.
In front of our eyes
powerful oligarchy
shredding the rule book
.
by Scooj
Author: scooj
I am Stephen. I live in Bristol, UK. I decided to shorten my profile...to this: Wildlife, haiku, travel, streetart, psychogeography and my family. Not necessarily in that order.
6695. M32 Spot (198)
I can’t believe that today is the last day of January… I swear that time is accelerating, or at least that is how it feels (it is my age you know). I recollect that Stivs told me a long time ago that he and Mest had shared a flat for a while, which might account for this coming together to paint this collaborative wall.
Stivs has been smashing it consistently for a long time, and his current penchant for painting characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is a very welcome theme. A fun fact – did you know that ponds and lakes up and down the country (particularly in the south) are populated with terrapins (a non-native species) which were purchased by children and families thanks to the power of the movie franchise, as adorable exotic little pets. Little terrapins grow into big terrapins, and as these creatures outgrew their tanks, people released them into the wild (an illegal act without a licence). Some survived and have adapted to their new environment, and that is why you might spot them if you keep your eyes open.
I have always liked the simplicity of Mest’s writing, and although he doesn’t paint all that often, he manages to retain his style and technique with ease. The letters, in an informal font, are nicely proportioned and filled without being fussy. There is a very nicely done drop shadow, which again is delivered without fuss. What lifts the piece, in my view, is the way the greys work with the background colour and the fabulous interface created with the subtle green border. A fine collaboration.
6694. Dean Lane skate park (801)
I have a sense that 2025 is going to be a good one for street art in Bristol. Already January, a month that is traditionally rather slow, has been a very active period with loads of artists hitting the ground running. A signal that we could be in for a treat this year is the early appearance of Kid Crayon and I am Ian in Dean Lane.
This skull piece by I am Ian is full of joy and humour. Painted in a mischievous cartoon style, the grinning skull is accompanied by the slogan ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’, which I guess is a brief description of our existence. The character is expertly painted, with some great shading and fine lines to create features and depth. A wonderful way to start the year.
The Emperor’s new clothes
.
An idiot King
and his idiot-in-chief
play their silly games
.
by Scooj
6693. Frome Side (48)
As someone who photographs and writes about street and graffiti art, it can be quite a challenge keeping up with Instagram monikers and even the letters that artists write. Bbygwya, AKA Flux, writes Flux. Luxe and in this instance Lukz and you have to know her style and range of letters to be able to identify her work successfully.
This piece was painted under the M32, alongside the River Frome early this month, and might signal a healthy presence from her and the RBF crew, who have all had a pretty busy January. Her letters have that unruly feel to them, being slightly irregular. The fills are nicely done and capped off with a couple of brilliant starbursts. Like other pieces painted during this session, there is some rain damage, which suggests that it was a wet paint day. There is a nice final touch… the shout out to Mena.
6692. M32 roundabout J2 (8)
It is always a little sad when street/graffiti artists move away from Bristol, but some consolation that new artists are emerging or moving to the city, generally at a faster rate, growing the incredible pool of talent. PWA (Pirate Wall Art) took a double hit at the end of 2024, with both Face 1st and Chill leaving town and leaving behind a significant void. Face 1st, it should be registered, has returned several times to paint, just as he said he would. This piece by Chill, however, I think was painted before he left, which made it all the sweeter to find.
Chill has managed to squeeze one of his stylish cartoon characters onto a column with great skill and without making it look too distorted or contrived. I will miss his urban street-wise people with their caps and ear discs. If you miss them too, here is an updated gallery of his outstanding work.
Thursday doors – 30 January 2025 – Doors of Peterborough
Doors 294 – Doors of Peterborough (Part II)
As is so often the case, I am a little pressed for time this week, having been volunteered to take on some extra work (which I have no capacity to do) for another parallel team until the end of March. New relationships, ways of working and projects adds up to heightened pressure, but I will not allow this to interfere too much with my mindful moments such as Thursday Doors and photographing street art.
This is the second selection of doors from Peterborough, which bring us closer to the area around the Cathedral, and an area that was historically wealthier than the surrounding districts. I hope you enjoy them.
There is not a lot more to add this week, so I will look forward to 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 Thursday Doors post.
by Scooj
6691. Sparke Evans Park (118)
This beauty was painted by Peggy at the RBF paint jam celebrating Desi and Even’s birthdays. She has adhered perfectly to the theme of the paint jam, which was the Japanese Studio Ghibli and presented this No Face character from Spirited Away.
Of course, the central element of Peggy’s piece is the floral patterns, with each flower stem containing an eye, something of a signature in her work. Wrapped around the flowers is a black cloak belonging to the No Face character. Three cute little fluffy spiders finish the piece off nicely.
6690. Greenbank (150)
So Mind 49 gets the year off to a cracking start with this fine piece, combining two contrasting styles, demonstrating his awesome technical ability. Mind 49 has always had an activist streak, and many of his early pieces were themed along the lines of animal rights. This one appears to be more about peace, and might be a commentary on the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.
The character is beautifully painted, peering over a scarf that covers up the lower half of his face. The folds in the material are superbly painted. Superimposed over the portrait is a crudely drawn cartoon of a gun being snapped in half and a dove of peace flying off. The peace symbol to the right indicates quite clearly what this wonderful work is all about. I’m looking forward to a great year ahead from Mind 49, I also think it might be time for a gallery of his work.
6689. Frome Side (47)
I don’t get down to this spot underneath the M32 nearly as much as I’d like to, but I do get there often enough to capture most of the pieces that are painted there, because the turnover is quite slow. This is a wonderful Bloem piece that was painted alongside her friend Sub.
I have noticed that quite a few of the pieces that have been painted over the winter in this spot are showing signs of rain damage, including this one. This piece is a bit of a ‘retro’ piece for Bloem, taking us back to some of her earlier themes when she was painting under the name Hiccup, such as the ‘brick’ mobile phone clutched in a hand with very long fingernails. It is always such a treat finding her work.
Natural adventures 