Month: June 2024

Morning – 30 Days Wild (30/30)

Morning seascape, Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex, June 2024
Morning seascape, Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex, June 2024

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Where sea and sky meet

and thoughts turn to my forebears

hungry gulls paddle

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by Scooj

  • That concludes my 30 Days Wild series of Haiku. I hope you enjoyed them.
  • 30 Days Wild is an initiative organised by the Wildlife Trusts. It is an annual challenge event, for those who choose to participate, to do one ‘wild’ thing a day throughout the month of June. I will try to write a nature haiku every day if I can, as my contribution to this celebration of wildlife and biodiversity. I did this back in 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

6143. St Werburghs

Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024

Most of the photographs that appear on Natural Adventures are taken while I am out walking the long-suffering dog. Just occasionally, when he is in one of his more stubborn moods, he drags me in a different direction to my well trodden beat, and on this occasion he discovered this Zake piece on the side of a caravan in St Werburghs.

Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024

I have no idea how old the piece is, but it looks like some of Zake’s older work. Three wonderful cartoon-style face characters are bobbing on a splashy sea, or that is how it looks to me. His work is centred around light and shade and reflection, and it is brilliant to see how the blue of the water is reflected on the underside of the faces. A nice discovery by Rover.

6142. M32 roundabout J3 (586)

Evey, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Evey, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

Hurrah, for this cheeky piece of graffiti writing by Evey created during a paint jam organised by RBF (Resting Bitch face Crew) for Wispa’s birthday. Regular observers of Natural Adventures will note that this is not the first time Evey has used this idea, and given its popularity, she has created it again.

Evey, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Evey, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

The saucy letters – EVEN – contain a bottom and fishnet stockings to make up the ‘V’. The whole thing is full of fun, which some characterisation of both of the ‘Es’ thrown into the mix. A spiky orange surround and ‘confetti’ round off this party piece. Great wok from Evey.

Evey, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2024
Evey, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2024

6141. Montpelier Park

j9449j and Solar, Montpelier Park, Bristol, June 2024
j9449j and Solar, Montpelier Park, Bristol, June 2024

More and more these days, writers are stacking their graffiti writing, one piece on top of the other. I am not sure why they do this, perhaps it is all about proportions and wall space. Ultimately what it means is that you get two pieces for the price of one, and this double header is by j9449j (who keeps changing his handle on Instagram, so this will have to do) and Solar.

j9449j and Solar, Montpelier Park, Bristol, June 2024
j9449j and Solar, Montpelier Park, Bristol, June 2024

This spot is one I don’t get to all that often, but it is always worth it, because every time I have been recently, there has been something different on display. j9449j has painted some letters, which I struggle to decipher, but his organic and unique fills give away his identity. Solar, was recently the subject of a gallery I pulled together, and this anti-style writing flows beautifully, so typical of his work. A nice duo to stumble across.

Startled – 30 Days Wild (29/30)

Starlings, Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve, Cleethorpes, September 2023
Starlings, Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve, Cleethorpes, September 2023

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Taking to the sky

a flock of startled starlings

evade peregrine

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by Scooj

  • 30 Days Wild is an initiative organised by the Wildlife Trusts. It is an annual challenge event, for those who choose to participate, to do one ‘wild’ thing a day throughout the month of June. I will try to write a nature haiku every day if I can, as my contribution to this celebration of wildlife and biodiversity. I did this back in 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

6140. M32 roundabout J3 (585)

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

Something happened to Daz Cat while he was travelling in Southeast Asia over the winter. It is almost as if he had an epiphany after which his art has moved on to a new level. A glance at this gallery of his work shows how much he has developed over the years, but this transformation is a bit of a step change.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

Daz Cats work was already becoming more sophisticated, but since returning to the UK there is more fluidity in his work, which is more three dimensional, and he is trying out new things, such as the profile portrait of the girl in this piece. This is an exceptional and original piece of street art, and I think it might be my new favourite by Daz Cat. Whilst I was photographing it, a passer-by who was walking his dog, singled out this piece and said how much he admired it. Keep it up Daz Cat, this is special.

6139. St Werburghs tunnel (430)

Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024
Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024

We get three main types of artists in Bristol, broadly speaking. The resident artists who paint regularly, or at least are present in the city. Artists who visit on a reasonably regular basis, but live outside the city, and whose work can appear in fits and starts, and artists who visit usually as a one-off either for a festival, or to paint in Bristol because of its reputation as a street/graffiti art hub. Zaenone fits into the second category, and it is always great to come across his work.

Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024
Zaenone, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2024

This recent piece in the tunnel is colourful and beautifully presented. It comes without the character bookends that I have become accustomed to, but it is clean and crisp, and the buffed background gives it plenty of space to shine. The letters spell out ZAEN1, and apart from the ‘E’ are beautifully filled with blended colours. A colourful drop shadow with bars completed the piece nicely.

6138. M32 roundabout J3 (584)

Bnie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Bnie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

This wonderful piece by Bnie was painted during an interesting paint jam honouring Wispa’s birthday, even though she wasn’t present. That’s what friends are for. The theme for the paint jam was sweets and confections, I guess because Wispa is fond of such things.

Bnie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Bnie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

Bnie has gone to town with this amazing representation of a Yorkie bar, chocolate I haven’t eaten for more than twenty years, in which she has replaced the word Yorkie with her letters BNIE, in the correct brand style. I love this kind of piece, because it stretches the artist to step outside their comfort zone, and Bnie has done a cracking job with this one. The full RBF wall is shown in the photograph below:

Bnie + RBF paint jam, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Bnie + RBF paint jam, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

Himalayan Balsam – 30 Days Wild (28/30)

Himalayan balsam, Impatiens grandulifera, River Frome, Bristol, June 2024
Himalayan balsam, Impatiens grandulifera, River Frome, Bristol, June 2024

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Riparian strip

overwhelmed by invader

a beautiful weed

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by Scooj

  • 30 Days Wild is an initiative organised by the Wildlife Trusts. It is an annual challenge event, for those who choose to participate, to do one ‘wild’ thing a day throughout the month of June. I will try to write a nature haiku every day if I can, as my contribution to this celebration of wildlife and biodiversity. I did this back in 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

6137. Dean Lane skate park (725)

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2024
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2024

When I first met Jeviossoul, he was just starting up with his character portraits, but he promised me then that he would be hitting the city hard with his ‘slow lane’ pieces. True to his word, he has been productive, particularly on the fringe spots, but occasionally hitting some of the more popular walls like this one in Dean Lane.

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2024
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2024

I like to think of Jevoissoul as a bit of a diamond in the rough, who has an interesting style that he is improving. It is not only his style that is getting better, but his technique is definitely on the up too. This piece might be his tidiest yet, and features his character with an orange cap, swallowing an acid tab, with the words ‘one love’ in accompaniment. Watch this space to see how he progresses.