It isn’t all that often that you find graffiti writing by 3Dom, and I had to do a double take when I saw this piece to remind myself what his writing looks like. One of the very first pieces I posted by 3Dom was a piece of writing not unlike this one.
3Dom, Greenbank, Bristol, December 2024
The letters spell out the artist’s moniker and are elaborately filled with intricate patterns and incredible detail that 3Dom specialises in. The colour palette is nicely chosen and cleverly distributed within and around the letters. A wonderful surprise on one of the last walks I had before going off on my holiday.
Today is my first day back at work after a week away, and I am bracing myself for a whirlwind of emails, and will be hearing about How I will be helping another department, which is causing me huge anxiety, as I am already working at full capacity. Inevitably, this and other future posts will be shortened until I am in a new rhythm.
I was lucky enough to bump into Sworm and also meet Omie for the first time, who was working alongside Sworm, as they painted their Christmas collaboration.
Sworm, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2024
This piece displays Sworm’s talents really well, and although the colour scheme is fairly simple, the overall writing is complex and beautifully worked. Because I saw this piece as a work in progress, I was struck by how similar the process was to how Elvs paints his pieces. Basically, Swarm started with the white fill, and then added the outline and detail as an overlay. The result is stunning. Unfortunately, when I returned to take these pictures, Omie’s letters has been overpainted, which was a real pity.
The Bristol City Council have continued on their mission to buff some of the popular graffiti walls, probably as a community service offer for offenders. It is a futile exercise, creating new clean backdrops for graffiti writers and street artists, let alone taggers and bombers. Sub moved in on this spot reasonably quickly, marking it out with a couple of drafts, reserving the space, before painting this large piece.
Sub, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024
Sub is working really well to improve his work, and it is certainly paying off for him. His colour selection for this piece is wicked, his 3D drop shadow effective and his plasma cloud is a nicely worked feature, but I feel that with such large flat letters he needs to experiment a little bit more with fills or decorations. This is a fine eye-catching piece, and I fully expect to see further development this year.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024
This pair of walls at one of the tunnel entrances on the M32 roundabout has been used before in this way not so long ago by Daz Cat. This time it is the turn of Kid Krishna, and a couple of his classic CRIE pieces.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024
These distinctive roller-brushed pieces can be found all over Bristol, and on their own might not appear to be all that impressive, but as a collection, they most certainly are. The two pieces here are similar but not the same, each differing in detail. It has been a pretty busy 2024 for Kid Krishna, and I expect 2025 to be much the same.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2024
Perspicere, Hornsey Road, North London, December 2024
This piece by Perspicere is opposite the Banksy tree on Hornsey Road, London, and was photographed while walking to a Football match with my son a couple of weeks back. Not only was I not expecting the Banksy piece, but this thread installation by Perspicere was a superb bonus.
Perspicere, Hornsey Road, North London, December 2024
It was a dark and foggy evening when we were passing by, and I dare say that this piece is probably best viewed in daylight. The threads, suspended from the edges of the board, combine to make out a mature oak tree in a field, casting a long shadow. It is a wonderful composition and another beauty from the artist who uses this specialist technique. Another unexpected joy.
It is my birthday today. It is a busy day of packing, sightseeing and travelling. We are due to return to Bristol at around midnight, when our little break will sadly be over. Some great experiences and memories will remain with us and sustain us through the rest of the winter, I hope. I found this piece by Billy a little too late I fear, it would have been nice to have seen it without the tags.
Billy, Braggs Lane, Bristol, December 2024
Billy’s no nonsense simplicity and story-telling illustrative pieces are a real strength, and this piece shines through the tags with class. My guess, and it is a guess, is that this is a mural about peace in Palestine. The bird might be a dove, the semi-circular shapes might be watermelons, a motif of Palestine. Of course, it could be something else entirely. Whatever it is, there is a story in the illustration. Nice work from Billy.
I think it would be fair to say that Kush is massively underrepresented in Natural Adventures, and although I have pictures of his work dating back years, I have only ever published two of them here, this being the second. I will try to make improvements in this area this year, because Kush’s pieces deserve to be seen more.
Kush, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024
This piece was painted on the swimming pool wall which is only accessible by climbing up onto the lower roof of the pool, and can only be photographed from distance, unless climbing is your thing (it is no longer mine). I love this combination piece. The writing is beautifully filled with red and white in a tablecloth design running through the letters. The mischievous character is a girl with boggle eyes and a beret, spraying out the letters. It is a well-conceived and executed piece and deserving of praise. I will try harder to post pieces by Kush in 2025.
For most of last year Biers kept his WD40 pieces going with some rhythm and regularity, but the combination character/writing pieces dropped off significantly. Is is almost as if he lost inspiration for his characters, which is a pity, because I believe they complement his letters nicely.
Biers, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024
This tidy piece of writing is nicely presented and uses the red, white, black and grey combination of colours that work so well in graffiti writing, and which Decay used to good effect for many years. The No Frills crew have been well represented in 2024, and long may that continue into this new year.
Doors 291 – Street art and graffiti doors of Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, November to December 2023
I am on holiday in Marrakesh, lucky me, and so am re-purposing some doors from my street art archives for Thursday doors, because I don’t have access to my home PC. Of course I am collecting dozens of Moroccan doors to share with you later in the year.
Today’s doors were originally posted in November and December 2023, but may have been photographed some time before. I hope you enjoy them. Normal service should resume next time.
Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023
Creamy Lines, Leonard Lane, Bristol November 2023
A partial shutter (cheating a bit)
Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Unknown collaboration, The Carriageworks, Bristol, November 2023
Artwork on a ghost door.
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
3Dom, The Carriageworks, Bristol, November 2023
Artwork on a ghost door.
Rob Lee, Sheffield, November 2023
Mr Cenz, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
That yer lot for this week, wishing you all a fabulous week from North Africa. Back to freezing cold Britain for next time (boo).
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.
Natural adventures 