5574. M32 roundabout J3 (518)

Evey, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023
Evey, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023

My ‘Most Improved Artist of the Year Award’ for this year goes to Evey, whose work both in therms of quantity and quality has gone to a new level over the last twelve months, and her progress shows no signs of slowing down. I think that part of this improvement has to be down to the frequency of painting and practice.

Evey, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023
Evey, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023

This wonderfully colourful piece on the M32 roundabout includes a crown, usually an emblem reserved for the senior or established artists in a place, but I fully believe Evey has earned this. Evey manages to change both the design and fills in her letters with each piece she paints, demonstrating a willingness to push the boundaries. This is an eye-catching fill that asks to be looked at, and works especially well on the black background. There is so much more to come from this hard-working and talented artist.

5573. Sidwell Street Exeter

Sophie Mess, Sidwell Street, Exeter, October 2023
Sophie Mess, Sidwell Street, Exeter, October 2023

One of my most popular street art posts on Natural Adventures was a piece by Vhils on Exeter High Street (which I would link to if links were working on WordPress this morning), a very short distance away from this stunner by Sophie Mess. I love it when ugly corporate or retail buildings commission artwork to brighten things up, and what an impact this floral treat has had on an otherwise dull facade and home for pigeons.

Sophie Mess, Sidwell Street, Exeter, October 2023
Sophie Mess, Sidwell Street, Exeter, October 2023

Sophie Mess is an artist based in Devon, who tends to go big with her incredible floral creations, and indeed painted a vast iris piece on the Tobacco Factory wall for Upfest 2022 (yet to be posted here). This piece is simply amazing, so full of rich colours and textures and so utterly uplifting. Every shopping centre in the UK should have one of these. Exeter is blessed to have a piece like this in the heart of their shopping area, and yet the only people looking at it were people wondering what it was that I was photographing. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. LOOK UP!

Thursday doors – 19 October 2023, Todi, Italy

Doors 239 – Todi doors, Umbria, Italy (Part I)

I am currently at an event in Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, and have written this post in advance. An English autumn and a summer in Todi are worlds apart, and it has been something of a pleasure sorting out the doors this week, recollecting those parched Italian days, whilst sitting in a dark centrally-heated house in Bristol. The large family gathering we had near Massa Martana was a very special holiday and will remain with us forever. The location of the villa was close to Todi and to several other towns and cities in the west of Umbria and for the next few weeks of Thursday doors, I intend to share some lovely doors from the trip back in July.

This first set of doors is from Todi, on a day that was unbelievably hot and we were wilting in the midday sun – we managed to find some respite in the shady back streets. I hope you enjoy this modest selection that I hope will whet your appetite for more:

Restaurant door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Restaurant door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Attractive wooden doors and iron work over the lunette window, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Attractive wooden doors and iron work over the lunette window, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Austere iron doors, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Austere iron doors, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Archway, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Archway, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Door panels in an arched doorway, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Door panels in an arched doorway, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
A well-used door and patterned render, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
A well-used door and patterned render, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

That’s yer lot for this week, but there is plenty more to come from this trip. 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.

by Scooj

Door logo, Thursday doors

Autumn visitor

Fox, Redland, Bristol, October 2023
Fox, Redland, Bristol, October 2023

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Setting the dog off

autumnal barking cycle

woof! Get off my land

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by Scooj

5572. John Street, Exeter

My Dog Sighs, John Street, Exeter, October 2023
My Dog Sighs, John Street, Exeter, October 2023

On our way home from Cornwall to Bristol, we stopped off in Exeter for a couple of hours while my friend had to deal with a flea crisis in his daughter’s student flat. I took the opportunity to wander about the city and using my street art sixth sense managed to find quite a few pieces, completely accidentally – no maps, no street art websites, nothing other than intuition and exploration.

My Dog Sighs, John Street, Exeter, October 2023
My Dog Sighs, John Street, Exeter, October 2023

Walking up Fore Street, which becomes Exeter High Street, I spotted a narrow lane on the right (a must for psychogeographers) which I turned in to, and was rewarded with a spectacular wall curated by ‘Enhance in Exeter’, and this magnificent piece by My Dog Sighs. To say that it was unexpected is an understatement, but I was rather pleased with myself for sniffing it out. The piece must be relatively recent, painted within the last couple of years or so, because it features his pigeon characters, which are newish in his portfolio. The expressions on the pigeon’s faces are wonderful, and the subtle touch of the breast plumage colours is a special touch.

These are the best pictures I could get. The street is very narrow, and there was some reflected light pollution, but was nonetheless chuffed to bits. More to come from this two-hour meander.

5571. M32 Cycle path (229)

Wispa, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Wispa, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

A visit to Bristol by Wispa is always very welcome, and pretty much always unexpected as she seems to travel about the country quite a lot, and you can never be sure when she will be in the area – unpredictable I think you’d call it.

Wispa, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Wispa, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

This is an absolute belter of a piece of writing from Wispa, painted as part of an RBF paint jam alongside the M32 motorway. There are two things that stand out in this piece for me, the first is the unbelievable sharpness of the lines, and outstanding finishing and the other is the bold colour selection, transitioning through a range of bold and strong colours. Bravo!

5570. Brunel Way (240)

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

I said that I would bring you more pieces by Jevoissoul, and I am true to my word. Jevoissoul is a new artist trying his hand at painting walls and making a good fist of it from what I have seen so far, and he is in a bit of a hurry, having painted several small pieces in the Brunel Way/Dean Lane area. His name is interesting, and I guess is a corruption of Je vois soul – I see soul.

Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

In this character portrait piece our hero is wearing a cap with the postcode BS3 on it and smoking a roll-up. The word SLOW accompanies the piece, and is seen on many of his other pieces too. Everything about Jevoissoul’s work and character suggests a pretty chilled and laid back person, or at least that is how I read it. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more from the artist in the coming months, I have a feeling he is only just getting started.

5569. M32 Spot (173)

Mr Crawls, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023

Mr Crawls returns with a new variation on his theme, which I really hoped he would, this time charming us with a woolly-hatted penguin. There is something very satisfying about the simplicity in Mr Crawls’ work, proving that artwork doesn’t need to be busy and complex to be effective. His character variation work reminds me of the work of Mr Underbite – Simple-clean-effective.

Mr Crawls, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2023

Mr Crawls has just about managed to squeeze his penguin character within the constraints of the rather narrow column. His other birds have been a bit wider and squarer in format, so he has done well to elongate the penguin to fit in here. The expression on the penguin’s face is priceless, slightly dopey and with a sad smile. The hat is simply brilliant.

5568. St Werburghs tunnel (389)

Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2023
Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2023

I have recently become aware of a few pieces appearing about the place by Nips. The eye-catching pieces are probably assisted in part by the choice of letters, which stand out, when compared to some of the illegible sub-standard stuff that clogs up our walls (although in fairness, everyone has to start somewhere).

Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2023
Nips, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2023

Although this is the first piece by Nips to be features on Natural Adventures, it will not be the last, because there is something cheeky and different in the writing. The most notable element of this piece is the intricate patterning in the letter fills, together with a great colour palette. Also distinctive is the creative use of the dot on top of the ‘i’ (which I understand is called a tittle – no jokes about tittles and nips please). Great work from Nips.

5567. Dean Lane skate park (650)

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

I met Hire last weekend while he was painting a piece on the ramp wall opposite this one. He is such a nice man, and puts a lot of thought and effort into his work. which we discussed at length. It is so good to get an insight into an artist’s work and to find out more about their motivation, history and circumstances, as all of these elements play a part in the creative arts.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

Hire likes the fact that his art is continually evolving, and a quick glance at this gallery of his work shows how his writing has changed over time whilst maintaining his overall style. This piece, spelling out HIRE, is symmetrical in overall design, and perfectly finished, with the black and orange borders creating a clear separation between the letters and the turquoise background. The double lines shadowing the letters provide a sense of movement or shimmer. A lovely piece from Hire.