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.

Thursday doors – 22 July 2021

Doors 155 – yet more archive street art doors

I had been hoping to post some squeaky, fresh new doors this week, and although I have taken the photographs, I haven’t been able to download them yet. I can be pretty confident that next week I will be able to switch it up a bit. Until then, you’ll have to make do with these archive street/graffiti art doors from earlier this year.

Nina Raines, Phoebe Tonks and Ana Cruz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Nina Raines, Phoebe Tonks and Ana Cruz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Dabuten Tronko, Felix Road, Bristol, February 2021
Dabuten Tronko, Felix Road, Bristol, February 2021
Tatty door, nice frame, Montpelier, Bristol, January 2021
Tatty door, nice frame, Montpelier, Bristol, January 2021
Mr Bloopy tag on a knackered old door, Bristol, July 2020
Mr Bloopy tag on a knackered old door, Bristol, July 2020
Mr Penfold door, St Phillips, Bristol, February 2021
Mr Penfold door, St Phillips, Bristol, February 2021
Corrugated iron gate, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Corrugated iron gate, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, December 2020

So that’s it for another week.

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

Scavenger

.

You cannot blame him

bred to seek out by smelling

picnic treats abound

.

by Scooj

3809. River Avon (17)

Wherever you are in Bristol you are probably never too far away from a piece by Eman. This is an artist who has spent the last six months or so bombarding Bristol’s walls with writing and characters, stretching his portfolio ever wider.

Eman, River Avon, Bristol, June 2021
Eman, River Avon, Bristol, June 2021

This character piece is one that he is fond of, and it has cropped up in Natural Adventures a couple of times before. It is a character that Eman has used for his Instagram profile, so it it one he obviously identifies with. Painted an the cycle path alongside the River Avon, this blue face stands out from the crowd. Always more to come from Eman.

3808. Upfest 2021 75×75 (16)

The quality of artists and their artwork for the Upfest 75 walls in 75 days event has been astonishingly high, and Bristolians are blessed and privileged to have so much free art to enjoy. It is sad therefore, to report that a couple of days ago several of the pieces were badly tagged by some idiot who bears a grudge against Upfest. Don’t think for one second that the irony is lost on me, but the Upfest guest list is of the highest order and their work should be respected. One or two pieces have been repaired, and I hope the others will too. Fortunately this one was too high for the grubby vandal to deface.

TEAone, West Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest21
TEAone, West Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest21

This work by TEAone AKA Gavin Renshaw is truly outstanding and has a relaxed rural feel about it. What could be nicer than a musician strumming away in a café scene such as this? I had thought of talking to the artist while he was working on it, but at the moment I was there he didn’t look in the right space for a chat, so I left him to it.

TEAone, West Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest21
TEAone, West Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest21

The writing spells TONE, TEAone, geddit? And the overall composition has a strong 1950/60s look both in design and colours. Those little iron café chairs are exquisite, and the piece is rounded off perfectly with some clever shading, especially around the hat and face of the musician. This is a superb addition to the 75 walls.

Mortgage-free

.

A red-letter day

years living under bank loans

beholden no more

.

by Scooj

3807. Brunel Way (117)

It would seem that Jee See has awoken from quite a long slumber, and is hitting walls again with his trademark SEISMIC letters, in this case with a large piece under Brunel Way.

Jee See, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Jee See, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

Jee See’s pieces are usually quite easy to identify, in particular his seismic series, in which he tricks us with 3D shadows being cast in different directions halfway through the letters. This piece in bright red, with black shading is very nicely prepped and finished, and it would seem that he took his time crafting it. More to come from Jee See soon.

3806. New Stadium Road (34)

I met Mest for the first time the day before the Euro 20 final while he was painting an England variant of his letters (to come). We stopped for a long chat, and as with so many graffiti/street artists, he was a lovely bloke, happy to answer my rather inane questions and observations.

Mest, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2021
Mest, New Stadium Road, Bristol, June 2021

This piece under the M32 is a nice example of his work using three fill colours in his letters with some additional swirly decorations, but it is the red circles which have been incorporated into his letters that stand out for me. It won’t be too long before I have enough of his pieces to do a gallery.

Feeling the heat

.

Temperatures rise

tempers rise in harmony

it’s time to keep cool

.

by Scooj

3805. Upfest 2021 75×75 (15)

I have had a few days away from Bristol, which came on the back of a period of self-isolation, and as a result have gone into a bit of blind panic. This is the 15th 75×75 Upfest piece that I have written about, and I understand that 50 have now been completed, so I have a lot of work to do to catch up on some of these. This piece from Sophie Mills was one of the first I photographed, and was lucky enough to be there when she was just finishing the piece off.

Sophie Mills Thomas, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Sophie Mills Thomas, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

A rhinoceros wearing a party hat is certainly a fairly unusual theme, and the hat looks a little incongruous, not only in it being a hat, but also in the painting style, almost as if it had been added by someone else after the event. Another interesting thing which might have been deliberate or coincidental is that Sophie Mills Thomas’s trousers are a perfect colour match for the piece she is painting.

Sophie Mills Thomas, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Sophie Mills Thomas, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

This is a small but impactful piece that is bang in the middle of North Street and next to an Inky/Cheo Mibsy tribute piece that has remained intact for several years. A fine addition to Upfest’s summer event.

3804. Gloucester Road

The wet fish shop on Gloucester Road is a bit of a landmark, and certainly you always know when you are walking past it. At weekends and in the evenings you might get lucky and see the shop when the shutters are down and enjoy this fishy mural from Nina Raines.

Nina Raines, Gloucester Road, Bristol, June 2021
Nina Raines, Gloucester Road, Bristol, June 2021

Although the piece has been here for some time, I only recently walked past it at the right time with a camera handy. As a marine biologist (by training and in my heart) I love seeing marine themed street art and these lobsters, crab and mackerel are just the ticket. Something of a contrast with Nina’s wonderful collaboration piece on the dental practice in Bedminster, showing off her versatility.