.
The salmon sizzles
taken the dog for a walk
a weekly shop done
a moment for a tanka
before serving up dinner
.
by Scooj
Month: June 2020
3020. Dean Lane skate park (326)
The lock down easing has in my view been far to rapid and aggressively in favour of the economy, and I fear that we will pay for it further down the line, however these things are finely balanced. One of the upsides has been the productivity of street artists whose collective energy was paused for three months. Now, I simply can’t keep up. Many pieces are gone by the time I go to photograph them. I got this one by Hire though and glad that I did.
As always, the spiky medieval style, that reminds me of a battle in full swing with swords and pikes clashing, spells out HIRE. The blended orange fills are very nicely done, and I rather like the (deliberate) fragmented white edging… an unusual touch. Oh, so much great art to share, but it is difficult to do it on two posts a day.
3019. M32 roundabout J3 (223)
Yet another outstanding piece from the Poland v Spain paint jam at the end of May, although this one is by an artist who appears frequently on Natural Adventures, but you are more likely to know him for his charming Rabbits. It is of course Nevergiveup AKA #followmyrabbits AKA NGU AKA in this case Zbok. I expect he has several other personas from the past too.
The only way to desribe this piece of writing is utter class, I mean it really is outstandingly beautiful and crafted with such precision and care. This is from an artist who is immensely versatile and creative.
If you look carefully, you will see that the piece spells out ZBOK (which I think means ‘deviant’ in Polish). The smokey purple puffs are the cherry on this particularly sensational cake.
Poland 5 Spain 3
Produce
.
An old friend once said
you get out what you put in
which kind of makes sense
.
by Scooj
3018. New Gatton Street
It is going to be difficult to do this piece justice in writing, because it is just so damn good. First of all I would say that anything painted here had to be good, very good, because the previous resident was a magnificent turtle by Louis Masai, that had been augmented a while back by 3Dom. This collaboration brings together some of Bristol’s finest talent in the shape of 3Dom, Piro, Epok, Sepr and Feek.
I was fortunate enough to be with Paul H on the day these guys were finishing up and he suggested we go take a look. The message is loud and clear ‘Peace, Love, Unity’ – something we could all do with after such a prolonged turbulent era in British history.
To see 3Dom, Sepr and Feek all at work was a real treat, although I believe Piro and Epok had finished their contribution the day before.
The lettering in the centre is by Piro and Epok and adopts three very distinct design styles all of which are expertly executed. The writing is flawless and the colour selections draw you in like a beacon. The writing alone would be worthy of this wall, but we have so much more packed into this space.
On the left is my favourite bit (perhaps I shouldn’t say it, but it is), which is the female figure By 3Dom. The movement of the figure and expression on the girls face convey a contentedness and presence in ‘the zone’. I love the little details such as her earphones, necklace and belt of planets around her waist – there is a lot of symbolism here.
To the right of the piece is a fine double-act from Feek and Sepr. I am not entirely sure, but the sense I get here is one of celebrating nature and all that is good and nourishing about it. The ‘Green Man’ monster from Feek is an extraordinary piece of art in a cartoon style and a superb foil to the celestial figure by 3Dom opposite. Sepr’s contribution of a robin and a mole add a touch of simple and humorous class to the collaboration. There is so much in this piece to enjoy, and given the location of the wall it is likely to be a keeper. Brilliant.
3017. Frome side (2)
A recent paint jam in a spot I have struggled to get to until recently included this magnificent beast from Smak. The piece, in gentle pastel shades, is yet another example in an extensive portfolio of the outstanding talent of the artist.
What is really clever about Smak’s writing is that his letters are nearly always legible and yet the sophistication and complexity of his designs and fills is mind-blowing. To achieve such a balance is surely the work of a master at the top of his game.
Parched
.
Should I water it
even though storms are forecast
gardeners choices.
.
by Scooj
3016. St Werburghs tunnel (173)
At the south entrance to St Werburghs tunnel is this wonderful piece from Decay that just kind of appeared under the radar in a modest and quiet way. I love it when that happens, no fanfare, just an appearance… as if by magic.
Decay has managed to introduce a gentle and light summery feel to this piece, and a really clever touch is the light grey shadings at the lower half of the letters that give the piece body and lift it out from the wall a little. The more observant of you might notice that this is a BLM piece and the ‘Chuck’ character makes a second appearance on the left hand side wall with BLM speech bubble.
3015. M32 roundabout J3 (222)
I told you that Soge has been busy, and this is yet another one of a fine collection painted in the last three weeks or so. You might notice that this one was painted as part of the Poland v Spain paint jam at the end of May, and once again incorporates his little beaver character which looks like it has become an established thing for the artist.
It was a privilege to be able to watch all the artists at work during the paint jam, and I managed to catch up with several of them and introduce myself to some for the first time, including Soge, who was painting next to Hire.
The piece of writing is really classy, and I particularly like the blue line that is coiled around the whole thing. What is also nice is that the beaver isn’t a throw-away gesture at a character, but a very nicely worked little thing that complements the writing without dominating is. A great, nicely balanced piece.
Poland 4 Spain 3
Thursday doors – 25 June 2020
Doors 112 – Back to some archive street/graffiti art doors
Another extraordinarily busy week for me, and limited time to pull together new doors, so it is another retrospective of street art doors (one or two of which have been seen before on Thursday doors) this week. Here goes, this selection were first published on Natural Adventures in 2017:
This world famous Banksy piece called ‘mobile lovers’ was in the Bristol Museum for a short while before being returned to the Broad Plain Boys’ Club on whose door it had been painted. They sold the door to a private collector for £403,000 which alleviated the financial problems they were having. It was what Banksy had intended.
There is a door hidden in the middle of this piece.
Another rush through a slightly more international selection there which I hope you enjoyed. 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 Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
by Scooj
Natural adventures 