The curved wall in Dean Lane skate park is one of the most iconic and popular in Bristol as evidenced by the thick layers of paint that periodically peel off, often more than a centimetre thick. You can get a feel for the popularity of the wall from my updated ‘one wall many faces’ gallery of this wall
Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024
Mr Crawls has done us proud with one of his bird characters that have become so familiar around the city. One of the things that I love about his work is that he is constantly evolving and that even though he may return to former themes and subjects he always incorporates new elements that he has picked up along the way. This is a particularly attractive bird.
Soker and Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024
When the best get together, small miracles happen. And when I look at a collaboration between Soker and Sled One, I find myself asking (again) how do they do this? Of course, I know how they do it, but technically and creatively it becomes unfathomable.
Soker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024
The writing to the left is by Soker, and I would like to add that it is wonderful to see him out painting a little more often these days after a prolonged quiet period. The beautifully crafted letters are filled with a stunning combination of colours that work perfectly together. This is wildstyle graffiti writing at its best.
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2024
The character piece is by Sled One and features a young man (self-portrait?) gazing into a lava lamp filled with trippy smiley faces that bleed into the rest of the collaboration. Sled One not only creates these marvellous characters and scenes, but tells a whole story, which the viewer is challenged to piece together. This is a very special collaboration.
I am really flagging. This is a beauty from Hypo, who I met at the M32 roundabout a couple of days ago. He continues to turn out quality pieces with great regularity, and this one is so full of energy and effervescence.
Hypo, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024
We talked a little of his penchant for symmetry, and chatted about Werm who is going through a phase of writing his letters with a bilateral symmetry. In symmetry lies perfection… That’s yer lot, back to bed for me.
I have Covid. A pretty strong dose of it and am rather under the weather. This would go some way to explaining why I am late with today’s posts. Natural Adventures has strong ties with viruses, it was started in February 2015 while I was recovering from a really bad bout of flu. But for that I might not be sitting here writing right now.
Wispa, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2024
Wispa reminds me of Maria Von Trapp, a flibbertygibbet, a willow the wisp, a cloud. Her name would appear to be a good description of the way she travels the country, never staying too long, so it seems. This is a nice piece of writing that was painted alongside Werm a week or two back. Nice stuff and great to know she has been visiting.
Doors 280 – Doors of Central London – Part I – March 2024
As ever I continue to find myself pressed for time, and today is no exception. I am heading down to Cornwall later this morning on my annual fishing break with my long-suffering best mate. There may be an impact on next week’s Thursday Doors, as I return on Wednesday and will have a lot of catching up to do at work on Thursday. We’ll see.
These photographs were taken on a walk from a workshop I was running near Southampton Row in London back in March to the house where I lived with my parents after I left school and during my University years – more of that place in a couple of weeks. I love being able to combine my work trips/meetings/workshops/events with urban walks sniffing out doors and graffiti. On to the doors… I’m in a hurry remember?
Double set of next-door doors with attractive fanlights, Central London, March 2024
Beautiful door and porch and photobombing pigeon, Central London, March 2024
Steps – door – portico, Central London, March 2024
Steps – door – portico, Central London, March 2024
Steps – door – portico, Central London, March 2024
Benjamin Disraeli lived in this house, Central London, March 2024
Austere doors with stone image of Mercury, Central London, March 2024
That’s yer lot this week. More from the same walk next time. Until then toodle pip.
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.
Noise, Zake and Posh, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2024
This recent collaboration on the M32 roundabout full of mischief and colour. I would call it a PWA collaboration, but technically I am not sure about that. I have lost track of who is and isn’t in PWA, although I don’t actually think it matters much. The collaboration is from Noise, Zake and Posh (whose work I think I might have seen before, but who has not, until now, appeared in these pages).
Noise, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2024
Noise burst onto the scene about 18 months ago, and I don’t think he has hit the ground since, being one of the most regular graffiti writers in Bristol, painting either solo, or more frequently these days in collaborations or paint jams. Here he presents his chunky letters in a lovely purple and orange assemblage.
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2024
While Noise may be challenging for the crown of most prolific graffiti writer, Zake is the undisputed champion of cartoon character pieces – barely a week goes by without another of his distinctive contoured (light and shade) works making an appearance. Here, Zake has painted a slightly unhinged or alarming character for us… the lack of pupils in the eyes is always unsettling.
Posh, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2024
I believe that I have seen the little monocled character by Posh before, but can’t quite recall where or when. I don’t know, but I am making the assumption the the writing says POSH, although that might be over-speculating on my part. There is a very distinct style in this writing, with plenty of energy and fill detail – I would say the work of a busy mind. Great to welcome a new (to me) artist to the throng, and I will be looking out for more from Posh on my rounds.
My heart sang when I saw this wonderful piece by Daz Cat on the end of the long wall under Brunel Way. It is not the first time he has decorated this spot with a cat, and somehow the space lends itself really well to his upright characters, which I guess is why he paints there.
Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2024
In this piece, the androgenous cat is doing a hand stand on top of a globe or water or a toilet seat, or something decorated with clouds. The pants the cat is wearing are hilarious, and the tottering movement of the legs, brilliantly portrayed. This Daz Cat at his fabulous story-telling best.
A couple of weeks ago, before we drove our daughter to her new university adventure, I had to drop the dog off with a dog-sitter which took me to a part of town I don’t go to all that often. While I wouldn’t describe the area of Redfield as a graffiti/street art hotspot, there are a few pieces knocking about the place and it is always worth having a little explore. I got lucky and found this Taboo piece, which might have been there for some time, but it was a discovery for me nonetheless.
Taboo, Dove Lane, Bristol, September 2024
This is a fabulous anti-style graffiti writing/character combination piece that Taboo is so good at, full of innovation and charm as well as being a little bit surreal. The letters spell out TABOO, with the last ‘O’ represented by a bricky busily building a wall. This is a wonderful piece that demonstrates the rare and extraordinary talents of Taboo.
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