.
Belting out a song
disproportionately loud
E. rubecula
.
by Scooj
5558. Cumberland Basin
Earlier on this year, perhaps the most productive and creative street artist in Bristol for a while was arguably Kid Krishna. He was smashing it all over the place with his writing/character mash-ups and then, all of a sudden, nothing until about three weeks ago. I know that he had some other projects on the go and perhaps he was working on those.
This piece, on his return, is much softer and rounded than what I am used to seeing, but still characteristically a Kid Krishna piece. The letters spell CRIE, not that you’d be able to guess just by looking at it. I would describe this piece as more ‘mainstream’ than some of his work, but he has since painted something a little bit more ‘scratchy’ in St Werburghs. I hope that we will be seeing more of his street work over the remainder of the year.
5557. M32 roundabout J3 (516)
This lovely script writing piece by Logoe was one of nine painted during a frenzied 24 hour period of activity when he visited Bristol a few weeks back. I think I only managed to find five of them, and often these blitz pieces get painted over quite quickly, depending on where they are.
It would be inconsistent of me to say I like the colours used in this piece, because I have said repeatedly on Natural Adventures that brown colour palettes are probably my least favourite. What he has done here is great to see… just a shame it is brown.
5556. Dean Lane skate park (649)
This is not the easiest canvass on which to paint, but Mudra has more than coped, in fact he has excelled, with this piece, painted during a bit of a paint jam alongside Kosc, Nugmoose, Momma Nature and Peggy. I get the feeling that Mudra drew the short straw regarding wall space. What you can’t really tell from the pictures is that Mudra has painted on a low slope of about 20 degrees – back breaking stuff… even the dog thinks so.
The writing itself is another masterclass from Mudra, devoting a different design to each of the letters but somehow combining them seamlessly. In the middle is a little vehicle that looks a little bit like a Sinclair C5, but might be something else entirely. I like this piece a lot and have great admiration for the end result on a very tricky bit of concrete.
5555. Cumberland Basin
When I first saw this piece I wasn’t immediately sure who it was by, and the penny didn’t drop for several days, mainly because the central elements used by Morag are there, but the fruit somehow completely threw me off the scent.
Most of the Morag pieces I have seen to date have been individual faces, usually painted on columns. This piece is telling a bit of a story, and from a fruit perspective, perhaps a rather sinister story, the suggestion being that the large bully orange is extracting juice from a grape much to the consternation of the apple. The face drawing using a single line technique is the trademark style that gives the artist away. It has been a while so it was great to find this piece a few weeks back.
Thursday doors – 12 October 2023, Lincoln
Doors 238 – Lincoln City doors (Part X) – Leftovers (B)
I did say last week that this post would be the last from Lincoln, and indeed it is (imagines a huge sigh of relief). I don’t quite understand how, but some of the best doors seem to be in this week’s final leftovers. Maybe I was holding them back for a special mention, or maybe they didn’t fit with a particular theme. Whatever the reason, I am quite fond of this ‘homeless’ group of Lincoln doors that allow me to sign-off with a bang rather than a whimper.
The final door alone is worth an extra mention and if you want to know more about the unusual St Hughes Chambers building, there is a rather nice description here. So on with the final Lincoln collection:
Well, that really is it from my July trip to Lincoln – I hope I have done this much overlooked city justice and that you have enjoyed the doors and architecture. Next up some beautiful doors from Umbria, Italy. 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
5554. Dean Lane skate park (648)
An important element of photographing and writing about street/graffiti art is keeping your eyes open at all times and noticing little differences or flashes of colour that might not have been there before. Having a keen eye and observing everything, which spills over into an appreciation for the built environment and architecture. This piece by The Last One, is a little tucked away and above the normal field of view, sitting on the roof of the swimming pool next to the skate park. It is also very difficult to photograph, unless you are strong and brave enough to climb up on to the flat roof.
This is the third piece I have posted by The Last One, and each of them has been an absolute beauty. His writing/character combinations are perfectly balanced and show off his skills with both. The chrome letters spell LAST, in his distinctive style and the cat character, which at first I thought was the Looney Tunes Sylvester Cat but actually isn’t, is well presented. A little research tells me the cat is actually Penelope Pussycat. Looking forward to more visits from the incredibly talented The Last One.
5553. M32 roundabout J3 (515)
As a rule, Mudra usually paints alongside other artists and it has been a long time since I found a piece that he painted alone… until I came across this one last month. The piece is carefully placed around the southern tunnel entrance on the M32 roundabout, where the River Frome emerges from its culvert.
In painting around this corner, Mudra has had to remove the posters that blight this area, doing us all a favour in the process (although a quick trip to the bin might have been in order). Mudra has painted his letters in a subtle blend of colours from bronze to rose to grey/white, an unusual combination that looks quite spectacular. The centrepiece is the skull, taking the place of the letter ‘D’, which has been really well observed and recreated. Sometimes skulls just don’t look like skulls, but this one looks pretty anatomically correct from what I can see. A smoking cigar has been added for additional effect. This is an unusual and unexpected piece from the brilliantly creative Mudra.
Lantic Bay
.
Moody mists roll in
hanging on an autumn wind
droplets on my hair
.
by Scooj
5552. Tobacco Factory
The huge wall on the side of the Tobacco Factory, opposite Aldi, is arguably the premium wall in Bristol, curated by Upfest for some of the best artists to decorate. The last piece painted here was from Upfest 2022, and was probably reaching the end of its sell-by date. It is one of so many Upfest pieces I haven’t got round to sharing on Natural Adventures… yet.
Two of Bristol’s finest and most established artists have combined to paint this incredible tribute to the city and more specifically Bedminster, Silent Hobo and Inkie. The mural is in two distinct sections, the top half writing and frame by Inkie, and the busy scene by Silent Hobo.
Inkie painted a few pieces while he was in Bristol, which tends to happen, because he is a very busy artist, taking commissions all over the globe, and seemingly forever on the move. The words ‘Planet Local’ are beautifully painted in his characteristic style, and nicely decorated with stars, creating a perfect backdrop for Silent Hobo’s storytelling below.
There is always so much going on in Silent Hobo’s work and the way he presents the ordinary Bristol scenes is quite unique. There is an authenticity and warmth in this piece that captures relatable goings on; a boy playing with his toys, a sleeping cat, a young couple, a chef making a delivery and a young singer all occupy the left hand side of the piece.
To the right, there is more bustle and deliveries and a rather strange walking house. A hen and bee get in on the action too, and everything is overlaid on a background of classic Bristolian architecture. There is an honesty and lightness in this piece which is a perfect antidote to our everyday preoccupations and concerns, reminding us that life is beautiful and good.
Natural adventures 