Ah, what a joy it is to witness the genesis of a graffiti writer. I believe that this is only the second piece of graffiti writing that Bloem has painted, and her artistic skills are such that you simply wouldn’t know that was the case.
Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024
This piece of writing is clean and tight, with fabulous colours and a nicely buffed background to help the whole thing stand out, and stand out it does. Her letters are very nicely arranged, beautifully filled and finished off with a decent 3D drop shadow and tidy border. I like the shout-out to Sub, who painted the wall opposite. Bravo!
I like the way that Werm is constantly trying to find new ways to present his letters, and explores different looks, while retaining his essential style. This piece takes him into the realms of bilateral symmetry of his letters WERM, which works surprisingly well.
Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
The letter colours contrast strongly with the green background, helping the piece to stand out… it will not be ignored. There is something quite mesmerising about the symmetry, and I like the direction this idea is taking. The left-hand side is stretched a little bit, knocking the symmetry out a fraction, but this is all something that Werm can work on and improve. Great new innovation from Werm.
Doors 275 – Doors of Birmingham, UK, November 2023
Back in November, I had a meeting in Birmingham. I think it was a large team meeting, and because we have colleagues located all around the country, Birmingham was chosen as the venue because it is pretty central, and reduces travel costs and time for most people.
These pictures were taken between the station and the meeting venue, which would appear to be the heart of the law district in Birmingham, with plenty of chambers and the Birmingham Law Library. There are some surprisingly interesting doors in the selection, which were photographed in a bit of a hurry during the ten-minute walk.
Trocadero and Albert Chambers doors, Birmingham, November 2023Anticipating Christmas doors, Birmingham, November 2023Fire exit door and fine masonry, Birmingham, November 2023Austere Temple Buildings doors, Birmingham, November 2023Birmingham Law Library doors, Birmingham, November 2023Black doors and fancy stone faces, Birmingham, November 2023Double set of doors at Newton Chambers, Birmingham, November 2023
So that’s it from me this week, and from Birmingham for the time being. I’ll have to root around in my folders to decide what to post next time. May I wish you a great weekend ahead.
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.
Two things I really enjoy about Mr Crawls’ work are his desire to grow and develop his ideas, while underpinning them with his magic style and the frequency with which he paints, constantly keeping the interest going in locations all over the city.
Mr Crawls, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024
I haven’t seen anything quite like this from Mr Crawls before, although the head, hat and chrome background are reasonably familiar themes. It is the bottom half of thee piece that introduces a whole new aspect that is different and one which it will be interesting to see if he replicates or uses again. Definitely an eye-catching design in a great spot.
Ailish Beadle, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Painted on a sunny and warm day at Bristol’s smallest street art festival, this is a debut piece (in Bristol) by Ailish Beadle, who had only moved to Bristol a few days previously. It was great to be able to chat to her and welcome her to the city and its art scene.
Ailish Beadle, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Ailish Beadle was refreshing/reimagining a piece that had been painted here before by Rtiiika, but which had been tagged and abused. She was able to breathe new life into the great words in her own illustration style, which as it turns out is rather good and totally in keeping with the Bristol Mural Collective’s ‘look’.
Ailish Beadle, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
A rather nice touch, and nod to the original piece, is the incorporation of the smiley face. The words in red in the centre are complemented perfectly with an array of designs and patterns in black and a sprinkling of dots, creating plenty of energy and movement. I very much look forward top seeing more from Ailish Beadle on the streets of Bristol.
Taqi Spateen, Upfest 2024, North Street, Bristol, June 2024
I think that this might be one of my favourite pieces from Upfest 2024. I have always been a big fan of trompe l’oeil work and love pieces that make use of, and incorporate, the space they are painted in. This pair of murals by Palestinian artist Taqi Spateen delivers in spadefuls on both counts.
Taqi Spateen, Upfest 2024, North Street, Bristol, May 2024
Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to stop and chat with the artist when he was painting this piece, as I would have liked to have complimented him directly on creating such a charming scene in this little corner at the end of North Street.
Taqi Spateen, Upfest 2024, North Street, Bristol, June 2024
The girl on the left-hand archway is stretching on her tiptoes to reach an unreasonably high door knocker, with a door lock above it, totally out of reach. The girl’s beautiful clothes are wonderfully painted, with all the folds and textures so well observed. The shadows cast by the wall and by the girl add to the illusion of depth.
Taqi Spateen, Upfest 2024, North Street, Bristol, June 2024
The boy on the right has something of a stiffer challenge, attempting to scale his door on a rope, so that he can reach the four locks, using the bunch of keys hanging off his backpack. That we can’t see either of the children’s faces adds to the mystery.
The murals would appear to be some kind of metaphor about inaccessibility and hopelessness, but also about a determination in the face of adversity. My guess would be that the war in Gaza is very much behind the piece, although I might be reading too much into it. Whatever it is about, they are a truly magnificent pair of murals, worth a trip to Bedminster alone.
Ejits, Upfest 2024, Greville Smyth Park, Bristol, May 2024
A few weeks after Ejits painted this piece for Upfest, I was fortunate enough to meet her while she was painting a larger wall at the Cheltenham Paint Festival. She told me a little bit about her style and that she uses brushes for her work, because although she uses spray paint, her can control is not up to it for fine detail.
Ejits, Upfest 2024, Greville Smyth Park, Bristol, May 2024
This is the second farting character piece I have posted in a matter of days, the other one was by Pl8o, this one however is a farting unicorn, farting rainbows, as they do. I have a feeling that Beep Monkey painted a rainbow-farting unicorn a few years ago. Obviously it is a thing. Ejits has painted this beautifully over a challenging wall with plenty of different textures to contend with. Neat, tidy, fun and cute… nice work all round.
Billy, Upfest 2024, Myrtle Street, Bristol, May 2024
Being a young parent can be tough for anyone, but Billy and Merny managed admirably while Billy was painting this wonderful mural at Upfest this year. Merny was on dad duty around the corner selling merchandise, allowing mum to complete her work. Merny completed his piece a few days later.
Billy, Upfest 2024, Myrtle Street, Bristol, May 2024
Billy has painted a repeating puffin mural on this car park wall, which is difficult to photograph without obstructions (cars). Each puffin has a different and uplifting symbol in its middle, and each is painted in a different colour palette. A really nice piece adjacent to a school, so age appropriate too. Great work from Billy.
Angus, Upfest 2024, Greville Road, Bristol, May 2024
Angus is a Bristol street artist who has been delighting locals and visitors alike for years and is an ever-present at each Upfest festival. He is an artist who is constantly looking for the next idea, having moved on from spray painting to mosaics, which he has now refined using small building blocks like Lego. Note to self… need to do an Angus gallery.
Angus, Upfest 2024, Greville Road, Bristol, May 2024
This piece, on a wall that Angus has decorated before, is a retro arcade game piece, and he has replaced Nintendo logo with his name in the same style. The blocky nature of the building blocks gives the impression that the piece is pixelated, just like the games looked in the early days. Brilliant stuff from Angus.
Natural adventures 