Thursday doors – 27 July 2023

Doors 228 – Lincoln City doors (Part I)

Following a successful, albeit short doorscursion to York, I was fortunate enough to visit Lincoln a week or two later with work, and once again had an evening to wander around the city and collect some doors and drink in the atmosphere of an incredible city.

I have never been to Lincoln before, and I don’t think it was ever particularly on my wish-list of places to go, but having been there I can’t recommend it highly enough. Lincoln is a small city that lends its name to the county of Lincolnshire on the eastern side of England. The city boasts one of the finest cathedrals in the country, something I didn’t know about until I visited, and I was utterly blown away by its magnificence. Lincoln has a fascinating mix of architecture which appears to run in concentric layers of old to new from the castle and cathedral at the top of the hill.

The next few Thursday door posts will feature doors from Lincoln, starting with these rather unremarkable doors, close to the railway station. They get better, I promise.

Double doors on Lincoln Station, Lincoln, July 2023
Double doors on Lincoln Station, Lincoln, July 2023

 

Black door with fan light and gable, Lincoln July 2023
Black door with fan light and gable, Lincoln July 2023

 

Triple door extravaganza, Lincoln, July 2023
Triple door extravaganza, Lincoln, July 2023

 

Door to Sharpe's sweet shop, unfortunately closed, Lincoln, July 2023
Door to Sharpe’s sweet shop, unfortunately closed, Lincoln, July 2023

 

Red cabin door, Lincoln, July 2023
Red cabin door, Lincoln, July 2023

 

Grand door entrance and balcony, Lincoln, July 2023
Grand door entrance and balcony, Lincoln, July 2023

There will be more from Lincoln City next week and for the next few weeks, in the meanwhile, may I wish you a very pleasant 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

Sinead

.

Tears roll down your face

from the most beautiful eyes

and nothing compares

.

by Scooj

5384. St Werburghs tunnel (374)

Still, Pekoe and Maes, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Still, Pekoe and Maes, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023

For some unknown and rather annoying reason, my attempts to photograph this fabulous collaboration from Still, Pekoe and Maes, were poor at best, despite visiting it and photographing it several times. I think that something to do with the greyscale colours of the piece and the artificial light in the tunnel messed with the autofocus on my camera and on my phone. This is the best you’re going to get.

Still, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Still, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023

To the left a rather haunting piece from Still, including an excellent Betty Boop character to the right, and ghosts that look like they might have come from one of her early cartoon sequences. With the black and white colours it certainly has a 1930s kind of look to it.

Pekoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Pekoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023

Next up we have another letters piece from Pekoe, who is definitely having a try at improving her graffiti writing, and in this game as we all know, the only way to improve is to practice. Getting into the ghostly spirit of the collaboration, Pekoe has included drips on the border and in the fills and included a number of eyes.

Maes, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Maes, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023

Maes is an artist who is quite early on in his development, and has surrounded himself with more experienced artists. He is getting to grips with his letters and hasn’t fully settled on a ‘Maes style’ just yet, although his letters are always large and bold, so there is never any mistaking the artist. This is an interesting collaboration which might have been better suited to October rather than May, but was definitely a talking point in the tunnel for a little while.

5383. Dean Lane skate park (624)

Sarah Trotter, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Sarah Trotter, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023

Since the appearance of the Bristol Mural Collective, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of artistic murals by fine artists, illustrators and designers who have transferred their skills from the studio to the streets and the overall impact has been to broaden further the incredible diversity of street art we have in Bristol. This unusual piece by Sarah Trotter is a great example of the kind of work that has been unleashed.

Sarah Trotter, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Sarah Trotter, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023

The piece, Love like a Lobster, is very well described by the artist on her Instagram feed, and I recommend that you read what she has to say about the piece. The hand on the left is tenderly dancing with the lobster on the right, in a beautiful feast of colour and movement. I like the way that Sarah Trotter has really thought about the piece and the surroundings, including paying attention to the textures on the wall. There is a great more depth to the piece than first meets the eye. I’ll be looking out for more street art from Sarah Trotter.

5382. Dean Lane skate park (623)

Dibz, VZA and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Dibz, VZA and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023

So far this summer, there have been some magnificent collaborations, occupying large walls, some from the NTS crew, but others that appear to have been stimulated by the return of Fade to Bristol. Fade is clearly an artist who enjoys collaborating. This outstanding wall is by Dibz, VZA (Veeez) and Fade.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023

Dibz and Fade have done that thing where they write each other’s name, which, for anyone unfamiliar with their styles could be confusing. Even when writing letters other than DIBZ, Dibz’ style and sharp finish gives him away every time, no signature required. I like the subtle colour transition in the letter fill from blue to red scanning left to right.

VZA, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
VZA, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023

The centrepiece is by VZA and features an incredible lay sharp and vibrant alien character that is simply constructed and beautifully executed, making it very easy on the eye. The bright colours make it very difficult to ignore, and it rather steals the show in this collaboration.

Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023

To the right, Fade has written DIBZ in colours and a letter style that remind me a little of Scooby Doo, don’t ask me why. Fade seems to enjoy painting characters and backgrounds almost as much as letters, and here he has included some lovely rolling hills and a couple of trees, which he is adding the finishing touches to.

We are spoilt in Bristol to be able to see so many extraordinary and ephemeral pieces of art, and part of the purpose of this blog is to record and share these amazing works for a wider audience that they surely deserve.

5381. St Werburghs tunnel (373)

Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023

This is the second piece I have published by Mr Crawls, and as I said in the last post, he tends to paint the same ‘mega tag’ each time he paints. The cartoon-style bird, looking slightly worse for wear, is difficult to identify and in my own mind I have it down as a gull of some kind, but it might simply be a generic bird. This one is actually a parrot.

Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023
Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2023

In this version, the Parrot is once again wearing a bucket/tourist hat, but a slightly different style. It is with the hat design that Mr Crawls has most scope for varying the piece and making it distinct from other versions. There re several more gulls in my archive, but I think I will need to collect them together into a single post, in the same way that I have done for Asre, Bogat and Klashwhensober.

At the station

.

Immersed in birdsong

I’m awash with happiness

cleansed for a new day

.

by Scooj

George

.

Friend to my sister

your battle is now over

may you rest in peace

.

by Scooj

5380. River Avon (46)

Mote, River Avon, Bristol, July 2023
Mote, River Avon, Bristol, July 2023

It is difficult to make it through a week without coming across something wild and wonderful from Mote. Not only is he becoming one of Bristol’s most prolific artists, but he is also improving and pushing his boundaries with incredible pace, and I am thoroughly enjoying the journey he is taking us on.

Mote, River Avon, Bristol, July 2023
Mote, River Avon, Bristol, July 2023

This magnificent bird beast is on the larger side for a Mote creation, but fills the space really well. The face and beak are picked out in red and pink colours, separating them from the rest of the head, in shades of blue and green. The monster has three eyes, each decorated with Mote’s unique take on pupil representation. The decorations are interesting and eradicate any danger of too much solid fill space. This is an attractive piece that adds to the artist’s growing and improving portfolio. Time to see him at a festival or two?

5379. Brunel Way (218)

Unknown Artist, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Unknown Artist, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

I don’t often post pieces by unknown artists on Natural Adventures, but when I do, it is in the hope that perhaps I might find out in due course and be able to update the post. Some pieces are too good or unusual to ignore, and this stunning fish piece on the floor at the southern end of Brunel Way is both.

Unknown Artist, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023
Unknown Artist, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

The fish, which looks like a koi carp, has been painted in subtle shades, and almost looks like a pastel colouring. I am not sure what materials were used to paint it, but it doesn’t look like spray paint, more likely brush painted with poster paints or acrylics. Anatomically, the fish is pretty sound, but it is the graceful flow that is captured so well in this piece. Definitely something a little different to the usual fare on Natural Adventures. I will update this post if I find out anything more on the artist.