.
Green and pleasant land
there to connect with nature
and find some meaning
.
by Scooj
These pieces bring together the familiar with the unfamiliar. Finding Inkie pieces in other towns and cities is always hugely rewarding, and gives me a sense of Bristol pride. To find two pieces in a city that I have never visited in my life before was definitely a bonus. I’m not too sure when these pieces were painted, and not to sure whether they survived the ‘Bring the Paint’ festival which was starting (coincidentally) on the morning I was out taking these photographs.
The two pieces showcase Inkie’s portfolio really well, containing his stylised Art Nouveau portraits and in the second piece combined with a classic piece of Inkie writing. Always good to see, and Inkie wasn’t the only Bristol artist to have painted in the city where I spotted artwork by Mr Penfold, Lewse, Skank and others… making me feel very much at home. I might have to pay another visit sometime.
This is another outstanding Smug piece that I photographed during a short visit to Leicester last month. It is difficult to convey the sheer scale of the piece, because it is relatively thin, but as you can see it is seven stories tall, and somehow manages to complement the building perfectly. I believe it has been here for quite a while, since at least 2019, but I might be wrong.
The stunning piece features a woman, perfectly slotted into this narrow space, with a bullfinch in flight by her head. The photorealistic representation is quite extraordinary, in particular the folds of the woman’s clothing and her scarf. This and the other Smug piece are worth the trip to Leicester alone. Utterly outstanding and overwhelming.
You don’t often see the PWA crew paint this particular wall in Dean Lane, I guess because there are usually three or more of them painting together, but this time it is only Chill and Zake, so there is room here for both of them. The two portraits, in very different styles, are interacting really well together and integrated using a common background.
Chill’s portrait is both colourful and full of fine detail, and has that accuracy that is common in artists who are also tattooists. He is also responsible for the wonderful silhouette plants and signature song bird. Zake’s portrait, is a little softer and full of depth, with a slightly odd scene of fish and water flying out of the character’s mouth. While I am not too sure what is going on, it makes for entertaining viewing. The pairing is great to see, and this is certainly a memorable collaboration from them. I’m not too sure it lasted very long though, which is a pity.
A gallery of fabulous anti-style graffiti writing from Bristol artist Solar.
Crew PLB (Placebo)
All photographs by Scooj
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Nighttime visitor
conspicuous in the day
no attempt to hide
.
by Scooj
Well, this came a little bit out of the blue, and I only recently noticed it while driving along Stapleton Road between the M32 Spot and M32 roundabout. The enormous mural painted in May 2024 by Molly Murals is one of three public art installations aimed at revitalising Stapleton Road in Bristol – I’ve yet to discover the other two (I think). You can read up much more about this piece on her excellent website.
The abstract design is bright and vibrant and really large, bringing a sense of community pride to an area that can at times feel a little neglected. There are design elements that share commonalities with other artists in Bristol, such as Zoe Power and to a certain extent, Mr Penfold. Of course, that doesn’t detract from her design, rather it is a compliment.This is great stuff from a busy and successful Bristol muralist.
Hurrah, for Bloem. Her drive and creativity are something to admire, and as she progresses her confidence seems to grow. I had been aware of this portrait piece under the M32 for a while and hoping that it would still be there by the time I got round to visiting the spot, which I can only do without the dog.
The stylised portrait piece sees Bloem significantly extending her boundaries, and while there are many things to improve on, this one reminds me of some of the early work of Hazard, Pekoe and Rhozi (Rozalita), which is encouraging to say the least. The portrait is unusual and rather compelling, and is bookended with a rather nice design on the left and her name on the right. As I have said many times before, I really like her work, and feel excited each time I come across a new one.
There are some pieces that don’t require lengthy explanations or commentary because their beauty speaks for themselves and this gorgeous mural by Anna Higgie painted for Upfest 2024 is one of those.
Anna Higgie is an illustrator, originally from Australia, but now based in Bristol and who works out of a studio in Stokes Croft. I have posted a couple of her pieces on Natural Adventures before, but I think her street work is occasional and that she focuses on her illustrations. This bright and striking floral piece is so good, and if I am honest, deserves a rather nicer wall than this one, but perhaps the beauty of the piece is enhanced by the slightly grubby surroundings. This piece could hang happily in a gallery or home (with a wall big enough)… for example my home! As ever at Upfest it is always gratifying to see a good mix of local, national and international artists represented.
Doors 268 – Street art and graffiti doors of Bristol (and Weston-super-Mare)
I have been away from Bristol a bit this week, and not had any time to prepare my final part of Cheltenham doors, which I will share in my next Thursday doors post. When this happens, I tend to recycle some existing photographs that I have taken for my graffiti and street art blog posts. gather them together and post them as a doors collection. It is a pragmatic solution to a diminishing time resource window (any more corporate speak welcome at this point).
These doors (and I use the term as loosely as possible) were originally posted in March, April and May 2023, but may have been photographed before that. I hope you enjoy them. Normal service should resume next time.
I cheated a little with this one, but there is a door behind the wall.
Is a hatch a door?
Do car doors count?
That’s it for this week.
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
Natural adventures 