Month: November 2021

4041. Cumberland Basin

And here is yet another fine piece from Tack Jucker, the artist who just keeps on giving. This wonderful Macaw parrot head is so striking… it is big and bold and quite an unusual thing to see on the Bristol scene. Funnily enough, I would normally expect to see a piece like this painted on a buffed wall, but somehow just sticking it over other graffiti seems to work really well.

I know that Tack works from sketches and photographs and I imagine that this is probably taken from a stock photograph online. There is nothing wrong with that, Aspire does the same thing with his birds, and you can often find the Googled picture he has used.

Tack Jucker, Cumberland basin, Bristol, October 2021
Tack Jucker, Cumberland basin, Bristol, October 2021

This is another lovely piece from this relative newcomer to Bristol, and I am loving his work.

4040. M32 Spot (122)

I always like finding new artists and recently, a few columns under the M32 have become a bit of a playground for Typo, so expect to see a few posts in coming days from this artist.

Typo, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2021
Typo, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2021

Typo’s work is certainly rather different and is largely abstract in form, often accompanied by quite a lot of political or philosophical text. This colourful piece however has no words, other than the artist’s name cleverly incorporated into the overall design. Watch this space for a whole load more.

Running etiquette

.

When I step aside

to avoid our collision

‘thank you’ would be nice

.

by Scooj

Under attack

.

Fending off arrows

loosed on all fronts, all borders

siege mentality

.

by Scooj

.

by Scooj

4039. M32 roundabout J3 (359)

The Bristol street art scene simply wouldn’t be what it is without the metronomic consistency of artists like Face 1st. These artists provide the foundations upon which all other artists build their works and reputations, but without this underground culture, street art would likely struggle in the city. Just look at those towns which have no culture of graffiti or street art  and then host a festival, the legacy although stunning dies off and appears to be fake. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing street art wherever it is, but people like Face 1st provide an authenticity that you simply can’t replicate through commissions alone.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol October 2021
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol October 2021

This is a revisiting of one of Face 1st’s favourite themes, a girl’s laughing face with a hairdo made out of the word FACE. Lovely colours, nicely painted and everything I would want it to be.

4038. Purdown HAA Battery (38)

A timely commentary piece from John D’oh, that is rightly sceptical about our ability to face up to the challenges of climate change, when we can’t even keep our rivers clean. As somebody who has spent more than half my working life on protecting rivers and river-based recreation, it is a pity that our rivers are still subjected to the most terrible pollution, but on the other hand, we must recognise the huge improvements that have occurred since the 1980s when Britain was referred to as the ‘dirty man of Europe’. I fear, for a host of reasons, that the  phrase may once again be used to describe our nation as we continue to prioritise company profits over environmental outcomes.

John D'oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, October 2021
John D’oh, Purdown Battery, Bristol, October 2021

The single-layer stencil from John D’oh features Brian Cox (I think) pondering whether “COP26 is going to be like our rivers… full of shit”. I sincerely hope not, and we must all rally round this conference as best we can to push forward better outcomes for our planet. The hard work begins now, and it will be up to citizens to demand more from their governments, but also to take personal responsibility for modifying their own behaviours. Less talk, more doing.

A thought-provoking stencil piece – thank you, John D’oh.

Resignation

.

Is honour, honour

when offered after outcry

a little too late

.

by Scooj

On the news that Owen Paterson has resigned as an MP. There is no honour in this resignation that happened only after a massive reaction to some Conservative Party goal-post moving in the parliamentary standards committee operations, concocted to try and overturn Paterson’s suspension for breaking parliamentary rules. Sleaze bags the lot of them.

Paterson has a lot to answer for. As Secretary of State for the environment, a curious appointment as he was a climate change denier at the time, he waged war against the environmental movement deliberately discrediting it as the ‘green blob’ and referring to activists as ‘yogurt knitters’.

His appalling reign was eclipsed, unbelievably, by the utterly incompetent Liz Truss and dreadful creep Andrea Leadsom, both favoured high-fliers in the worst government in living memory.

I have only sympathy for Paterson’s family. His wife took her own life earlier this year, and that is awful on every level. While I feel sorry for him on a human level, it in no way changes my loathing for him as a politician.

4037. M32 roundabout (358)

This lovely collaboration on the M32 roundabout took me a little while to unravel, although once unravelled it is blindingly obvious. To the left is a very ‘Haka’ Haka piece and the right hand side is a blended collaboration between Logoe and Sepr.

Haka, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021
Haka, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021

I probably haven’t posted nearly as many Haka pieces as I should have over the years, and might need to do a bit of digging in my archives to get a few more out there. This is a simple but joyful piece of writing from Haka with the ever-present shout out to CK1 RIP.

Logoe and Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021
Logoe and Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021

The Logoe/Sepr mash up is simply brilliant, and the second recent piece in a burst from Logoe who appears to have woken from a long slumber. The letters are by Logoe in his unique script style and the writing isn’t his usual message or lyric, but  the year spelled out. The fills are beautifully done and colours reflective of the time of year.  Sepr has contributed a face and hand into the mix and as a whole it works really well. This must have been a fun session.

4036. St Werburghs tunnel (264)

As mentioned recently, Stivs has been absolutely smashing it recently, and this pair of pieces, on either side of the entrance to St Werburghs tunnel, is a wonderful recent addition to his expanding repertoire.

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021
Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021

To the left as you enter the tunnel is a fine bright greeting ‘good morning’ with dawn colours in the background. Cheerful and revitalising. This contrasts with the piece opposite.

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021
Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021

To the right is the ‘good night’ piece in black writing, set on a sunset background. The two complementary pieces are a perfect pair and a creative way of painting this particular spot. There seems to be no limit to Stiv’s ambition and energy at the moment, and that is a good thing.

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021
Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2021

Thursday doors – 4 November 2021

Doors 167 – Looe doors (see what I did there?), Cornwall – Part 1

Good morning doorsters. This week, I am returning to Cornwall for some doors I photographed during a sea fishing pilgrimage I make with a great friend every year. We spent a day fishing on the ‘banjo’ pier in the seaside town of Looe, and of course I couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a few door snaps while we were there. No fish were killed in the making of this blog post, all were returned to the sea carefully.

So here are the doors, and one or two fishing pictures to get you in the mood:

Church House door, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021
Church House door, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021

One, two, three fishing gear doors, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021
One, two, three fishing gear doors, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021

Multiple windows and door, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021
Multiple windows and door, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021

Black door, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021
Black door, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021

Seaway door and mermaid knocker, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021
Seaway door and mermaid knocker, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021

Fishing from banjo pier, Looe, October 2021
Fishing from banjo pier, Looe, October 2021

Ballan Wrasse, Looe, October 2021
Ballan Wrasse, Looe, October 2021

So that’s it for another week. More from this series next week, all being well. 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 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.

by Scooj