Visiting artists are very welcome in Bristol and inject excitement and variation into what is already a vibrant community. Squarms visited in July and left a few skeletons about the place for us to find and admire.
Squarms, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
These skeletons are on the recently buffed columns at the southern end of the Brunel Way Spot, known as Daveside by skaters (Correction, this little area is called Curb Side, a few meters away and across the road from Daveside). These sketched designs of dancing skeletons are most endearing, and capture a sense of energy and fun. The design formula works really well with the black and white bones set on a pink drop shadow. These characters stand out nicely of the grey buff (thank you, Bristol City Council!). More to come from Squarms.
It is always a great pleasure for people like me, who spend a bit of time looking for and critiquing street art, when an artist floods the streets with their work, and Zinso has certainly done that in June and July this year.
Zinso, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2025
This is a really nice piece of graffiti writing set on a great splash of blue, masking the underlying graffiti. The light cream letters are nicely shaped with a red border and deeper red drop shadow. The colour combinations are superb. Although I posted a couple of pieces by Zinso a few years ago, his new lease of life has been a revelation.
It really isn’t that long ago that Bloem was painting rather basic fingers, cellphones and devilled cherries in some of the less popular spots all around Bristol, but her accelerated progress means that her work is more than comfortable alongside some of the best writers in the city.
Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2025
This is a wonderful and complex combination piece, with some amazing writing and a cartoon-style hand (long nails of course). The weave pattern used to fill her letters is beautifully worked, and very neat and tidy. Every element of the piece has been nicely thought out and has come together really well. This is one of those pieces that actually looks better in a photograph, than it does in situ, perhaps because of its complexity. What a talent.
Doors 319 – Doors of Godalming, Surrey, March 2025 (Part V)
Are we really in August already? Life canters on with little respite, which makes writing a blog all the more important, taking time to think, reflect and write before returning to the maelstrom.
This is the last in a series of doors from Godalming, a small town in Surrey, which I visited on a work trip back in March this year. Although I had heard and was aware of the town most of my life, it wasn’t until my work took me there that I visited the place. I am super-lucky that one aspect of my job takes me all around the country to stay in towns and cities, many of which I get to visit for the first time. I chronicle my ‘tours’ through photographing doors and street art (if there is any), which feels like a nice way to remember a place. Enough chit-chat – on to this week’s doors. I hope you enjoy them.
An unusual door with a suspended canopy, Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
‘Please shut the gate’ door, Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Faux Regency door to a closed down retail outlet with a lot of notices, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Black door with a large oval window, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Black coat of arms embedded in a wall in Pound Lane, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Two doors in a timber frame building, Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Five sets of doors on a timber frame building, Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Large timber frame building with tiered floors and shop doors, High Street Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Small red door with a flood wall built in front of it, Westbrook Road, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
The red door, was the last one I photographed in Godalming and was from a small cottage situated directly adjacent to the brook (West Brook?), which was obviously exposed to frequent flooding, hence the brick flood wall blocking the entrance. I think that there was another entrance on the side of the building that was a more practical access to the cottage.
I very much enjoyed my night stopover in Godalming, and would recommend a visit if you happen ever to be in the area.
Something a little different next time.
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 weekly Thursday Doors post.
Noise has been painting in Bristol for a little over two years now, and I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting him. I guess our clocks just aren’t synchronised – I tend to go for my exploratory dog walks at lunchtime or after work usually on weekdays, so I imagine Noise’s paint time pattern doesn’t match… or maybe we just haven’t been at the same place at the same time. It can happen that way.
Noise, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2025
This is a big fat piece with big fat letters, which is what Noise does best. His letters are like a visual version of onomatopoeia, in so much as their size and imposition looks like noise to me. Does any of that make sense? The letters are filled with yellow, and some murky muddy colour, I suppose I would describe the piece as mustard noise. Great stuff.
This is a tribute piece, one of many to the late Paroe, on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park. Pekoe’s stylised portrait pieces are no stranger to Natural Adventures and I have observed over the years that emotions underpin her pieces and that is for sure the case here.
Pekoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2025
The woman has a sorrowful expression, somewhat amplified by the tear of sadness. Tears used to be a common feature of Pekoe’s pieces, but of late they have been less common, perhaps reflecting her own happier disposition.
Pekoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2025
This piece is archetypal Pekoe, and that is a wonderful thing. A beautiful portrait with strong features, especially eyes and lips, and some great shading. The wonderful hair is a trademark element of Pekoe’s work which is nicely coloured with green and yellow bands. Another fine portrait piece from Pekoe.
Werm and Scrapyardspec, River Avon, Bristol, July 2025
In my mind, some collaborations were just meant to be, and this magnificent joint venture from Werm and Scrapyardspec is simply awesome. Two utterly different styles, a writer and a character artist, have combined with skilful design and colour sharing to create a piece that just works brilliantly.
Werm and Scrapyardspec, River Avon, Bristol, July 2025
There is nothing pretentious about this combination piece, just two artists comfortable with what they do where the resulting whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The letters by Werm are nicely executed with straightforward fills and a bold white border. Scrapyardspec’s goofy character replaces the ‘E’ of ‘WERM’ and is integrated into the word with the clever use of an orange border bringing everything into the single piece. Excellent work, full of the joy of street art friendship.
Sub had a busy month in July and appears to be pushing the boundaries with his work. This piece tucked away on the M32 roundabout seems to be a practice for a combination piece he followed up with in Peel Street Green (to follow soon).
Sub, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Sub’s chunky letters and deep drop shadows in icy blues, together with a couple of decorative cracks, are accompanied by a Mario character which I would describe, perhaps a little harshly, as a good first effort. It doesn’t help that the eyes are a bit untidy. What you might notice, when I post the next version of the character in a few days the vast improvement. The learning journey with Sub continues.
I haven’t seen anything from Mudra for an age, so it was so good to find this piece as part of the extraordinary paint jam in this sleepy cul-de-sac in Knowle West. Unfortunately, the parked cars presented a bit of a photography challenge, but I think I just about got away with it.
Mudra (and dog), Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
Mudra has spelled out his name in his distinctive style of treating each letter as a discrete ‘mini-piece’ that when combined all come together very nicely. Lots of colour, and the character face on the letter D has something very special and quite chilling about it. I hope this signals a return to the streets for Mudra.
Natural adventures 