There is no stopping Smak these days and this is another corker of a piece tucked under the M32 along the cycle path. This was painted alongside a whole bunch of other artists who had made the trip over the Severn Estuary from Wales to leave their mark in Bristol. There was a bit of a theme of ‘zebra’ stripes in the pieces that were painted.
Smak, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
As Smak pieces go, this one is not as complex as some of his pieces, but it is wonderfully crisp and the neon pink A is to die for. In recent pieces I have noticed that Smak is enjoying giving the A a bit of special treatment and some of them have been outstanding, this one included.
Face 1st is doing a great job of switching it up a bit at the moment, and this fabulous column piece in the M32 Spot is a case in point. I really like the full figure pieces that Face 1st has been doing lately that complement his faces so well.
Face 1st, M32 spot, Bristol, June 2019
Here we have a young woman in a stripy outfit sporting a fine head of purple hair sucking on a lollipop. It is a piece that fits the column so well and kind of has a bit of youth culture and attitude about it. It is a fine counterbalance to other columns in this spot that have been painted by Silent Hobo.
I went to a meeting in Dorchester last week and had quite a lot of time to kill either side of the meeting and my train journeys. I have never been to the town before, so there was an obvious doorscursion opportunity, and what an appropriately named place for such a thing.
The town left me a little puzzled. Compared to Bristol it is a rather sleepy and sedate place although both share an extraordinary history and abominable post-war architecture. The most striking thing was the abundance of retirees as a proportion of the total population. Maybe this was an artifact of the time of day I was visiting, I don’t know.
Because of its Roman heritage I had imagined ancient doors all over the place, but instead there was a curious mix of old, new, weird and beautiful doors. You’ll be glad to hear there were no graffiti doors in Dorchester.
Here we go:
Dorset museum. Shame about the hoarding and door in front of the door. Dorchester, June 2019Shop door, Dorchester, June 2019Rather old and redundant? Shop door, Dorchester, June 2019Charming blue door, Dorchester, June 2019Pair of doors – I particularly like the worn step, Dorchester, June 2019This dwelling is appropriately named ‘Lilliput House’, the door was about 5ft 6 and I would have struggled to get in. Dorchester, June 2019
So there we have it for another week – there will be more from Dorchester in due course. Meanwhile why not go and check out the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
This piece fills me with inspiration and belief, and there is a very good reason for that, it was painted by a street art hunter just like me, and better still, I caught him at it. Some readers will know that I am trying to learn the great art of spray painting and have aspirations to paint a wall or two when I am ready. It is great for me to know that it can be done and this piece by DFC1848 proves it.
DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
I have met DFC1848 several times either at Upfest or just wandering arount the street art hotspots in Bristol. We always stop for a chat, but the chat we had when he was painting this lasted a little longer than usual. I am full of admiration for the fact that he has just got on with it and it fills me with courage and purpose for getting my act together.
DFC1848, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
I don’t know what his character is called, but it is a rather splendid cartoon-style bear thing. I rather like the ‘f’ too and wonder if it has anything to do with the f in DFC. I might try and copy this on my boards in the garden and see if I can replicate it. Great work from a man with a fantastic beard.
It’s like busses… you can wait ever such a long time and then three come along in quick succession. This is the third recent piece I have photographed by Bristol artist Bex Glover who seems to be on a bit of a roll with her street work. Ordinarily she might be better known for her studio work and operates her business under the name Severn Studios but of course my interest is predominantly in her street murals.
Bex Glover, Overton Road, Bristol, June 2019
This lovely commission is on the side wall of the Hobgoblin pub on the Gloucester Road and is made up of two panels. On the left is a beautiful raptor, wings unfolded, perching on a bent branch.
Bex Glover, Overton Road, Bristol, June 2019
On the right hand panel we see another bird, possibly the same one, in full flight stretching out its double set of wings. There is something very lyrical about this mural which seems to be telling a story about nature in its full glory. Bex Glover is a fabulous artist and her illustrative style takes me back to my childhood and picture books.
Over the last three or four months a new (to me) graffiti writer, Phist, has hit the streets hard, often partnering up with Renso (who is actually Oner). He seems most unfussy about where he sprays and his name has sprung up all over the city. I often wonder with these ‘new’ artists whether they are in fact simply new to Bristol or whether somehow they have just been off my radar… difficult to know until I get a chance to ask them.
Phist, M32 Roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
I am not the biggest fan of burners like this, but some of these writers rise to the top and Phist in my view is one of those. His letters are nice and clean, his fills nicely done and the little accent white circles help to give the whole thing a little bit of sparkle. I think this is a rather classy and smooth piece and a strong debut to the pages of Natural Adventures.
It can be a little tiresome for people like me when artists change their ‘street’ names, because it mucks up how I catalogue them and how I write about them. A case in point is Biers (old name) who now goes by the moniker Kool Aid, and instead of writing Biers like he used to, writes Oh Yeah instead. I am a creature of habit so will continue to call him Biers, so there! In this piece he has teamed up with No Frills stablemate Bags about whom I know zilch, so some work for me to do there.
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019
The standard approach from Biers is to accompany his uniquely stylish writing with a little character, usually associated with a TV cartoon character. I rather enjoy trying to find out who his little characters are, but in this piece my Google research has failed me. Nice tidy collaboration.
In recent days, The Bearpit has been shut off and there is no access. Bristol City Council stealthily went in to evict a group of rough sleepers who had made themselves at home in a bus (formerly a cafe) and some container units. In forcing the eviction they have completely closed down the space. This was an not an inevitable conclusion to the problems caused by homelessness, addiction, antisocial behaviour in The Bearpit but a terrible failure in ‘upstream’ thinking about how to tackle the issue.
As a result of this intervention, all the good things about this public space have been closed down, possibly permanently. In my view this has been really poorly managed by Bristol City Council, but I would concede that they are grossly underfunded and what we are witnessing is the result of years of austerity and public sector funding cuts, and this in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Disgraceful.
I say all of this because this lovely piece by Panskaribas is likely to be one of the last I will be posting from The Bearpit for some time.
Panskaribas, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2019
Panskaribas is probably the easiest artist to identify in Bristol on account of his kind of cubist-doodle style and this is a wonderful example of his work. The other outstanding thing about this artist is his incredible energy, he seems to be the most prolific artist in Bristol currently. RIP The Bearpit.
Natural adventures 