What a wonderfully playful and cheeky piece by Evey alongside the M32. This is the second time I have seen her use this device of replacing the ‘V’ in EVEN with a saucy bottom, and I have to say I rather like it. If anything, I would say that the Bristol street art scene is quite earnest (and sometimes up its own backside), so it is great to see a bit of seaside postcard humour being injected from time to time.
Evey, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2024
The letters are nicely presented in what looks a bit like a neon display sign – one could almost imagine this piece hanging over the door of a seedy nightclub in a red-light district. It is refreshing and imaginative, and yet another great piece in a string of excellent work from thee prolific Evey.
Rozalita returns! This is exceptional news. After a long lay-off, in part down to travelling, during which time I wondered whether she might abandon her street art altogether, she has returned in style, with several pieces in short succession. This is how to announce your return. In another name change (from Rosalita to Rozalita (Rhozi) to Rozilitaa) she has hit the ground running with a bolder presence, and a sense of confidence that hasn’t always been obvious from her work.
Rozalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2024
This portrait piece, I believe of Frida Kahlo, is bursting with passion, where the determination and status of the subject, looking skywards, is beautifully presented. The white border accentuates the pose and creates an aura that is augmented by the burst of energy of flowers and decoration in the background. Without the border, the piece could be at risk of being busy, but its presence is masterful. This is brilliant in my view, and what a way to make a comeback. I bloody love this piece!
This is the last of the pieces by Roo from a recent visit she and SkyHigh made to Bristol earlier in the month. The beautiful scene features a happy bumblebee over Bristol, with the Clifton Suspension bridge in the background. I managed to take the photograph, on a gorgeous day (what are these?) in a way that incorporated the real Clifton Suspension bridge behind the Environment Agency structure.
Roo’s style, as I have mentioned before is always cheerful, whatever the subject, and a welcome antidote to all the challenges and troubles of everyday life. No matter how crap you might be feeling, finding one of her pieces is guaranteed to cheer you up and offer a different perspective on things. We all need this reminder and what better way to deliver it than through the medium of street art. Thank you Roo.
We don’t get to see Turoe’s work all that often these days, so when a new piece does appear it is always worth celebrating. This beauty was painted with his friends Hemper and Hypo on the M32 roundabout at the beginning of the month.
Turoe, M32 roundasbout, Bristol, March 2024
Turoe has painted his letters in old school style, filled with subtle colours and patches, but it is the drop shadow that makes the piece. The very deep shadow extends to the floor in a soft pink with black borders, and is very nicely executed. Shadows like this are quite unusual, but very effective, and I am a little surprised we don’t see it more often. A nice reminder of the exceptional talent of Truro.
Jest Soubriquet, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2024
I am not sure whether this wonderful portrait piece by Jest Soubriquet was painted as part of Ryder’s RAW paint jam, or was simply painted at the same time (update – it was painted as part of the paint jam). Either way, it brightened up my day, because it is always a bit of a thrill to see new or visiting artists enjoying their passion in Bristol.
Jest Soubriquet, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2024
By the look of it Jest dropped a couple of pieces in Bristol while visiting, but I have struggled to find out where he is based. The portrait piece in the tunnel is beautifully painted and unusual in its incorporation of striking colours, which, whilst disruptive, somehow manage to carve out the features and depth in the face. Very clever stuff. It would be nice to think that Jest will return to Bristol and decorate a few more walls for us.
The ‘gallery’ in Elton Street, on the side of the Lost Horizons Arts Centre, is always worth a look. There are five or six framed boards raised above the street (ladders required for the artists), curated by the Arts Centre, and which are rarely, if ever, tagged or overpainted. This board, on the end of the building has been painted by Used Pencil, a Bristol artist whose work I have only once seen before at Upfest 2022.
UsedPencil, Elton Street, Bristol, February 2024
This piece is painted with a combination of spray paint and brushes, which helps to give it that texture and detail, and you can find a video of its creation on Used Pencil’s Instagram feed. It is a piece that is easy on the eye and has a kind of mystical feel to it. Although the style is recognisable from his Upfest piece, the subject matter is quite different.
I think it’s safe to say he’s back. Slakarts has been knocking out a few pieces lately, perhaps making up for lost time over the last couple of years, during which he has been reasonably quiet. With this quick one, he is maintaining his ‘mega-tag’ presence, reminding us that he is out and about.
Slakarts, M32 roundabout, Bristol February 2024
Slakarts hasn’t buffed the wall for this piece, and ordinarily that might lead to it being a little bit lost, but his colour selection and precise spray can work are strong enough to help it stand out over the mess. More to come from the resurgent Slakarts soon.
View of the gorge, Cheddar, Somerset, October 2023
This week I am posting the second selection of doors from a trip I made to Cheddar Gorge last October at a launch event for the declaration of the Mendip National Nature Reserve. While I was there, I made a little bit of time to take a few photographs of the shops and houses in this famous narrow gorge.
A short site visit to part of the new Nature Reserve took us to the village of Priddy a mile or two up the gorge. The heavens opened and the last two pictures capture the moment pretty well. I hope you enjoy the doors:
Cottage black door, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, October 2023
Ticket office doors, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, October 2023
Entrance to Jacobs Ladder – a long set of steps to the top of the gorge, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, October 2023
Gift shop doors and awning, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, October 2023
The original Cheddar Cheese Company, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, October 2023
Is that a wolf guarding the door to Lily Cottage? Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, October 2023
Village green during a cloudburst, Priddy, Somerset, October 2023
A very wet building and fine entrance, Priddy, Somerset, October 2023
So that’s yer lot from Cheddar Gorge, I haven’t quite decided what to do for next week, but I have tons of doors in my archive to choose from, so I guess it will be a bit of a surprise for all of us. Have a great 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, and in his Sunday round up.
Over the last few months Werm has calmed his pieces a little, from the highly complex and technically brilliant pieces into something slightly easier on the eye, and this piece, for me, represents a mature approach from an artist who doesn’t need to impress any more, but rather, can concentrate on creating a thing of beauty.
Werm, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
The colour palette for this piece seems to work really well, and Werm has blended the fill colours expertly. The orange border and accompaniments augment the writing perfectly, the test of which is to imagine the piece without that splash of colour, rendering it greatly diminished. I like and welcome this new direction from Werm, and greatly admire this piece.
Natural adventures 