It has been a long while since I last posted a piece by Todoaciem, so it is with some pleasure that I am able to share this wonderful piece of calligraffiti painted at the ‘Dare To’ paint jam a few weeks ago.
Todoaciem, Alfred Street, Bristol, September 2021
Normally we would expect to see the letters CIEM, but here he has written HMR, the letters of his crew. His letters are always so neat and uniform with a lovely deep 3D shadow that helps the whole thing to stand out. Unfortunately, the white paint is a little thin, but all in all this is a skilful piece of writing.
Zake is smashing it out of the park at the moment, or should I say smashing it out of the Sparke Evans Park (oof, sorry). Not only is he painting a lot, but he is also really working on those features and details of his faces and with this piece creating a whole new kind of character.
Zake, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021
What is it about monkeys? Actually, I am guessing that this monkey is a homage to Nightwayss (who loves monkeys) whose birthday paint jam this was painted for. The colours, shading and expression is all superbly executed and this is the first time I have seen Zake paint fur, and what a job he has done. A smashing piece on a smashing wall painted to honour a smashing artist’s birthday – what’s not to like?
I came quite late to posting pieces by Bnie, not for any reason, I don’t know why. Perhaps I sometimes hold back until I know a little bit more about the artist, or perhaps their work grows on me. Anyhow, I am trying to make up for it now and will post her work as often as I can and if I find any in my archive searches will post them too. Last week, I posted a Bnie gallery and hope that she is now better represented in Natural Adventures.
Bnie, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
This piece, on an awkward little bit of wall in Dean Lane skate park, is nicely pulled together with great colour fills, smiley mouth and heart on top of the ‘i’. Always reliable and always upbeat, Bnie’s work is greatly valued and enjoyed.
I’m in a bit of a rush, so not many words from me this week (sighs of relief all round). These are some doors photographed in the magnificent City of Truro, Cornwall, from our all-too-short summer break in August. A real mixture of grand and slightly odd this week. Enjoy.
Truro Cathedral entrance and doors, Cornwall, August 2021Blue door, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021Unstable structure do not enter, door, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021No food here, former door, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021Door and fabulous windows of the Palace Building, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021Functional door of a beautiful doorway, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021Cornwall Freemasons? Truro, Cornwall, August 2021A rather different door at the Cornwall Yoga Centre, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021
Another week passes us by, but we can look forward to another one ahead.
More Truro doors next week, until then, see ya.
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.
Well now we are getting in to the final 10 pieces from Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event and I am getting a little edgy, because my ‘collector’ gene will be working overtime to ensure I get every single one, and that might be difficult.
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
I don’t normally associate Silent Hobo with Upfest events, so it was really nice to see that he has participated in this most unusual of years with this enormous mural in Ruby Street.
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Of course, with so many murals in residential streets for this year’s event, parked cars have been a real problem. I think I might suggest to artists that next year they start their pieces four feet above the ground, or that they paint cars in the lower portion so we don’t actually miss anything (now there’s a creative concept).
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
As with all of Silent Hobo’s excellent observational work, he captures the mood of ordinary people, especially youngsters so well. One could do a celebration of Bristol, just by showcasing all of his pieces. It would seem that he is very proud of the city and its citizens and his murals are a wonderful record of the city in the 2000s.
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Another thing that Silent Hobo portrays beautifully is pets and wild animals. Here he rewards the viewer with a fabulous cameo of a little boy and his dog in a red armchair, a delightful scene. Yet another outstanding wall from Silent Hobo and for Upfest.
Another debut on Natural Adventures in 2021, this time from Chill. It would be interesting to look back on 2021 and look at how many artists appeared on these pages for the first time, and which artists featured the most. Perhaps a little New Year exercise for me to do.
Chill, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, September 2021
I know nothing about the artist, but I absolutely love this black and white cartoon trio of characters, painted in a very Beano/Dandy/Viz kind of style. Loads of mischief and fun and really tight artwork. There is a simplicity and symmetry to the piece that makes it so easy to enjoy. I really ought to do a little more research to find out more about the artist. Maybe if I find another Chill piece.
The long wall at Sparke Evans Park has always been a showcase for some great art, and in recent months, the turnover has increased significantly as has the quality of some of the pieces. It is a top graffiti art spot, but a complete menace to photograph, the dappled sunshine percolating through the adjacent leafy trees has rendered many of my photographs unusable. This is definitely a spot for winter and overcast days.
Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021
This is a superb tribute piece by Laic217 for KFAS. I don’t know anything about the backstory and instead have simply focussed on the piece itself. A spray can artist at work with tons of movement (clever use of three hands to create a busy scene), and a massively exaggerated mouth. A characterful and lively piece, and a worthy tribute.
Stivs has presented me with another golden opportunity to feature his work on Natural Adventures by painting this cracker in St Werburghs. His calligraffiti writing is improving with every piece, and this is an outstanding example of what he is capable of.
Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2021bday 034 12-16 Sept 2021_edited
Painted in black and red with a blue border, the letters have the appearance of having been painted with brush strokes – an effect perfected by Voyder in some of his Bristol works. There is so much to like about this, particularly the crispness and the thin yellow lines running through the piece. Lovely stuff.
Natural adventures 