5407. M32 Cycle path (222)

Dog Bless the Band, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2023
Dog Bless the Band, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2023

Dog Bless the Band is a curious street artist I have yet to meet. I say curious because his pieces are unlike pretty much anything else in the city right now. Curious also because of his name and because of the letters he writes – MOTEL, I mean what is it all about?

Dog Bless the Band, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2023
Dog Bless the Band, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2023

The large monolithic letters have a very earthy feel about them which is exaggerated in this piece by the muted colours, especially the green dusting, which gives the appearance of algae or moss on rocks. I’m not sure if that is the effect he was aiming for, but it is how it comes across to me. To the right there is a toadstool.

Dog Bless the Band, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2023
Dog Bless the Band, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, July 2023

I wasn’t entirely sure whether the toadstool was painted by Dog Bless the Band or by a friend alongside, but have decided it is his own work, perhaps a study, because of the same colour selection and proximity. There are no other signatures or marks that would suggest another artist, simply the surprise of seeing the toadstool. Perhaps this signifies him straying into accompanying his letters with other work.

5406. St Werburghs tunnel (377)

Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023

Observing Raid’s progress is a genuine pleasure. Each time I see his work I see some improvement, and a boldness or confidence that is growing. I also like it that he is adapting his style from piece to piece, settling for a while and then moving on.

Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
Raid, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023

This is a nice one in the tunnel from a few weeks back, and uses that tried and tested colour combination of pink and light blue. The letters are beautifully presented, and the fills very nicely done indeed, with a swathe of stars running horizontally through the letters and pink ‘ribbons’ at the top and bottom. A decent drop shadow and blue backdrop round the piece off perfectly.

Sciurus carolinensis

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An unknown bird call

double screech from the tree top

but it’s a squirrel

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by Scooj

5405. Brunel Way (220)

Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

Only a few days ago I spoke about how many whole-wall epic collaborations there have been this year, and this huge wall is all the more impressive given that the whole thing was painted by only two artists, Fade and Dibz.

Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

Fade appears to be something of a force of nature with both the quality and quantity of pieces he has been painting recently, and he appears to be equally comfortable with writing and characters. I have to confess that I am not 100 percent certain who painted each element of the wall, but I’ll have a go. I think the fox and the MOFO writing in white are by Fade.

Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade and Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

The vampire style character I have a feeling might have been painted by Dibz… it certainly has the crispness and quality that I would associate with his work, although equally, Fade might have crafted it.

Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

The next section of writing would appear to be by Fade, but having said that it might be by Dibz, doing that thing where he writes another artist’s name. The cartoon duck is fabulous, but I can’t place him.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

The next section of writing is definitely by Dibz… there are very few artists who could replicate  his superb wildstyle graffiti writing.

Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

Rounding off the whole collaboration is a little scene with a cartoon dog and mid-west style farm house painted to perfection. The whole collaboration is utterly awesome and frankly it is difficult to process how they managed to pull it off so well. Bravo!

5404. Sparke Evans Park (76)

Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023
Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023

Although I have never met Wispa, I have recently had a conversation with her via Instagram messenger, and it is comforting to know that she is supportive of me sharing photographs of her work and writing posts like this one. It is just a matter of time before I am able to put a face to a name, and I only missed her by a whisker in Cheltenham. Speaking of whiskers, this is a wonderful piece featuring Tom the cat in Sparke Evans Park.

Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023
Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023

Once again Wispa delights with this outstanding piece of writing, and fills to die for. I don’t quite know how she does it, but she has great judgement in getting the right composition and proportions in her fills, supported by great colour selections. The letters spelling WISPA are nicely done and lifted with a white 3D drop shadow.

Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023
Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2023

Wispa usually accompanies her work with a character and in this one we are treated to a fun Tom cat from the cartoon Tom and Jerry. It is always a great pleasure to find pieces by Wispa, and I hope she continues to visit Bristol as often as she is able to.

5403. Peel Street Green (19)

Trafficity, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2023
Trafficity, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2023

Trafficity is an artist I have huge respect for. His unique pieces are incredibly consistent in style as well as quality. The word he writes is ZIOM and is a slang term for homie, bro, friend etc. The term I guess is appropriate and relevant in an urban culture setting.

Trafficity, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2023
Trafficity, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2023

Trafficity’s letters are interesting, in that they are quite blocky and they interlock rather neatly. I think that there is probably more going on than meets the eye, and I have often wondered it there is some sub-lettering going on. For example across the top I can quite clearly see the word ‘MUMM’. Of course, this might be entirely coincidental and unintended, but I think the only way of finding out is asking the artist, should I ever bump into him again. Not too far away from having enough pieces for a Trafficity gallery.

5402. St Werburghs tunnel (376)

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023

When I last met Mr Draws under Brunel Way about a month ago, he told me that he was keen to paint more pieces with an environmental or protest theme. Well with  Prime Minister who seems to be hell bent on waging war against nature and the ‘green blob’ as hard right populists tend to do, Mr Draws’ efforts have never been more timely.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023

This is a beautiful piece of the fluke from a whale breaking the surface before descending into the depths, helps to remind us about what is important on this Earth we call home. The atmospheric piece appears to capture the movement and grace of the whale, a sight we are familiar with through viewing wildlife films, but which we rarely glimpse first hand. Bravo Mr Draws, please keep up these genuine efforts to make the world a better place.

Thursday doors – 3 August 2023

Doors 229 – Lincoln City doors (Part II)

Plenty of doors on this fine building, Lincoln, June 2023
Plenty of doors on this fine building, Lincoln, June 2023

As mentioned last week, my first visit to Lincoln City was a real surprise, and I simply wasn’t prepared for just how beautiful parts of the city are. The centre of the city is quite small and can be toured on foot, if you are comfortable with a steep hill or two – coming from Bristol, hills present no problems. The remaining posts from the city contain doors, predominantly from the old parts near the Cathedral and castle – today focusses on the walk from my hotel up the hill towards the old city. Enjoy the doors:

Restored Georgian door, Lincoln, June 2023
Restored Georgian door, Lincoln, June 2023

Building and doors have seen better days , Lincoln, June 2023
Building and doors have seen better days , Lincoln, June 2023

Slim church door, Lincoln, June 2023
Slim church door, Lincoln, June 2023

Fine stonework surrounds a door with fancy hinges, Lincoln, June 2023
Fine stonework surrounds a door with fancy hinges, Lincoln, June 2023

Classic garage door with plenty of bolts and locks , Lincoln, June 2023
Classic garage door with plenty of bolts and locks , Lincoln, June 2023

Green gates and doorway, Lincoln, June 2023
Green gates and doorway, Lincoln, June 2023

The doors get a little bit more interesting next week, I promise, but I guess the first two Lincoln door posts have been a bit of a teaser for the main event, although I am in danger of over-promising and under-delivering, so will quit while I am ahead.

Have a lovely weekend, and for anyone in the UK, I am assured that better weather is on the way in a week or two!

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

Pigeon pair

Pigeon nest, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Pigeon nest, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

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Privileged access

a new life begins, one waits

birds-eye view of nest

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by Scooj

5401. Cumberland Basin

Phour, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023
Phour, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023

I reckon that for every piece by Phour that I include in Natural Adventures, there are probably two or three that remain in my archives. This is unfortunate, because I like his work very much, there is something about the letter form that works very well for me. The strong ‘P’ is a great way to start the word.

Phour, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023
Phour, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2023

In this piece, Phour has gone for chrome letters with a black 3D drop shadow and yellow border, simple and effective. To add a bit of interest and lift the letters a little, Phour has added a marble effect and some cracks that mimic a stone surface. The fill bleeds from letter to letter, creating a large slab of writing. A lovely piece well finished.