Natural adventures

6026. Brunel Way (271)

Dibz, Jody and Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2024

This extraordinary collaboration from Dibz, Jody and Fade, in my view, approaches graffiti/character combination perfection, and I feel that the more I say about it, the more I risk devaluing it. This piece, is adjacent to an earlier collaboration by these three which I haven’t yet had the space to post…

The classic triptych begins with some stunning writing from Dibz with an outstanding deep 3D drop shadow, full of shades creating loads of depth. There are some nice dark highlights in the corner of some of the letters too.

Bookending the central character on the other side is some writing from Fade which closely mirrors Dibz’ writing. The main difference between the two is the colour of the drop shadow. Their work is deliberately merged into one.

Arguably, the star of the show is the portrait piece from Jody in the centre. I don’t know what it is that makes this one so special, maybe it is the colours, maybe it is the writing either side, I just don’t know, but it is truly outstanding and captivating. The portrait is full of mystery and power, with the flowing hair and wispy flowers providing plenty of movement. This is really great work from the three. How often have I said that over the last year or two?

Alea iacta est

Season finale

it would take a miracle

I’ll hold out for one

by Scooj

6025. M32 Cycle path (266)

Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2024

I had to return to this spot to get some decent photographs of this unusual piece by Taboo, as the first lot were covered in shadows, but that is how it works. I work on the principle of always taking pictures of a new piece, whatever the light conditions, because it could be tagged or overpainted within hours. If I get a second chance to take better pictures, then that is a bonus.

Taboo has had quite a quiet period over the last six months or so, so it was good to find this one on the Cycle path. In his unique antistyle graffiti writing, Taboo manages to combine his unusual letters with characters, in this case a kind of grinning pig. I suspect the pig reference relates to the police, because he has included the words “No good cops. (Sorry)” which I guess is a polite way of saying ACAB. Looking forward to seeing more from Taboo as the summer unfolds.

6024. Anchor Road (5)

This container, behind the Watershed, is one of the more curious spots in Bristol. I am not sure who owns the container, nor do I understand quite why the council has given permission for it to be sited here, but here it is and fortunately for us, it has played host to a series of high-end commissions over the years. Inkie replaced the Paul Monsters piece that had been here before a little while back, but I have only recently photographed it.

There are several Inkie elements that have come together in perfect harmony in this combination piece. The print background runs through the whole piece and sets a regular patterned backdrop. Of course the distinctive writing in very Inkie colours is as good as you’ll see and to the right is one of his beautiful Art Nouveau style characters. The only board of the piece that leaves me scratching my head is the cartoon-style spray can, which doesn’t look like an Inkie piece at all and doesn’t quite fit with the rest of it.

6023. Leonard Lane (45)

Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2024

The work of Alex Arnell, in my mind, verges on the grotesque… not his artwork, I hasten to add, but his subject material. Although he operates out of Brick Lane in London, he appears to have visited Bristol on a couple of occasions, and has left behind a gallery of characters in Leonard Lane.

Alex Arnell’s style is utterly unique and could be interpreted as scribbles that ‘anyone could do’. That may or may not be true, but the point here is that he does it, and he does it really well. I like deliberately naive artwork because there is an authenticity about it, and although a cultivated look, it is also honest and unpretentious – although there might be those that consider it grossly pretentious. The skeleton is rather scary, not because it is a skeleton, but because there is threat and alarm in his expression. Crazy stuff, but most welcome.

6022. Cheltenham Road

The maxim ‘you can never have too much of a good thing’ is a variant of the phrase ‘you can have too much of a good thing’, and the two have very different meanings. In this instance I am adopting the former in relation to the number of recent pieces painted in Bristol by the London-based Roo.

It has been a very long time since this wall last had anything meaningful on it, and Roo has filled the space perfectly. Her precision and apparently simple design actually underplays her skill in creating such a tight piece. The character is bound to strike a chord with cat lovers, and the black ‘naturescape’ complements the piece nicely. Great work from Roo.

6221. Peterborough

My work trip to Peterborough in April had spin-off benefits, as do all my work trips when I am ‘on tour’, in the form of exploring a new city, finding interesting doors and sniffing out graffiti and street art. I cannot visit a new place without having my extended radar on full alert for opportunities to find things that interest me – some might call it marginally obsessive, and they might be right.

Nyces (Nathan Murdoch) is a bit of a celebrity in his home city, and this piece sparked a series of local newspaper and TV features about the artist, such as this one in the Peterborough Telegraph. The colourful piece is not only wonderfully painted in a patchwork of colour and geometric segments, it also has an uplifting message for the heavy traffic that passes by saying “Hello my beautiful people”. Nyces is a big graffiti fish in a small bowl.

6020. M32 roundabout J3 (575)

Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024

There are one or two artists that are on fire at the moment, and I am really struggling to keep up with their work, which vexes me a little, because I want to share it all – I’ll need to find a way of sharing moor, possibly through mini galleries or something like that. Kid Krishna, has been going nuts lately, and I must have seven or eight recent pieces in my archive, all waiting to be posted.

This is a bright and colourful piece of graffiti writing spelling out CRIE, which you can see more clearly in this one than in some of Kid Krishna’s other pieces. There is so much intricate work, and a flow that runs through the letters both in design and colour. Kid Krishna’s work always comes across as quite organic, chaotic and unplanned. I don’t know if that is the case or not, but it is also consistently good.

6019. Greenbank (118)

It is always good to find DFC1848 pieces in Bristol, and he left behind two or three pieces on his last visit, of which this is one. This character is the one that DFC1848 first used to really establish himself as a street artist, and although he has improved immeasurably in both technique and creativity, it is nice to see this old friend again.

The letters DFC from his name can be found in this tag-character The ‘D’ is in the ear, the ‘F’ is on the character’s cheek and the ‘C’ I think is represented by the mouth or possibly the eye. I must try and seek out and photograph the other pieces he painted on this visit.

Thursday doors – 16 May 2024 – Doors from Highgate, London

Doors 264 – Doors from Highgate, London, November 2023 (Part IV)

This week I am incredibly pressed for time, so this will be a very short entry. My late afternoon doorscursion back in November 2023 through my old ‘manor’, Highgate village, continues in this penultimate collection from North London.

I really wanted to talk about all the pubs in Highgate, because when I was a teenager, all the talk was that Highgate had more pubs on the main street than anywhere else in the country. I have no idea if this was true, but the following is a list of them (all within a few hundred yards), starting halfway down Highgate Hill:

Brendan the Navigator, used to be called The Old Crown Inn – it has obviously gone up-market.
The Duke’s Head
The Angel
The Prince of Wales
The Crown
The Gatehouse (featured below)
The Flask (featured below)
The Red Lion and Sun
The Wrestlers
The Bull

I hope you enjoy this week’s selection:

The Gatehouse entrance door and lamp, Highgate , London, November 2023

The Flask entrance (please use other door), Highgate , London, November 2023

Blue door with fine columns and portico, Highgate, London, November 2023

Triple panelled black door, Highgate, London, November 2023

Chesterfield door and fine scalloped awning, Highgate, London, November 2023

The Old Hall gate and door, Highgate , London, November 2023 — The Old Hall gate and door, Highgate, London, November 2023

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

	wrookieschu on Thursday Doors – 2 April…
	paulh121 on Telling a tale
	M. on 7554. L Dub (81)
	hitandrun1964 on My Dog Sighs
	Suzette Benjamin on 7551. Greenbank (184)

	wrookieschu on Thursday Doors – 2 April…
	paulh121 on Telling a tale
	M. on 7554. L Dub (81)
	hitandrun1964 on My Dog Sighs
	Suzette Benjamin on 7551. Greenbank (184)

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