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.

5738. River Avon (56)

Mena, River Avon, Bristol, December 2023
Mena, River Avon, Bristol, December 2023

It has been a while since I last posted a piece by Mena, and in fact, I think that she is rather underrepresented on Natural Adventures overall. I am sure that I have several photographs of her pieces in my archives that I never posted, which feels kind of wrong really and I am minded to do something about it when I find the time.

Mena, River Avon, Bristol, December 2023
Mena, River Avon, Bristol, December 2023

It would be quite easy to walk past this piece and dismiss it, but that would be quite wrong. This is classy writing of the highest level. Great letters, with a nicely worked drop shadow and a brilliant and intricate fill pattern that runs throughout. The icing on the cake is the brilliant white accents to the right of the letters helping the piece to pop from the wall. This is great stuff from Mena.

5737. Dean Lane skate park (673)

Mr Crawls and Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

Well, they’ve been at it again, and I love it. Mote and Mr Crawls seem to be enjoying their collaborative outings, and not content with picking a single spot, they have been painting together all over the city. This piece in Dean Lane is tucked away between the railings and the swimming pool, and not the easiest to photograph.

Mr Crawls and Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

The collaboration has a slightly gory story to it, with an axe embedded in each of the characters and blood spurting from the wounds. Mr Crawls’ bird character has a slightly sinister look to it, I think it might be the eyes, and has a beak that looks like it might belong to a seabird like an albatross or something. Mote has reverted to one of his happy-go-lucky monster characters, although the axe would looks particularly nasty piercing one of his eyes. All a little bit weird. Plenty more from these two to come.

5736. St Werburghs tunnel (394)

Mr Devas, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Devas, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

While I know of Mr Devas, the artist who painted this graffiti writing in the tunnel, I have a feeling that this is the first time I have ever posted a piece by him on Natural Adventures. This tells me that he is an occasional visitor to Bristol and not a regular.

Mr Devas, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Devas, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

The writing spells out DEVAS and reminds me a little of Javiceus’ writing style and colours. The interlocking letters in blue and pink (the memorable colours of 2023) are nicely thought out and beautifully painted, supported by a classy 3D drop shadow in black. Nice work – I’ll have to see if I have other pieces by Mr Devas in my archive.

5735. M32 roundabout J3 (540)

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

Happy New Year. I am thrilled to start the year with this magnificent portrait piece that Pekoe painted during an RBF paint jam organised to celebrate her birthday. I can only say that she smashed it with this outstanding portrait painted in her own unique style.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

As with so many of Pekoe’s portraits there are three key elements that combine so well in her work, and they are the face, the hair and the decoration. In this piece, the face is beautiful, with eyes glancing left, a delicate nose, a mouth with gold markings and an ear with plenty of piercings. The hair is brilliant, tied up in bunches and the decoration in gold surrounds the portrait with leaves and peace symbols. A truly wonderful piece from Pekoe.

Beach walk

West Wittering, West Sussex, 1 January 2024
West Wittering, West Sussex, 1 January 2024

.

A New Year’s Day stroll

a sense of optimism

while dogs simply play

.

by Scooj

Happy dog, West Wittering, West Sussex, 1 January 2024
Happy dog, West Wittering, West Sussex, 1 January 2024

5734. Sheffield

Phlegm, Sheffield, November 2023
Phlegm, Sheffield, November 2023

I was very, very pleased to find this outstanding piece by Sheffield artist Phlegm, when I visited the city back in November last year. I would have missed it had I not dashed down a side road, while concluding a long walk with my daughter. She waited patiently for me on the Main Street and knew I had been successful by the smile on my face.

Phlegm, Sheffield, November 2023
Phlegm, Sheffield, November 2023

Phlegm is a world star of the street art scene, one of a few artists who has really become famous for his extraordinary black and white scenes. There is so much going on in this piece, it is best simply to look at it and see what stories it is telling. I was chuffed to bits finding this piece (I had no idea it even existed), and it just felt so right finding one of his pieces in his home city.

5733. Sheffield

Rob Lee, Sheffield, November 2023
Rob Lee, Sheffield, November 2023

Happy New Year. If all goes well, then I will have been exercising my ‘inner nerd’ this morning, fossil hunting in Bracklesham Bay. What this means is that I wrote this post, in the early hours of last night/this morning, after seeing in the New Year quietly with my wife, mother and the dog.

Rob Lee, Sheffield, November 2023
Rob Lee, Sheffield, November 2023

Back in November, I visited Sheffield with my daughter, who was looking at potential University courses. I was very taken with Sheffield, it is a lovely city with a great atmosphere and lovely people. Of course I managed to find a couple of pieces of street art. This rather large and wonderful mural is by Rob Lee. The bold abstract design is a strong statement piece that dominates the buildings that back onto a square. Fine work indeed.

5732. Manchester, Northern Quarter

Mr Cenz, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
Mr Cenz, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023

So I am rounding off 2023 with this wonderful piece by Mr Cenz in Manchester, which reminds me that I still haven’t posted his incredible piece from Stokes Croft in Bristol (note to self, dig it out and post it).

Mr Cenz, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
Mr Cenz, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023

This piece, like so much of Mr Cenz’ work is an absolute beauty. The mix of colours combined with the outstanding portrait artwork creates a stunning picture with photorealistic and abstract elements. There are other artists who use similar techniques to create interesting and beautiful portraits, including N4T4 and our very own Hazard. A fine way to round off the year.

West Wittering wind

.

End of year cobwebs

well and truly blown away

hoping for better

.

by Scooj

5731. Manchester, Northern Quarter

TEAone, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
TEAone, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023

It seems a little odd to be rounding off the year with a couple of pieces from Manchester, rather than from Bristol, but that is how they have rolled off the production line. In a way, 2023 has been a special year for me travelling around the country, and I have managed to find one or two pieces of street art along the way, including this beauty from TEAone in Manchester.

TEAone, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
TEAone, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023

I have only ever seen a handful of pieces by TEAone, but every one of them is an absolute stunner, and this is no different. TEAone has painted a colourful market scene which feels like it might be from a Mediterranean country – certainly a little warmer than a chilly November Manchester that is for sure.