – she seems to be forever travelling.
1914. Upfest 2018 (110)
I remember very well the piece that Bill Giles created for Upfest 2017, and this piece, in a similar style, is bigger and better. Bill is a Bristol designer/illustrator and street artist whose ‘melting’ characters are instantly recognisable.
This piece, at the Tobacco Factory, is classic Bill Giles and has real class. It is great to have a picture of the skecth stage of the work to get a feel for how the piece gets from the black book onto the wall.
I like this piece, and rather wish he did a little more street work than he does. Imagine what this would look like at Dean Lane for example. A lovely piece for Upfest.
Thursday doors
Top 5 doors from 2018
Norm has suggested that we post a review of our door year and I am a bit of a lazy so and so, so I will simply post my top 5 doors from the year…the ones that did it for me.
The featured image, the door of the dead in Citta di Castello would have come in at number 6.
Number 5 – Montpelier, Bristol
Number 4 – Fowey, Cornwall
Number 3 – Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Number 2 – Barcelona, Spain
Number 1 – Bristol
There is a theme here, which perhaps defines my kind of door, can you see what it is?
So there it is. My favourites for the year. I look forward to viewing contributions from other interweb ‘doorsters’.
Thank you Norm for orchestrating Thursday doors and this querky community.
by Scooj.
More 2018 annual review doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0
Natural adventures 