Month: April 2022

4401. Brunel Way (154)

Nugmoose is enjoying these circular columns under Brunel Way these days, I spotted another new one yesterday when I was there, but they remain a real challenge to photograph, and I would prefer a flat wall piece any day. Nugmoose, I think it is safe to say, is one of the most interesting artists in Bristol, due to his themed approach of weird and wonderful alien figures and scenes.

Nugmoose, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2022
Nugmoose, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2022

This alien has a whole lot of brain sticking out of the top of its head, and a rather long pink neck, but otherwise is dressed reasonably conventionally. This is all a bit weird, and were my grandmother still alive today, it might prompt her to offer a penny for his thoughts. Fun stuff nicely painted.

Thursday doors – 28 April 2022

Doors 182 – Doors of Montpelier, Bristol

A quick introduction this week – work pressures are as heavy as ever. These doors were photographed on a dog walk a week or so ago, in a nearby area of Bristol called Montpelier (or Montepeculiar by some), famed for the Bohemian lifestyle of its inhabitants, whether accurately or not. I hope you enjoy my little tour of doors in the district.

Green door with a fabulous lizard knocker, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Green door with a fabulous lizard knocker, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Bloopy door, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Mr Bloopy door, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Number 33 - distressed door, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Number 33 – distressed door, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Door and shuttered garage, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Door and shuttered garage, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Alex Lucas artwork around a blue door, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Alex Lucas artwork around a blue door, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Red door, lilac walls and a temple, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Red door, lilac walls and a temple, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022

So that’s it for another week. May I wish you all a very happy 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

Holly Blue

.

Small and delicate

motionless in the sunshine

a precious moment

.

by Scooj

4400. Dean Lane skate park (485)

In the space of little over a week, several mega-tag faces by Awkward appeared in Dean Lane skate park. I have not seen any of Awkward’s work for simply ages, so perhaps he found some spray cans somewhere and decided to get out there and paint. The result of his endeavours is that I have decided to pull them all together in this collection, reflecting his approach.

Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

Each of the mega-tags features a rather distressed cartoonish face and a speech bubble, with the word Awkward written in it, although you might not be able to decipher the writing if you didn’t know who the artist was.

Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

This yellow face appears to be crying blood tears and is accompanied by the words ‘Peace Now’ – a reference to the war in Ukraine, and other global conflicts I dare say.

Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

Awkward has been considerate and respectful with this yellow face with pyramidal eyes, inserting it into a collaboration piece that had been there for a few days, without damaging it, and perhaps even augmenting it.

Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

This final one on the edge of the famous Dean Lane curved wall is, along with the others, rather striking, and has the words ‘Join the Cloaks’ (I think) – I don’t know what it means. Since this little starburst of pieces, I haven’t seen anything more from Awkward… perhaps when he finds some more paint.

4399. Cumberland Basin

Solar is an artist who is horribly under-represented on the pages of Natural Adventures. I have dozens of photographs of his graffiti writing, but very little of it has seen the light of day. I have no idea why this has happened, because in my mind’s eye it feels like I have posted a lot of his work.

Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2022
Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2022

Solar is one of those ‘it does what it says on the tin’ artists who spells out Solar in most, if not all, of his pieces. His letters are quite boxy and the holes in the ‘o’ and ‘a’ are distinctively low and squished. This is a rather fun throw up that uses the space well. I really must dig out more of his work and share it.

4398. Dean Lane skate park (484)

In recent months, tattooist and street artist, Chill, has firmly established himself as a great cartoon character artist almost out of nowhere. His pieces have always been great to look at, but it is the frequency with which he has been painting them that has become so noticeable.

Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022

This fine piece in Dean Lane is typical of his distinctive work. Chill typically paints black and white characters that look like they have been lifted from a cartoonist’s sketchbook, set on a red or orange background, creating great contrast which helps the characters to stand out. Chill has stretched his usual modus operandi by including some green foliage and some decorative dotty spheres, that look like dandelion heads. Plenty of fun and action in this piece and cartoon-style eyes to die for.

4397. Moon Street (92)

It was while he was just setting up to paint this piece that I met Klashwhensober for the second or third time… I came back a couple of days later to photograph the final piece. This is another classic from the artist who never stops, and features his ‘Klash’ variant of letters.

Klashwhensober, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2022
Klashwhensober, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2022

I am guessing that Klashwhensober has painted these letter forms so many times that the interest comes from the fills, and here he has added interest with some touches of red and orange at the top left and bottom right and connected them with ribbons of red. I’m not sure what it all represents, but it is a nice irregular effect. When we spoke, he told me about another of his pieces in a hoarding opposite, so I have included it here for good measure.

Klashwhensober, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2022
Klashwhensober, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2022

I believe that Klashwhensober had painted a piece here before, but it had been overpainted, so he returned to claim back the spot. This piece spells out SOBA and once again the interest here is in his use of fill patterns. The three horizontally graded colours are augmented with stars, circles, rods and little curved bars. There is so much more to share with ypou from this artist, but I don’t know how I’m going to squeeze him in. I’ll have to find a way.

4396. Lucky Lane (4)

In a quiet backwater in Bedminster not far from Dean Lane, is this wonderful new piece from Pelmo, an artist better known for his studies of outsized people doing everyday things like riding bicycles. This pencil piece comes as something of a surprise, but clearly shows what a great artist Pelmo is.

Pelmo, Lucky Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Pelmo, Lucky Lane, Bristol, April 2022

I love artists who turn the ordinary into the extraordinary with their work, and this outstanding study of an eraser on the end of a pencil is so full of interest and movement. Pelmo has captured a moment in time that is so familiar to all of us, and yet something we probably never give a second thought to. Superbly sprayed, this beauty is a highlight of the year so far.

4395. BB Gallery (2)

As I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago, I have only recently discovered the delights of the Bristol to Bath cycle path gallery, and so many of the pieces that I photographed had been there for some time. This introduction is a preamble designed to explain why I am posting a beautiful piece by Rozalita that is obviously quite old because it features a clown, a subject or theme that she has moved away from in recent months.

Rozalita, BB Gallery, Bristol, April 2022
Rozalita, BB Gallery, Bristol, April 2022

This piece has been sprayed on boards that have been attached to a fence, giving it a bit of  a makeshift appearance. The face and neck ruffle are very nicely done, and the whole portrait is bursting with colour. I’m not sure exactly when this piece was painted, but she has visibly made great progress since then. I am a big fan of her work, and I am so pleased I eventually found this one, with a little help from Paul H.

4394. St George skate Park (14)

If only I were as quick to post John D’oh’s political commentary pieces as he is to prepare and spray his stencils… Natural Adventures would feel a bit more contemporary, but a trade-off has to happen, because there is so much high-quality street/graffiti art in Bristol, I invariably have a backlog. Within a day or two of the Rishi Sunak Spring Statement (which did little for the poorer communities facing a cost of living crisis) John D’oh had come up with this piece, although I think it was just before the furore of his wife’s non-dom status, it certainly continued to resonate.

John D'oh, St George skate park, Bristol, April 2022
John D’oh, St George skate park, Bristol, April 2022

I like it that John D’oh visits various skate parks around Bristol and beyond, because these are places where more people will get exposure to his art and his observations. It is a joy to capture and catalogue John D’oh’s work because in years to come we will be able to reflect on Tory Britain with some grounded and visceral reflections.