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.

5707. Exeter

None Here, Exeter, October 2023
None Here, Exeter, October 2023

One of the difficulties of posting pieces from towns and cities that aren’t Bristol is that I don’t know where the photographs are taken, and so the titles become rather generic, for example in this one I have simply given it the label Exeter. I have done a little detective work, and the pub sign just behind the bush says ‘The Nest’ so, using Google maps, I know that this piece is on New N Road.

None Here, Exeter, October 2023
None Here, Exeter, October 2023

The rather endearing collection of birds is by resident artist None Here, whose work can be found all over the city. Although the artwork is a little naive, it is most captivating, and great to know that somebody is out there decorating spots that would otherwise be dull and lifeless. Although the birds are generally non-descript, I think I can see a gull and a heron. More to come from my trip to Exeter back in October.

5706. Dean Lane skate park (670)

Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

Dibz and Fade have been a tour de force this year and I have featured a lot of their work on Natural Adventures along the way. I think that this collaborative piece might be the last this side of Christmas, and it is yet another cracker from the duo, a Christmas cracker if you like.

Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

Adopting their usual format for long walls of a piece of graffiti writing from each artist, positioned either side of a central feature piece by either of them or a ‘guest’ artist like Jody or Sikoh. To the left, Fade has written a lovely sharp FADER FUA in pink and green letters, either side of which are cartoon characters, although I have utterly failed to identify what film/series they come from.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

On the right, Dibz has written his name in glorious gold with a sumptuous purple drop shadow and pink border, all as crisp as you’d expect from him. The character in this piece is, I think, Count Duckula, and some green gloop oozes from the piece in an evil way on the sides.

Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

The feature in the middle portrays a full moon with the letters FUA KREW, which is their From Up Above crew name. I don’t know which artist painted the letters, but they are 100 percent on point, in quite a challenging arrangement. Some great work from two of the tidiest artists around.

5705. Cumberland Basin

Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2023
Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2023

My train journey to London continues and the service is heaving. Christmas shopping and football matches have swelled the normal Sunday passenger numbers, but somehow I have managed to keep my unreserved seat beyond Chippenham, so I think I am safe. The above might not make much sense if it is not read in sequence from the previous two posts (5703 and 5704).

Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2023
Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2023

This is the second piece by Sait Bare that I have posted on Natural Adventures, although I think it was painted before the first. I am still acquainting myself with his work, and as he doesn’t appear to paint very regularly, I am still forming my thoughts about his style and execution. This is a fine piece of writing/character combination work, and the border lines and details are very nice and sharp.  The letter fills too are really nicely done with some great fades and ‘gaseous’ patterning. The character is quite straightforward with a quirky appearance. All good, and I look forward to seeing more from Sait Bare in the New Year.

5704. Dean Lane skate park (669)

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

I think I might have survived a rather tense potential seat eviction from the train I am taking to London, and will continue to write as if my life depended on it. Somehow this rather nice Laic217 piece slipped through my net, but regular reviews of my archive folders tend to pick up any stragglers.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

Laic217 has painted one of his rather grotesque distorted faces, rather than a skeleton in this instance, although the character is gaunt and skeletal. One is drawn to the rather ugly mouth and floating cigarette/joint, but as usual Laic217 excels with the clothing being warn by his character. If I can, I try to publish everything I photograph by Laic217, which is a rare accolade afforded to any artist within Natural Adventures.

Journey

.

Bristol to Bath Spa

Swindon and Didcot Parkway

London Paddington

.

by Scooj

* I know. A rather lazy haiku today.

5703. St Werburghs tunnel (392)

Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

I am currently on my way to London to watch Arsenal play Brighton in the Premier League, my first match of the season. The train is expected to be very full, and I don’t have a reserved seat (even though I ordered on when I bought the tickets). I expect to be evicted at any moment, so will keep this short.

Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

Mr Crawls seems to be having the time of his life, whether it is on his own or painting with Mote. This is a fine variation on his bird theme on the farm end of the tunnel, and shows off the inner workings of one of his birds. More of these to come.

5702. Manchester, Northern Quarter

Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023

One of my favourite pieces from recent Upfest festivals was the magnificent piece in North Street by Liam Bononi, so it was just perfect to come across this outstanding piece by the artist in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023

There is so much to admire in his work, from the composition through to the incredible execution. There is so much fine detail in the subject’s face and hands, with every wrinkle and fold of skin beautifully painted. His work tends to play with the viewer, with the photorealistic image being fragmented or distorted in some way, with hands clutching the face, perhaps indicating some kind of anguish that is not present in the face itself. Truly wonderful street art, and free for all to see.

5701. Manchester, Northern Quarter

Qubek, Northern Quarter, Mancester, November 2023
Qubek, Northern Quarter, Mancester, November 2023

Discovering the Northern Quarter in Manchester was like entering Aladdin’s cave. My daughter and I were wondering around aimlessly, killing a bit of time before heading back to the hotel, picking up our bags and catching the train on to Sheffield. I knew there was quite an active street art scene in Manchester, but I hadn’t had time to research it, so to find this area, which reminded me a lot of Shoreditch, was a super-bonus.

Qubek, Northern Quarter, Mancester, November 2023
Qubek, Northern Quarter, Mancester, November 2023

My knowledge of artists outside the Bristol area is rudimentary at best, and I don’t think I have seen anything by Qubek before. What a piece to start with! The lama, a creature notorious for spitting, is looking suitably cheeky, and the sign next to it says ‘please don’t feed the lama’ with the word ‘feed’ crossed out and replaced with ‘kiss’. Why anyone would want to do such a thing I would never know. A classy piece on a well-used hoarding.

5700. Nottingham

Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023

I think that Kid30 is synonymous with Nottingham or vice versa, as he certainly seems to be the most prominent street artist in the city, with his work popping up all over the place. I only saw this piece after I had gone past it and looked behind me, whilst rushing to a meeting with my team colleagues.

Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023

I think the piece was painted in early September and Kid30, according to his Instagram, said it was the first time he had painted this spot, and due to the pigeon attention, likely to be the last. There are plenty of cartoon characters stitched in to the piece, but I can only make out a few of them. Betty Boop, with somebody else’s eyes, Yogi Bear (I think), Homer Simpson and the head of another cartoon hero. The picture of a masked character that is being pasted up appears in a lot of Kid30’s work, and I think is called Smallkid. I really like his style and would like to see much, much more.

5699. Nottingham

Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023
Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023

I have been on quite a few what I call ‘road trips’ lately for both work and touring universities with my daughter – it is perhaps a misnomer, because I invariably travel by rail, which means I am reliant on my legs to get me around the cities and towns that I visit.

This year I have managed to have a walk about in London, Weston-super-Mare, York, Lincoln, Cleethorpes, Exeter, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, and in most of these locations have sniffed out some street art and doors. It feels a little bit like I have been ‘on tour’ and I rather enjoy it. The street art and graffiti that I find is always rewarding, because I am unfamiliar with the locations and often the artists too. This wonderful mural, I stumbled across in Nottingham, falls into that category perfectly.

Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023
Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023

This is a beautiful mural painted above a clothes shop by Laura Decorum, who started her artistic journey with face-painting – she has come a very long way indeed. The mural is difficult to photograph because of the narrowness of the street and height of the mural, but I think you get the picture. I think that the piece was painted sometime around July this year, and was probably either a commission or a festival piece. There are lots of things to admire from the stylised female character to the objects and textures, the fold is very nicely sone. A treat.