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.

1583. Jamaica Street (15)

Some of you might be familiar with the cosmic work of Cheba, but I have never seen any of his pieces as dazzlingly colourful and ‘in your face’ as this one. This wall previously played host to another slightly unusual pink cosmic piece by Cheba, but this one completely trumps it.

Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, June 2018
Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, June 2018

You might notice from the feature image ast the top, a tiny little ceramic ‘my little pony’ which was sited there a couple of years ago by Chinagirl Tile. It is brilliant that it has survived intact. Perhaps people just don’t notice it.

Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, June 2018
Cheba, Jamaica Street, Bristol, June 2018

The detail in this Cheba pieceshows you why he is one of the best at these stellar murals in the business – it is a bit of a niche thing, but he does it better that any of the others (in my view). Great to see something new and challenging from this Bristol artist.

1582. Dean Lane skate park (141)

I have really only been featuring work from Biers for about a year or so, since I first started to recognise his work. I have since met him several times and have enjoyed our conversations. Having contact with street artists is important in getting a better insight into their work and what makes them tick.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018

I know from Biers’ Instagram account that his food is important to him, as is his black book in which many of his pieces begin. Seeing his sketches gives me a real feel for his style, and for me, it is the ‘B’ that always stands out in all his work and so it is in this one.

 

Back door

I can’t remember

a summer as good as this,

back door left open.

 

by Scooj

1581. Hotwell Road

I first saw this magnificent piece on Silent Hobo’s Instagram feed just after he had started it and I knew straight away that it was an epic mural.  This commission from Bristol food connections (a city-wide, week long food festival) is on the perfect wall on Hotwell Road and rises to three stories.

Silent Hobo, Hotwell Road, Bristol, June 2018
Silent Hobo, Hotwell Road, Bristol, June 2018

It is unusual to see such a large mural in Bristol, especially outside the Upfest or See No Evil areas, so this is something pretty special. Silent Hobo is an artist who captures a mood, especially among youngsters, and translates it into his often highly detailed works.

Silent Hobo, Hotwell Road, Bristol, June 2018
Silent Hobo, Hotwell Road, Bristol, June 2018

I like the extra things he has worked into the piece – a reference to Clifton suspension bridge and some pizza deliveries being made by drones. The whole thing has a real crossover between rural and urban, modern and vintage and quaint and edgy. A master work.

Silent Hobo, Hotwell Road, Bristol, June 2018
Silent Hobo, Hotwell Road, Bristol, June 2018

We are lucky in Bristol to have so many talented artists. What Silent Hobo gives us is real soul and relevance. I love this huge piece.

1580. Dean Street

Always, always take a walk down that back street, you never know what you might see. I recently did just that in a small road that leads into Dean Lane and was rewarded with this wonderful wheatpaste by qWeRT.

qWeRT, Dean Street, Bristol, June 2018
qWeRT, Dean Street, Bristol, June 2018

This paste up is framed so expertly it is as if the space was created for it. I think this was put up on a reasonably recent trip to Bristol by qWeRT and is one of several characters dotted about the place. You will know that I love qWeRT’s work and that I am very partial to wheatpaste work generally. Chuffed to bits with stumbling across it.

1579. Norfolk Place (3)

Oh, will this gorgeous weather never end? It is causing havoc with my photographs!

No prizes for guessing who this glorious piece is by, it is of course Deamze, the master of wildstyle writing accompanied by a cartoon character.

Deamze, Norfolk Place, Bristol, June 2018
Deamze, Norfolk Place, Bristol, June 2018

The Character in this piece is a rather worse-for-wear looking Batman with the obligatory spray can. Even though the work is on a textured surface, the piece is crisp and clean.

Deamze, Norfolk Place, Bristol, June 2018
Deamze, Norfolk Place, Bristol, June 2018

Deamze uses several writing styles in his work, and this one incorporates his zig-zaggy shapes that make up the letters D E A M Z. A lovely fresh piece for the summer.

White good interruption

 

Washing maching beeps

persistently insistent;

blooming annoying.

 

by Scooj

1578. St Werburghs tunnel (26)

Getting to know an artist and to become familiar with their style and content is all part of the fun of hunting street art. I have only seen three pieces by KiKi? and so far haven’t been able to find anything on digital media about them. In a way, knowing nothing is a great place to start because you can come to your own conclusions about the work without external influences creating any bias .

KiKi, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2018
KiKi, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2018

I can honestly say from my limited exposure to KiKi that I am very struck by their work. It all feels pretty organic and centered around animals and beasts of one sort or another. This piece looks like some kind of Chinese dragon breathing fire and has an archaic feel to it…something you might see on the side of a temple for example.

KiKi, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2018
KiKi, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2018

The light at the ends of the St Werburghs tunnel make it very difficult to get an evenly lit picture, but even with the poor quality of photograph, I think you can see that this is a fine piece of work. I need to try and find out more about KiKi.

KiKi?, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018
KiKi?, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018

1577. Dean Lane skate park (141)

Well now, this is something really different and most welcome in Dean Lane. This piece is by a visiting artist currently living and working in London, Ruki Chuki. She is originally from New York and started painting the streets in 2007, so has had plenty of time to refuine her technique and style.

Ruki Chuki, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018
Ruki Chuki, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018

It is her style that is so attractive and so very different from anything we usually get to see in Bristol. The picture of a couple in a tight embrace is also an unusual theme for the Bristol scene and is something we could probably do a little bit more of – spreading the love.

Ruki Chuki, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018
Ruki Chuki, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018

When you get to see the work of visitors I feel it is a real privilege, and one we should embrace. I guess the epitome of welcoming visiting street artists will come at the end of the month with the arrival of Upfest 2018. It really isn’t too long to wait, but long enough for the weather to turn. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed it isn’t as wet as last year.

The line up for Upfest 2018 makes eye-watering reading. Getting very excited.

Thursday doors

Door 38

Cabot doors 002 29 June 2018

This week I thought I’d take you on a little tour to one of the very special places in Bristol, Cabot Tower on Brandon Hill. The Thursday door is a bit of an excuse really to share something that lies behind the door, so door specialists had better lower their expectations. To all those who are keen to know who discovered the coast of North America in 1497, read on…

Cabot doors 025 29 June 2018

Cabot Tower was built in 1897/98 to commemorate the fourth centenary of John Cabot’s (Giovanni Caboto) discovery of the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England. John Cabot set out from Bristol on the 2 May 1497 on The Matthew with 18 crew members and made landfall in Newfoundland on 24 June that same yesy. What a voyage that must have been on this tiny ship.

Cabot doors 003 29 June 2018

There are several plaques on the outside of the tower that offer some historuical context.

Cabot doors 005 29 June 2018

This is the foundation stone.

Cabot doors 006 29 June 2018

Ok, so here are some doors… this is the rather underwhelming door immediately inside the tower – I expect it was once the kiosk, but now the tower is un-manned and permanently open to the public. The steep spiral staircase starts to the left.

Cabot doors 008 29 June 2018

Another door, this one without glass, opens out at the first stage with three balconies looking out to the South, West and East.

Cabot doors 010 29 June 2018

The reason for climbing the stairs is to take in the breathtaking views of Bristol. This is looking south and the building with the green roof immediately after the park is where I work.

Cabot doors 011 29 June 2018

Zooming in a little to the South West you can see I. K. Brunel’s SS Great Britain in its permanent dry dock. The little cottage just at the stern of the ship is the building that Brunel worked from.

Cabot doors 014 29 June 2018

Another of Brunel’s extraordinary landmarks, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, can be seen to the West and spans across the Avon Gorge, through which Cabot would have sailed all those centuries ago.

Cabot doors 020 29 June 2018

Serendipitously, the modern replica of Cabot’s Matthew was motoring around the floating Harbour, just as I reached the top of the tower. It is a very small boat to be crossing the Atlantic in.

Cabot doors 021 29 June 2018

Then to the door back down…

Cabot doors 023 29 June 2018

And the slightly tatty and scary stairwell.

 

by Scooj

More doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0