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.
Seeing tribute and birthday pieces is always great to see, and it demonstrates the joy of painting for others, that selflessness that is a common trait in many street/graffiti artists, at least in my experience.
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021
This piece for Shosh by Stivs at the entrance of St Werburghs tunnel is an absolute beauty and shows just how wide Stiv’s range of calligraffiti is. The pink lettering looks like it has been applied with a wide paint brush, but is actually really nicely finished. Great shadows and decorations. A lovely piece that is very easy on the eye.
The artist needs no introduction, but for those of you not so familiar with some of the bigger names in street art, this is an incredible geisha piece by Dan Kitchener or Dank as he is sometimes known.
Dan Kitchener, Regent Street, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021
Everything about this piece is close to perfection. The location and wall, the proportions and of course the artwork. The parked car at the bottom left is the only blemish, and even that has little impact on the magnificence of the mural.
Dan Kitchener, Regent Street, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021
It seems that Dan Kitchener never stops. Every time I surf Instagram, he seems to have yet another new mural or canvass piece on the go, most of which are strongly themed with these Japanese street scenes, and for me have a touch of ‘Bladerunner’ about them.
Dan Kitchener, Regent Street, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021
To combine the geisha with the street scene is a clever shift, bringing together two elements that he loves to paint into one piece. The top half features a white-faced portrait of a geisha fully decked out with her amazing hair decorations and headdress.
Dan Kitchener, Regent Street, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021
Underneath the beautiful lady is a street scene, with neon signs and wet weather, of course, that Dan Kitchener captures so well and presents us with something full of bustle and atmosphere.
A brilliant piece and fabulous gift to the people of Weston-super-Mare.
Hot on the tail of his first piece on Natural Adventures, I am pleased to bring you this second one from last month. Of course, there are a whole ton of his pieces in my archives, but it will take me a little while to unearth them all.
Dopes, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Dopes seems to favour these large letters with chrome or other bold solid fills and accent highlights and the overall effect is a good one. I know he takes care with his work, and it is clear to see from the sharp and clean lines that he is really conscientious about his work. Lots more to come.
It takes a rather silly person or one who holds respect to paint over a 3Dom piece, and fortunately, Dott Rotten falls into the latter category. This is a magnificent and quite large ‘Spoilt’ piece at the top end of Stapleton Road by the M32 Spot.
Dott Rotten, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2021
The quality of the piece is right out of the top drawer and in addition to the superb writing Dott Rotten has treated us to the addition of some ghoulish scenery and a ghostly character. There is so much going on throughout the complex piece in three spaces – in the foreground is the writing sitting on a cloudy red and blue layer, and in the distance is the scene described earlier. A truly great piece.
Just lately there have been several new pieces by Kool Hand painted alongside Daz Cat, and I am guessing that he is back from London, at least for a little while. I am assuming that it is London where he has been because he has posted some pieces from there. These two have painted a lot together in the past, so it is great to see them teaming up once again.
Daz Cat and Kool Hand, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
This is a rather nice little wall on the entrance to one of the little tunnels on the M32 roundabout and the quick collaboration features a fairly typical Daz Cat cat alongside a bucket hat wearing leopard. Just another normal day in St Paul’s.
Kosc really is an extraordinary talent, especially as, under a different name, he is a graffiti writer with an utterly different style. Pieces like this are serious business for Kosc who is fine-tuning his skills for these photorealistic portraits and writing.
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, August 2021
Picton Lane is a wonderful Bristol backstreet in Montpelier that plays host to some classic pieces, of which this is one. I remember seeing it as a work in progress a long time ago, but didn’t get back until quite recently to enjoy it as a finished piece. I am full of admiration for the piece. It is so good, and I am not sure that I would be doing it justice by waffling on like I usually do, and I am doing right now.
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, August 2021
Kosc has reached a new level this year, and it is difficult to know how much higher he can take it. I wonder whether he should do a street art festival circuit to get better known outside Bristol, but that takes a lot of commitment. This black and white face is just awesome.
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, August 2021
The tiniest tinge of colour is provided by the magpie’s tail, but it is enough to lift the whole piece just that little bit more. It is Kosc’s attention to detail that makes this piece sing. An absolute beauty.
A really quick one this week, as I am on a fishing holiday with an old friend in Cornwall, and today is our last day so we have to pack up, and also go for a last session. The blog, for once, needs to take a back seat.
This is the final set of Truro doors from a family trip to Cornwall back in August. Enjoy.
Blue double doors, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021
Door with grand lion portico, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021
Green door within a door, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021
Arched door and steps, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021
So that is your lot for this week. All the very best until 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.
I think that this is the last piece to be posted from a recent and most welcome spate of excellent work by Flava136 in Bristol. Having said that, maybe his trips will continue to be more frequent, and he seems to clicked with quite a few members of the LRS crew in the city.
Flava136, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2021
As with the last piece I posted, Flava136 has produced some cryptic writing into this monster piece. I guess it says FLAVA or part of it, where the F is obvious, but thereafter I am clutching at straws a little – perhaps there is an L just above the tongue. Anyhow, this is yet another outstanding, sharp piece from Flava136.
Natural adventures 