I recently took a Japanese friend of mine for a second guided tour of some of Bristol’s spots, and we brought the dog with us this time. The tour started at Sparke Evans Park, then along the river to Temple Meads Station before returning on the south side of the river via the Paintworks. A decent walk, taking in some great street and graffiti art.
Haka, River Avon, Bristol, March 2023
Although I have known about this Haka piece for a while, I simply haven’t walked past it since it was painted, probably because it is just a little bit far for my normal lunchtime rambles. It is a stunning Gruffalo piece, continuing his theme of children’s picture book characters, in particular those authored by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. This one is a real beauty. Haka really is on the crest of an inspiration wave at the moment, and long may it last.
This is another piece from the Bristol Mural Collective paint jam on 8 March to celebrate International Women’s Day – and what better way to celebrate than to paint a few walls.
Amy Lee Jones, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2023
This piece, on the right, is by Amy Lee Jones, an artist whose website states that she is from Leiden in the Netherlands, although I am guessing she is living or staying in Bristol at the moment. Primarily a studio artist who is focussing on abstract realism portraits, this piece is inspired by @reedamberx, and is quite different to her studio work.
To the left is a very powerful portrait piece, which I think is also by Amy Lee Jones, but can’t be completely certain. The style looks the same. These paint jams are always a great opportunity to be introduced to a whole raft of Bristol artists that might otherwise be overlooked.
In Bristol, we have several what I would call ‘occasional’ artists, who are accomplished in their own right, but simply don’t paint walls all that often and Serm would fall into that category. For example, I have only spotted five of his pieces since February 2021, and although he may have painted more than that, his pieces are few and far between.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
The great thing about these occasional writers is that it is always extra special when you do come across a piece. Serm tends to paint large block letters, which he has done on this occasion with a yellow background and shades of purple and lilac in his letter fills. There is a strong sense of industry and solidity in the piece looking like it would weigh a lot if you could pick it up. A few more years, and I might have enough Serm pieces to cobble a gallery together.
Benjimagnetic and Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Now this is a proper mash-up collaboration, a conflation of two distinct styles from two outstanding artists, Benjimagnetic and Hemper. It is rare to find something of this nature where the artists fully collaborate so that the whole piece is one, and not two.
Benjimagnetic and Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Although it is one combined piece, it is possible to disentangle which artist painted which bits. Broadly speaking the letters with straight bits and geometric elements are by Benjimagnetic, and the more curvy elements are likely to be by Hemper. It doesn’t really matter who painted what, because the end result is a wonderfully complex piece of writing that is jam-packed with great artistry.
Doors 215 – Croatia doors (part 8) – Pula leftovers
Wow, I goofed – I have been so busy this week that I thought today was Wednesday – well I was wrong. I thought I was being really clever, preparing my post this evening for tomorrow, but I was being thick/forgetful and am instead running late for today. No matter, Thursday doors is all day Thursday (at the very least) and I am well within the day.
This is the final sweep-up post of doors from our fabulous summer break last August in Croatia. Posting these doors over the last few months has been a regular reminder of just what a wonderful holiday we had. But that was then, and we have a trip to my beloved Italy lined up for this year and plenty more doors to look forward to.
So let’s get on with this final instalment of Pula doors:
Doors to the fish market, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Wooden doors with diamond panels, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Steel doors to our apartment, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Glass panelled doors, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Doors with fine patterns and ironwork, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Doors with glass panels and fine ironwork, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Wide doors with glass and ironwork, Croatia, August 2023Fancy doors and ballustraded balcony, Pula, Croatia, August 2023OK, so it’s not a door, but this shuttered window was too beautiful to leave out, Croatia, August 2023
So farewell then happy Croatia. I hope you enjoyed this series. I am going to have to work hard on something a little bit more local for the next few weeks.
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.
This is a rather classy piece of writing from Wxttsart which was painted alongside a stunning portrait by Rozalita, and both of them stand out, with red being the dominant background colour used.
Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023
As always, Wxttsart’s work spells out MILK, although up until recently I have had difficulty in describing the letter style. I think I have almost cracked it though. The uniformity of the letters and stylised script font suggests that the work could be described as calligraffiti, but it also has a slightly abstract feel to it too, so I like to call Wxttsart’s artwork ‘abstract calligraffiti’, which works for me. Whatever you want to call it, it has an impact. Almost time for a gallery of his work – watch this space.
When this piece was painted, it was the fourth by Mr Klue in a row. That sequence has now been broken, with the first piece having recently been painted over. It is something of a miracle that he had four joined pieces in the first place.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Painted in his wispy abstract style, this KLUE writing has a fabulous colour scheme, picking up like green and shades of purple and pink, with white highlights on the upper part of the word. Truly inspiring and thoughtful stuff from Mr Klue.
For a little while now, Peggy has been brightening up dark corners of our streets with her beautiful floral designs. This small piece is on the warehouse on the opposite bank of the river facing the Riverside Garden Centre. I don’t wander alongside the warehouse, so am not too sure how long the piece has been there. It is still looking pretty fresh though, however old.
Peggy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2023
Peggy’s style is instantly recognisable with its flowing shapes and beautiful tones, more often than not, an eye makes its way into the composition. It is easy to see the crossover between Tattoo art and street art in her pieces. This is a little beauty.
This is the second of two ‘lost treasures’ that somehow got stuck in my publishing system from January, and which continues to be a bit of a mystery to me. It is a stunning and bright piece by Smut, and a great reminder of his outstanding talents.
Smut, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Smut always creates arresting pieces with bright bold letters and the cleanest finish of any artist in Bristol. His work is always immaculate and precise, and a benchmark for others to strive for. The black letters, with a white 3D shadow and border, are interrupted by a school of pink ovals passing through, with an element of ‘transparency’ where they drift in front of the black lettering. Brilliantly conceived and executed.
Natural adventures 