This is a cheeky little piece by Enn Kay, on a small ramp at the southern end of the Daveside DIY skate park. Somehow Enn Kay manages to create a really soft finish to some of his pieces, and I don’t know how he does it. Maybe it is the pastel colours or his shading skills.
Enn Kay, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2023
I have a feeling that the monster character was painted on a pre-existing abstract piece, although it is possible that Enn Kay painted the background as well, but it doesn’t really fit with his style. It is always good to see his monster pieces about the place. Barp!
This stunner by Mena, writing MENAS, is her contribution to the recent Burberry’s themed paint jam, recently held in Sparke Evans Park. It is a clever theme, with each artist incorporating the Burberry check in their own way. It is interesting how a household brand is so instantly recognisable, even if it isn’t necessarily presented in the form that we are used to seeing.
Mena, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2023
This is a real quality piece of writing from Mena, whose work is probably underrepresented on Natural Adventures. It might even be the best that I have seen from her. Perfect colours, complex checks and a sound 3D drop-shadow and border combine to make this a most enjoyable piece. A couple more and I will have enough for a gallery.
When I first found this falling monkey on the M32 Cycle path, I was left pondering whom it was painted by, and although it was signed, I didn’t have enough to go on to be able to post the piece at that time. It is by Bean, who has been making a bit of an impact this April, hitting the walls of Bristol pretty hard.
Bean, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Bean has painted several different characters and certainly has a versatile approach and creative imagination. I am a big fan of monkeys in street art, and since Nightwayss left us, there has been a shortage of simian artwork, so it was good to find this piece. I am expecting great things from Bean this year, if April is anything to go by.
Laic217 has awoken from a little bit of a winter slumber, and what a joy it is to see his work appearing on the streets again. I must have found this one pretty quickly after he had painted it, because I hadn’t seen it on any social media when I stumbled across it.
Laic217, River Avon, Bristol, April 2023
This piece demonstrates the impact of colours against greyscale. We see one of Laic217’s skeleton characters complete with textured clothes, a neck chain and baseball cap all painted in black, greys and white. The portrait piece is brought alive with the addition of rainbow colours on the character’s lightweight sunglasses, changing the whole dynamic of the piece – imagine how it would look without the splash of colour. Clever work from Laic217.
Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022
Following on immediately from the previous post featuring Katie Fishlock, here is a piece that she painted, in collaboration with Fyona Finn back in April 2022, a year ago. Once again we see a bold statement accompanied by a carefully crafted illustration.
Fishlock and Fyona Finn, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2022
Fishlock’s style seems to be very much about the message and arresting imageryto help drive it home. Some clever wordplay is at work here and the phrase can be read as ‘Love is expansive’ or a rather more pessimistic version ‘Love is expensive’. I suspect both are true statements, and that is the point. I don’t know which artist did which bit of this piece, but as a collaboration it works perfectly. Maybe we’ll have another chapter in April 2024.
I go to great lengths to try and keep my street art/graffiti posts fresh by mixing up the locations and artists each time I post. Today I am making an exception, posting not only the same artist, Katie Fishlock, in two consecutive posts, but also in the same spot, Elton street.
Fishhlock, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
I am not particularly familiar with Fishlock’s work, although the next post is a piece by her from last year. I think she is mostly a designer and illustrator working in the studio, who from time to time paints murals. Her messages are usually pretty hard-hitting, and this particular phrase is something she has been working on in her designs. Really eye-catching and interesting. A simple message very tidily delivered.
I am running a workshop in London today, so I prepared this post last night. All the doors in this post have previously been posted in my graffiti/street art category, but this is the first time for Thursday Doors. The doors were first posted in June 2022. Enjoy:
Irony, North Street, Bristol, June 2022
Painted by Irony during Upfest, Europe’s largest street art festival.
Taboo, North Street, Bristol, June 2022
Poor Mickey.
Zake, The Full Moon, Bristol, June 2022Goin, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022Felix Braun (FLX), Nelson Street, Bristol, June 2022Oaktree, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Utility box door in Porto
Oaktree, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Another utility box door in Porto
Vhils, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
So much street art to enjoy in Porto.
So there we have it for another week. May I wish you all a happy weekend.
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.
Slim Pickings (Tes), Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
There was a time, when turnover was slower and the number of artists was fewer, that I would post every piece by Slim Pickings (TES) that I saw. Now, I have an embarrassingly large number of his pieces sitting in my archive, so I have a feeling that I might have to round them up and do a special post of his work from the last couple of years. This is indicative of the up tick in activity these days.
Slim Pickings (Tes), Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2023
This recent TES was painted on a sloping surface, and not the easiest to photograph – at times like this, a little drone would come in very handy. Nicely done in blues with pink splats and drips. The more observant viewer might notice another TES in the background, just beneath the letters DLH (which stands for Dean Lane Hardcore – an annual music/graffiti/skating/booze event held in the skatepark). Sorry for the neglect Slim Pickings.
Inca the Mole, or The Mole is an artist who paints reasonably frequently in Bristol, but who I think might live in Gloucestershire. This is a lovely piece of writing in the tunnel, although this time it is not accompanied by the peace-loving mole.
The Mole, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2023
The three nicely chosen colours run horizontally through the letters, which pop out from the wall thanks to the deep 3D drop shadow. Although the mole isn’t there, he is in spirit with all the peace symbols running across the letters. It is always good to see that the Mole has been to visit.
Street artists, like the rest of us, go through life cycles, where things like jobs, relationships, health, starting families and capacity have a major influence on pursuing their hobby/lifestyle. Some artists manage to paint through all the challenges they face, others will put down their spray cans for a while, and resume when things improve. Hypo, who for the last few years has been an ‘occasional’ painter, has upped his game of late and is creating some wonderful pieces that just seem to be getting better and better.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
This is a lovely piece on the roundabout, incorporating a turquoise and orange colour combination that is made in heaven. I love the opposing symmetry of the Y and P letters, something that is a strong feature of Hypo’s work. I would say that I am really enjoying this revitalisation of form from Hypo and look forward to a summer of fabulous graffiti writing.
Natural adventures 