June 2023 – Natural adventures

5332. Brunel Way (212)

Lee Roy and Waste, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023

This was my third attempt at photographing this fine collaboration from Lee Roy and Waste, under Brunel Way, because of the rather irritating light and shadow that is cast on sunny days from the left. I got there in the end. I was lucky enough to be there when the artists were painting the piece and I got to meet Lee Roy for the first time, and what a genuinely lovely person he is – we chatted plenty.

The collaborative wall is clever in that each side is a reversed-out colour version of the other, and how different they look, using the same powerful pink and black colour scheme. Lee Roy talked to me about his rather free style and said that he used to write really tight letters, in a more traditional graffiti manner, but that he found it increasingly unenjoyable, striving for perfection and instead has adopted a more liberated style, tending towards anti-style. He certainly seems to be happy with his current work, and has been churning out pieces at a terrific rate so far this year.

I don’t know much about Waste, other than that he is a friend of Lee Roy’s from out of town. I forget where… Cardiff? Swindon? I should have made a note. I like this piece a lot, and note that Waste has made things easy for himself, using the ‘tram-lines’ in the wall to keep his letters regular. All in all a very nice collaborative wall, which fortunately remained undogged long enough for me to get some decent photographs.

5331. Dean Lane skate park (613)

One of the first street artists/graffiti writers I met, way back, was Jee See, while he was painting a column under the M32 motorway. He was really happy to talk about his work and was very welcoming, giving me the confidence to keep going with my blog.

This ‘seismic’ piece on the famous curved wall in Dean Lane makes me laugh, because it illustrates the importance of bringing a ladder or finding something to stand on when painting tall walls. Jee See’s familiar block letters with 3D drop shadows diverging halfway through the piece have been a steady feature of the street art scene for some years, although he doesn’t appear to paint all that often these days. The piece presents well, with white letters on a black background – nice and simple.

5330. Dean Lane skate park (612)

Corupt is another of the Bristol stalwarts, whose work is consistently on-point and pleasing to the eye. This vibrant yellow piece spelling out STICK (one of two monikers the artist uses) is painted on one of the smaller ramps in the Dean Lane skate park.

What I particularly like about this piece is that when I photographed it, it was still quite fresh. Skate park ramp artwork usually deteriorates reasonably quickly for obvious reasons, and it is unusual to find pieces in good condition. There is nothing flashy or pretentious about this piece, and yet it still packs a punch and makes an impression.

5329. Brunel Way (211)

There is no doubt about it, Mote is in a very rich vein of form, not only with productivity, but also with his series of bird monsters, which appear to have inspired him greatly, and which I must say are rather appealing. I also like the way that Mote has grown the range of formats, from thin columns to squares to landscape orientation.

Mote has drawn on nature itself, recognising the delineation between a bird’s face and the rest of its plumage, more apparent in some species than in others, for example parrots and vultures. There is some interesting fill work in the two halves of green, reversing the drip colours, and some of the drips falling out of the monster’s face and on to the floor. I have loads more to post from Mote, just from June, let alone pieces that are loitering in my archive.

5328. M32 roundabout J3 (485)

Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

I have said many times before on Natural Adventures that it is always a great pleasure to welcome new artists, and over the last year or so there have been an incredible number of new entrants onto the scene. One of the latest to showcase her work is Hiccup, a Bristol artist, nail artist and creator of hand-crafted jewellery.

This is a nicely worked piece of a hand holding an old brick cell phone – I had one like it for many years. The letters ACAB (All Cops are Bast**ds) appear in the display – a common motif for street artists. Nails feature prominently, which perhaps comes as no surprise. A nice piece, with plenty more to come, I hope.

Thursday Doors – 29 June 2023

Micklegate bar (gate) and city wall, York, June 2023

Doors 226 – Doors of York City (1)

I was lucky enough to attend a conference in Harrogate last week, but decided to stay the night before in the nearby City of York, with some of my colleagues. I could tell from the moment of stepping off the train that this was going to be one hell of a doorscursion. To do it justice, I really needed to spend a couple of days in the place, but unfortunately only had an evening, basically the walk from the station to the hotel, and the walk from the hotel to a restaurant. My long-suffering colleagues had to keep waiting while I yelled from behind, ‘just one more door’. I realised that it takes a special kind of person to be interested in doors, and that most people are not.

This first set of doors are from outside the city walls, which are most impressive, as is the whole city, in fact York is a place I must visit again, but as a tourist rather than a delegate. Heree are some doors for you:

Pillar box red door with black surround, York, June 2023

Recessed blue door with steps, York, June 2023

Recessed turquoise door with steps and tiles, York, June 2023

I couldn’t resist the ghost door at the end, mainly to show to my son, who is an apprentice stonemason and is interested in all kinds of stone work.

Well, that’s it for this week, and I hope to bring you some more York doors next time. Have a fabulous rest of week and weekend. Adios.

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

Fisher

A slow flowing glide

and overcast conditions

perfect for fishing

by Scooj

5327. Dean Lane skate park (611)

Cheo and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Cheo has definitely woken up from a reasonably long quiet period, and it would appear that his friend and painting collaborator Dibz has ha something to do with it, at a guess. The two have combined to create this wonderful picture-frame piece featuring a Vaughn Bode lizard by Cheo and tight writing from Dibz.

The influence of Vaughn Bode on the graffiti art scene has been quite extraordinary, and continues to be as vibrant now as when the artist himself was alive. Che’s lizard is perfectly drafted with a lot more perspective and depth than some renditions I have seen. The bee, of course, is lovely too. Dibz has gone for some rather more basic writing than we are used to seeing, but it is just so perfectly executed, flawless I would say. This is a very good collaborative wall from two of Bristol’s finest artists.

5326. Queen Street, York

A week ago, I travelled up to the North of England for a conference in Harrogate on Thursday, but stayed the night before in York. On the walk from the station to the hotel, I passed this magnificent beetle piece by ATM. I have to say it was the last thing I expected to see in York, and I think it might be one of the few pieces of street art in the city, but somehow I got lucky and found it.

ATM is a bit of a specialist in wildlife and conservation murals, and this tansy beetle piece is no exception. It is painted on Tansy House, and highlights the plight of this once widespread beetle in the UK that is now restricted to a few pockets of wetlands, including the area around York. The tansy beetle is named after the plant, which is associated with wetland habitats.

When we hear stories about the decline in wildlife in the UK, this is exactly what we are talking about. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and much of the loss is due to habitat loss, and the emergence of intensive agriculture after the second world war. A better balance between farming and nature needs to be achieved, if we want to see nature thrive once again. We are nothing without the natural systems around us that support our life and wellbeing.

Mr Sleven

A gallery of creative and imaginative street art from Bristol’s Mr Sleven

Instagram: @mr.sle7en

All photographs by Scooj

	paulh121 on 6011. Sparke Evans Park (…
	paulh121 on 6008. Dean Lane skate park…
	Teresa on Thursday doors – 9 May 2…
	scooj on Northern lights
	paulh121 on 6006. Greenbank (115)

	paulh121 on 6011. Sparke Evans Park (…
	paulh121 on 6008. Dean Lane skate park…
	Teresa on Thursday doors – 9 May 2…
	scooj on Northern lights
	paulh121 on 6006. Greenbank (115)

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