.
Eleventh of Jan
a day I will celebrate
with my family
.
by Scooj
Thursday doors – 11 January 2024, Cotehele, Cornwall
Doors 248 – Cotehele doors, Cornwall (part I)
This will be a bit of a short one – today is my 60th birthday, so I have written this post last night to allow myself a bit of a well-earned lie in.
On our way home to Bristol from a short summer break last August visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Cornwall near Liskeard, we broke our journey by stopping at a National Trust property ‘Cotehele‘ perched high above the banks of the River Tamar. It was, of course, the perfect place to photograph doors and doorways of a Tudor house, with some parts dating back to medieval times.
While my wife walked the dog in the grounds, getting terribly lost in the process, my daughter and I wandered around the house and gardens, absorbing the deep sense of history of the place, on a gorgeous summer’s day.
The first part of this post focuses on the exterior doors of the property. I hope you enjoy it.
Next time I’ll post some of the magnificent and quirky doors from inside this remarkable place. Until then, may I wish you a very happy 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
5752. M32 roundabout J3 (544)
Pekoe’s birthday paint jam in December was a real treat not least because it introduced me to the work of Omie_wan_kenobi for the first time. I have a feeling that I must have seen Omie’s work before, but perhaps it passed me by. I am pleased, however, to be posting this piece now.
This is a wonderful piece of ‘organic’ writing from Omie which is all rather original, with each of the letters OMIE having a rural landscape/nature feel to them. This is a nice way to celebrate Pekoe’s birthday and a great opportunity to showcase work. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for more from Omie_wan_kenobi, who I presume is a member of RBF.
5751. M32 roundabout J3 (543)
Mr Crawls had a very productive end to 2023, and has picked up where he left off already this year, and is collaborating a lot with Mote, which is so good to see. This is a solo piece from December , one of two similar pieces in the area that were probably painted as a pair, the other was sited at the end of St Werburghs tunnel.
Mr Crawls has stayed true to his bird character theme, but has been adapting the subject to great effect lately. This one is a partial skeleton bird – a little bit sinister, but not really. His artwork is all good, with some strong lines and suitable shading which adds depth to the bird’s head. I predict a big year ahead for this relative newcomer who has already made a significant mark on the Bristol scene.
Whysayit
A gallery of anti-style graffiti writing from Bristol’s fabulous Whysayit (YSAE).
Crew: PLB
All photographs by Scooj
Winter chill
.
The north wind cuts hard
on the waterlogged landscape
in this warmest year
.
by Scooj
- The weather has always been an English preoccupation, but with the climatic impacts we are now experiencing, there is a perverse excitement of doomsday ecstasy peppering our media and conversations. Climate change – the gift to ourselves that just keeps on giving.
5750. Dean Lane skate park (675)
Biers (or WD40 as he writes these days) has been on fire this winter, producing a series of fine writing and character pieces. The formula is a winning one, and the balance between the writing and the character is usually spot on. There are also loads of additional elements that feature in his work and contribute to the overall look and feel.
I am not sure who the cartoon pig is, but will do a very quick Google search to see if I come up with anything… nope, I have drawn a blank. So we have a pig with a bandage – there is a story there I am sure. This is a nice piece to round off the year with for Biers, and I hope he keeps up his frequency and consistency into the New Year.
5749. Purdown (64)
I always like finding pieces by Daz Cat, as there is something comforting and very ‘Bristol’ about them. I do miss his rather larger storytelling pieces, which seem to be few and far between these days, but I expect that is because he is otherwise occupied and only has time for his smaller cat characters.
This one up at Purdown is a classic piece of Daz Cat artwork. The cat character is looking straight out from the wall with long whiskers and flattened ears (to fit the limited space). The trademark shape on the Cat’s forehead marks this as a Daz Cat piece… no signature necessary. More please in 2024.
5748. M32 roundabout J3 (542)
I was lucky enough to meet Zeks late last year while he was painting with Hypo and Dun Sum on a different part of the roundabout, and learned that they all live in Lawrence Weston (L Dub). Fortunately they make the trip into the centre from time to time and decorate our walls. Although I have photographed a handful of pieces by Zeks, this is the first I have published on Natural Adventures.
I have to say that this is one of my favourite pieces of 2023. It has an originality and lightness of touch that really makes it stand out. The letters spell ZEKS, although I might have struggled to work it out without knowing the artist (and seeing the signature, of course). The pastel colours on a grey background work incredibly well, but it is the two stylised faces, with their mysterious expressions, accompanying the writing that set it off perfectly. A very nice piece indeed from Zeks – I must dig out others of his, if I can find them in my archive.
5747. Jubilee Street (7)
Having had a reasonably quiet autumn period, Mote has been having something of a purple patch lately, and I wonder if it might be in part related to teaming up with Mr Crawls and finding new inspiration. Whatever the reason, I am very much enjoying his renaissance.
I normally visit this spot after I have been to the recycling centre, but don’t expect to find anything new, I was pleased to see a few new pieces on this occasion. Mote has painted a humanoid monster this time, which is a bit of a departure from most of his work, and I think that it works rather well. The floating hand with a thumbs up also adds to the piece significantly. Monsterish and endearing, the way that Mote works, and he has managed to succeed with this one. I’m not sure what the ‘tunnel vision’ means, but I am sure there is a story there.
Natural adventures 