.
The ghost of this year
you will never be forgotten
You will not be missed
.
by Scooj
Month: December 2020
3396. Cheltenham Road
This is the perfect way to end 2020 with a spanking new and rather beautiful mural on the Cheltenham road just before the Arches heading north. The mural is by Alex Lucas and covers the entire wall of what was Flour and Ash but is now a new vegan Mezze bar called Koo Cha
I had been anticipating the unveiling of this piece for some time as I live nearby and had seen Alex painting it on a large scaffold erected in front of the building. It certainly didn’t disappoint, in fact I think it might be one of my favourite pieces by the illustrator/muralist.
The cheetahs are absolutely stunning and stand out well on the blue background and the flowers are a beautiful touch that ‘glue’ the whole thing together. We are so lucky in Bristol to have Alex Lucas whose work lights up the city and brings such happiness to its citizens. Bravo Alex, bravo!
It has been an extraordinary year for street art and graffiti in Bristol and around the country. A succession of lockdowns and an extended period of social distancing behaviours haven’t done anything to stem the tide of wonderful artwork and I have had difficulty keeping up with it all. I think this year has been the most productive since I started Natural Adventures almost six years ago. The quality of work has increased too and there has been an influx of artists from the UK and beyond.
Some artists have gone to ground for periods this year, reflecting what had been a troubling time, and work patterns have gone haywire too which will have affected some people’s ability to choose when they can make time for street art. In spite of it all, it has been an outstanding year on Bristol’s streets. Here’s to more in 2021.
Happy New Year all. Bring on the new!
3395. St Luke’s Road (2)
On the eve of 2021, it think it is appropriate to post this beautiful piece by Gage Graphics as a way of looking forward to the summer when we can be ourselves once again and figure out what our world looks like. It might not be like it was, but it will surely be better than right now.
This large sunflower mural is one of several on this row of houses that overlook Victoria Park, and represents one of the best ‘free galleries’ in Bristol. Gage Graphics is responsible for several of them. There is something very special about sunflowers, I’m not sure what magic they possess, but I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t marvel at their magnificence. I think that they grow from a seed in such a short time and produce large happy flowers adds to their popularity.
Gage Graphics has captured the majesty of the sunflower perfectly and in addition the services it provides to pollinating insects such as bumblebees. This is an outstanding mural and emblem of hope.
Clipped
.
Long overdue trim
cut Covid-interruptus
big relief all round
.
by Scooj
3394. New Stadium Road (27)
Well, here we have yet another masterclass from Todoaciem from a little while ago. I don’t much care for this tunnel, because there are often some great pieces here, but they are a devil to photograph with the variable light levels. It might be that dusk could be the best time to take pictures at this spot.
The letters clearly spell out CIEM in an elaborate calligraphy style. I think that what really makes this stand out though is the colour selection of light blue lettering on a pink background with a black 3D shadow and yellow outline. It shouldn’t really work, but it does, and with a touch of class. Yet another brilliant piece of writing from this Spanish artist.
3393. River Avon (12)
This awesome piece of writing, which I photographed back in November, along the River Avon cycle track, is by Spanish artist Claro_que_sssnoh or Claro for the purposes of this post. The Spanish crews are absolutely smashing it all over the city this year and have brought about some joy in a very difficult time for us all.
This piece was sandwiched between two depictions of Satan to form the central element of the collaborative wall. I’m not too good at deciphering this writing, but I think the letters spell out NOHSE, or something similar. Claro is assured with his writing and can paint in several different and contrasting styles. This is an assured and beautifully sprayed piece.
Jigsaw puzzle
.
Christmas holiday
the perfect do nothing day
and a new jigsaw
.
by Scooj
3392. M32 cycle path (98)
It was while she was finishing off this piece that I first formally met the wonderful Pekoe, thanks to an introduction from Paul H. It was so good at last to meet her, and especially nice because she knew exactly who I was and was appreciative of the posts I had written here on Natural Adventures and on Instagram.
Pekoe, as well as finishing off her own piece was helping a friend with practising his own art work adjacent to her portrait. The act of a kind and helpful person. Her green three-quarter profile is exquisitely offset by the shock of orange hair collected into a bun, making great use of the space available on the panel she was painting.
Big hair is a major part of Pekoe’s portraits and in this one she has really excelled herself in my view. The decorations intertwined in the bright orange, red and yellow hair show off her signature style. I love this piece and will always associate it with making her acquaintance for the first time of many I hope.
3391. St Werburghs tunnel (215)
A nicely disguised signature on this two-tone piece reveals it to be the work of Mind Control, whose work is becoming more frequent in Bristol, in particular in the St Werburghs area.
There is an element of optical illusion work going on in this piece where the central character appears to be cradling a rabbit, although looking at it another way it might simply be the folds in his jacket. A clever piece from an artist with great ideas and lots of attitude.
Winter chill
.
The mild weather yields
conceding territory
cold winter begins
.
by Scooj
Natural adventures 