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.

2198. Wilder Street (30)

It is unusual to see incomplete pieces, that are unlikely to be completed at any time in the future, if fact they are such a rare thing that I can only think of three or four examples in the four years I have been doing this. Rarer still is an incomplete Sled One piece, but here is one on the side wall of the garage in Wilder Street.

Sled One, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2019
Sled One, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2019

My understanding is that he got asked to move on, although I am not sure whether that was by the garage owner or somebody else. What it gives you though is a little insight into how a sketched wall turns into something quite remarkable. The zebra on the left is almost complete, but the horse on the right seems to be only half done. What a pity he never got to complete it, because from what we see here, it is a real cracker.

2197. North Street

This is one of a few new pieces organised by Upfest who are curating some hoardings around a tower block on North Street. It is of course by the magnificent Silent Hobo who expertly, through his observations, chronicles contemporary youth culture in Bristol.

Silent Hobo, North Street, Bristol, May 2019
Silent Hobo, North Street, Bristol, May 2019

Silent Hobo has created an urban scene that looks a lot like the DIY skate park under the M32, although it is fairly generic and could portray any urban flyover. He has captured mood and movement in this piece and is beating the drum for this great city. It was a difficult piece to photograph because it is behind a fence, and I was on my toes, arms at full extension, which would explain why the edges are a little cut-off. Such a fine piece.

Magnificent Severn

.

Landscape scale impacts

showcasing human presence

still the Severn flows.

.

by Scooj

2196. St Werburghs tunnel (78)

I’ve not posted anything by T-Rex for a little while now, but was lucky enough to come across this wonderful piece in St Werburghs tunnel recently. It was painted during quite a large paint jam a week or so ago alongside work by other RAW artists.

T-Rex, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2019
T-Rex, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2019

Having just bought some spray paint and tried out a little in my garden, I can’t begin to explain how difficult this is and what exceptional talent and experience is needed to produce a piece like this one. The shapes of the letters, the incredible fill patterns and sharp lines, not to mention the expressive dinosaur, are so well worked. I don’t really understand how these guys do it. T-Rex, I doff my cap. The sooner I pack away my paint the better.

2195. M32 Cycle path (25)

The street art posts I bring you here on Natural Adventures are only a fraction of the total that appear on the streets of Bristol every day. My archives swell under the sheer volume of photographs and our computer barely functions due, in part, to disc space issues (time for a new one?). This means that I have to be reasonably selective about what I post, and this piece on my first trawl was marginal, because I have so many Soap pieces.

Soap, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2019
Soap, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2019

On a further inspection though it made the cut. I think that it is a wonderful piece, but the colours somehow send the whole thing into the background and if you weren’t on the ball you could easily miss this piece and walk straight on by. A lovely crown and halo, and ‘hair made of Soap tags. Glad I pulled this one out of the folder and posted it.

2194. Mina Road (4)

Mina Road, (pronounced my na) rather conveniently runs between the M32 roundabout in St Agnes and St Werburghs, and is a cut-through I use sometimes when I’m out grabbing shots of street/graffiti art. New hoardings are often a magnet for spray-can artists and this spanking new one has landed this splendid Epok piece.

Epok, Mina Road, Bristol, May 2019
Epok, Mina Road, Bristol, May 2019

Spelling our EPOK, this is a classic work from the artist, incorporating a complex selection of colours and that wonderful combination of curves and straight lines and angles that he excels at. A really great piece of writing, and how much nicer than the dull woodchip wall.

2193. St Werburghs tunnel (77)

Another artist I will never tire of is Laic217 and this piece in St Werburghs tunnel is so typical of his great work. Another weed-smoking bucket-hatted skull, which he simply gets better and better at crafting.

Laic217, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2019
Laic217, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2019

I feel a real closeness with Laic217’s work because since I started doing this recording  Bristol street art thing in 2015 I have watched his work closely and seen his style develop significantly, and although his subjects are often similar, the depth and complexity of his pieces constantly grows. Love this one.

A, B, C.

 

Learning to spray-paint

with my A, B, Cs. There is

plenty of headroom.

 

by Scooj

 

  • I’ve finally set myself up with some boards in the garden and paint. This is going to be a very long and difficult journey. It is so difficult, and my admiration for the artists I write about has gone stratospheric. I thought I’d start with the alphabet, and see if repetition and practice get me anywhere. If, by the time I get to Z I have made no improvement, then I’ll hang up my boots, and accept that I am just not cut out for this. But if I don’t try, I’ll never know.

2192. North Street

On North Street some hoardings have recently been erected around a tower block, which is either due to be renovated or demolished, I am not too sure which. Anyhow the hoardings look like they will be staying for a while, and Upfest are curating them, which means that they will probably remain in reasonably good condition and be reserved for selected artists.

Sepr, North Street, Bristol, May 2019
Sepr, North Street, Bristol, May 2019

This piece is by the fabulous Sepr and features a lady with a cat and some mischievous looking mice. The grayscale piece is punctuated with a little pink on the cat and the woman’s mouth… I have no idea what is going on with the pink but it looks good. I admire greatly Sepr’s clean retro style and never tire of the humorous scenes he creates.