I have encountered many pieces on the concrete walls at the WWII gun emplacement in Purdown by artists I have never heard of before, and some never since. I believe that this is the first time I have seen anything by Noods, and given that he operates out of Berlin/Glasgow, I’m not sure if I will see anything of his again.
Noods, Purdown, Bristol, July 2024
This silhouette piece relies almost entirely on shadows cast to create depth and interest. I don’t know why, but it reminds me a little of the work of Giorgio de Chirico, I think it must be the shadows. There is a lot of atmosphere and drama in the piece, but an absence of movement, perhaps another de Chiricoesque feature. Nice one.
This wall on the side of the Veeez shop is becoming something of an advertising hoarding for the shop’s wares and events, and offers an opportunity for artists to paint a legal wall. It comes at the cost of painting an advert, and regular readers will know that that doesn’t sit all that comfortably with me.
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, July 2024
I am a hypocrite if nothing else, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share this advertisement by Cheo, mainly because it is by Cheo. Everything about Cheo’s work is pretty close to perfection. His compositions are always on point, and his artwork execution exceptional. He is at the very top of his game, and seems to be painting a little more often lately.
What better way to start the day than with a nice, crisp chrome piece from Nips. What a pity I didn’t get there before the tagger, but that is all part of the way of life in this jungle. Everyone knows what the rules are, and whatever existing rules can be broken at any time by anyone.
Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2024
There is an uncomplicatedness about this piece that speaks of an artist who is comfortable with their work. No need to embellish or over-decorate. Sometimes less is more, and I would suggest that is the case here. I haven’t yet met Nips, and look forward to the day when I might just be in the right place at the right time to do so.
Doors 274 – Doors of Manchester, UK, November 2023 (Part III)
A quick one from me this week. I have a meeting in London today and had to prepare this post last night, along with several other posts. This is the third and final instalment of doors from my November trip to Manchester last year with my daughter.
As with last time, nothing too out of the ordinary, just doors that I saw on my ramblings. I particularly like the four-story building, not for its nor its neighbour’s doors, but because I’d love to know more about the merchant who originally had it built, showing off their wealth with four whole floors compared with the two-story buildings either side.
I hope you enjoy.
Old wholesale fish market entrance gateway, Manchester, November 2023Old wholesale fish market entrance gateway, Manchester, November 2023Stuart Little’s house in reverse, Manchester, November 2023Just an ordinary black door with little awning, Manchester, November 2023Grand doorway, security gate and black door with notice panels, Manchester, November 2023Take a rest, as a friend – modest grandeur for this pub door, Manchester, November 2023Fancy stonework and ironwork around a fairly utilitarian door, Manchester, November 2023LS Banksy (Lowry) door shutter, Manchester, November 2023
Well that’s all folks for another week. I’m not too sure what I’ll be posting next time. Prepare for a surprise (for me as much as for you).
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.
Conrico has been so productively lately with commissions, painting walls and the Cheltenham Paint Festival. It is lucky really that he is so passionate about what he does and that he really enjoys it. He is currently going full tilt on his Japanese influenced pieces, including this lovely landscape/writing combo.
Conrico, New Stadium Road, Bristol, July 2024
Conrico has a great story behind his moniker, which is essentially a school corruption of his name which has stuck, a bit like Scooj which I use as my pseudonym. The letters CONRICO are dominant in this piece and are influenced by the katakana alphabet, and float over a stunning landscape of a snow-clad volcano (Fuji?) and cherry blossoms in the foreground. A wonderful piece.
Awkward, Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024
The FUA (From Up Above) boys are at it again, although this time they are joined by Awkward, and have opted for a smaller wall for this collaboration. In this piece we see our two main protagonists getting closer and closer to fusion in their work.
Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024
Fade on the left and Dibz on the right have opted to use the same colours, 3D drop shadow, decorations and background, and it is only their stylistic differences that separate them. Dibz’ work tends to be a little bit more angular than the smoother edges of Fade. The colour transitions in the fills are excellent in both halves.
Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024
The central piece is book-ended by two characters by Awkward, who has painted with Dibz and Fade in Dean Lane not all that long ago. Messages contained in the speech bubbles are ‘roll the dice’, ‘Awkward’ and ‘Stop the war’. The characters look typically alarmed/animated with their exaggerated eyes and wobbly outlines. A rather nice collaboration from the three artists.
This intriguing piece presented me with a bit of a riddle, until I paid proper attention to it. Sentinel 793 is the musical alter ego of Benjimagnetic, and this piece featured on his Instagram feed as a prop for his music, combining his two passions/talents.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2024
It is definitely a departure from his usual work, and takes an original idea and presents it really well. The name of the track (I guess) is ‘Some things change’, which accounts for all the small writing that makes up the whole 793. I like the way the 793 numbers interlock and slightly stand out from the wall with the skilful application of white shaded borders. Something a little unusual.
It is nice to be able to single out a piece by Chill, without having to share the post with other PWA crew artists, which is usually the case. It feels like a while ago when I first came across Chill’s cartoon character work, in St Werburghs tunnel, if I recall correctly. Back then, he tended to work in black and white with a red background. Over the months and years he has massively developed his characters, his colours his detailed background accessories, and continues to grow with each new piece, which cannot be said for all artists, for sure.
Chill, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2024
I wouldn’t say that this was my favourite piece that Chill has painted, but it carries all the hallmarks of the tattoo artist. The black lines (ink lines) create plenty of detail around the ear and eyes. The eyes themselves are interestingly presented where the pupils have a wedge cut out of them and there are larger white circles above them, which in this piece I don’t think work all that well. There is plenty of colour dividing up the different elements of the face, which really is a huge contrast from his early pieces. Nice and slightly weird work painted alongside Zake’s equally weird piece posted a few days ago.
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
One of the really enjoyable things about this summer has been the re-emergence of Kid Crayon and his painting partner, I Am Ian. They have collaborated several times recently, with their blend of colourful writing and cartoon-style characters. This piece is what I would call a ‘true’ collaboration, where it becomes difficult to determine exactly who painted which bits.
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
I don’t know I Am Ian to be a writer, so I guess that the letters are by Kid Crayon, as is the character on the left, I think. Although both characters are very similar in style, I think that the one on the right might be by I Am Ian. The whole piece is a fantastical mickey-take of the Cabbage Patch Dolls, turning them into a drug gang, ‘the Cabbage Patch Cartel’. Both mischievous and witty and great fun. More to come soon from these two.
Note to self… take better photographs. This piece is something of an outlier. It is by an artist called Whos, who is known for his anti-style writing, so when I first saw this it didn’t register that it might be by him. It was only after talking to Conrico at the Cheltenham Paint Festival who confirmed that it was indeed by Whos and that Conrico, while painting to the left of this piece, encouraged Whos to push the boundaries.
Whos, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2024
This urban landscape, making up the letters WHOS, is really imaginative, and coming from an artist more used to the free from of anti-style graffiti writing, is a great effort. The dark industrial colours lend themselves very well to the piece and help to create a special atmosphere, which would not have been achieved with bright pinks and yellows etc. I really hope that Whos is encouraged by this foray into a world of opportunities is just the beginning… we’ll have to wait and see.
Natural adventures 